Weekend events with Aunt G

My sister came to town for a long weekend.  She had attended a yoga training in a neighboring city, and decided to take the short flight to extend her trip.  The kids were so excited.  The evening that she was to fly in, Hunter greeted daddy at the door as he came in from work and said, "Daddy!  Aunt Gretchen is coming tonight!" 

For some reason, this past weekend was very full with events and activities, but we were still able to spend some good quality time with Aunt "G."  Our first event was Paige's school fair.  It was a beautiful, 65 degree day, so we walked/rode up to the school.

This trike looks a tad small

wanted grandpa's drum before we left

 We had to present our tickets, and then walk into the large gymnasium which was filled with not only bounce houses and games, but a large number of loud children running wild.  Hunter didn't break down one time from the noise...he did have one small meltdown when he didn't want to wait in line the second time for the bounce house.

ready, set...

....go!

 One of the most popular activities at the fair was to get a fake cast...it was so fun!  Paige really wanted to wait in line, so Aunt G went with her to start the process.  I had taken Hunter on his own to do the bounce houses one more time, and we went then to meet them in line.  We waited for at least ten minutes to even get in the door (amidst a packed, cramped, and loud hallway) and Hunter did not fit once.  When we got in the door, he sat with Paige through each station.

Getting my fake cast!

 Even waiting for the soft and hard cast, he didn't say a negative word!  He just asked when we were going to leave, because he was hungry....well, the carnival isn't too allergy friendly, but we did find a non-food coloring snow cone.  Look at that boy's eyes!

When we were having our little snack, a karate group came on stage.  We saw a few of Paige's friends there, and they all went to watch the program.  Again, the cafeteria is typically a loud, stressful environment.  He showed NO signs of sensory overload, and eagerly watched the show.

You caught me with a juice box!

I took Hunter to the grocery store across the street for the last few minutes, as Paige still wanted to do a few more activities.  He crossed the street with me, hand-in-hand, and walked through the entire store, next to me....not running away, not screaming, not grabbing anything with lightning mcqueen, not complaining, not covering his ears...it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.   I'm just not used to this ease!  Granted, I only had one of the children with me, but I chose the one that typically causes the most stress in that situation.  He was awesome. 

There was a game watching party for Marquette on Sunday.  I had a baby shower that I was involved with for my sweet friend Jenny, so Peter and Aunt G decided to go on their own.  I think they were moving the entire time they were at the event, but at least, again, Hunter participated and didn't have one meltdown!

That night was the superbowl...even though we had planned on getting the kids to bed early, I wanted to make special treats for everyone.   I had made an Erika creation...added GF chocolate krispies and oatmeal to GF flour.  They were actually quite good!  I also bought chocolate chip muffins, and then made GFCF frosting to decorate for the special day.  Hunter may or may not have obsessed multiple times about having a cupcake. Auggh!

Aunt G also was able to see Paige's dance class.  On our way to pick them up, after the downtown program, Hunter asked me, "mommy?  Is Paigee done dancing yet?"  Loving these unprompted questions, which are popping up so much more now than ever before.  AND he asked her when she got in the car, "How was your dance class Paige?"   I am so happy and excited for Hunter, but at the same time, I am even more excited for Paige, who has been longing for this interaction for so long. 

Made a valentine with Aunt G