The Force is stong here

These are the days that you have to pull out and remember in a depths of a bleak, cold Michigan winter. These are the days that make me happy that we were able to arrange our lives in such a way to live in such a wonderful town.

We had all the elements of a good weekend: a gorgeous fall day, great kids, helpful grandparents, and several fun activities where we kept running in to people we know... it's great to be in a "smallish" town!

Last night we had several neighbors stop in with their kids to help us sing "Happy Birthday" to Alex. It was a successful little visit, with kids running all over the house, adults catching up over a glass of wine or a beer, and getting to know our new neighbors a little better. Why don't we do this more often?

My parents arrived at the height of the fun---just in time for the singing!---and then helped get Jameson to bed. Jameson was having a very trying day... and was reasonably satisfied with Grandpa (if he couldn't have Mama) but wanted NOTHING to do with Grandma. When she switched seats to be closer to him while he was bathing, he just dissolved and tears and was inconsolable!

Luckily, a good night's sleep improved his mood. I was fortunate enough to have some great one-on-one time with him in the morning, since Alex spent the night with my parents at the hotel. We read book after book. My favorite is "From Head to Toe" by Eric Carle. Each page has a different animal doing a different thing (turning your head, stomping your feet) and Jameson can now do almost all of them. He and I are both so pleased!

Once we were able to drag Stefan out of bed (have I mentioned he's not a morning person??), we met up with a very happy Alex and even happier grandparents at the Farmer's Market. After fortification of muffins and coffee (and in Stefan's case, some bee-bim-bop from the Korean restaurant), we were ready for some shopping. Or, at least my Mom and I were! The rest elected to play in the Kerrytown Courtyard, which was just fine with me. Shopping without a baby on my back---a novel concept!

While in the coop, we ran in to Phil, who had a birthday gift for Alex. He came across to deliver it personally--some wonderful books!!--and Alex was very pleased. (I love this---being out and about in downtown and running in to people we know... and better yet, people who are thoughtful enough to think of birthday gifts for my child!)

I haven't figured out this picture yet... practicing "child's pose" from yoga?? His bracelet (that Daddy got at a science teacher's convention) turns colors when out in the sun:

Then on to home... more play time for the boys outside until it was nap-time for Jameson and lunch-time for the rest of us. We had to eat quickly and head out to Alex's soccer game. They finally scored some points!! It was probably their best game yet. As usual, Alex had a great time goofing off with his teammates and enjoyed the playground afterwards.

We arrived home to a just-woken-up Jameson who was in a great mood. My Dad was mostly in charge of Jameson for the next few hours as I made apple crisp for the science center crowd and Stefan made his final adjustments to his bizarre costume.

My Mom has been busy making costumes for Alex and I. Since Alex wanted to wear his to animal haunts, they worked together on his. I loved to see how intent he was on every part of the process... sometimes he was so close that he was helping pull out pins as she was sewing. I don't think he left her side for two hours! And he was so, so proud of his costume once it was finished.

Jameson started to melt near the end of the afternoon, but wasn't able to take a nap. He's at that lovely "in between" stage where one nap isn't quite enough but two naps is too much. Luckily, he did allow me to put his "Yoda" costume on him before we went out the door to the science center. (once we were there, he was so busy exploring, moving, walking, and looking under logs that he forgot about it!)

Catching the escape artist (Jameson):
We arrived at the science center just before it erupted into masses of people (over 500!) for the annual "Animal Haunts" program. There are lots of activities for kids... face painting, finding "treasure" in a sandbox, swinging from a rope swing and dropping into hay, music and singing, etc!

The main event, however, is the "Animal Haunts Hike" through the woods were you are "met" by various and assorted plants and animals who give a brief, kid-friendly summary of what they are and what they do. Here's a picture of the crew before they went out into the woods:
Here's Stefan's quite original "gall" costume. (galls are little pockets around the stem of a plant where a bug lays eggs and baby bugs grow)

Before we took our guided tour (I always manage to "finagle" my way on to the first tour to more easily accommodate bed-times) we had some time to wonder around---or more accurately, follow the boys as they wondered.

Jameson using the force to pick up a leaf:

Alex and his special birthday "Baba" (Stefan's mom Gustie), who shares his birthday! The hike was nice, as it always is, but Jameson wasn't very interested in stopping to listen to any of the creatures. His big idea was to just hike--at his own pace--and object strongly if anyone stopped him.

I ended up putting him--to his great disappointment--in to the ergo carrier on my back and walking ahead of the group a little. As long as I was in motion, he was usually happy. I did miss most of the last few stations, but at least everyone else could enjoy them in peace!

After the hike, we wandered around a little and let Alex and Jameson lead the way (thank goodness for two sets of grandparents---who really helped me keep track of the boys!). My favorite part was seeing other adults' reaction to Jameson's costume! He received lots of smiles and laughter where ever he went. It also helped that he had such a serious look on his face (exploring is serious business!) and that his size and gait were very similar to the "real" Yoda.

We ended the night in the nature house, where a local musician was playing his guitar and his kazoo for kids. Both boys were very interested in this and actively participated in the dancing. I love seeing Alex get involved and goofing off with other kids---a few years ago he would have not wanted to branch out and dance and sing. He was very fascinated and quite a good dancer.

Jameson, on the other hand, had some interest in the music, but was also very interested in the popcorn and drinks. Occasionally he wandered away from me and tried to get popcorn and drinks from other people! Other times he would wave his arms and twist his little body and smile big---dancing to the music. I got some nice compliments on his costume!

I saw many people that I either know or recognize from other activites; as I mentioned earlier, it is great to feel like part of a community! Jameson and Alex are very well-known at the science center because of all the time they spend there with Daddy. So they had other people coming up and talking to them that I didn't even know, which is great. I love that they are so comfortable there.

Now, we're getting ready for brunch out at a fancy restuarant to celebrate the double birthdays. I have to go running to work off some of the extra calories in advance!