Douwe's special day

Mid-month, I was invited to spend an hour long "parent observation conference" in Douwe's pre-school room with him to observe what he does on a typical morning at school . . he showed me his coat room and told me I have to hang up my coat by myself like he does (why doesn't he bother at home?) and several "jobs" mostly puzzles and books and building blocks, then did his snack routine. We left early together, did a few errands, then continued his special day at Schoops for a milkshake and chicken and fries. It was a fun morning together.

Winter Hike

We bundled up on a cold Sunday afternoon for an outdoor winter hike like we enjoyed last year. Douwe was a wimp and wanted to be carried most of the way, but it was beautiful out. We enjoyed our hot chocolate from the Stanley thermos, than went inside to warm up in the Gibson woods nature center. They have a great bird watching room. Just as we were leaving, we had the experience of watching a snake gulp down a frozen mouse. It was amazing. Douwe loved it, and said the whole time, "but my Grandma does not like to see snakes.

Overnight trip to St. Joseph

We made plans to meet our GORGE friends in South Haven for dinner, so we spent the night in St. Joseph at the Holiday Inn on the lakefront to make a fun overnight trip out of it. Steve was invited to come along with us and we did all the things he asked for a couple months ago: stay in a hotel room, swim a bit, watch a movie, play some games, eat the breakfast buffet. One of the great things about being with children is how they remind you that so many things are special and exciting, b/c we adults just get used to things like a beach ball or breakfast buffet and forget what a unique privilege these experiences are for children.

Dinner time was fun with friends. THe adults got one table and the kids another. At first Steve was a bit shy with the other boys, but before long he was talking Star Wars trivia so excitedly with the other Star Wars fans at his table that he took almost an hour to eat his platter of butterfly shrimp. I have never seen a person enjoy the meal and the conversation as much as Steve did that night, it was a delight to watch him.