September 6

Today's been another interesting, busy day.
It began before 9am - with asking Trev if he still wanted to go with our friends to the Star Wars party. (I had a feeling that "party!" would be a bit overstated. They were offering a promo, after all.)
"Yeah!! Of course I do!" says he. "Awesome!!"
The first time we've even gotten out of the house from start to finish in less than an hour! Leaving me to think (though I don't ordinarily suppose so) that twice the children must mean twice the work!! What other explanation could there be?

To Pottery Barn, then.
To wait in line. And wait some more. (But, amazingly, not for Altogether Too Long, actually.)
And see little boys (namely ours) dancing from foot to foot, and hearing them confess seriously how Very Excited they were.
Well. Let's just hope you're that excited afterward! thought this Mama.

Finally to the front of the line, and talking to a Real Life Rebel Trooper!! Woh!
Oooh - we're soon! It's almost our turn!! Oh, I can hardly stand it.....
Peeking into the window - "I see a Storm Trooper in there!"
It's our turn!!!
Inside we go to stand in a little mini line, and there stands...
Darth Vader. A Storm Trooper. And a Jedi Master. A beautiful, long-red-haired, Jedi Master. She'll protect us from the Dark Side, they tell us.
You know.
Just in case we're feeling Uneasy.


It's us, it's us!!

Ooooh.
Stand and Stare.
Oh.
Oh, my.
There's Darth Vader.
Wow.
Look at that Storm Trooper.
The approach is so cautious, and ever-s0-slow.
Darth Vader -good grief, he must have been over six-and-a-half feet tall! -- leans over, and in perfect Darth Vader verbage, accent, and voice, says "The force is strong within you, Young Jedi." And to his Mother, "You have taught him well." khhooooh, hooooh. kooooh-hooooh.
Well, then.
Kind smile from Jedi Knight.
Something like "Okay, move along," :) from Regular Old Store Worker.

"You okay, Bud? Wanna sit here for a minute, and look at your activity book they gave us?" Does he need a minute to collect himself? To shout? To think of a million questions? Is he feeling angry? Hurried? Bullied? Battered? Cheated?

"That was the greatest!!"
"That was the best party ever!"
blink.
um.
repeat blink.
"Oh, I'm so glad!"

We went outside with our friends, and sat at the fountain to make a wish.
"I-wish-that-I-can-have-Zoo-Tycoon-Extinct-Animals-in-five days, not-26-days!" wishes Little Son out loud with his eyes closed in concentration, and then flings his copper penny into the fountain.
"Wanna know what I wished, Mom?"

We decided to have lunch together (Little Son and I - our friends had to leave), but first we went to a nearby store to look for a Darth Vader costume for Halloween (which had been decided before today).
Found a pretty good one that we are "keeping in mind".

To home, then, to Daddy and Maddie.

My date with Little Son was over, and Maddie had been waiting and waiting for a trip to the video store for Pirate Dora.
We went to the library, first, because they were supposed to have a film that Trevelyn wanted, and came away with Pirate Dora, three others, and about fifteen books. It occurred to me while they were filling up their arms with books that my children don't ever choose storybooks.
They choose videos, and nonfiction.
Books on kangaroos, dinosuars, -of course, lizards, snakes, insects, amphibians, jungle, parasites.... hmmm.

The video store - for Trev's movie that they did not have at the library, Homeward Bound II, and I chose Nim's Island.
And home.

Where we cracked open our geodes that we got at the Planetarium a few weeks ago.
Trev's was super cool!
Mine was okay. Madd's was so-so, too.

A little while later it was ZooTycoon Extinct Animal demo.

And owl pellets.
Which was different than I thought. Somehow, I supposed that it was the whole mouse compacted into that little furry ball of death decomposition.
I can't say for Trev's, as I suspect he wasn't terribly easy on his little ball of fur and bones, but mine had two heads, and very little else. I think one was a shrew (cool!), and one a rodent. So evidently owls are not like snakes, and do not eat one meal every so often!
Something to check into today....

Finally it was time for dinner.
And popcorn and a movie. Nim's Island!
Woohoo! Did you know that Nim is an unschooler?
I didn't.
A very cool movie.
I wonder if it is a book? I think we'd greatly enjoy reading it.

Well, then.
A terrifically full day.