A date!

Grandpa Daniel and Grandma Joani, after dropping the kids off at school, left for a long trip to Luzerne this morning, so Joey and I filled our morning with shopping for gifts to send home in their now-vacant duffel bag.  We spent a long, happy morning at the Franz Carl Weber store, sifting through the racks of board games and baby toys and then, joyfully, discovering they've reinstalled their train table for the little ones.  Joey would have been content to stay all morning, but I wanted to find that Barenland candy store, also, while I was two kids down.

Somehow, this is the only photo I took today.  Cyborg
Clooney has been staring menacingly at me from the Omega
watch store windows since we first moved here. 

Considering we were only there last night, less than twelve hours ago, it took me an embarrassingly long time to find.  I'd given my phone to Dan and Joani, and the directions I'd scribbled down were completely inadequate.  But we had a fun walk, and discovered that the farmer's markets are coming out in full force. And, eventually, with a little help from strangers, a lot of pushing up steep cobblestone alleys, and a fair dose of luck, we stumbled upon the store.

The ladies who had requested the candy had promised us they were generous with the free sample.  Joey quickly learned to cup his hands whenever the shop owner appeared with her tongs, and I think he quietly ate a dozen gummy candies this morning.  I'm more of a chocolate girl, but, as far as gummy candies go, they're pretty good, flecked with real fruit.  As we left the store, it became clear that Joey expected to eat all fourteen 1-lb bags that we'd purchased, all by himself.  He clutched all that weight happily on his ride back to the train station, singing "candy, candy, candy," under his breath. My son.

I'd also picked up a spring jacket for Alex while we were out.  Even now, in May, he's been wearing his heavy winter jacket, zipped up to his chin and his hood up, because if you're going to wear a coat, that's the proper way to do it.  When he got home from school, I offered it to him, and I loved his response: "Oh, this is such a cool jacket. You don't know how much I addreciate this, mom."

In the afternoon, my addreciative boy and I put together a care package for his Kirkland preschool.  At one point before we left Seattle, our friend Lisa that mentioned that if I could video Alex, they might be able to play his film during the preschool graduation talent show.  Alex was really enthusiastic: he made me do about five takes, watching each one critically, until he had it just right.  Just in case it's not possible to play it at graduation, I thought I'd share it with you here.  Preschool friends, Alex misses you!

Joani and Dan had offered us a night out, and, of course, we pounced on it.  I suspect this will be the only time in 2011 that Dennis and I get to go out together, just us two.  We'd been looking forward to this, and had tossed around ideas as to what where we should go.  Maybe a Michelin-star restaurant? The hotel with the amazing view on top of Ütliberg?  We could catch a show, and maybe have drinks after, as grownups sometimes do?

But when the time came, do you you know what we felt like?  Nachos and burgers, beer, and a movie, and so that's exactly what we did.  I think, after months of upheaval and mild but constant stress, it was what we needed, a quiet evening of the absolutely familiar and normal. As an added bonus, we got to see Natalie Portman's simper and Chris Hemsworth's cheesy smile in three dimensions.  You know what? It was totally fun!