Minnesota Souvenirs (April 23ish)

Jeff travels a lot, but he almost never asks what the kids want him to bring home.  (Can you imagine if he did?!)  For some reason, before he went on this trip, he DID ask what the kids wanted.  Jonathan wanted eels, Grace wanted lake water, and Benjamin wanted a life preserver (which means a life jacket to him.)  Apparently, Jeff told this story to the folks he worked with in Minnesota, and they got a real kick out of it...and took it upon themselves to provide our kids with souvenirs.

Jonathan's Minnesota eels were LEECHES.  Yes, friends, those bloodsuckers that I only know from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and from Stand By Me...that my children and I had never seen in person before.  They are disgusting and fascinating, but mostly disgusting.  Grace got some lake water that had some almost-microscopic creatures hopping around in it.  We loved watching them with our magnifying glass.  And, Benjamin was delighted with his life jacket!  Here is the thank-you picture that Jeff took on his phone.

Benjamin wanted to write a thank-you note to his benefactors, and he asked me what letters to write down while I was in the other room.  Not that this is a good way to do it, but I yelled the letters to him...and here's what he wrote.  I was very proud of him.

 Watching the leeches.  They were so gross.  Jonathan and Grace both took their gifts to school so that their classmates could examine them.  (Truth in photos...the kids' white laundry is hanging in the background.  This climate is great for drying laundry, as long as you choose the shade.  IKEA drying racks are the best.)

I really don't think I'll ever grow fond of leeches.

And Benjamin, the kid who cracks everyone up - including himself - decided to wear the life jacket upside-down and ran around calling it his Life Diaper.  Now, he's been out of diapers for quite some time...which may be why we thought this was so amusing.  Life Diaper!