An actual "S" day

When we awoke on Sunday we realized to our delight that nearly all the normal household tasks had been completed prior to the party: laundry, cleaning, errands. This meant that we did not have to squeeze fun into a brief period between the numerous other un-fun things that always have to be accomplished on Sunday. We could simply hang out. Kate, whose first questions each morning usually pertain to what day it is and what that means for our schedule, knows that on days that begin with "S", we hang out. For us, that merely means no daycare and Pre-K, the day is often more exhausting than a normal workday; to actually get to hang out is a marvelous treat.

Jeremiah selected music (usually jazz on Sunday mornings, today was no exception) and made coffee while I bathed the kids because Kate had had an accident and smelled horrible and Sarah never met a tub of bubbles and water she could resist. He attempted to sell the girls on a trip to brunch but Kate was insistent that Daddy make pancakes. I got out of making breakfast either way so I declined to vote. So, Jeremiah-the-big-sucker made his way to the kitchen where he was later joined by our intrepid Kitchen Assistant. Here, Jeremiah explains the finer points of making pancakes to our attentive young Grasshopper. Her pancake flipping is good, but not good enough!

Meanwhile, Kate wanted to watch the episode of the Muppets with Leo Sayer, who makes her feel like dancing. She requested him by telling me she wanted the Muppets that sound like Sarah. It was a solid 5 minutes before we determined "Leo Sayer" sounds like "Little Sarah" to Kate.And then, because the weather was perfect in every way, we went to the zoo. At the zoo I learned something very important. Jeremiah needs a telephoto lens. Despite this major handicap, we saw all the animals we could manage before become incapacitated by hunger (pancakes don't really go far, you know?). We rode the carousel (Sarah did. Kate refused. Once the thing started moving, Sarah yelped in terror and leaped into my arms where she clung to me tightly until the spinning stopped) and we rode the train. Much like Amtrak in the northeast corridor, the zoo train really doesn't go through the best spots, but Kate, who initially thought it might be scary, loved it and Sarah, who reacted to its movement much like she had the carousel, reports loving the train as well.