We've had some adventures since the last post. I had a work project that kept me away from home last Wed-Fri so John pulled single dad duty. We were very lucky to have the able assistance of Grandma and Grandpa, who took over my usual afternoon routine so we wouldn't have to have the boys stay extra hours at daycare. It was hard for me to be away, but it was a very busy trip, so not much time for pining. It was quite a luxury to have two consecutive nights of uninterrupted sleep! John will get his taste at the end of June when he attends his annual conference for business newspapers.

Friday night was laundry night so we'd be ready to hop in the car Saturday morning for a trip to Milwaukee. Our newest niece/cousin, Abby, was being baptized Sunday and John and I are her godparents so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet her and visit with the rest of the family. We ran into a bit of trouble on the way there as we discovered too late in the process to change our route that the interstate bridge over the Mississippi River was closed headed east. The detour took us well south and added at least a half hour to the already four-hour trip. If we'd known in advance, we probably would have taken a different route. We stopped at a mid-point for a picnic lunch in a park we discovered while making this same trip last Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, Edward took a wrong step on a bouncy bridge and ended up with a bloody mouth, which really freaked him out. I'm sure it was painful, but the sight of his own blood really sets him off. (He's had frequent nosebleeds, so this is well documented.)

Some folks who were there with their own kids directed us to a nearby Walgreens, where we were able to buy some children's Tylenol which either helped or was quite an effective placebo. We gave him a dose and he fell asleep almost before we left the parking lot. We also used this opportunity to pick up "big sister" gifts for Abby's sisters, since it's hard to watch so many presents for your new baby sister. Edward got one too--further easing the oral wound. These bubble wands were fun and didn't spill as fast as regular bottles of bubbles. Of course there was still spillage, but they got some play time before that happened. Daniel was a little ticked that he didn't have one, but come on--that wand is way too big for his mouth. Luckily there were plenty of supplies on hand at Casa Sepersky.

This is what happens when you wake up at 5:45 and the hotel pool doesn't open until 7. Jam your face full of Cheerios and enjoy swigging a sippy cup. Also, talk to each other on the disconnected hotel room phones.

The baptism was lovely and it's always such a treat to be able to attend Mass with them because my brother-in-law is the church musician so we get to hear him sing. They had an ambitious family party after the Mass--carefully planned based on how many 9x13 pans (6) could fit in the oven simultaneously to warm the meal when we returned from church. The cousins had so much fun playing that nap time was abandoned--only the second or third time in Edward's life that he's skipped a nap. But at about 3:30 he asked my dad to take him up to his cousin's bed, where he promptly fell into a deep sleep, from which he had to be woken, forcefully at 5. (Daniel took a short car nap during this time while John and I took turns changing out of our church clothes back at the hotel.) After that we had some low-key play time (the rest of the family left), a simple supper for the kids and some TV zone-out time. Then back to the hotel for bed.

On Monday, Memorial Day, we all went to the Milwaukee County Zoo for the morning with the express purpose of exhausting the children so they would sleep for as much of the return drive as possible. It worked and we had a great time. This and the above pictures were taken on the zoo train, which, to Edward's way of thinking, trumped all the animals. "We got to ride a train and there were gates and lights and people had to wait!" The train crossings on the zoo paths were a close second to the train itself. They did run around quite a bit, but there also was a bit of chariot action going on with a single stroller with infant carrier, a double sit-and-stand stroller and a two-seat wagon to hold all five kids. The cousins mix-and-matched a bit so they each had turns in the various seats (except for Abby, of course, who pretty much slept through the whole thing. It was old-hat to her on her second zoo voyage in her young life--she's a month old!)

Another exciting part of the zoo trip was watching the bears play in the water in their exhibit. All the adults agreed it was the most activity we'd ever witnessed in a non-monkey zoo exhibit. Daniel was impressed, calling out "There's a bear!" which you can kind of hear (with a generous ear) at about the 20 second mark in this video:



And finally, another bit of hotel entertainment. We had a suite at the Staybridge Suites in Franklin, WI, a relatively new hotel designed for extended stay. We liked having separate sleeping accommodations for ourselves and the children. Also, the kitchen was handy. The boys were most enthralled with the phones (see above, breakfast photo) and the bathroom. We do not know what a "harbastore" is, but Edward identified it for his and Daniel's amusement: