Spaghetti Dinner

The Independence Park Advisory Council has been running a spaghetti dinner and silent auction for a many years, to help fund special projects and improvements at the park itself. Last night marked the 20th anniversary of the IPAC spaghetti dinner. The Dad and I have been around for 6 of those years, although we have not attended the dinner every year.

Despite the foul weather and the conflict with St. Ed's Big Red Auction, the evening was well-attended. The Boy saw two of his classmates and hung around with them. The Girl was happy to hang with her older brother's friends. They had two entertainers -- a Frank Sinatra imitator singing on the main floor, and belly dancers from nearby Arabesque, demonstrating and performing in the auditorium on the third floor. The Girl took part in the demonstration, but commented later that she didn't think it would be comfortable for one of the dancers with all the stuff she was wearing (arm bands, hair pieces, etc.). The Dad and I saw and chatted with many of our neighbors and contributed to the fundraising.

Sunday Lie-In

The Boy is an early riser. The Girl, thankfully, is not. Without their big brother around to wake them up, The Girl slept until 8:45 and The Baby until 9 a.m., so The Dad and I enjoyed a bit of a lie-in. Then The Girl, The Baby, and I got dressed and walked up to the park to go to the first Farmer's Market of the season. Unfortunately, with the cool spring and high gas prices, it was a bit of a bust in terms of actual produce. But the three of us split a giant Snickerdoodle from Ideal Bakery and an organic raspberry Zota soda from another vendor. Then we spent 45 minutes or so on the playground.

We spent the rest of the day doing stuff around the house and running errands. The Girl and I went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for groceries. Later, The Girl, The Baby, and I went to Home Depot to pick out plants and get ant killer (we tried using the environmentally and kid-friendly vinegar, but it didn't work) for The Dad, who stayed home to sand down the garage (I later painted it). The Baby and The Girl played in the backyard.