Faces of Sebastian

I am off to Boston with Sebastian to visit my sister, Jessica. This is my first time out of town without Julien. He gave me a rock to take on the trip to remember him by.

Recovery

It took a while to recover from the party, but it was all worth it.

Ships Ahoy!

Julien had a very fun birthday party. We managed to invite more kids than we probably should have, so we had 12 kids and two older sisters plus all the parents. I couldn't have done it with out Kathy's help. The kids had a blast. They made ships, had a treasure hunt, and bashed open a pinata. The treasure hunt was the big hit of the party. The parents had a great time hanging out; they almost had as much fun as the kids! It was a very international crew including families from Israel, Italy, and India.

Lotus in the Park

We went to Lotus in the Park on Saturday, which was fabulous! We heard Fiamma Fumana, an Italian folk electronica dance band, and Bonsoir Catin, a cajun band. We ran into lots of friends including our midwife and Julien's friend Adrian who was dancing with his Mom and older sister. Kathy and I had lots of fun dancing while the others relaxed on the blanket. Julien loved cuddling with Sebastian.

That evening we went down town to explore the free parts of the larger Lotus Festival that takes over all of down town one weekend a year. We particularly enjoyed Balkan Beat Box. We went home earlier that we wished because Julien was exhausted and had to rest up for the big birthday party the next day. Next year we plan to get a baby sitter so we can stay out late! Lotus is one of the best events in Bloomington and it was fun to show it to Kathy and Rick.

Out to Lunch

We went out to lunch at Tutto Benne. It was good, but would have been more relaxing if Sebastian hadn't cried so much. He needed to be walked around during most of the meal.

Ice Cream Cake

Of course everyone enjoyed the ice cream cake we brought to Julien's class. Stacy, Julien's teacher the last several years, holds Sebastian every chance she gets, which made serving cake much easier.

Five!

Julien turned five! His favorite part of his birthday was having his grandparents, Rick and Kathy, in town. Sebastian enjoyed their visit as well.
Julien got lots of Playmobil toys from grandparents on both sides, which made him very happy- He has created many Viking invasions and assaults on the castle.

play with toy

Sebastian learned to pick up a toy and bring it to his mouth to suck on it!

Brothers

Julien was thrilled when Sebastian started to learn to hold his head up when lying on his belly. The first time Sebastian did it Julien laughed and laughed and laughed. Julien has taken to serenading Sebastian with music and songs. Sebastian loves it.

Sam Played The Saw

The afternoon we arrived back in Bloomington we raced over to the BABS (Bloomington Area Birth Services- I am the board president!) Family Festival. Sam played the saw. Julien was entranced!

Visiting

The next day we hung out with Mary, James, Bill and Jan. After playing at the park we visited the Madison Zoo. Julien particularly loved the lions, who were quite active. We drove back to Chicago that afternoon and spent some time at Bill and Jan's before driving home the next day.

Cows

During the non-kid friendly part of the event we spent time with my mom's family. We hung out at the Terrace behind the University of Wisconsin Student Union. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed watching the boats out on the lake. It was wonderful to see every one!

They had a parade of cows as an art event in Madison while we were there. Julien loved it!