I’m a big fan of simple pleasures. Like looking into the garden and seeing a perfect blossom when yesterday there was just a bud. Or watching the children play happily together, using their nice voices. I would much rather have a nice glass of red wine and read an excellent book than say, go to a crowded bar (and it really doesn’t have everything to do with the fact I can’t stay up past 10:00. I would like to blame this phenomenon on the fact I have two little kids, or the fact that I get up at 5:40 to practice yoga, but truly I have always been this way. As old friends can attest, even when I was a “swinging” single girl, I couldn’t stay up on Friday night to watch Sex and the City, which started at 9:30. But I digress.)

I was thinking about this the other day when we were up at the lake and despite many, many amenities available to them, the kids just wanted to blow bubbles and run up and down the dirt road to see a very old VW van (dubbed Fillmore – those of you familiar with the Cars movie will understand). Recently they spent a solid 45 minutes playing in a mud puddle – first throwing rocks in, then jumping in, splashing and screaming with joy. On a recent trip to the nearby duck pond, the boys spent a hour and a half picking dandelions and throwing them into the pond with the mistaken impression that ducks eat dandelions. They were undaunted in their efforts, despite the fact that not one duck took any notice. (Nor did they take notice of the boys speaking duck language “Quack! QUACK!!!!”)

It’s a well-known fact that babies prefer gift wrap and boxes to the actual gifts inside said boxes. Mark and Jake are well past the age of that , but it seems they still prefer simple activities. How about you?