The Kulas: Mini-Golf, Go-Karts, and Preschool

Last weekend, we spent an afternoon in Sioux Falls to give Misha his first taste of mini-golf. He enjoyed it!

A few tips from Dad.

Posing by the waterfall with Mom.

Checking out the bubbling volcano on Hole 17!

As much fun as the mini-golf was, it paled in comparison to the go-karts. Misha reached the exact minimum height guidelines to be able to ride double with an adult. Assuming he would like driving around the track, we bought one ticket and he and Josh took a ride. Afterward he came dashing out to me yelling, "We're gonna go again, Mom! And YOU'RE gonna be the driver! Come on!" Josh was already buying me a ticket. After we had strapped in and eased out onto the track, Misha started yelling, "We gotta catch up, Mom! Go faster! We gotta catch up to THEM, like Daddy!" So I floored it and we went racing around the track. Misha loved it.

Here's a video of Josh and Misha cruising:

After go-karts, we relaxed at a park ...

and went out for spaghetti. :)

On Tuesday, Misha had his first day of preschool. I wasn't sure how it would go when the moment came to leave me and get on the bus alone, but it was no problem. When the bus helper asked him if he was excited for school, he smiled and nodded and hopped right on the bus, his new Spiderman backpack bouncing on his shoulders. When he returned, he was barely off the bus before he was telling me enthusiastically, "I had a fun day!" He told me about snack and lunch (at the top of the list), the toys, the songs they sang, etc. The school he attends is Head Start, which looks like a great program. He has enjoyed every day this week and is excited to go back on Monday.

He has long wanted to ride to school on a yellow school bus. Last summer when we visited Crazy Horse, we were transported to the monument on just such a bus. When we arrived at the foot of the carved mountain and got out, Misha said with crushing disappointment, "I thought we were going to school!"

His new-found confidence is especially evident in gymnastics. After taking the summer off, he assured us he really wanted to be in gymnastics again. On his first day back, he ran out with all the other kids without so much as a backward glance. He never once retreated back to me or wanted me to go out on the floor with him. Hooray!

He also loves being able to "help" Sebastian go to day care. I take both boys there for two hours twice a week so I can go to one class on campus, a great history of philosophy class. Misha likes to "check on" Sebastian, asking his baby-sitter, "How is he doing? He's cute, isn't he?" He also loves seeing his friends there again after not seeing them during the summer.

Happy Sebastian in his stroller.

Who's the monkey?

Backyard fun at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Bathtime with Grandma. He's getting to be so efficient at kicking that everyone else gets wet during his baths too!

Misha showed Sebby how to hook together his linking rings.

Suspended from his crib, they provided nearly an hour of complete fascination! These could be especially helpful in the evenings, when all of Sebby's problems seem to catch up with him - a stuffy and running nose, sneezes, watering eyes, a gassy tummy, and a hurting mouth. I hope he's not teething already, but the way he chomps on his fingers and pacifiers while wailing inconsolably makes me think he is. In the mornings and afternoons, though, he's the easiest baby there is!

Some family shots in the yard swing:

World's Best Dad:

The first pictures of my parents with both of their grandkids at once!

The four of us:

Misha's (temporary) pet frog spent a week with us living on crickets and enjoying some of the excess plant growth taken from our aquarium. However, Josh was more than happy when we released him because of the ever-chirping crickets.

Besides, we have a new nature project: waiting for our monarch butterflies to emerge! We have two. Last year, Misha and I happened to be in New York when our butterfly hatched out back in SD. This year we hope to view the grand event!