Still Don't Have That Letter

This week, our last full week of summer, complete with no swimming or lifeguarding or scout camp, we are enjoying our time together.

Yesterday I considered going to the @oo, the $oo, the >oo...you know, the place with the animals.  (Remember the tragic Diet Coke Incident of 2011?  Still can't use That Key...looking for an alternative.)

I decided that in view of my desperate need for IKEA cutting boards (the heart wants what the heart wants), I should go to IKEA.  I didn't think that my boys, who shun anything related to shopping would want to come with me, but they did!

I felt so proud of myself as a mother.  I must be doing something right if 1) my children want to spend the day with me at IKEA...because you have to make a day of it and 2) I had influenced them to have tastes that aligned with mine and loved IKEA.

Then Braeden said, "I'm just going for the meatballs."

Mark said he was too.

Well.

We spent a convivial drive to the mecca of flat boxes labeled with Swedish words.  Actually all three kids read.  I might as well have been alone.

Our first stop was lunch and meatballs they were fed.  And lignonberries.  Then I checked Mark into Smallland which still makes me the tiniest bit nervous because years ago he was kicked out of there with certain regularity.  He is much better mannered these days.  He doesn't get kicked out.  I'll take it.

I let Braeden and Emma wander while I did the same.  I met up with them around various corners but then they'd melt away again leaving me to ponder and savor Liatorp, Hemnes, Expedit....

We finally met up, made our purchases and retrieved Mark.  The promise of meatballs was long past and the natives were restless.  We went to a nearby movie theater and caught the 3:30 showing of Kung Fu Panda 2.  None of us were really that interested in it.  They all wanted to go to a "new" theater that had "new" movies playing.  It was $3 per ticket though and had the added appeal of me knowing where the movie theater was.

So we went.

It wasn't thrilling.  I checked my phone a few times to see if I had any texts to distract me or to see what time it was.  The kids liked it though.

Next we met Adam for dinner at University Village.  We had a few minutes before he arrived so the boys happily stayed in the van and read their books (no, Mark hasn't developed a sudden thirst for reading...his book was Calvin and Hobbes) and Emma and I ventured into some stores.

We went into Anthropologie which is a feast for the eyes but mostly everything's ridiculously priced.  $6 for a single note card.

I'll send an email instead.

It was a pretty great note card though as folded pieces of cardstock with a design on the front go.

We also went into Pottery Barn kids which I love.  When I go there I long to be a 5 year old girl and have a pink and green room with a confection of a bedside lamp and a butterfly wall hanging but in reality I'm drawn more to the boys' side of things where I like all the blue and red.  I hardly ever buy anything but I love walking around and looking.

We met Adam and had dinner at Johnny Rockets.  We sat at the counter.  I snapped a few pictures while we waited for dinner to arrive.

It is nice to have my children old enough that they can quickly and easily pose for a picture on request.

Cooperation is the key to these really stunning photographs.  They're such willing and pliable subjects...

Adam and I were much better at looking in the same direction at the same time.  (If only our children could be as talented as we are...)

It was a lovely and pleasant day altogether.