Over in the meadow...

We're watching this adorable little movie in which they sing this song. It's a counting song. And a very pretty song.

Our visit to Michigan has so far been pretty nice. Low-lights out of the way first: Meatball was a giant pain last night in terms of going to sleep and staying asleep. He was then a cranky boy all day today, which is out of character for him; usually he is a very happy and playful little guy, provided that he gets his sleep. I blame the remnants of his cold and the dry heat in the hotel room.

Musical Daddy picked up a cool mist humidifier that is perfect for travel--you take the thing and insert a water bottle. I'm not sure yet if I feel the difference.

The Boy hasn't been great with the potty today--4 for 7 with all of the misses being messy ones. Not surprising, because he isn't comfortable enough with the routine when he is clothed, much less when he is in a strange place. Good thing we brought extra pants.

Musical Daddy and I aren't feeling too hot, due to lack of sleep and dry air, and probably Meatball's cold. Other than that, we've had a great time.

First, we slept in. Thankfully. We gave the boys some banana and fruit bars to take the edge off and we headed out to Ann Arbor for some Bagel Fragel breakfast. This was a place that Musical Daddy and I frequented when we were living there. It was close to the music school area and close to where his apartments were located. The guy who owned the place recognized us and even remembered us the last time we visited. He has since sold the place, but it has grown since we were last there, probably 5 or 6 years ago. They expanded it into the next store area and added a TV and couches. It used to be pretty much only a take-out place. I can't tell you how many pesto chicken bagel sandwiches I ate when we lived there.

Next some sights around town. It's amazing how we feel like such strangers there, but that kinda happens when you get old and visit a college town. It was football time, too. An amazing defensive battle took place today as I heard...that is, if you believe that the only good defense is a good offense. Scores of 60-something on both sides, in 3 overtimes. Michigan won.

We got back to the car with screaming Meatball strapped to me. Fun. Both children fell asleep in the car, and we didn't really feel like moving them. So we sat in the hotel parking lot and watched a TV show on the iPod.

When it was lunchtime, we drove around the corner to Mr. Pita, another frequent favorite of ours. It's a great place that serves wraps and salad. Frequent post-gym fare--Champions Gym after school, followed by Mr. Pita for dinner. I enjoyed Mr. Pita so much I ordered trays of it for my recital. Which was over 8 years ago. Anyhow, I was really glad to have it. The Boy had pita pizza, and Meatball picked at a few things but wasn't that hungry.

We met a friend and his kids, who are older, at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. It's a neat place--if you're in Southeastern Michigan and have any interest in old games and silly machines that do stuff (like the old fortune tellers, and instruments, and games), check it out. It is a decent arcade as well, in the style of Dave and Buster's, but smaller and more crowded. And with much more antique flair. The kids didn't really play together...but that's to be expected. Unless the older kids have a certain flair for dealing with little ones, they're just not going to. And the 10 and 7 year old don't have too much in common with the 3 and 1 year old. Except for a cute trip on the little old merry-go-round.

Naptime followed, thank goodness.

Dinner was at a restaurant with train decor, picked out by the friends we met there. We had a nice dinner even though Meatball was more than a little bit antsy and needed frequent walks around. The food was delicious, and The Boy was a gentleman. Great food and great service. It's called Station 885, in Plymouth, Michigan, if you're ever out that way. I highly recommend them. They even did a nice job of managing the food with the kids, such as bringing more bread and bringing the noodles as soon as they were ready.

One of our friends who was with us has a newborn daughter, just 4 weeks old. He's exhausted. I told him that it's just a season in his life and he'll get through it. Also, that things start to look up after they start smiling at you, and for her wife, it would likely be just a few short weeks until she will start to feel like she isn't ALWAYS nursing the baby, because they get more efficient as they get stronger.

Tomorrow's plans include breakfast with one of two friends, lunch with another old friend (old because I've known him for a long time, not that he's any older than I am), and a 4:00 chorus show. Then we go home.

The kids travel fine in the car, and The Boy was even fine about using the restroom when we stopped, but they don't take well to changes of scenery, especially Meatball. He also doesn't get the concept of hotel stays being fun and relaxing. The Boy is amused, I think, but not very secure in his surroundings in this strange place. Although HE got plenty of sleep last night.

Why not take a trip, I thought? We don't have much else going on in our lives to prevent us from doing so. And as the kids get older, they'll have a better time.

One of the things I'd like to do is to plan a longer trip that has lots of fun stops along the way. You know..drive 2 or 3 hours, then do something for an hour or two, then drive a few more hours, et cetera. And, preferably, family to visit with and stay with instead of hotels. Expense notwithstanding, the boys feel more comfortable in houses and have room to run around. This place isn't bad, as we're in a small suite and they do have some more space, but it's not the same as having several rooms to visit (and more toys with which to play, of course).

I'm really hoping that the stuffiness in my nose is from the dry room, but I'm not feeling too optimistic.

Hopefully we'll all have a better night.