This weekend we went for what we think (and Erin desperately hopes) will be our final visit to Erin's studio apartment. It's not that we all can't get along, its just that the kiddies, oblivious to the fact that there are other people in the building (which takes up an entire city block) seem compelled to drop change, hand weights, heavy books, dishes, and any other possible noisemaking thing on the floor the whole time we are there and they are awake. The HP is away for work, so he missed the circus and all of the activities at Erin's. If he hadn't been working, it would have been a day trip, because Erin's apartment could not hold another person (mainly because you can't sleep on the floor because of a recent mouse sighting).
Friday night Erin and I barricaded ourselves in the kitchen with a bottle of wine (the big one, and a back up just in case) and waited for the kiddies to fall asleep. In response the kiddies stayed up until 11:00 (back up bottle needed). This might explain why they looked like this on the subway on the way to the circus:
Of course, it doesn't explain the crappy quality of the photo, but in my defense, I think we were on the original Metro car, the carpet was stained black and worn right through to the floor, and the lights were definitely yellow. Erin and I were slightly green, regardless of the Metro lighting.
The circus was fun enough, not as good as last year. There is definitely an A-team and a B-team touring, and last year was the A year - this year was definitely a step down. However, snow cones were still available, so to the kiddies, it was equally good. (Erin, how about you post about the show? I really don't feel like it). By the end Lauren and Marty were both sound asleep.
From there we went out to lunch at
Gordon Biersch, which was very child friendly and with a good number of kiddies with circus souvenirs, yet not in an annoying or well, circus kind of way. In a highly unexpected bit of planning, we actually had a lunch reservation, which was good since we had a fair amount of crankiness on our hands by then.
When we returned back to Erin's in the late afternoon, I parked the kiddies in front of the TV, gave them a lame dinner of turkey sandwiches and peas (I know, you just want to run to your fridge right now don't you) and just waited them out until bedtime.
Saturday night Erin and I took a different tack, sitting in the dark staring daggers at the kiddies. This was much more effective and sent them packing by 9:30. Of course the exhaustion of being up all night, walking to and from the subway, attending the circus, and going out to lunch might explain the earlier bedtime. But you can't discount the stares and stern remarks we were throwing.
Maybe having them sleep Little House on the Prairie style was a bad call, but just look how well they get along that they can all share a full-sized futon.
Today we went to the zoo. Erin came for a while, but she had to work, so eventually it was just the four of us, just like so many times last year. I should have brought or rented a stroller for Marty, because I ended up carrying him most of the way up from the bottom of the hill. We stopped for skittles and starburst down by the seals, and then with a variety of encouragement, threats, and bribes, I managed to get them back to the car. Still we saw a lot of animals actually moving around and had a good time. Plus, they got to pose on an animal sculpture (they don't know that the animal is hardly visible in the pictures - don't tell them):
I don't know why the exposure is different in all of these. I also don't know when Aislinn started throwing gang signs:
But we had a good time.
And I took one more picture right before we got in the car, in hopes that the kiddies would remember their visits to Erin's house back when she was single and carefree (heh), because they were always as much fun as five people (plus a few others who came and went) could cram into two days and two sleepless nights.
