Morton Arboretum and other fun stuff

I had to work last weekend, including Friday, which is usually my day off. My loss was Kevin's gain. He took the day off, and he and David had a very good time. They went to Mandarin class and learned about xing zhuang (shapes). After that the plan was to head to Daley Plaza for the Olympics announcement. That was a bust for obvious reasons (darn you, Rio!), so they went to Millennium Park instead. Turns out that godfather Steve's office is right down the street, and since on a busy day Steve sees about five patients, they stopped by for a visit.

On Saturday while I was working hard for the money, David and Kevin picked up GG and headed for Shedd Aquarium. Their newish children's area was a big hit with David. He also enjoyed the whales, dolphins and especially the turtles. Afterwards, he had a photo shoot outside the aquarium where there is a fantastic view of the Chicago skyline.

David thoroughly enjoyed himself this past week. Sabrina has been on fall break, so she came with Alma several days. One morning he asked me if Sabrina was coming, and upon learning that she was, he told me, "Go to work now!" So nice to be loved.
This weekend we mostly stayed at home. It turns out you can get a crazy amount done if you are neither working nor out of town for the weekend. Weird. While Kevin cleaned out our utility room, David took full advantage of the dogs crates (which are now disassembled and stored in the garage where they will probably stay until we move 30 years from now). He insisted that he get to climb in. He pretended to be a puppy and drink from the bowl. The he asked for his blanket and pillow and pretended to sleep. Finally, he asked for his stuffed puppy, who also ate and drank from the dog bowl.
Here's a picture we won't be sending to David's former orphanage with our next update.

This morning we went to Wiggle Worship. I'm not sure if I've mentioned wiggle worship before, but it's a service at our church for families with young children. It is a full service. There are songs and prayers. Kevin and I enjoy the Wiggle Worship Prayers of the People equivalent. When we get to the part about someone who is sick or has died, there is usually a battle royale between the older kids to name the most dead pets. Hilarious. The priest reads a version of one of the readings (usually the gospel unless it is "too yucky" that week) in language the kids can understand. Then there is a children's sermon to explain what the heck Jesus was talking about and, finally, Communion. The children take turns each week doling out the bread and wine. David got to do the bread last week. In the true spirit of our Lord and Savior, he saved the largest piece for himself.
After today's service, we drove out to Morton Arboretum and met up with Uncle Dave and his fiancee. They have a huge children's garden, and this time of year they also have a caramel apple bar where you can pick your own apple toppings. David went with M&Ms and sprinkles. I had a Snickers apple. It was a good time. We closed out the weekend with a family nap and a brinner of eggs, hashbrowns and bacon.
The Davids Maas checking out various spheres in the children's garden.

More of David at Morton Arboretum. Note the winter coat. It's freezing here.