California dreamin'

Yesterday when QE woke up, Braeden said she started saying, "Nana?"

We picked her up and took her out on the town.  We went to a new park Adam had found because he is not one for conventions.  We had wanted to go to the Children's Museum, but it is closed on Mondays.  Our next idea was the public library, but it was closed Monday morning.  We went to a great park that was connected to a rose garden.  

The playground was way more interesting than the roses to our young charge, but she took some gigantic sniffs of the roses.

Our main job was just following her at the park.  She is fearless and sturdy and knows her own mind.  She did not want to swing, thank you very much.

It was getting warm and the only way we could entice her back to the car, was to talk about getting a drink.  I now have a playlist on my phone of her music, because she has opinions of what she wants to listen to!  Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Popcorn Popping, Five Little Ducks, Baby Beluga.  She doesn't want us to sing the songs, she wants them "on the radio."  This is a generation of children that will know nothing except on demand media.  I was switching between Amazon Music and the Children's Songbook on my phone like a DJ.

We went to IKEA which is air conditioned as well as colorful and interesting.  She happily held our hand the whole time and would look earnestly in our faces to ask if she could sit in a chair before she left our side.

Our own children were never so well behaved, but they weren't perfect like she is.

We got her some meatballs and mashed potatoes and peas.  She was mostly interested in the peas, but ate everything like the good little eater she is.  We could tell her battery was about to run down and we had promised Braeden we would get her home before her nap, so we took her home and kept her chatting on the drive.

In the late afternoon we went with Braeden to take some dinner to Anna at work.  Braeden is a fast walker with a long stride and it was over 100 degrees and I was flagging.  I gathered all my courage to make it back to the car and then Braeden said, in his chipper way that we were walking to the restaurant.  He said, "It's really close."

Narrator:  it wasn't.

Again, me trying to keep up with his long legs.  We finally made it and had delicious tacos, which was exactly what I had been wanting.  

I read to QE and helped a little to bathe her and we put her to bed.  Braeden showed us some of the research he has been doing and then I got exceedingly tired and we went back to our hotel.

We were driving back and Adam, apparently pondering what Braeden had shown us, said, "He's a smart kid."

I'm barely smart enough to understand all that Braeden tells us about so we all know where that smart kid got so smart....

Today we are driving all the way back to Utah.  We have responsibilities calling.  I don't know how we're going to say good-bye.