Here's our movie review of 2007. As was the case for last year's review, the photos go by pretty quickly, but that's because so did the year!
The music is by the incomparable Randy Newman, whom I adore. Back in 1996, when I was working at the Goodman Theatre, Randy Newman did a show with us, his interpretation of "Faust." The music was great, but the show didn't achieve much critical success, which was too bad, but I guess he has had plenty of success with other projects—when, in 2002, he finally got a well-deserved Academy Award (after 18 nominations and no win), we were literally jumping up and down in our living room.
But anyway, it was a thrill for all of us just being around Randy Newman, and he's one of the very nicest people I have ever worked with. I am so happy to say that my children love his music as much as I do (I think that's one of the reasons why I love those Pixar movies so much, that and, well, they're brilliant).
Anyway, here's the video. It's not Pixar, but it's the best we've got.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Changing the World
This is a great argument for why we need to take action to combat global warming. Even if you already agree with him, you may know someone who doesn't. And there's really no way to disagree with him after he presents his case...
So, how lucky do YOU feel?
So, how lucky do YOU feel?
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Last Live and Learn
We just learned that this September will be the last year for Live and Learn, the big unschooling conference we have attended for the last two years. While we are disappointed, we are so very happy that we found it and were able to experience it.
Our first conference experience (in Albuquerque, 2006) absolutely changed our lives. It was exactly what we needed to realize that this life we were living (and not even quite living yet) was possible. It inspired us, informed us, connected us, filled us up. It helped us to take a big leap to where we were already headed but didn't quite know our directions.
It's like we were driving across the country without a map, without any real plan at all, and although we were having a pretty good time just meandering along, we also got lost sometimes. We ate at a few restaurants we wish we had avoided. And suddenly we saw firsthand so many journeys in progress, so many lovely little paths and routes that all looked so very interesting, so many people who had found fabulous rest stops and some who had even reached their destinations, enjoying
every part of their journey. People gave us hand-drawn maps and guided us to some amazing out-of-the-way towns and lots of wonderful restaurants. We got so many ideas from all of these other journeys. And I know if we were literally driving across the country, I'd have so many people I could call upon—for much more than just the name of a good restaurant in the area.
We owe a big thank you to Kelly Lovejoy, the conference coordinator, and all the other wonderful people who organized the conferences and brought all these unschooling families together. I have marveled again and again and all the time they have dedicated to it. They are amazing, the conference is too. And I am so thankful that we got to experience it twice. We will be back for our third helping in September. And we will eat it up until we are full.
Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.
Our first conference experience (in Albuquerque, 2006) absolutely changed our lives. It was exactly what we needed to realize that this life we were living (and not even quite living yet) was possible. It inspired us, informed us, connected us, filled us up. It helped us to take a big leap to where we were already headed but didn't quite know our directions.
It's like we were driving across the country without a map, without any real plan at all, and although we were having a pretty good time just meandering along, we also got lost sometimes. We ate at a few restaurants we wish we had avoided. And suddenly we saw firsthand so many journeys in progress, so many lovely little paths and routes that all looked so very interesting, so many people who had found fabulous rest stops and some who had even reached their destinations, enjoying
every part of their journey. People gave us hand-drawn maps and guided us to some amazing out-of-the-way towns and lots of wonderful restaurants. We got so many ideas from all of these other journeys. And I know if we were literally driving across the country, I'd have so many people I could call upon—for much more than just the name of a good restaurant in the area.
We owe a big thank you to Kelly Lovejoy, the conference coordinator, and all the other wonderful people who organized the conferences and brought all these unschooling families together. I have marveled again and again and all the time they have dedicated to it. They are amazing, the conference is too. And I am so thankful that we got to experience it twice. We will be back for our third helping in September. And we will eat it up until we are full.
Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.
Happy Birthday Lego!
Yesterday was the 50th birthday of Lego. We learned that there are 62 Lego bricks for every person on earth. Isn't that amazing? But when I look at how many we have, I completely believe it. In fact, we have well more than our share. I dare not even hazard a guess of how many we have.
