Daddy-Daughter Date #3: Shadow Theater & Tea Party

For Daddy-Daughter Date #3 we had thought about going several places, but from past experience we've learned that Saturday is a bad day to go to any kid’s places.  Bethel is not in preschool, so we have the freedom to go to parks, libraries, and the zoo while the other kids are in school.  Today we decided to stay home and create something.

I let Bethel pick the cds to listen to, and throughout the morning we listened to "The Legends of Bluegrass", "The Statler Brothers Farewell Album", and "George Gershwin Favorites".

The project we chose was a shadow theater.  While Eden was down for her morning nap, we took a big cereal box (Raisin Bran Crunch is Bethel and my favorite) and we cut a hole on both sides.

We did not get very far before we heard a squawk in the girls’ room.  Eden gotten her foot caught and was sleepily trying to free herself.  She did not go back to sleep, but was her usual cheery self anyway.

Bethel thought we should paint the box before we went any further, so we set up a paint station and went to work.  We used everyone's favorite colors; green for mommy, blue for daddy, and "light red" for Bethel.  We decided that Eden's favorite color is probably yellow, mostly because yellow was all that was left.

Bethel quickly determined that it was most important to paint the inside of the box, though when the project was done you would not be able to see that part.   Electricians and plumbers like to keep their work neat even though it will be covered up, and at least Bethel and I will know it is beautiful inside the shadow theater.

Next we had to wait for the paint to dry, and we decided that this would be an ideal time to play dress up.  Very soon the living room was filled with hipsters and other fashion elite.  You may also notice that we changed Bethel's shirt due to some wayward paint.

 Then we put Eden in the Bumbo and got the "giant purple ball".  We discovered that if you give Eden the "giant purple ball", she will try to eat it, but knock it away.  Bethel was sure that this meant she wanted to play catch, and for quite a while they rolled the ball back in forth with more excitement than the original inventors of "catch" must have had.

Due to our thorough work in certain spots, the paint was not yet dry, but it was time for a light luncheon and tea.  The tea set is from great-aunt Barbara and is one of Bethel's most prized possessions.  The gourmet cooking was courtesy of mom via leftovers.  Pink Bear and Giant Bear were invited and a good time was had by all.

 After lunch things flew by, the girls had naps and mommy came home.  However, later that day the paint had dried and, with the addition of a paper front and light from the window, our theater was up and running.