PEPSapalooza

While we never actually participated in PEPS, Seattle's Program for Early Parent Support (weekly meetings among new parents and a volunteer facilitator), we've heard for years about PEPSapalooza, a big event featuring music and kids activities. This year the schedules aligned (and Meh planned ahead) for us to finally attend, and it did not disappoint; they held it at the Everett Stadium where the Aqua Sox (the Mariners' minor league team) play, and it was an enormous affair -- thankfully we arrived early enough that it wasn't too crazy yet. There were stations/tents for every conceivable kids-related business, multiple bounce houses, and live performances by multiple of the kids' favorites (arriving to Recess Monkey playing "Jet Pack" sold both the boys on the event immediately). There was a kids barber shop offering silly hair gel; a nanny service art station making custom bubble wands (Meh of course was awesome at it and made a car-shaped one for O, while Z and I were happily using a pre-created wand); the Seattle Children's Museum station had a bunch of noisemaking "instruments"; and much much more.

The boys had an excellent time bouncing in a school bus that's been converted to a play area (!), and afterwards, without any prompting at all, just parked themselves on the concrete for snack. My favorite was when Z noticed there was a painted circle on the concrete, and automatically scooted himself to sit right on the edge (an artifact from summer camp perhaps?); O watched his brother and immediately imitated him. There was also a hat-making station with sticker letters and shapes; Z was the first kid at the station to spell an entire sentence out on his hat. Silly man. Anyway, a very fun morning for everyone, capped off with lunch at (where else but) Red Robin.