Summer Sunday Morning

Fans, if you asked Joe what we did this morning (as Julie did as the afternoon was beginning), here is what he would say: "Played at the park with Darby and had cake for breakfast."  And it's true, we did play at the park with Darby, and we did have cake, of a sort, for breakfast.  But who would have thought the morning would get framed up quite that way?  Ted played golf this morning, and since we lent Blue to Sanne and Todd (back in town before flying home to Seattle) for the weekend, and Ted took Bronzie to golf, Julie and the bambini were limited to the delights of the neighborhood.  Fortunately, they are many, especially when the weather is just perfect, as it was today.

Julie made a buckle last night or, "summer cake," as our readers with long memories may recall we call it, and, frankly, she felt like a bit of it for breakfast with a spot of cheese on the side.  She knew it would never do for her to have that and the bambini to have anything else, so it was cake and cheese all around.

By the time breakfast was wrapped up, it was just after seven which seemed a bit early to begin our adventuring, so the bambini played while Julie pattered.  At one point, the clouds parted and light streamed from heaven above and the angels sang: Julie heard Joe ask Clara if she would please share her airplane--!!!!!--AND THEN--!!!!!--Clara DID--!!!!!  AND THEN, they played together with that airplane, amicably, for what?  Like at least 15 minutes--!!!!!  (Julie was in the bathroom and it was a good thing because she almost peed her pants.)  It is true that Joe and Clara pretty much get on, but we manage our fair share of toy snatching and the like, so this whole scene was rather amazing to overhear.  Julie was sad that Ted wasn't also around to hear it--though she was also pretty excited to be in the bathroom all by herself.

After that excitement--the toddler-preschooler negotiated airplane share (though the bathroom solitude should not be discounted)--we headed out into the world: Joe on his bike, Clara on her push bike, and Julie on foot.  We motored down to the Starfoxes where we all had bananas with chocolate milk or iced tea and lemonade.

We went home via the park.  We'd not been there long when Darby rolled up with her mom.  Darby showed Joe how to pump his legs when swinging (Joe had fun reaching with his two feet to kick Julie's hand), and Joe introduced Darby--and Darby's mom--to the potty tree, which was probably more thrilling to Darby than her mom.  Before too long some super big kids came and started doing the things big kids do on playgrounds that are too small for them, so we retreated to the baseball diamond which was really lava where good natured Lava Monsters that chomp and tickle squealing little people live.  Good times.

So you see, what Joe would say we did this morning is all true, and then some.