The Vans Down By the River: April 2009

Yesterday was a great family day! We made it out of the house by 9:35am to celebrate VEISHEA. Our goal was 9:30am and for a Van Maanen family that is an amazing feat!! (Except for Micah's family, they're usually right on time or early.)

We parked south of campus and walked toward Memorial Union (where Jonathan and I had our wedding reception). We walked by Lake ~~Latrine~~ LaVerne and sat on the grass between the MU and Beardshear. We carefully positioned our blanket and very full stroller and pulled out the snacks. That's right, I thought ahead so we wouldn't have to spend money on concession-type foods for the kids. Then we waited. The parade didn't start until 10:30a and we sat down at 10a. Phin ate of course and Asher found a stick and proceded to dig potholes in the road (he was removing the tar that was filling the potholes). So we redirected him to digging and scratching at the dirt next to our "campsite."

Then Grandma Sue and Shannon arrived and the kids were distracted by that. Both of the kids were tired, so we were quite pleased that they quietly played while we waited. That's right, no whining!! Yeah!!

Then we heard the cannons!! That was the start of the parade. Asher had a lot of fun picking up candy and it was nice that we had brought his leash/backpack so he couldn't go into the road (and get hit by a float) to pick up "lost" candy. We saw firetrucks, cop cars, horses, clowns, motorcycles, mascots, go-carts, and a lot of candy. Asher was pretty quiet through the whole thing and dutifully picked up his candy off the street. Then he saw it and shouted, "CY-RIDE BUS!!" We see them all over and he has never been this close to one. That was his only real emotion of the day except for when I told him that he had eaten enough candy. ;)

After the parade we packed up our damp blanket (it had sprinkled on/off throughout the parade, but we had our umbrella's and hoods so we didn't get too wet) and went to find some lunch. Phin and I had corn on the cob and pork sandwiches, Jonathan had a brat and Asher had a hot dog. Then we wandered around campus. There were a LOT of fun things to do and see and the students and staff put on great displays and activities for the littles. We didn't get around to everything because Asher fell asleep in the stroller and Phin fell asleep on Jonathan's shoulder. It was perfect. Jonathan and I enjoyed walking around campus together remeniscing about the times I met him on campus, where we ate lunch, laughed at the ISU student copying off my test (in a class I knew nothing about). It was a wonderful day.

We stopped by a booth near Lake ~~Latrine~~ Laverne and got a funnel cake before heading home. Of course both kids woke at the smell of dessert. ;) Then we walked to the car and decided to stop at the College of Veterinary Medicine to see the petting zoo. Asher got his face painted and reached into a (fake) fistula to retrieve some more candy. We visited the Teddy Bear Clinic with Asher's Bunny and we realized the clinic was busy with minor surgeries on many stuffed animals, which Bunny didn't really need (but we kept that in mind just in case Bunny ever has an accident) so we moved on. That's when Jonathan decided it was time to take Phin home because he was getting really fussy (Phin, not Jonathan). So that left Asher and I to continue on our own. We visited the Exotic Animals and petted some snakes, a lizard, a bird, and watched some gerbils. Then we went downstairs to the petting zoo. It was really fun down there. Asher mostly liked the bunny, of course. Then we washed our hands and headed home.

By the time we got home it was dinner time so we fed the boys and put them to bed. Then Jonathan and I ate and I was in bed by 9pm. Aaah. After that busy day of walking I was tired. And sunburned. That's right. Even though it was overcast ALL. DAY. I still got sunburned. Nothing too horrible but red nonetheless.

I'm so glad that ISU is continuing the VEISHEA tradition. It's a really great FREE family event. If you're interested in any of the colleges at ISU it's a great way to find out what they're up to and to see how diverse ISU really is. Hope to be there next year!!