Last week Mark and I had our niece, Emma, over for a two day/two night fun-filled extravaganza! Emma is 9 years old and will be starting the fourth grade this year, so she is at a really fun (and pretty low-maintenance:)) age.
What struck me most about this time spent with Emma was her steadfast interest in making and creating things. I certainly was aware that she enjoyed drawing (I factored in visits to a couple museums while she stayed here--more on that in a bit), but I did not know that her predilection for creating also involved other mediums including, but NOT limted to....
designing and sewing her own doll clothes...
making her own toys (in this case a camera and this camera certainly morphed into something more detailed)...
cooking (she made breakfast from scratch including the hashbrowns)...
and baking (we made these "fried egg" cookies out of pretzels, melted white chocolate and M &Ms). Indeed, I could have photodocumented other instances of Emma busy with creating things, but the poor kid had to tolerate her aunt's camera enough!
Here is Emma's little friend, George the Frog, who unfortunately met an untimely end due to inquisitive fingers (note one eye has been extracted from its socket and placed next to a foot) and perhaps overzealous squeezes from his master. This toy was purchased by Emma at the waterpark in the Dells that we went to on Emma's first day with us. Sadly, I did not bring my camera to the park, as it was just Emma and I, and I didn't want to risk it getting stolen or damaged.
On our second day together, Emma helped me walk the hounds in the morning and then we left for a day of sight-seeing. Our first stop was at the Chazen Museum of Art located next to the University in Madison.
Emma seemed quite interested in the layout of the mulitleveled, quiet building.
This museum is very "manageable" with a kid Emma's age. It's not really big and overwhelming, and it has a mix of both contemporary and classic takes on art.
That being said, Emma and I both agreed that although it had lots of really interesting and beautiful pieces...it also had some that either she or I could have done...when we were two!
And some were just plain scary! Yikes!
All in all, we enjoyed examining the pieces.
Dwarfed by this giant sculpture of a jack, Emma looks up while I take her photo (don't worry, Lisa, I never let her leave my sight).
We went to a second, much smaller and far more snobbier museum located on State Street, but they did not allow photography, and I only managed to get this photo because I did not see the sign saying "no photos". Oops. Emma hangs her head in shame.
We were also able to treat Emma to a Mexican lunch at one of the restaurants downtown. Mark was able to join us, as he was working some of his dowtown accounts. Here, Emma waves at Mark as he comes to join us.
Our next stop was the capitol. Emma had been here before, but she was only 4 or so at the time and has no memory of being there.
We both enjoyed oooohing and ahhhing over the guilded dome, marble stairs, tiled mosaics, and...
breathtaking windows...
We were allowed to check-out the room where the State Supreme Court meets.
But, no, we couldn't go up and sit in the chairs that belong to the justices.
Go, fancy Bucky!
We also climbed to the observevation deck where you can walk around and see all of Madison, the lakes, and many of the neighboring cities surrounding the area.
Saturday morning we left Cross Plains and drove Emma back to Colfax. We enjoyed an overnight visit with the rest of the Hurlburts. 
Leila sits proudly in her rocking chair.
Potato Head party!
Michael and Leila
Sisters!
