7/16/08 Triple Grind

This daycamp/daycare week has revealed something interesting: I still hate all the driving around, even when work isn't involved. It is an astounding drag on my mood and how I see the whole day. I also just don't like having Katrina so far away. I miss the grumpy little bugger. I'm really looking forward to next week when there are no daycamps and no daycare, when I'm home alone with all of them, free to go anywhere we want whenever we want, or not....sounds idyllic, right? Hah!

Gabriel at his daycamp's morning rally. It's the heart of camp, the root of fond childhood memories, when everyone does a chant together, you're excited to see your friends and start the day...ah, summer!

But Gabriel? "I don't like this part." He just wants to get on with building Legos.

After picking up Julian from his daycamp, we went bathroom-shopping again, poor kid. He took it pretty well.


Do I have the nerve to put one of these trendy "column" style faucets in one bathroom?


Katrina didn't take a nap at Melissa's today, so, zonkie on the long drive home, and under the watchful care of her big brother:


She was a bigtime time bomb at home, so of course sitting down to dinner for me was out of the question. Instead, I wrestled and roughhoused with her on the ground, rolling back and forth with her, or lying on my back and bouncing her on my stomach. She was laughing so hard she could hardly sit up straight, but I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough, when I tried to redirect the game (ouch, it hurt after a while!), she was very aggressive in pushing me back down and planting herself on me again, insisting on continuing. I really didn't mind. She really doesn't allow much physical contact, so I milked the moment. Later, we had fun reading a counting book together, where again she was very, very insistent about sitting in my lap. A fascinating, forceful, focused personality, this one. Detached in some ways, laserlike in others. It's a tough love, but none deeper.

7/16/08