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Another overcast Seattle morning. The last few days were
sunny and beautiful. I snuck out of bed at 7 this morning. I had
slept with the girls because Jonah, sleeping on the floor next
to the big bed, kept crying and I was finally tired of climbing
over Steve to get out and check on him. The bed sure is more
comfortable than that lousy couch we’ve been exiled to.
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Last night, like so many nights, there was just no
settling the kids down, they keep fighting with each other,
essentially keeping each other awake… I still haven’t found the
trick to make them settle in…finally Julia came out and I let
her stay in bed with me, since Steve was still putzing around on
the computer. Of course, Jonah and Lilli came out to see what
happened to Juju and I let Jonah hop in at my foot end. Lilli
went back to bed in the big bed grumbling a little about being
alone but realizing that she’d have the whole bed to herself
now… it took about 3 minutes for Jonah to fall asleep, even with
my reading light still on…
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As I am sitting here in my little office, made up of the
passenger seat, I can hear the children wake up one by one. I
can hear the sound of the toilet not being flushed. Today we
have bagels for breakfast, because we are out of eggs and out of
milk and out of bread…
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Jonah pipes up from out of the bedroom…the last one up,
yelling ”mommy, I am a monkey”, with his diaper in the air he
comes crawling out of on all fours, “I funny…” At breakfast he
is singing “the sun is on vacation, it’s on vacation, and I
can’t see it”
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Our brakes sound like Chewbacca…
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Lilli and I spend the better part of today buying
birthday presents for Julia. First we had to go to Bremerton for
a second visit, ‘cause we liked so much the first time
J…Julia had left her
backpack at the ice cream parlor near the ferry terminal. We
noticed on the ferry that it was missing and I called Coldstone
creamery from the ferry terminal information booth. The Lady
there was so nice…she gave me the yellow pages to find the
number. Sure enough they had found it and I told them to just
hold it. By the time we got back it was already around 6 o’clock
and we were all pooped so we decided to go get it the next day.
This, of course, was the perfect excuse for us to go out on
Tuesday without Julia getting suspicious about why mommy is
going somewhere alone.
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When Lilli and I got off the ferry we raced passed all
the passengers and down the sidewalk to Coldstone creamery.
Running back to the ferry, ice cream for Lulu and backpack in
hand, we are amazed that we made the turnaround with time to
spare! Another hour on the ferry and we are back at pier 52.
From there we make a bee line to the Magic Mouse Toy store only
a few blocks north.
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Poor Lulu! She is being such a good sport about finding
presents for Julia, when I know this is so hard for her. The two
of us had a “meeting” before we went into the store. I told her
that she is “all powerful Lilli” and that she is more powerful
than any stuffed animal wish…
She promised to
try, and she did! Only toward the end did she break down a
little and insisted on getting a doll and then a stuffed mouse.
When I nixed them both she was very upset. I told her she could
have something that doesn’t have a face, 2 arms, 2 legs…”how
about a chicken?” she asked…
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Poor Lilli. Softly weeping I take her hand to go. I try
to distract her with the prospect of sushi with only moderate
success.
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Solemnly we walk up fist Ave., 2 bags chock full of toys,
and one backpack, in my left hand and Lilli in the right.
Eventually we find a wonderful Japanese Restaurant near the
Harbor steps across from the art museum, and Lilli’s spirits are
lifted. The bus stops are never far away and so getting back to
Capitol Hill seems like a cinch…we are getting good this public
transport thing…Upon arrival back at Elbee I hand off the loot
to Steve, who sneaks it all into the “basement.”
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Julia is very happy to get her backpack back and takes
out all of her possessions, saying “I didn’t loose my bathing
suit, I didn’t loose my journal, I didn’t loose…” and so on
until everything is properly examined, funny girl…
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The gang is still working on the tank and we are send
away for a few more minutes…what’s a girl to do? We walk over to
the Buzz Stop and get cappuccino and hot chocolate…luckily there
is enough stuff to do here…
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Dinner at Chris and Stefanie’s, parking across the park
on 65th Ave., we know Seattle well by now…
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For the first time I bring laundry over to finish drying…
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We end up having a very late dinner with Chris’ amazing
garlic bread – no cactus this time…
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With the kids overtired and cranky we trek “home” and
tonight nobody has to wash or brush a thing… |
