Weekend wrapup

Saturday was Preston's birthday party at the Pompey fire department with Dan the Snake Man after haircuts in the morning. Theo and Beckett were riveted and touched every single animal they could. There was great cake and ice cream and a pinata and some of their friends from school. It was an excellent party, all around. On the way home we stopped at a great greenhouse and the boys had fun choosing out some plants to bring home. That evening we had some good friends over for dinner and the boys had a lot of fun with the other little kids.

Sunday I took the boys out for a walk in the woods near our house, behind the boys' old school. We suited up in our snow pants, winter coats, and boots. Theo insisted on bringing his backpack so he could bring a pen, a notebook, a magnifying glass, and books on bird and tree identification. As soon as we got to the fields behind the school, Beckett took off through the snow, running and jumping and rolling in the snow and making snowballs. Theo took his time through the snow, making lots of stops to put down his backpack, take out his notebook, and jot down notes about what he noticed or experienced. (We have been reading a lot of Magic Tree House and Theo wanted to emulate Jack, who jots down notes on his adventures.) Reed had a tough time walking through the crunchy six-inch-deep snow, so I wore him on my back for the walk through the open field. Once we got to the trail in the woods, there was a nice path packed down that everyone could walk on, and Reed was happier walking by himself. Beckett ran on ahead and looked like he was truly enjoying a huge wild space all to himself. We ended up at the playground deep in the park and the boys loved trying everything out in the snow and ice. Theo also did some amazing ninja warrior winter edition moves. I didn't get a lot of good photos of Beckett because he was so far ahead most of the time.