Jack dancing some more . . .

summer

a simple, creative life

Ahh, how does one foster a simple, creative environment for a little one these days, full of the important things rather than just things, things, things. I had thought about this quest for myself before Jack was born and then had visited it occasionally when he was younger. But now at the ripe old age of two (in two days!!) he is showing an amazing tendency toward round-the-clock television consumption and unadulterated consumerism . . . Okay, so maybe that is an exaggeration but as his world opens up more and more by the day now it is clear to me that I better know how I intend to cultivate such things as creativity and gratitude in our household to balance all that could easily slip in in their place.

In that vain, we were excited to receive a little book that I have been waiting for since a dear friend recommended it to me. I have already tried one project from it that she showed me and look forward to trying out many more . . .

The Getty Center

Jack and I made our first trip to the Getty Center today. My last trip there had been with my mother several Christmases ago, when I was only about two months pregnant. I decided this is going to be one of our monthly outings from now on. Maybe next time we will start with a brief visit to one of the collections and then the Family Room, which we never made it to.

I tried to leave the house at a time that would assure we missed the worst of the morning traffic, but somehow all of the freeways were still moving at a snail's pace our entire trip there. This could easily spell disaster; however, Jack was amazing. Just before I snapped this first shot, he had been sitting in his car seat being so quiet and patient as we sat in traffic. I looked back at one point and he was sitting there with his little hat on reading his book and occasionally looking out the window and commenting on a bus or truck going by. I could not safely take a picture until we were in the line of cars at the Getty Center and by then the hat was off and the books were tucked to one side where he likes to keep them . . . books on one side, water on the other.

We did not look at much art today. Okay, so we did not look at any art inside the museum but we did enjoy the gardens and many water features and the beautiful architecture. (Jack's favorite architectural details were the myriad staircases that we went up and down many, many, many times during our visit.) He also loved the water, except that any water that he cannot immediately climb into concerns him greatly:

They have lovely lawns at the Getty that overlook the gardens and then the entire city - on a clear day. Jack saw some big kids running down one of these lawns and went over to the little wall that divides the path we were walking on from the lawn and said, "Jack! Jack!" He then proceeded to run up the hill and then back down into my arms for about ten minutes straight. Then he ran over to the big kids and started talking to them. They don't pay him much mind, but he keeps trying.

Jack in the gardens . . .

We had lunch a little later on another lawn and Jack spent most of the time trying to interact with the big kids there and trying to figure out how they rolled their bodies down the hill. He would lay down perpendicular to the hill and then just wait for something to happen. He did not figure it out this time. Maybe next time.

Another favorite for Jack was riding the tram up the hill from the parking structure and then back down at the end of our visit. Both ways he got to sit in his own seat next to adults and he was in heaven! He was watching people and listening to them and whenever folks around us would laugh at something they were saying, Jack would laugh too. (This is something he does now -- as well as mimicking the sounds and words people say out in public. The other day we were at a store and a woman in line next to us was yelling for her daughter: "Kerri! Kerri!" and obviously looking for her. Jack suddenly belted out, "Kerri! Kerri! Kerri!" quite a bit louder than the woman herself was yelling.)

Altogether we had a lovely first trip to a museum. I believe this is mostly because I let him lead the way and play with and explore whatever seemed to interest him. At one point we watched a man who works for the museum cleaning out one of the water fountains. Jack was fascinated. I was trying to move him on and then I thought to myself: "We are here for him -- what's my hurry?" And from that point of view the day was a huge success and Jack is now sleeping heavily in the next room.

One more thing . . . a few times during our lunch, as I was sitting in the shade of a tree at the base of the hill the kids were rolling down, Jack would run up behind me and give me a big hug. He would just hang out there for a moment with his head tucked into the space between my shoulder and neck. Then off he would run again. There was a gentle breeze and I sent a "thank you, thank you, thank you" out onto the breeze for that exact moment, which of course will never come again.