We didn't know it was Lego's birthday yesterday until about 7 pm, when I heard it on Marketplace (NPR). But we should have known that there was some sort of Lego buzz in the air, because we played Lego all day (for the last few weeks almost nonstop, as a matter of fact), building some older kits whose pieces have since been dispersed into the larger collection. Every time we have embarked on this sort of endeavor, it has taken between four and six hours to reconstruct the ship. This time, we built two ships, and it took two days. The living room floor was completely covered with bricks, and finally we got the idea to sort the bricks by color. At least next time when we try to reconstruct something, we can look in the "red" or "dark grey" or "light grey" ziplock bag.
Now imagine if we attempted to put together the Millennium Falcon Ultimate Collector's Edition, the largest Lego set ever made, clocking in at 5195 pieces. Max wants it and thinks we can do it, but I think it's a few years in our future.
In honor of this great birthday, and just because it's lots of fun, we have been watching movies of other people putting this massive set together.
Here is one of our favorites:
And here's another one of the Millennium Falcon (this one is the smaller version, a slightly less insane kit), but with a pretty darn amazing animation.
These movies are so inspiring, and we will have many years to think about just what sort of animated movie we want to make of ourselves putting together our own Millennium Falcon.
Until then...Happy Birthday, Lego! We're so glad you're here.
And I can't leave out this important detail about birthdays. Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! We're so glad you're here, too! :) Only, you're not right here. You're in Tennessee, far far away from us. The boys would rather be there with you than here in Chicago on this cold and rainy day. Soon, soon, I hope. Until then, have a wonderful birthday!
We didn't know it was Lego's birthday yesterday until about 7 pm, when I heard it on Marketplace (NPR). But we should have known that there was some sort of Lego buzz in the air, because we played Lego all day (for the last few weeks almost nonstop, as a matter of fact), building some older kits whose pieces have since been dispersed into the larger collection. Every time we have embarked on this sort of endeavor, it has taken between four and six hours to reconstruct the ship. This time, we built two ships, and it took two days. The living room floor was completely covered with bricks, and finally we got the idea to sort the bricks by color. At least next time when we try to reconstruct something, we can look in the "red" or "dark grey" or "light grey" ziplock bag.
Now imagine if we attempted to put together the Millennium Falcon Ultimate Collector's Edition, the largest Lego set ever made, clocking in at 5195 pieces. Max wants it and thinks we can do it, but I think it's a few years in our future.
In honor of this great birthday, and just because it's lots of fun, we have been watching movies of other people putting this massive set together.
Here is one of our favorites:
And here's another one of the Millennium Falcon (this one is the smaller version, a slightly less insane kit), but with a pretty darn amazing animation.
These movies are so inspiring, and we will have many years to think about just what sort of animated movie we want to make of ourselves putting together our own Millennium Falcon.
Until then...Happy Birthday, Lego! We're so glad you're here.
And I can't leave out this important detail about birthdays. Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! We're so glad you're here, too! :) Only, you're not right here. You're in Tennessee, far far away from us. The boys would rather be there with you than here in Chicago on this cold and rainy day. Soon, soon, I hope. Until then, have a wonderful birthday!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Out in the Cold
With the temperatures hovering around 0 degrees, we've been homebodies for much of January. But in the coldest days, we somehow found the strength to go out (largely due to the fact that my parents were out there, braving the weather, and we joined them).
We went to the Children's Museum, one of our very favorite places to go. I don't know why, but we always have such a great day there, usually a long full day, arriving in the morning (sometimes before it even opens) and staying until they close. You'd think we'd be exhausted after the entire day spent at the museum, but instead we are always recharged. This week, we spent a lot of time digging up the dinosaur (Max only recently finished digging up his small T Rex at home, so it was fun to do it in larger scale). We also quite enjoyed some time playing with the clay, making funny people. And we had a great time playing in the "campground," where we caught fish and roasted marshmallows and played in a cabin.
The museum was really empty, and it was so nice to have almost every room to ourselves. We will definitely go back soon, as the whole day just makes us all so happy.
Here are some photos of Max and his digging a dinosaur project. He finally got it all out (he's been working on it—it's slow careful work of hammering and brushing—for about 2 months).
And here is Otto making a "Macaroni Leaning Tower of Pisa." He was inspired by an episode of Charlie and Lola to make a picture with macaroni. We just love that show and get so much inspiration to do our own art or projects after watching it.
