Cousin Sleepover

One of the items on our summer bucket list was to have Jackson's cousin, Levi, over for a sleepover. There were a lot of fun, free options available yesterday and today, so we made arrangements for Levi to spend the night last night. Even though two boys see each other several times a month, I always feel the need to cram every fun activity I can think of into a sleepover. 

Soon after Levi was dropped off, we headed to the children's library for one of their weekly programs. Jesse took Jackson to the Raptor Center presentation a few weeks ago. The show this week was all about science. Some of the concepts were over their heads, but the boys absorbed more information than I though. The presenter had a good balance of interactive demonstrations and stories. The photos show:

1. Bernoulli's Principal demonstrated with a leaf blower and beach ball

2. Chemical reactions simulating stomach acid and throwing up

3. Wind explained with a retelling of the 3 Little Pigs story (told by the wolf)

Since we were already at the library, Jackson wanted to show Levi the Clifford exhibit. It wasn't crowded at all. They boys explored while I chatted with a mom friend.

Next on the agenda was going to the museum. (Actually, we parked at the museum first and walked to the library because museum parking is cheaper.) Our museum membership is good for two adults and four children. They never check names or birthdates, so as long as I bring four children or less, we get in free. It was almost closing time, which meant the boys had most of the museum all to themselves. They each brought a stuffed Snoopy and had Snoopy test out the nail bed.

I texted Jesse to say we would be later than planned. Spaghetti dinner was waiting for us when we returned home. Our usual routine includes playing outside after dinner. The five kids raced, climbed, and played on the playsets. 

After we put the trio to bed, Jackson asked if we could do a science experiment. Clearly all the science fun at the library and museum had Jackson's little mind turning. Science was one of my favorite subjects to teach and I can whip up a science experiment rather easily from household items. I let the boys make Oobleck. When you mix cornstarch and water together it becomes a non-Newtonian fluid that can act as a liquid or solid depending on how much pressure is applied. I'm not sure if the boys or I had more fun playing with the mystery substance.

Bedtime went better than expected. We lost the plug to our air mattress, making it useless. Jackson graciously volunteered to sleep on the floor in his sleeping bag.

Everyone slept well except Amelia. We had a typical morning with breakfast and playing downstairs. Jesse took the boys to the $1 movie, then walked to the splash pad. On the ride home, Levi said the splash pad was his favorite part of the sleepover. They must have had a lot of fun.

The trio and I were out and about running errands. We all returned home at the same time. I cooked lunch while everyone played. Jackson wanted to eat outside. We were happy to honor his request since that made clean up a whole lot easier.

I had to include a photo of the trio. I think it's time for a bigger table!

I had planned to take the boys to AC Moore for their weekly summer craft series. The craft today was to tie-dye a shirt. Unfortunately, Jackson was falling apart at the seams and Jesse and I knew he was in desperate need of some downtime. Jackson is definitely introverted and needs his alone time. He's great at self-regulating and will play upstairs in his room for an hour or more when he gets overstimulated...unless there's company over. After 27 fun-filled hours together, I made Jackson stay home while I drove 40 minutes (one-way) to Levi's house.

I don't have many childhood memories of playing with my cousins since they are significantly older than me. I love that Jackson and Levi are only a year apart in age and they can have so much fun together. I hope they remain as close in the years to come.