So I didn't post . . .

I didn't post last week. Nothing much had happened, and there weren't any funny stories to tell. I worked all weekend, and didn't want to spend the time on the computer. But this has been a new week. This weekend we were going to go visit the zoo, since we only have a month left on the membership, and we likely won't renew it over the summer unless we go to an aquarium again. It's just too hot to do the zoo all day in the summer.

But before we went (it was kind of a last minute decision to go) Rob decided he did want to go pick up this special release DVD of The Mountain Goats. We hurried to get in the car and drive twenty minutes to the one record shop in town that had some, but Rob neglected to tell me it was Record Store Day, which may have changed my willing ness to participate in this adventure. I drop Rob off since the parking there is awful. The store is right across from NC State on the no parking side, where they are installing the roundabouts. Meaning it's a mess. The plan was I'd do a loop or two and Rob would be out on the curb. So I loop once, really taking my time going through campus. Come back no Rob. Loop again, come back, no Rob. Loop again--no Rob. Finally after forty five minutes in the car, I decide Rob must have died and been carried off in an ambulance during one of my loops. So I find a parking spot on campus--so glad it's Saturday. Haul the three kids out of the car, and it starts to rain. Then we walk to the record store and walk in.

It is filled with old men and a line that wraps around the store. And Rob is still ten people back from the register. Wondering if they take debit cards, since everyone he's watched has paid cash, holding the LAST copy of the DVD in his hand. The kids are upset. I talked to him briefly, ask the person in front of him if they take cards (they do) and then haul the kids out of there back into the construction on the road, and we wait at the bell tower.

The kids still want to go the zoo, but I'm not too keen on the idea because we wouldn't get there until two and they close at five. But Rob's for it. But I make him check the air pressure in the tire. (And there are two previous stories where he brushed my concerns aside, but we won't go there) The air was low, and he filled it up, and found the nail that was causing the slow leak. So now I don't want to drive to the zoo. Even though I'm pretty certain we drove to the beach on that tire, because I filled it up with air a month ago.

So I suggest bowling to the kids. And they say okay, as long as we go to the zoo next week, which is our plan. Rob grumbles a bit about the bowling, but on some fluke we got mailed a certificate for four free games and shoe rentals. We'd only have to pay for one person to bowl, and that's a good deal. But we get to the bowling alley and they are in the midst of a hardcore tournament. So we leave, kids in tears.

Finally we determine to go to Earth Day in downtown Raleigh. The celebration was a lot of fun last year, but as soon as we get there we had issues. Poor Caleb is going through an extremely phobic stage. Pretty bad. And there are two things there he is afraid of dogs (lots of dogs) and the Fat Cat from the credit union, which is someone dressed up in the costume. We ended up touring the history museum, and then went back outside where Caleb had a complete meltdown, and then really hurt his dad. Yeah it was bad. So we left without doing anything at the festival. All three kids were crying, and Rob's eyes were watering something fierce. Plus he could barely walk.

To appease Beth and Jacob we decided to go to the Mordecai House (the haunted house) and check out some ghosts. The kids actually did amazingly well on the tour, which didn't talk about ghosts. It was a mall group us and three ladies. When we asked up the ladies didn't look too pleased and they whispered at each other. You know what I mean. But I'm proud to say that at the end of the tour they complimented us on our well-behaved kids, which isn't something we usually hear. Caleb is convinced there was a ghost because the rocking chair moved by itself. And Jacob wants to get a bathtub shaped like a hat that they had there.

On the way home we hit Sonic during happy hour and got some yummy drinks.

Caleb can write most of the alphabet. There are five letters he needs to work on. The only reason I share this is because i decided on Friday night that we should start working on his writing. So I sat down and said draw me an A Caleb. We went through the whole alphabet, and he'd tell me the sound and draw the letter. It's amazing to me since I haven't worked on it with him yet. And I never see him drawing and writing like Beth did at his age. Then we wrote words together, and he was able to sound most of them out. Super proud.

Beth is really starting to read more and she brought home several fours on her papers. Good stuff. I'm super proud. Jacob is doing amazing with speech. I've a feeling that we might be able to stop soon, but I don't want him to regress, so we'll see.

Have a great week everyone!