Yesterday was Jon's second day of work (still without kids) and my second day alone with the boys. The day before we didn't have a second car because the battery died, but Jon took care of that so the boys and I could get out and about yesterday. We started our morning with a trip to Barnes and Noble. I love that no matter where we are living, Barnes and Noble is a little piece of home to us. I can grab a cup of coffee at the Starbucks to enjoy while the boys play for awhile, and of course we always find some exciting new books to read (and usually buy- because I have just about zero self control when it comes to buying books). Yesterday the boys settled in at the Duplo table and announced that they were Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry. Because that is normal? Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry designed the London Tower Bridge- so the boys acted out the entire design contest in London back in 1884 that culminated with Horace Hones and John Wolfe Barry's design being selected as the winning bridge. They built at least a dozen different bridge designs- each equally detailed- all while singing Darius Rucker's Wagon Wheel over and over again at a clip just a little louder than one should sing in a public place that is not specifically designed for singing. Most times I would tell them to be quiet- as I'm usually trying to teach the boys to conform to basic social norms, it's something that I'm often overly conscious of- but this time I just let them sing and I smiled. Because when I think about it, I'm not really a big fan of many of our social norms and sometimes when a kid's gotta sing, a kid's just gotta sing! After finding two new historical fiction series that our Barnes and Noble at home doesn't have (which of course I bought even though we quite literally won't be able to squeeze another thing into our suitcases!), we walked across the street to the Corner Bakery Café to get some soup for lunch. It was a wonderful little lunch date that culminated with a kind older woman complimenting the boys on their manners and behavior during lunch- and that made me smile :) In the evening when Daddy got home from work, we found a new park just down the road from our apartment and it was just awesome. The boys played for over an hour, and of course within minutes of walking in, Jon had a group of kids gathered around him that could have comprised a small preschool class. It has kind of become a joke between us since we have been here- he is like the Pied Piper of children or has some strange electromagnetic force that draws children to him at the parks! Before you know it, he's teaching a science lesson or practicing sight words with random children! I'm really starting to think that we just need to hang out at the playgrounds in Beverly Hills long enough and someone will offer him a nanny job with a six figure right on the spot!
Although today is Saturday, Jon had to work. Double thumbs down! The kids had registration today so the staff was there to run it. The boys had their improve class this morning in Hollywood so I was on my own for that. I'm actually starting to get comfortable with my surroundings and am kind of figuring out where I am at times, so it wasn't so bad getting there by myself. The boys were really excited for their class, which in turn made me really excited because ever since they stopped their dance class we haven't been able to get them interested in another class-based activity. We got there a few minutes early and I was able to check in with the teacher about how the boys did last week. They are by far the youngest in the class and being that they are not experienced in a school-type setting Jon and I have been so afraid that the class is over their heads and that they may be taking away from the other kids' learning. The teacher assured me that that was not the case and that for being 4 and a half years old, the boys were doing fantastic. That helped me relax quite a bit and I was able to enjoy the hour of peace and quiet to myself- a rare gem indeed :) After class we came home for lunch and spent some time playing Legos and reading. At 4:30 we drove up to Jon's school to meet him so we could spend the evening together in Pasadena. His school is absolutely positively gorgeous and the boys loved running around the grounds. I got to meet a few people Jon is working with and it was more than apparent to me that Jon is already shining like the rock star he is! We grabbed some pizza in town that honestly wasn't all that good, but Jon did find an awesome pirate playground right by the Rose Bowl that we played at for the rest of the evening so that was a big hit. All in all it was a great week- although now its Saturday night but with Jon having worked three days this week it feels like it should be Wednesday night... so my brain is all kinds of mixed-up. Since we only have a one day weekend (boo!) I think we are going to hit the beach tomorrow... now just to decide which beach. I know, California problems! We're doing our best to send some sunshine back home to Michigan and we do sincerely apologize that it doesn't seem to be working!
With Daddy at his new school- Yes, this is a school... right outside of his classroom to be exact!
Turtle watching
Turtle being watched :)
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