The McMichael Gallery

CRAZY!  I just looked at the pictures from when we last went to the McMichael Gallery - March 2010, when Kate was 14 months old.  I almost put Alice in the exact same outfit this morning, and not because I looked at the pictures ahead of time.  Now I wish I'd gone with the first outfit idea, oh well!  The other fun thing is that I never blogged about the last trip - I included one sentence and one photo, so I've got an extra excuse to post a picture of Kate from 2010.

Here is Kate in March 2010.  The only thing I really remember about that day is that when we finally found the play area Kate was asleep. 

When you go to the gallery you can start on the left side or the right side.  I always go left and so the kiddie area is the last place we see, but it means that whatever the current exhibition is, you end up seeing it backwards.  Perhaps one day I'll go right to left, but probably not!

Weekends... I think I've finally got the weekdays down.  I go to work, the girls aren't with me, but we're all okay and this past week I actually felt happy, but the weekends, they still need work.  It's ridiculous that I waste time being sad on the weekend and I wish I could just snap myself out of it, but there it is.  I feel sad because I want them to last forever and with all the busy-ness of small people weekends almost feel over before they start.  It doesn't help either that we all move slowly on Saturday mornings because we can.  The reason for this long ramble is to say that we went to the gallery today and we had an enjoyable time, but we didn't get there until lunch time and we kind of ate but didn't, and Alice kind of napped but didn't and I almost started to let myself think the day was ruined, but I didn't and it wasn't, so maybe I'm figuring out weekends after all.

I LOVE the McMichael Gallery.  It is beautiful.  The art is beautiful and it is home.  I remember the first time Ken and I went there I couldn't believe he was Canadian and he hadn't heard of the Group of Seven.  I've never taken an art appreciation/art history/art anything course, but I feel like I've always known and loved the group of seven - and friends.  I love that so much of the art - so many of the scenes are of Ontario and it just feels like home.  If you want to read more about the history of the gallery, go here.  One of the reasons I love the gallery is because of it's size.  It's small but not tiny and totally manageable with small children.

I didn't get to pause and enjoy too many things, but I left with one impression.  Mermaids - or the Goddess of the Sea - I never knew that the idea of a Mermaid existed in Inuit mythology and now I want to know more.  I want a story.

So here's 14 month old Alice in the same window as Kate.

And because you don't take photographs in an art gallery (well not usually), here are the girls playing in the kiddie area.  Kate loved the dress-up box of hats.

I managed a quick pick of my moving target before she threw the hat on the floor.  I think she enjoyed watching Kate try on the hats more than trying them on herself.

The kiddie area isn't very large but it has lots of fun stuff.  My favourite things were all the board books - Barbara Reid and this cool series of books featuring works of the masters - Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas.  I kind of want them, but I kind of want lots of books.  I love owning books.  

Ken tried on a hat - doesn't he look pretty?

 Is it wrong that I think it was funny that Kate was hitting the outdoor sculptures of wolves with a stick?  (Not the actual hitting part, the hitting ART part.  Wait, that doesn't actually sound any better.)

I just want to hug and kiss this cute baby all day, but I'd have to catch her and hold her down and mostly she doesn't like that.

After the gallery we headed over to Mom and Dad's and had a nice visit.  Ken took Mom shopping for a tablet and Liz stopped in.  It was a full day.  I love weekends.  I love my family.

(P.S.  This is this second blog post in a row that I'm actually posting on the day it says instead of back dating.  Fun!  Now I really must do some school work!)