Art Day at the Botanical Gardens

My friend Heidi had the day off work today so we decided to get together with the kids and do something different and fun. Laura, another good friend of ours, has wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor for awhile now and told us about a cool "Art in the Garden" day they were having, so we thought it would be a great day to check it out! Unfortunately, Laura and her kids couldn't join us (and we missed them very much!), but we sure did have a wonderful time! Thanks for the suggestion, Laura!! Next time we are bringing you with us! 

Here we are being led out to the gardens where the fun would begin...Brett is usually shy and wants to stay right by my side, but not this time! He couldn't wait to get out there!

Brett, Carter, and Landon had to stop to check out the cool map. Must be a boy thing :-)

Before the fun began, we sat on these cool rocks and were told about the activities we would be doing. 

It was hard to sit still (Our kids were the youngest), so our boys moved around a bit during the introduction.  At one point Carter joined Brett on his rock...Brett wasn't too sure about sharing "my rock", but he allowed his friend to sit with him long enough for this picture :-)

Then we were off to our first station....painting little pots that we would make into wind chimes! Of course, our boys made the biggest mess, but I think they had the most fun too :-) Brett's favorite part was mixing the paint and water and declaring what color he had made.."Look mommy, I made grey!"..."Now the water is brown!", etc. I had to keep reminding myself, "It's the experience and process that matters, not the product". That's hard to remember when you want something nice to hang in your yard! :-)

We had a little time in between activities, so the boys did some running around..

And then it was time for our next station....a scavenger hunt in the woods! Brett and Carter took this very seriously, and carefully studied the pictures of what we were to find :-)

Brett was eager and ready to begin! I was so proud of him for going up front without me...my shy little boy is becoming more independent by the day!

At the last station, the kids made stepping stones that would stay there in one of their gardens. It will be fun to find the one Brett made next time we go!

Admiring everyone's work before we left:-)

It was a great day and we can't wait to bring Laura and her kids back with us next time!!! I feel so blessed to live in an area that is filled with so many activities for kids, and as Brett gets older, these things just get more and more FUN. I love watching him grow and discover and learn, and really, these are the memories I hope to never forget!