Good Friday

Last week was spring break week for Joe, so his days were spent at Kids Place. One day they saw the movie Home, which was a little nerve wracking for our hero when it was uncertain if the child would find its mother. Another day they walked up the street for Chipotle lunch, where Joe had to swap meals with a friend because he didn't want the chicken in his quesadilla. But on Good Friday there was no Kids Place option so Ted took the day off and brought Joe to the Science Museum for the first time. It was a particularly crowded day with all kids off school, but they had bought tickets online and walked right in. We scoped the place out and not surprisingly realized it was a never ending series of hands on exhibits. They started in the dinosaurs which was relatively calm and where Joe learned the word coephelopod, which we thought would be a good "C" word for the letter game at dinner.  From there Joe tried to navigate the various exhibits, but didn't want to wait so ended up at many of the broken or less interesting ones.  Lunch was taken early before the rush which turned out to be very smart, and is where they overheard a live demonstration. So after lunch the boys grabbed a seat and watched a demo of rockets and another owith liquid nitrogen. These were better for Joe to focus on and learn.  Joe got to climb around the Tape Tunnel, which was exactly that and required some expert maintenance crew armed with a roll of packing tape and scissors. Lastly we did the ticketed Space exhibit which showed what it will take for humans to get to Mars. Joe said he would volunteer to go to Mars-Ted declined.  So it was a long fun day which we wrapped up by picking up Clara and getting ice cream at the DQ.

Thunderstorm Theater

We had our first thunderstorm of the spring season last night, Fans. It rolled in right around bedtime. So Julie pulled the blind up on the window next to Birdie's bed and they settled in for "thunderstorm theater." It wasn't long before Joe padded in and all three then hollered for Ted. He came for a bit, but it was Julie and the bambini who squashed themselves together like a pile of puppies and watched the lightening flash and the rain start to fall. The lightening was also viewed through a pair of the bug eyes the Grandparents Trump gave them for Christmas. ("Do you want a bug eye?" Was a common refrain.) The bambini agreed that rain was cloud pee. (They also considered lemonade and orange juice.) They both remembered the fierce storm that swept through St. Louis Park two years ago about a month before we moved from Raleigh House, that took down trees damaged cars and houses. Clara said they were scared but Mommy got them, and they went outside in their rain boots while Daddy helped the neighbor get a tree off his car. She also  said she was maybe four, and Joe was maybe three or so. Other than that, she had it just right. And this new springtime memory felt just right, too.

True or Fazzle? It's Pronounced Cell-O

Our Hero has learned the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. One of his favorite non-fiction books is The Story of the Orchestra, which was once his Cousin Nick's. It details the history and assorted fun facts of all the instruments in the orchestra. The book includes a companion CD with snippets of music that feature that instrument.

Monday night, Julie was reading to Joe about the cello. "Cello," she announced. Joe softly said, "Cell-o," pronouncing it like it rhymed with Jell-O. He added, "There's no h." Julie chuckled and explained this was an Italian word so the letters followed different rules. She drew an analogy to Spanish.  Joe was not convinced. He believes cello is pronounced Cell-O.

At least he believes that false--as in "True or false?"--is not pronounced "fazzle," which he still nevertheless often says. But there, he would undoubtedly note, the s does indeed follow the l.

Oh Fans! True or fazzle? We can't make this stuff up?!

Brushing Cabello

That is a miniature toilet in the left-hand foreground corner, for all your miniature toileting needs.  It migrates from place to place and is often not in the dollhouse.  Hopefully, none of the dollhouse residents need it.

If our Birdie can be stubborn, it is also true that she can be very tender. Friday evening, she was brushing Julie's hair, or cabaza as she was calling it, having learned the Spanish word for hair. It is actually cabello according to the interwebs, which this reporter consulted to get the spelling of cabaza, or cabello.

After it was all done up, Julie carried Clara over to the big circle mirror by the front door and they had this exchange:

Clara: I love you, Mommy.

Julie: I love you, too, Clara.

Clara, pulling the edges of Julie's sweater around her: Mommy, you have the warmest clothes!

Julie: You have the warmest heart.

Clara: And the smartest brain!

Her Own Brain

The morning of the round-up--we think? (Dearest Readers, this uncertain timeline is what comes of tarrying in our posting.)--brought a moment that left Julie thinking, "Well if that is not Birdie to a tee. . ."


Julie is almost always the last White Houser downstairs each morning. She has been campaigning for Joe and Clara to turn off their own lights and put their pajamas in their respective hampers. So she often calls out a reminder to each to do one or both things as needed.


On this day--whichever it was--Julie called Birdie back from the stairs to say she still needed to turn off her lamp. This was met with silence and then a thump--Birdie tossing herself on the floor at the top of the stairs--where she said, "Mommy. I have my own brain!"

Julie said she knew that but that we all need reminders now and then. Class informed Julie that she did not. And the turned off her lamp.