So Long, Brudder! (Project 358: Day 207)

When Stephen's mom proposed that Evan come stay with her for two nights at her home in Sebastopol, we had no reservations, save one: that Elinor would feel left out and want to come along too. As it turned out, her reaction to the news was quite the opposite. When Grandma Kim arrived to pick Evan up, Elinor practically pushed him out the door, delaying the process only briefly to do a thorough safety inspection of the vehicle before sending him on his way. It became clear immediately that she was quite content having Mommy and Daddy to herself. And though I experienced occasional pangs of sadness due to the absence of my first-born (this was the longest I had been away from him, ever, in all  five years of his existence), overall, I relished the experience. How wonderful to be able to focus all of my attention on Elinor, as I had with Evan for nearly two and a half years before his sister was born.

Stephen was working the first day of Evan's Grand Adventure, leaving just us girls at the Silack house. We started our time together with a nice long nap, which I realize doesn't sound very exciting or like a very good use of our time together, but oh man, I wouldn't change it if I could. We slept, snuggled together in my bed, for a good two and a half hours before I woke up. I  tried to rouse Elinor at that point but she must have been quite comfy because she slept for another 45 minutes! When she finally awoke, it was time to head to my parents' house for dinner, as we usually do one night out of Stephen's 48 hour shift. Our evening there was relaxed and fun and Elinor, not having to compete with her brother for attention, was far less clingy and whiny than usual. As we made our way home after dinner, it became quite clear to me that Elinor wasn't going to bed any time soon. She had, after all, had an unusually long nap very late in the afternoon. So, instead, we put on our jammies and cuddled up on the couch to watch Toy Story 3, for the eighteen-bazillionth time, before heading to bed. 

The next morning, we slept in. Until nearly 8 am! And just as I was starting to think, I could get used to this just girls thang, Stephen came home. He'd slept all night at work (miraculously) and was excited to start our day, just the three of us.

First stop: Rubicon Brewing Company for lunch. Now, Stephen and I have been known to take our children to restaurants on a fairly regular basis. We don't take them to "nice" restaurants where our children would be considered a nuisance to other patrons, but we don't hesitate to take them to family-friendly establishments, such as the Old Spaghetti Factory, Burr's Fountain, or Celia's Mexican. The children tend to be pretty well-behaved during these outings. Even so, they are children, both under five years of age, and the length of time they are willing to (or capable of) sit(ting) in a chair is limited. Which is why I was so delightfully surprised when Elinor allowed us to sit and eat and drink and talk at Rubicon for nearly two hours. She was so fun and adorable, ordering her own food (grilled cheese, carrot and celery sticks, water) and entertaining us with her colorful imagination and seemingly endless range of facial expressions, of which only a small sampling are captured here:

(I forgot to bring my camera, so all photos were taken with Stephen's iPod Touch.)

Day 207: Evan? Evan Who?

Want some, Mom?

After lunch, we decided to check out Art Beast, an art and imagination studio for kids located in Midtown Sacramento. This place is super cool, filled with every kind of art medium you could possibly imagine, as well as musical instruments, costumes, and toys for imaginative play. AND, every cent you spend there (drop-in admission is $8 per person, they only charge for one adult per family, and children under one year are free) goes directly to  Tubman House, a local nonprofit serving young homeless parents and their children. They also offer punch cards and memberships at discounted rates, have a wide selection of cool classes such as dance, drum circle, and yoga, and you can have birthday parties there! Overall, it is totally awesome. We had a blast and will definitely be going back sometime soon. Some pics from our time there...

Perplexing Costume

Overheard in the costume room:
5 or 6-year-old boy in Buzz Lightyear costume: I'm Buzz Lightyear!
Elinor, still in street clothes: I'm Woody.
Boy: Doesn't Woody wear boots?
Elinor: I'm pretendin' my tennis shoes are boots, OKAY?!

(Oh, Elinor, be glad you have an older brother. As tough he is on you sometimes, he has, in turn, made you tough.)

The boy in the Buzz Lightyear costume seemed satisfied by her response and they ended up playing together for quite some time. I love that Elinor can hold her own with the big kids.

Eventually, Elinor was able to get what she really wanted: the Buzz Lightyear costume. The girl is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and can often be found jumping off of couches or chairs, beds or playground equipment yelling at the top of her lungs, "To Infinity and Beyoooond!"

Happy girl.

Painting in the Arts & Crafts room.

One of the walls in the art room was covered with a giant piece of plexiglass for painting. Not wanting to waste any paper with my "art" I opted to paint on the plexiglass and ended up being really glad I did. It's hard to explain, but the paint goes on so smoothly, it felt very satisfying and soothing to me. And, when you're finished, it washes away easily with water. Now I want Stephen to install something similar in our backyard for the kids (okay, for me too). That way, the kids can paint to their hearts content without wasting a single sheet of paper. And if they paint a masterpiece I simply cannot part with, I'll just grab my camera and take a pic!

Elinor, your daddy and I so enjoyed our special time with you. You've got our hearts, little girl, no doubt about that. Thank you for being you.

We love you, Elinor Rose!