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Journal Key:

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

4/12/14 (Saturday)

Owen continues to draw a lot. The problem is that he doesn't spend a lot of time on any one drawing, and he wants a completely new piece of paper that is unmarked on either side for each new drawing. Hmm.

This Friday happened to be "super hero day" at Owen's school, because the Lollipops are still on the letter "S." It was a great way to get him dressed in the morning, since he had to pick out his super hero outfit. He wanted to be a "mixed-up" super hero, so he put on his Flash mask, his Superman shirt, and his Batman cape--and his Spider-Man shoes. I also pointed out that he was wearing Avengers underwear, but I emphasized that he shouldn't necessarily show anyone.

Friday was also a sleepover night! It was a good one because they came home in their pajamas the next day. Today was a busy day at home for us. We are having a co-party tomorrow for Evelyn and Cara (scheduling in early April is hard). So we all went out to shop for some party supplies and also some new plants for the front yard. It was a perfect day for it, since it was really hot and sunny all day, the most it's been since last year at some point. We all helped outside when we got back home: Cara helped plant and water and dig; Owen helped to eat some of the old popsicles that are in our freezer.

Then we were all beat, but we decided to go out to dinner anyway. Owen was so hungry that he actually ate his dinner without prompting, which was really lovely. He also went to the potty when he needed to. We are working on the boy's "listening" skills. Getting him to do things he doesn't want to do is still quite a challenge.

Today Owen also found a new friend. A little boy from across the street was out, and Owen wanted to play with him. We had to go on our errands, but when we got back Owen was still very invested in this, and Evelyn took him across the street to knock on the door. It turned out little Justin was napping. Owen was disappointed. He was also willing to wait on the steps until Justin woke up. Evelyn had to talk him down. Hopefully they will get to have a playdate one of these days.

4/13/14 (Sunday)

I really enjoyed my first joint birthday party with Cara. An unforeseen advantage is having someone to sing to during "Happy Birthday" instead of just standing there awkwardly.

The most exciting part of the party was the pinata that I had decided to get. It was a pretty blue butterfly. Yesterday the kids and I filled it with little packets of cookies. Owen was very eager to "fight the pinata," but we waited. I hung it in the tree in the front yard, and we went outside and lined up with Owen's wiffle bat. He went first. He gave it a tiny tap. So did Griffin. The other kids did marginally better. Grown ups got to try! Everyone who wanted to got plenty of turns. We gradually started to do damage. Steve put down the camera and nearly finished it off, and then when Owen hit it, the whole body of the butterfly came off.

After the party, we were all pretty tired. It was a pleasant way to end the weekend, lazing around while the kids played and colored.

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