At the Zoo

Sunday afternoon, after the bambini woke up from their naps, we were all pattering around when Joe announced he wanted to read some books. Oh not be read to! And not in the living room! On the couch! Julie was expressly ordered to stay "not in the living room," by which Joe meant she was to remain in the dining room where she was when she offered to read some books to him, and maybe Baby Clara Jane. No, no! Joe was going to read some books, in the living room, on the couch, to Baby Clara Jane. And Fans, you should have seen him. He got At the Zoo out, clambered up on the couch, Clara hot on his heels the whole time. Ted was permitted to lift Baby Bird on to the couch and then Joe "read" her At the Zoo, the whole way through. He's got it memorized, and Ted reports that Joe turned the pages at exactly the right times.

In a related sidebar, last Friday, Ted needed to be to work by 8am, and so anticipated taking the bus. We were running ahead of schedule so we ended up all leaving together in the car as usual, but Ted had prepped Joe that he would be taking the bus to work. Joe chatted him up on this point and noted that he could "take the crosstown train."*

*If you're not in possession of Simon and Garfunkel's Collected Works, or whichever album At the Zoo is on, you might find it helpful to google At the Zoo's lyrics. Our At the Zoo book is that song in book form. Listeners will note that the lyric in this case is actually "but you can take the crosstown bus," but Joe did say train as he was laying out all the options for Ted.