Ever since Art was a tiny boy we would take bike rides to the cafe (May Day cafe) and then walk over to Powderhown Park to feed the ducks and play on the playground. With the recent 40-degree days I figured NOW IS THE TIME, so I biked the kids over in the trailer for a tasty breakfast and then to the park. Of course it was snowy but fun for both kids. It really does get dark and cold in Minnesota! Jessica just said this morning how much happier and brighter she’s feeling lately that it’s been warmer with longer days.

Art is doing one of Jessica favorite things: crunching through thin layers of ice. If you’re walking with Jess and she sees a puddle with thin ice there is no stopping her. She has to crunch it and observe the fascinating behaviors of cracking ice.

“Lewis, do you want to hold my hand!?” said Art.
“Uh huh,” said Lew.

(photos from Ms. Jen, Art’s preschool teacher)

A few days ago Art asked if he and I could have a “special time”, just him and me without Lewis or Papa. Today we had our special time attending a rally at the Capital in support of Early Childhood Education funding. We rode a real school bus there, walked up the many steps, saw the inside of the echo-filled building, noticed the beautiful ceilings, walls and lights and raced up and down the steps outside… many times. Art was very impressed with the building itself. He said it was beautiful as we drove up to it. Then he asked why it was beautiful. He thought the inside was beautiful, too.

We found this Teddy Bear Band mascot putting on his mittens before his big entrance.  Art got a quick pawshake before the bear went on.

We raced up these steps at least ten times after the echos and noise inside had gotten to be too much to bear.

–Sent from my handheld device.–

Art just came downstairs after bumbling in his room for thirty
minutes. He was supposed to be taking a nap, but he came downstairs
and said he was just so excited that Nanna was going to be here that
he just played around and read in his room and went to quietly wake up
Lewis but Lewis didn't wake up so he said, "Have a good nap, Lewis"
and then he had to pee. (Those are really his words, except he said
them in first person, of course.) He ate a pear and said, in his
whiny voice, "When is Nanna gonna be here!"Tomorrow. She'll be here tomorrow.