March madness!

If you have been following our blogging, you may notice that one of our favorite spots to visit is Como Park in St. Paul. There is nothing more soothing to the soul than pretending you are in a tropical forest in March in Minnesota. Yesterday we headed over to Como not only enjoy the tropical indoors, but also the amazing outdoor 60+ degree weather. Jack led us on a march across the grounds of the park, from the Conservatory to the Black Bear Crossing pavillion. And if you aren't familiar with the turf, that is a tri-athalon for toddler steps. There is nothing more inspiring than a spring-fever infused toddler who has been freed from his bulky winter jacket!

We are also pleased to report that Jack is getting properly cultured as we took him to his first Minnesota Orchestra concert on Saturday. The MN Orch put on Carnival of the Animals, a show just for kids and their families. The concert was a rare occasion to take a toddler to a refined location that allowed unrefined behaviors such as letting out piercing shrieks at inappropriate times, and wandering out of your assigned seat. In fact, Jack took charge of warming up the crowd and timed his shriek just as the conductor was welcoming the riff-raff crowd--causing the entire orchestra to look our way and snicker at the excellent example of misbehavior that was (luckily) welcome that afternoon. We were concerned at first that the concert might not hold his attention (as we WERE working overtime to keep him from either swinging his leg over the balcony edge and leaping to his demise or killing families below by chucking his sippy cup at their heads.) However, once a flock of swans, er, ballerinas took to the stage, he was mesmerized by their movement. To our surprise he was engaged in watching most of the show as long as there was some action on stage, and as the musicians and dancers took their final bows, he asked, "More?"

There is hope for some civilization in him yet.

Speaking of performances, I would like to put in a quick plug for Jack's dad. Josh recently won a spot in this summer's Fringe Festival and we are so excited to invite all of our family and friends to start thinking about saving a date on their calendar in August to come see his original one-man show. We will keep you updated as we know more details!

P.S. A big thanks to E.S. for the complimentary orchestra tickets!