And here's a photo of me and Max and Otto (okay, it looks like a photo of cake). We were at Cafe Selmarie, enjoying cupcakes and waiting for Martin to finish his ukulele class. Otto insisted that I photograph these photos of wedding cakes. ("Aren't they pretty?") I noticed after I had taken the photos that you could see us in the reflection of the window, where we were sitting in tall chairs at a counter, resting our feet on the warm radiator. It was a cozy spot and it makes me warm just to look at the picture, even though you can also see the cold snowy outside of the square.
We went to the Children's Museum, one of our very favorite places to go. I don't know why, but we always have such a great day there, usually a long full day, arriving in the morning (sometimes before it even opens) and staying until they close. You'd think we'd be exhausted after the entire day spent at the museum, but instead we are always recharged. This week, we spent a lot of time digging up the dinosaur (Max only recently finished digging up his small T Rex at home, so it was fun to do it in larger scale). We also quite enjoyed some time playing with the clay, making funny people. And we had a great time playing in the "campground," where we caught fish and roasted marshmallows and played in a cabin.
The museum was really empty, and it was so nice to have almost every room to ourselves. We will definitely go back soon, as the whole day just makes us all so happy.
Here are some photos of Max and his digging a dinosaur project. He finally got it all out (he's been working on it—it's slow careful work of hammering and brushing—for about 2 months).
And here is Otto making a "Macaroni Leaning Tower of Pisa." He was inspired by an episode of Charlie and Lola to make a picture with macaroni. We just love that show and get so much inspiration to do our own art or projects after watching it.
And here's a photo of me and Max and Otto (okay, it looks like a photo of cake). We were at Cafe Selmarie, enjoying cupcakes and waiting for Martin to finish his ukulele class. Otto insisted that I photograph these photos of wedding cakes. ("Aren't they pretty?") I noticed after I had taken the photos that you could see us in the reflection of the window, where we were sitting in tall chairs at a counter, resting our feet on the warm radiator. It was a cozy spot and it makes me warm just to look at the picture, even though you can also see the cold snowy outside of the square.
A Fine Time to Visit
Grandma and Grandpa picked one of the most lovely times of the year to visit Chicago: mid-January. The cold, the wind, the icy pavement, the long waits for public transportation, or, as we sadly discovered, the even longer wait for a cab. We advised them to dress in layers and to bring hats and scarves and gloves, and they did so, arriving on a record cold day. But it was sunny and beautiful, despite the cold temperatures (many days below 0), and since they were inclined to make the most of the experience, we had a really nice visit.
Their primary reason for visiting (aside from spending more time with their lovely grandchildren) was to go furniture shopping at the Merchandise Mart and some of the design stores in River North. They have their sights set on some very beautiful European stuff that is not available to see in many other places. I felt strangely proud to live in a city which boasts such shopping opportunities.
And as always, we were eager to discuss the amazing food available in our wonderful city ("oh, if you'll be there, go here!"), which we also sampled together on Monday night at AigreDoux. Yummy. The manager (owner?) came out and welcomed us and told us he he would be delighted to make our kids anything they desired. It was a very welcoming gesture and made us feel much more comfortable in the very quiet surroundings. We were happy with something already on the menu: Kobe Beef Burgers, although at his suggestion, they sliced it in half (they are normally very thick), to more resemble another famous burger which shall not be named. They tasted nothing like those burgers, however. In fact, they were absolutely the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten. (Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the cows are fed on beer and are given daily massages.) It was only disappointing that we all had such amazing food that we were too full to eat every last bite.
It was a short visit, and we mostly had time together in the evenings, but we made the most of it, Grandma reading Richard Scarry books to Otto and Grandpa eating Jello right out of the molds with both boys. We had a little pre-birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is next week. I didn't manage to make a cake, but we all sampled from an assortment of cupcakes ("Everyone's doing cupcakes for birthdays," the baker assured me, not knowing that the idea of doing what everyone else is doing is not really a selling point for me—and yet, it was fun to try all the varieties).
It was nice to see them, but it was too brief a visit according to Max. Max also informed me he would rather visit them, as he likes their house better than ours. Max and Otto had a funny discussion about their house, actually, when I was explaining the purpose of their visit. It went something like this:
Me: Grandma and Grandpa are going to pick out some new furniture.
Otto: Oh, and then they will bring it back here?
Me: They will have the stores send them the furniture because it is so big.
Otto: Good, we don't have any room for more furniture. But grandma and grandpa have lots of room for more furniture.
[And then, after a moment...]
Otto: They could get a new floor!
Me: They could! But I think they are looking for couches and chairs.
