The Parktacular

Fans, today was the St. Louis Park Parktacular!  The Parktacular is a community celebration that the city has been hosting since the early 1900's, when it was once, apparently, dubbed the "biggest jubilee celebration ever."  Fans, the jubilee has only gotten bigger in the past 100 years.  It now boasts a parade, water slides and inflatables, various musical groups, a Taste of SLP, and--of note for us--canoe and kayak rides, a family fishing activity, a petting zoo, and pony rides.  It doesn't get much better than that, especially if you are almost four.  Which is why it was such a bummer when we woke up and the weather was so craptacular on Parktacular Day.  Thankfully, the rain moved out and the clouds parted just after lunch.  The boys headed out to catch the tail end of the parade before diving into the Parktacular's delights, while the Birds stayed home so the Little Bird could nap.  Julie was writing some notes on the porch and got regular updates on her phone, like "Canoe!!!!!  He didn't hesitate for a second!  Awesome."

Our Pennsylvania Fans will realize what a big deal Joe's boarding of a canoe without a moment's hesitation is, since he wanted nothing--nothing!--to do with the pontoon boat that was at the lake house we rented for a week last summer.  When Julie saw him later and told him how proud she was that he'd ridden in a canoe, Joe informed her that he'd ridden in a boat.  Whatever.  He was in a vessel, that was in the water.

He also caught a fish!

At first, Our Hero wasn't quite ready to ride a pony, so he petted some animals.

But then the Buckaroo was like, "Pony.  Bring it."

And there's more.  (We know, right?!)  The Little Gym was there with the Air Track, AND it was being supervised by Teacher Kayla!  Teacher Kayla remembered Joe, and Joe remembered Teacher Kayla.  Ted reports that Joe went down the Air Track a couple times, making moon eyes at Teacher Kayla all the while.

Somewhere in there, back at the ranch, Birdie woke up.  She had her snack on the porch with Ms. Barks A Lot, and then the Birds were off to the Parktacular, too.

By the time they got there, it had gotten pretty hot, and Joe had been going hard all afternoon.  So Joe was pretty tired, and ready to go home.  Birdie was a little overwhelmed by the whole thing, so after she'd gathered up some wood chips at Wolfe Park, and run around it a bit, she was ready to go, too.

Fans, Joe went to bed at 6:17pm.  !!!!!   This after an hour-long nap right when we got home!  Clara sacked out early, too.  It's 7:44pm as this reporter files this dispatch, and they are both sound asleep.  We call that spectacular.