Weekend of Big Fun

Well, Jacks had a HUGE weekend of one activity after another. Let's see....where to begin?

Caroline celebrated her 2nd birthday on Saturday. It seemed that Tropical Storm Fay was going to ruin the outdoor water play party, but at the last minute the festivities were moved to the Rec Center. I cannot imagine a better back up plan. We all brought push cars and balls, there were a couple of inflatable pools and a bounce house, and the kids ran wild around the gymnasium for a couple of hours. It was great. Here is a shot of Jacks, Alex, and Stella having more fun than should be allowed in a baby pool.
Of course, Jacks is enjoying lunch with his good friend BB.

Also, Joe's parents, Rick and Glenda, came for a day time visit on Saturday. The plan was for Rick to help put together Jacks's new play set, but the storm put a stop to that. They joined us at the birthday party, then we got to visit during the day, go eat at Provinos, and they then decided to drive home. We were very nervous that they chose not to spend the night, because that meant driving in high winds and steady rain, but they insisted. We're just grateful that they made it home safely. Maybe Rick will come back on his own sometime soon to help with the play set, as planned. Here is Jacks telling Rick a secret at dinner.
Rick helped Jacks learn how to slam dunk at the party. Then, today, after Jacks took a long, hard nap, we made our way over to the museum to witness the visiting Tibeten Monks sweep away the sand art they have been preparing in the gallery all weekend. After carefully creating the piece over the weekend, they performed a ceremony to sweep it all away and return the sand to the earth. The ceremony was really neat, and we got a small bag of sand to bring home with us. I was worried that the chanting and loud drums reverberating through the museum walls would scare Jacks, but he seemed in touch with the somber tone of the ceremony. Here are some pictures from the event.

When we left the museum, we headed over to Moe's in Tiger Town to celebrate Harper's 2nd birthday. It was a great idea for a kid's party - chips, dips, quesadillas, and cupcakes and ice cream. A large sheet of paper was rolled out on a table with lots of crayons - one of Jacks's favorite activities - and the food was plentiful. After coloring, eating, and singing, Harper's mom brought out the pinata. This was one of the highlights of Jacks's life. He could not stop dancing, grinning, and screaming, "Wow!!" Instead of hitting the pinata, all the children pulled ribbons from the bottom to release the candy - a much safer idea given the age group of the kids. Jacks loved every second of it. The pulling, the candy drop, the scramble - it was all fabulous in his book. We left with full bellies, a sack full of candy, a set of maracas, and Jacks's very own sombrero. Great party!

My favorite part of this picture, aside from the huge grin on Harper's face after successfully blowing out his candles, his how hard Lauren is dancing behind him. She liked that steady groove of the birthday song!
I hope Jacks manages a full night of sleep tonight. Given this weekend of action packed activity, I think he will sleep like a bebe. Thanks to all of our fabulous party hosts for having us, our parents for a great visit, and the Monks for some chanting good times!!

Now, let's see if I can make it through another week of school. I have the three day weekend to look forward to!

Love to all - K