Otto: Oh, but their floor is so cold, you always need socks!
[Editor's Note: Grandma and Grandpa have a stone floor on the first floor of their house.]
Max: [vehemently] I like their floor! They should not get a new floor! Their floor is much nicer than ours!
Me: I don't think they will get a new floor. They like their floor too.
The next day, as we were searching for parking on a very cold evening, we had to go on another street near a big apartment building. As we got out, Otto looked at the building, which was right there, so very close, and he said, "I wish we lived in a big building."
Me: You mean you wish we lived here because it is closer?
Otto: Yes, because it's so cold.
Me: But if we lived in that building, we wouldn't have a yard. And we definitely couldn't have a fireplace.
Otto: Oh, no, I don't want to do that then. I want to live in a house.
Max: Yeah, why are we never moving into a house with a fireplace?
Grandma and Grandpa have three fireplaces in their house, and Max LOVES them. He sits by the fireplace and just stares into the flames for long long moments. So shortly after they left, Max asked when we would go visit them again. I guess it will be sooner than I thought. We'll have to start thinking about that seriously. At least spring comes around much sooner there...
Their primary reason for visiting (aside from spending more time with their lovely grandchildren) was to go furniture shopping at the Merchandise Mart and some of the design stores in River North. They have their sights set on some very beautiful European stuff that is not available to see in many other places. I felt strangely proud to live in a city which boasts such shopping opportunities.
And as always, we were eager to discuss the amazing food available in our wonderful city ("oh, if you'll be there, go here!"), which we also sampled together on Monday night at AigreDoux. Yummy. The manager (owner?) came out and welcomed us and told us he he would be delighted to make our kids anything they desired. It was a very welcoming gesture and made us feel much more comfortable in the very quiet surroundings. We were happy with something already on the menu: Kobe Beef Burgers, although at his suggestion, they sliced it in half (they are normally very thick), to more resemble another famous burger which shall not be named. They tasted nothing like those burgers, however. In fact, they were absolutely the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten. (Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the cows are fed on beer and are given daily massages.) It was only disappointing that we all had such amazing food that we were too full to eat every last bite.
It was a short visit, and we mostly had time together in the evenings, but we made the most of it, Grandma reading Richard Scarry books to Otto and Grandpa eating Jello right out of the molds with both boys. We had a little pre-birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is next week. I didn't manage to make a cake, but we all sampled from an assortment of cupcakes ("Everyone's doing cupcakes for birthdays," the baker assured me, not knowing that the idea of doing what everyone else is doing is not really a selling point for me—and yet, it was fun to try all the varieties).
It was nice to see them, but it was too brief a visit according to Max. Max also informed me he would rather visit them, as he likes their house better than ours. Max and Otto had a funny discussion about their house, actually, when I was explaining the purpose of their visit. It went something like this:
Me: Grandma and Grandpa are going to pick out some new furniture.
Otto: Oh, and then they will bring it back here?
Me: They will have the stores send them the furniture because it is so big.
Otto: Good, we don't have any room for more furniture. But grandma and grandpa have lots of room for more furniture.
[And then, after a moment...]
Otto: They could get a new floor!
Me: They could! But I think they are looking for couches and chairs.
Otto: Oh, but their floor is so cold, you always need socks!
[Editor's Note: Grandma and Grandpa have a stone floor on the first floor of their house.]
Max: [vehemently] I like their floor! They should not get a new floor! Their floor is much nicer than ours!
Me: I don't think they will get a new floor. They like their floor too.
The next day, as we were searching for parking on a very cold evening, we had to go on another street near a big apartment building. As we got out, Otto looked at the building, which was right there, so very close, and he said, "I wish we lived in a big building."
Me: You mean you wish we lived here because it is closer?
Otto: Yes, because it's so cold.
Me: But if we lived in that building, we wouldn't have a yard. And we definitely couldn't have a fireplace.
Otto: Oh, no, I don't want to do that then. I want to live in a house.
Max: Yeah, why are we never moving into a house with a fireplace?
Grandma and Grandpa have three fireplaces in their house, and Max LOVES them. He sits by the fireplace and just stares into the flames for long long moments. So shortly after they left, Max asked when we would go visit them again. I guess it will be sooner than I thought. We'll have to start thinking about that seriously. At least spring comes around much sooner there...
