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Journal Key:

Green = Steve | George = navy | Janet = Purple | Evelyn = Black

3/20/14 (Thursday)

It's spring break at Brookdale, so Claire came up to have pizza with the kids and me. We went together to pick them up. It was pajama day at YBR, so all the kids had to show us their pajamas. One young lady was very proud that she had dots on hers. Owen was Spider-Man, which actually matched his sneakers.

In the car, Claire and I talked about my birthday. "Mommy," said Owen, "when it's your birthday, I will WEAR MY SLIPPERS!"

The four of us went to Attilios, which was a pleasant adventure. The kids were delighted to get to pick out drinks from the refrigerator case and to get straws out of a box. Claire cut up Owen's pizza for him, which was a really nice break for me. He was hoping that she would also take him to the potty, but he had to make do with me instead. I got to recite the Circus McGurkus again; this is two restaurant trips in a row with extended bathroom visits. Back at the table, I suggested to Owen, who, of course, was in his pajamas, that he could put on his slippers when we got home. "Is it your birthday now?" he asked.

3/21/14 (Friday)

At some point earlier this week, perhaps on Tuesday, Owen felt that I was not being a good listener. "Mommy Reid Genzano! Mommy Reid Genzano!" he started exclaiming. It was less effective than he had no doubt hoped.

We got exciting news today: as of Monday, Owen will be an official Lollipop and go upstairs every day! This is very good, because he's been convinced for weeks that he was a lollipop and occasionally told people that he is.

Today was very nice out, and Owen wanted to play outside. Poor Steve stayed out with him, and they ended up bringing out just about all of Owen's little guys. There was a fierce sidewalk battle in progress when Cara and I came out so that we could go out for Family Fun Night. We went to Friendly's, where we reached one of those bizarre milestones that really is great but sounds weird when you say it: Owen picked up and ate a chicken finger, instead of making us cut it up so that he could eat it with a fork.

3/22/14 (Saturday)

I took the kids out this morning, hoping that Steve would get to exercise and I would get to do the groceries after a Barnes and Noble bribe. However, after a lovely time at the book store and a small treat, Owen had a problem with the fact that he needed to wash his hands after using the potty when he had his coat on. I led him out of the store screaming. What ensued was fairly ludicrous: I basically had a fight with a four-year-old. It was an unfortunate situation, because he didn't want to go and do groceries, and therefore I really couldn't take him, because of the potential for screaming. He wanted to go home and take a nap.

Fortunately, Steve, without having heard what we were fighting about, took my side and put Owen to bed. After he'd been quiet up there for quite a while, Owen began to call me. He had been rebooted and was perfectly pleasant; he wanted some lunch and then we would do groceries. He ate. I was hoping to dilly-dally and read my book a little, but he was ready to go to the store.

In Shop-Rite, he ran around yelling things like, "I want healthy stuff!" He got me to buy him a small watermelon. It didn't go too badly when, a few weeks ago, he got Steve to buy him one.

When we got home we stuck the groceries inside for Steve to deal with (I really like that part) and went to get Owen's bike out of the shed. I talked him into actually putting his feet on the pedals this time! I think I was still providing a good deal of the forward momentum, but he pedalled all the way up the street to where Woerner makes a big circle. On the way, we saw a dead mouse, ran over a clump of dirt, and had to stop several times for Owen to dismount and throw sticks off of the sidewalk.

In the evening Grandmama and I took Cara to her second dance competition, and Owen got to hang out with Grandpapa and Daddy. At bedtime, Grandpapa read to him. Apparently Owen had so exhausted himself that he fell asleep during the books, waking up only enough to protest that he wasn't tired.

3/23/14 (Sunday)

I'm currently on break from grad school, and we decided that we should actually try doing something fun as a family for a change! We went ahead and got a new membership to the Philadelphia Zoo. We hadn't been there in a couple of years--a lot has changed. One great thing is the new parking garage, which is close and has a very convenient exit. That was far more exciting for me than for the kids.

When we got into our first animal exhibit, we discovered what would be the pattern for the day: Owen, with me tagging along, breezed through the animal exhibits, while Cara and Steve did more than glance at each animal. Owen did like saying hi to the animals. He liked seeing them. However, just seeing each animal seemed to be enough.

At lunch, as the Tiger Terrace, Owen ate . . . and ate . . . and ate, and we asked him whether we could perhaps go now, but he was not ready. He wanted, among other things, his picture taken while eating. Then he wanted us to finish his lunch.

Seeing the big cats was nice. The lions were out. Cara picked Owen up to see them. "What lions?" he asked. She picked him up again. "Hi, lion," he said. I was delighted that they have brought back the old movie that they used to show in that exhibit. The newer one was never as good. We watched this one all the way through, and then Owen had us stay to see most of it again. He did hide his face during some of the violent scenes.

