A Day of Deere...etc.

So, yesterday we trekked off with Jackson, Thomas, and Simon to do some fun things for Jackson's birthday. We started off at the John Deere World Headquarters, then went to the John Deere Pavilion. They had a blast climbing all over tractors and heavy equipment, watching videos and even looking at the informational brochures(who knew 6-year-olds were so interested in all that technical stuff?). Then we went onto Arsenal Island to see were Gpa Gene works, and to visit the Lock & Dam 13 Visitor's Center. I didn't think the boys would find this too interesting, and I was right about one of them. However, the guy working there DEFINATELY earned his paycheck - Jackson was talking his ear off! The nice man had enough patience to listen AND to teach Jackson all about the lock and some things about barges & towboats. We also got to see a bald eagle perched in a tree through a viewscope - which was really cool. There were several of them flying below the damn looking for food. We already have planned a trip back in warmer weather so we can see a barge going through the lock. The visitor's center sits directly beside the lock, and you can go up to the second floor for great views as the wall facing the river is all glass. I recommend a trip there at least once to anyone. Then, it was off to Happy Joe's Jungle Bungle for pizza and EVEN MORE fun. They had a blast - it is like a McD's playplace x5! Another recommended for parents of kids - only I would suggest going in the afternoon or EARLY evening - that place gets very busy! We were going to top off the day by staying in our favorite hotel and swimming, but at this point Adam and I, at least, were tired enough we just wanted to come home! So, we convinced the boys we would take them another time just to stay in the hotel to swim and order pizza, and it worked. They came home, played, and crashed together in Jackson's single bed - I thought for sure someone would end up with no covers or falling out but they were probably so tired they didn't hardly move!

Well, tomorrow it's back to work...and being the good educator that I am I am just SOOOO looking forward to this day! :) Can anyone detect a hint of sarcasm here? If not, trust me, it's there! I really am looking forward to tomorrow for 2 reasons: 1) return to our normal schedule, and 2) not having all this food and junk around to eat! I think I have undone at least half of the weight I lost this fall, so I really have to hit the grind now. Plus, time to hit the research project hard - yippee! Well, this post is pretty long already, so hope everyone is well and looking forward to a great 2009!