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Force is With Us
It has been a long time since my last post, and although it will be challenging, I'll try to sum up all that we've done over these many days in a few words. Oh, here are two: Star Wars. If you don't have time to read any further, then that's about all that needs to be said.
Yes, the Star Wars fascination continues. We haven't been watching the movies, which seem to be of little interest (or too scary for some viewers). But the idea of Star Wars—the GameCube version of it, the action figures and Lego figures and Lego ships, the costumes, the exhibit dedicated to all things Star Wars—well, that stuff is at the front of all our minds. So here, to give you some idea of how we've been employing The Force, is a summary of recent activities.
We went to a New Year's Eve party at Treat, and the boys toasted to 2008 dressed in their Boba and Jango Fett costumes. We played in the snow outside the restaurant before heading home.
We saw the Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Twice. A favorite part for both boys was sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and watching a short movie, which made it look like we were flying through space. They also liked to see the costumes ("the real costume that Darth Vader wore! Wow, he was tall!") and the models, especially the Millennium Falcon. They liked to see the big version of Luke's Landspeeder, as well as the small one, complete with little dolls of Luke, Obi Wan, and C3P0. And of course, they liked the gift shop, where they each bought a key chain (small silver figures of the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon) and some books (visual dictionaries for different episodes of the movies).
We read both books, cover to cover, reading about each character, their costumes, their accessories. There is all sorts of history in there that is not included in the movies. Yes, the Star Wars universe is quite full. It is amazing to me that these sorts of publications are out there.
We've covered our walls and our chalkboards with many pictures of Darth Vader and the Fetts.
Max started piano lessons with Kelly, a wonderful instructor who thought the best thing to do was start by playing the Star Wars theme. I knew we were in good hands when she suggested that. The only problem has been that Max does not want to take lessons or be taught anything, he does not like those terms. He thought it was much more fun to play with Kelly, to show her his costumes, his action figures, his Lego ships. He likes her, and he says he wants her to keep coming over. So we are unsure where we will go with this, as I certainly wouldn't push lessons on him if he's not interested. But if it would help him to be able to play, as I think he would like to be able to play, then I want to give it a few tries.
He's a tricky case, and Kelly summed it up pretty well when she said that he wants to play, but he doesn't want to learn to play, and he does not want to do anything he feels he is not immediately good at. During the lessons, he doesn't want to go near the piano, and she has been very understanding, playing with him in whatever way he chooses. She has brought her computer and played around on GarageBand, making up their own compositions. After she has left the house, he has gone to the piano and played for 20 minutes or so, each time. Last week, he played his version of Star Wars, which was the correct rhythm, if not the correct notes. So I just don't know what we'll do about it.
We finished all the levels of Star Wars: The Video Game (this is how Otto refers to it), and bought every single character that could be purchased. The final purchase, for 1.2 million Lego studs, was of the Ghost of Yoda. Now they are invincible, they can roam through each level, collecting all the Lego studs they want, looking for the few minikits that are left to be discovered, searching for things they did not know they could do. We have been playing the game almost daily since September, and they have now completed 67 percent of the game. It is amazing to me that the game is so rich, that you can play the same game for so long and still be discovering new challenges. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you probably haven't played a video game in many years. I had no idea what any of this was just 5 months ago. What an education and entertainment it has been for everyone.
We had a Star Wars day at our homsechool coop, and many of the kids dressed up, much to the delight of Max and Otto. Someone brought their robotic R2D2, which was extremely popular. We ate Darth Vader cupcakes. There were light saber battles, and no one was injured. In fact, everyone had fun.
Back home, we dug through our big boxes of Legos to try to find the pieces to make two Cloud Cars, older Star Wars Lego kits, the instructions for which Martin printed out from some online site. We had the kits at one point, but they have been mixed in with the other Legos for years, so it was quite a task to find them all again.
At a nearby cafe, there were major battles between the Lego Storm Troopers and Battle Droids.
And on a recent visit to Target, the boys found several different Lego sets that were not around prior to Christmas, sets that were so appealing that they could not be resisted. Once again, our coffee table was covered with small parts, and the building commenced.
And on Wednesday night, we began a major project: the construction of 2 Jetpacks, one for Boba Fett, the other for Jango. This is worth its own post, and I will give it proper due as soon as I can get together some photos of the process. We are on Day 3 of our project, and there is much to do, but these are shaping up nicely.
