Jacob's birthday: Part I

**We also did a part for him Saturday. Here's the summary from Aug. 3-4. I'll get something up about this past weekend later.

What do you get a little boy who already has too much stuff for his third birthday? A trip to Lambeau Field of course. A few months back I received a press release announcing the Green Bay Packers Family Night at the stadium. It landed on Aug. 3, the day after Jacob’s birthday, so it seemed like perfect timing for a family getaway.

Last year I started something which I hope to make into a family tradition. Instead of buying Jacob more toys, we took him to a wildlife park near Minocqua as his birthday treat. He was going through an animal-loving phase at the time so he had a blast. This year Jacob’s tastes have moved a little more toward sports and things that go: big trucks, trains, airplanes, etc. dmittedly, he’s more into baseball and watching dad play softball right now, but I’m sure his taste in sports will morph with the seasons.

I had never been to Packers Family Night, but it got excellent reviews from those I talked to about it. First of all, it’s a bargain.Tickets for all seats are $8, parking at the stadium is $5 (or free on the street if you don’t mind the walk) and there’s a picnic lunch where everything from brats to watermelon to ice cream is just $1 each. My original plan was for us to spend an entire weekend, Saturday through Monday, in Green Bay. Due to Curtiss Days for me and second crop for Nate, we cut back to just one night. We left Sunday late morning and headed east. The hotel I booked was on the east side of Green Bay, so we took the scenic route and got a good view of the bay before checking in. Even though our hotel was a little out of the way from the main tourist attraction, I picked it for its pool area. The kiddie pool with giant froggy slide was the perfect place for Jacob. Dad caught a short nap while I attempted to burn some energy off Jacob.

We headed to Lambeau only to be greeted by dark clouds and spectacular flashes of lightning. We headed to a fast food restaurant for supper and shelter, hoping the event wouldn’t be cancelled. It stopped raining so we headed back to the field. Due to the lightning they still couldn’t allow spectators onto the bleachers. We visited the Hall of Fame while people huddled in all corners of the stadium concourse waiting for news. The storm did clear up in time, and it turned out to be a fantastic night. The fireworks at the end, shot off to music from all around the top of the field, were worth the entire trip.

The next day was more swimming, then a visit to the National Railroad Museum. Jacob was in awe the entire time, from his first sight of the giant locomotive, Big Boy, to the ride around the grounds. We could barely peel him away from the glass case of the model trains and the life-size ones left him speechless. We came back Monday afternoon in time to make it to the city council meeting. I shoved two days worth of work into Tuesday, but the trip was worth it. Anyone on a dairy farm knows family vacations are a rarity, but a little getaway can be enough. Now I have to figure out what to do for next year. Judging by Jacob’s excitement over Grandma Bubble’s birthday gift of a “fishing hat,” next year’s trip might have to be to the lake.