A day behind

Happy Fathers' Day!

 

Yes, we know we are a day late, but what with the dance recital and spending an afternoon on house improvements (for the house  we have on the market), we christened today Fathers' Day Observed and spent the morning at our favorite zoo.    It has been a highly unusual year for us, the early part of the spring having been filled with the move, and this was actually our first 2008 Detroit Zoo trip.  We have become very attached to that zoo, having spent so much time there over the years, and feel, in some ways, like it is home for us, so it was a wonderful feeling to return and visit our animals.   It's a lot more fun, too, now that Calvin is older.  He knows the names of all the animals, even if he doesn't always get them right (no, the Guanaco is not a llama), and according to him they all have an accompanying sound (ever heard a kangaroo?  They apparently say "boing boing").  We were even fortunate enough to be visited by a  swimming polar bear while in the underwater tunnel, an occasion that left Calvin straddling the line between fear and curiosity.  He was brave enough, though, to reach up and touch that big, black polar bear foot, something not every two year old can lay claim to having done.  We should also give mention to the aardvark, who was not only awake, but busily digging holes wherever the ground was undisturbed.  He was Calvin's favorite sighting of the day, and likely ours, too, since we've never seen him do anything but sleep (a pastime we have come to respect more and more over the last two years).

Zoo pictures are in the June 2008, too album. 

We're now a three car family.

And the newest car gets amazing gas mileage.  Heck, it doesn't even have a working tank.

Found an ant.

The walk will now take at least 10 minutes longer.

Ha ha, made you look.

Calvin's favorite new car entertainment is calling out each red barn he sees and telling us where to look for them ("red barn [out], Calvin's window," or "red barn, daddy's window").  This afternoon's car conversation sounded like this:

Jon: "there's a red barn out daddy's window..."

Calvin: "yeah"

Calvin:  "red barn, Calvin's window!"

Jon: (said gently, so as not to disappoint) "I don't see one..."

Calvin:  "Calvin teasing daddy!" (cracks up)

Yeah, we see where this is going.  No one is safe anymore, but the kid sure has one well developed sense of humor.

Out of the mouths of babes.

Calvin learned a new song at library hour today.  He learned "Thumbkin," and he's been asking for it by name all day, only he says "th" as "f" and skips the "mb" all together.  You do the phonics.