And now, I must go, as we are scheduled to do some paper mache on these little jetpacks. Max is waiting.
Yes, the Star Wars fascination continues. We haven't been watching the movies, which seem to be of little interest (or too scary for some viewers). But the idea of Star Wars—the GameCube version of it, the action figures and Lego figures and Lego ships, the costumes, the exhibit dedicated to all things Star Wars—well, that stuff is at the front of all our minds. So here, to give you some idea of how we've been employing The Force, is a summary of recent activities.
We went to a New Year's Eve party at Treat, and the boys toasted to 2008 dressed in their Boba and Jango Fett costumes. We played in the snow outside the restaurant before heading home.
We saw the Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Twice. A favorite part for both boys was sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and watching a short movie, which made it look like we were flying through space. They also liked to see the costumes ("the real costume that Darth Vader wore! Wow, he was tall!") and the models, especially the Millennium Falcon. They liked to see the big version of Luke's Landspeeder, as well as the small one, complete with little dolls of Luke, Obi Wan, and C3P0. And of course, they liked the gift shop, where they each bought a key chain (small silver figures of the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon) and some books (visual dictionaries for different episodes of the movies).
We read both books, cover to cover, reading about each character, their costumes, their accessories. There is all sorts of history in there that is not included in the movies. Yes, the Star Wars universe is quite full. It is amazing to me that these sorts of publications are out there.
We've covered our walls and our chalkboards with many pictures of Darth Vader and the Fetts.
Max started piano lessons with Kelly, a wonderful instructor who thought the best thing to do was start by playing the Star Wars theme. I knew we were in good hands when she suggested that. The only problem has been that Max does not want to take lessons or be taught anything, he does not like those terms. He thought it was much more fun to play with Kelly, to show her his costumes, his action figures, his Lego ships. He likes her, and he says he wants her to keep coming over. So we are unsure where we will go with this, as I certainly wouldn't push lessons on him if he's not interested. But if it would help him to be able to play, as I think he would like to be able to play, then I want to give it a few tries.
He's a tricky case, and Kelly summed it up pretty well when she said that he wants to play, but he doesn't want to learn to play, and he does not want to do anything he feels he is not immediately good at. During the lessons, he doesn't want to go near the piano, and she has been very understanding, playing with him in whatever way he chooses. She has brought her computer and played around on GarageBand, making up their own compositions. After she has left the house, he has gone to the piano and played for 20 minutes or so, each time. Last week, he played his version of Star Wars, which was the correct rhythm, if not the correct notes. So I just don't know what we'll do about it.
We finished all the levels of Star Wars: The Video Game (this is how Otto refers to it), and bought every single character that could be purchased. The final purchase, for 1.2 million Lego studs, was of the Ghost of Yoda. Now they are invincible, they can roam through each level, collecting all the Lego studs they want, looking for the few minikits that are left to be discovered, searching for things they did not know they could do. We have been playing the game almost daily since September, and they have now completed 67 percent of the game. It is amazing to me that the game is so rich, that you can play the same game for so long and still be discovering new challenges. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you probably haven't played a video game in many years. I had no idea what any of this was just 5 months ago. What an education and entertainment it has been for everyone.
We had a Star Wars day at our homsechool coop, and many of the kids dressed up, much to the delight of Max and Otto. Someone brought their robotic R2D2, which was extremely popular. We ate Darth Vader cupcakes. There were light saber battles, and no one was injured. In fact, everyone had fun.
Back home, we dug through our big boxes of Legos to try to find the pieces to make two Cloud Cars, older Star Wars Lego kits, the instructions for which Martin printed out from some online site. We had the kits at one point, but they have been mixed in with the other Legos for years, so it was quite a task to find them all again.
At a nearby cafe, there were major battles between the Lego Storm Troopers and Battle Droids.
And on a recent visit to Target, the boys found several different Lego sets that were not around prior to Christmas, sets that were so appealing that they could not be resisted. Once again, our coffee table was covered with small parts, and the building commenced.
And on Wednesday night, we began a major project: the construction of 2 Jetpacks, one for Boba Fett, the other for Jango. This is worth its own post, and I will give it proper due as soon as I can get together some photos of the process. We are on Day 3 of our project, and there is much to do, but these are shaping up nicely.
And now, I must go, as we are scheduled to do some paper mache on these little jetpacks. Max is waiting.
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