Kelly and the older boys did a week long trip to the Upper Peninsula with the church's young men's group. They camped, hiked, kayaked, jumped off cliffs into Lake Superior, and otherwise had an amazing time. I would have really loved to go along.
Meanwhile, I stayed home with Bella and Peter. Bella and I had a wonderful time. Girls' movie nights, only cooking what her picky palate would accommodate rather than having to worry about the boys' likes, and otherwise enjoying the peace, quiet, and clean house.
Peter and I spent most days out and about. He spent 4 hours with friends at the playground one day. It has been so fun to see him really enjoying the company of others and really getting to be quite social.
We also went to the zoo, one of his favorite places. I'm not sure if he really understood that the dinosaurs weren't real. It's possible that they were just another animal on display. I didn't dissuade him of the notion. This way was so much more fun.
We also had to go to our favorite place, Greenfield Village. He wanted to sit by the pond and watch the animals. We saw many turtles, frogs, fish, insects, geese, etc. He was mesmerized. (There's a turtle in the background in the first picture. Zoomed in better in the second picture.) I was amazed by how still and patient he was. What 3 year old sits for 30 minutes by a pond watching the turtles and frogs? I was ready to move on but he kept insisting he wanted to stay.
One thing Bella and Peter and I did together was attend the Highland Games - the local Scottish cultural festival. Haggis, clans, and bagpipes all day long. It was so much fun. We watched the giant men throwing a 56 lb weight over a bar 16.5 feet high and make it look easy. We watched all the traditional scottish dancing (which Bella deemed "so boring" but which I thoroughly enjoyed). We watched teams of giants compete in a tug of war that left me in awe. They had to have chosen these teams by bicep circumference. We ate good food and met some really interesting people.
The real reason we came, though, was because Bella's friend Carolin was in one of the bands competing that day. She's a drummer in a traditional scottish band. It was so fun to hear them all play and see them march around to the sound of the bagpipes. Peter had a wonderful time too, despite the crazy heat and humidity.
Some of Bella and Carolin's teachers came in Carolin's support too, as well as her boyfriend. It was a fun day with so many friends.
Of course, the highlight this past week was Peter's 3rd birthday!! My baby is every bit a 3 year old - energetic, opinionated, stubborn, and adorable. He's a great mix of everything. He was so excited about his birthday but the presents were just an afterthought. I think it was just the concept of finally being older that really excited him. When the big day arrived and his presents were there, he decided to eat his birthday muffin first. (I put off baking elaborate cakes for as long as possible).
Then he donned his special 3rd birthday shirt and he was ready to go off and play. Christian couldn't stand the suspense, however, and encouraged him to come back and open some presents. Peter obliged. If only Christian had known that nearly all the presents came from the attic stash of old toys.
We love our little Peter. He has no interest in potty training despite my efforts. He can't be bothered to learn letters, numbers, or anything else academic. However, he is so sweet with people, loves to play with others, and is never afraid to talk to people and engage people in conversation. He'll talk to people at the store, in restaurants, or on the playground, no matter their age. He's most comfortable around adults, though.
He shares a birthday with our good friend, Thea, who turned 80 this year, so I took the two of them out to lunch along with a few of her other friends. He received money from some of the older ladies which he wanted to spend at the dollar store. He chose some truly terrible junk. I couldn't bring myself to participate in the purchase of such cheap trash so I handed him the money and told him he could go buy them himself. Without hesitation, he did. He stood in line, placed the items on the belt, and paid, without intervention from me.
He's a wonderful boy and we're so lucky to have him in our family.
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