Then, of course, we went to the treehouse. Oddly, some of the areas that used to have plants in them have been filled instead with little bits of what looked like black rock but are actually chunks of old tires, being recycled. This was not a good idea, because they are all over the floor by the tree trunk tunnel. We explored and climbed around for a while, but then Owen settled onto the floor to "explore," which meant that he was picking up little bits of rubber and putting them back where they belonged. I joined him for a while. The attendant came over and complimented him and gave him a prize, which was a cute animal bookmark.

Next we had to backtrack to get to the KidZoo, which was a new thing we had passed on our way to lunch. There was a really nice outdoor play area, where Cara climbed right up a net ladder to another net thing that was badically a tightrope with big nets on the sides. At the other end of that was a big spiral slide. Owen wanted to go, too. When Cara came back around, he climbed up with her. I was amazed that he went across the tightrope part! He was pretty slow, but he just kept moving and got across. At the top, though, he just hung out on the platform. He was definitely not interested in that slide. He hadn't gone on any at the treehouse, either, actually. I got to climb up, too, which I'd sort of been wanting to do, and take him down the slide with me. We survived.

We also checked out the petting zoo, where the kids brushed and petted goats. For a while, Owen had been saying, "I want to go back to the zoo!" We attempted to explain that this was the zoo. No, he still wanted to go back. Somehow we deduced that he wanted to go back to the treehouse. He wanted to go and "explore" some more. We breezed through the reptile house, with Owen complaining, "I want to go pick things up off the ground!!!"

On the way back to the treehouse I distracted him enough to get him in to see the monkeys, but that didn't last more than a few minutes.

Back in the treehouse, the exploring had become more narrative. It turned out that we were collecting things to give to "the volcano" which was "our master." While we threw handsful of rubber pieces in, Owen would say things like, "Here you go, volcano, we are your king!" He was sort of backwards. Eventually he noticed other kids running through the "volcano" which was an interesting texture, and he climbed in, too, and soon he was sitting down and pouring bits of rubber all over himself. It must have reminded him of mulch.

Needing a transition activity to get us out of there, I proposed a treat. The best we could do was the nearby vending machines, which offered candy or ice cream. We bought two ice creams. It was 45 degrees out. The kids also chose to sit at a metal picnic table.

Finally, after all of that, Owen was ready to go see some animals. Cara and Steve had gone ahead to the aviary. Owen and I paused long enough for him to climb into a paddle boat that was sitting on the path. "Could you put this in the water with me?" he asked. I pointed out how big and heavy it was. "I meant, three of you!" No, even all three of us could not. We moved on.

In the end, we did get to see more animals. The bears all seemed to be out and active, there was a huge rhino, and the small mammal house is always nice. I carried Owen back to the car. He was awake in the back seat for longer than I'd thought he would be.

3/24/14 (Monday)

Owen had his first day as a lollipop! He did well and enjoyed himself.

I explained that we had to pick Cara up and take her to dance before we went home. We pulled up outside of ABC.

Owen: I wanted to go to my swimming lesson!

Me: You don't have a swimming lesson.

Owen: Yes, I do!

Me: Well, I guess I can look into signing you up for some, but right now we have to get Cara to dance.

He unbuckled and got out of the car nicely. We headed for the school.

Owen: I want to go to my swimming lesson!

Me: You have a swimming lesson?

Owen: Yes, I do!

Me: Who signed you up for it?

Owen: Daddy did.

Me: Oh. We'll have to ask him when it is.

We got Cara and got back into the car.

Owen: I want to go to my swimming lesson!

Me: It's not today.

Cara: He has a swimming lesson?!

Me: (shakes head vigorously)

3/25/14 (Tuesday)

Owen was boring today, except for running to my room naked after his bath to jump into my "sweet jumbo bed." This is a Cara journal, instead. Cara has a reading log to do every night, which is actually due on Fridays. There are four entries per week. Cara is very pleased, because her teacher has said that she is allowed to write about the books she reads on RAZkids, a reading website, on her log. I'm a little mystified by her excitement. She was reading The Hobbit in the car when we got home from dance. She has a book in the pocket of her bed tent which she is reading after bedtime. Steve reports that one of the reasons she's in the shower at 8:45 is that she read a book while getting undressed. I think she has enough to write about.

3/26/14 (Wednesday)

Owen continues to do well going upstairs for the day. Tonight was playdate night, and Owen was very pleased when PJ arrived. He wanted to show PJ what he was watching on his Nook. Then, apparently, he and PJ played with toys in the playroom for quite a while. The kids were kept down there for dinnertime, where they had an exciting picnic dinner away from the television (though not away from the Nook).

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