the Bofenkamp's: Earthquake and Cornstarch?

Yesterday we experienced our first earthquake in Japan. I'm not going to lie, this was one of my biggest fears about moving here with my sweet little family. I remember in grade school when we would have earth quake drills and it was kind of fun to take a break from the books and sit on the floor underneath our desks. But experiencing a real one is different.

Last year, the terrifying earthquake in Japan affected some very close friends of ours who were living where we are now. They were all okay, just sent back to the United States earlier than expected. After last year and hearing their stories I was certain that there was no way I would ever go to Japan. Well, 1 year later, here I am! After lots of research and talks with friends and family we felt comfortable enough bringing our little family here. Talking to our friends who were here in Japan when the earthquake happened, they would describe their time in Japan as so much fun, and they were so glad they went. Multiple friends said they could not wait to come back and were disappointed that their trip was cut short last year. I felt prepared knowing that experiencing an earthquake in Japan is unavoidable, but having one as large as they did last year is rare.

I was awakened by the earthquake. I was laying on my belly in the middle of our warm bed when it started rocking from side to side. It continued for several seconds, and I turned to see if it was Matt shaking the bed to wake me up. When I saw that I was the only one in the room I knew it had to be an earthquake. By the time I woke up and made the connection it was over. I got right up and met Matt in the hallway who said "Did you feel that earthquake?" I certainly did. He told me that Lily didn't even notice it. He was in the process of getting her out of her high chair to hold her or to get in a doorway or under the table, but it stopped. It really was a gentle shake. I can't imagine one shaking so hard that you loose your balance or things fall off shelves. Anyhow, I'm grateful that the first earthquake was not frightening. I hope and pray for an uneventful next couple of months in the earthquake department. Here's a link to the details about yesterday's minor earthquake if you are interested.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0007spa.php

Well, the earthquake was how we began our day! Matt headed off to work, and Lily and I had a quiet day at home. The other day when we were at our friend's house Lily tried finger painting. She put her hands in the paint and made an aweful face and started crying. I thought that maybe it was because she was tired or because she had an audience, or possibly because she was confused that she wasn't able to eat it.

Lily's fingerpainting from the other day

I thought we would try playing in cornstarch and water. She just finished eating lunch, so her tummy was full, and I turned on some music. I poured some of the mixture on the table. She was ok at first..... but once again when she got it on her hands and make quite the "icky" face! Here are some pictures of Lily and her experience with corn starch and water:

She started out happy as a clam during lunch

Then I introduced her to the "goo"

Checking it out closer

This is my favorite of the scowls....

Want to see the whole experience? Watch this video, it cracks me up!

And here's another right before we called it quits for the day:

I don't know if it's the age or the stage, but I was SHOCKED that she doesn't love getting her hands messy! I love finger painting, playing in the dirt, carving pumpkins and taking out the guts with my hands! Matt on the other hand, hates to get his hand icky and sticky! Don't get me wrong, he loves to work with his hands especially on the farm, but there is no way he would play with cornstartch and water just for kicks. HA! My brother Sean hates it as well. Does this mean Lily's personality will be more technical and smart or will she still be creative and silly like me? Maybe she just doesn't know what to think of this new activity. Maybe we will try it again tomorrow...

I will not give up on this battle yet!