Day Three

Pamela remains out of town, and I've made it through the third night... Things are helped somewhat in that I have barely seen or heard from my daughter all weekend: She has decided to move in with Casey, and comes home for periodic sunscreen slathering and nutrient consumption, and then is back to the wonderful backyard up the block.

Yesterday we started with Isaac's swim lesson - he's in the same level of class as before, but he's really starting to "own" a lot of the activities - and is hilariously screaming for the things he likes: All of the other kids are newbies, so I think Isaac will be a good "example" kid for the others. He's still not doing SOME of the things, so we don't want to rush him to the next level by any means! Afterwards we made three stops: Target, Burrito Store, and France 44 - where they were grilling Brats outside - I got one with kraut and mustard, and another with a homemade hot pepper and onion relish. Amazing food. After eating, Bella was off...

While Isaac napped, I put on the headphones and set up an Aerobics Step out in the back gazebo and did an hour of BodyStep: It was a bit of an experiment for me to see if I could recall the steps for all 12 songs - there was no verbal cueing on the CD I was listening to, so it was all from memory of class. I actually did very well - only on 3 did I wind up somewhere off in the counts. The rest I had down pat... and was even vocalizing a few of the "up next" cues. Of course, I have no idea what the neighbors were thinking about my activity... I can only imagine what it looked like, me clomp clomp clomping on a plastic step, muttering things like "ok, up next three knee repeaters, three two one, and BASIC right...."

I did get the kids started for bed earlier - 7:30 - and they were READY for it, for sure! Then Uncle Ant showed up and we had an impromptu Avengers Night, enjoying some fine scotches and the AWESOME movie "3:10 to Yuma" One of the most surprisingly excellent movies I've seen in a long time... completely took me off guard. I was in bed by midnight, and Isaac graced me with yet another night of sleeping through - his third in a row for me...

After breakfast, Bella was off to play already, and Isaac and I went back to Target to get some things I had missed... and there was a huge stack of Wiis in stock. Once again, I resisted the urge. Even though it looks like fun, I just can't see WHEN I'd get around to playing with it! WiiFit or no - I've got my own way of keeping in shape.

Today is a big party at the end of the block - an annual Ice Cream Social with trampoline and every kid in the world. I have made arrangements with the hosts to send Bella solo while I monitor the napping Isaac. It looks a bit cloudy out there, and I'm hoping that the weather holds for the party!

Pamela comes home tomorrow at 8:30am and the whole family can't wait to see her - Bella and Isaac are both wondering about where Mommy is... so I'm sure this close to what Pamela goes through during my little trips!

Tonight after the kids snooze, I might treat myself to Be Kind Rewind, the latest Michel Gondry movie. Allright, gotta go work on that yard, assuming it's not raining!

Oh, and one more Isaac thing: Yesterday he started saying "Eight... Nine... TEN!". That is a very interesting kid.