He was up at 8, shortly after Colin (who had slept a full 12 hours). Colin was excited about seeing August, who was still waking up. Carly made him oatmeal for breakfast. He ws then curled up in one of the butter chairs, and Colin crawled up next to him. They then played with the big container of trucks and vehicles. There had been annoying houseflies around until Jeff got up and killed them all with his salt gun.
August wanted to play the Nancy Drew app, so I bought the rest of it. Colin and Vivian came and played with him until Cassie and Jeff and Colin went to the YMCA. August and Vivian kept playing. Perhaps the start of the day’s troubles, as Vivian was controlling the iPad and taking over the game, although August wasn’t complaining. I took a shower, then had them stop. August said “Let’s play the bouncy ball game where we close the door and mama freaks out, okay?” He had Life cereal and soy milk. More playing around, and he spilled the crumbs of cereal and we got out the vacuum cleaner.
We decided to head to a park, and chose Pennico Park in Bangor. Talked to Jeff and Cassie, who he left the YMCA and were on their way to the store, and the plan was to meet us at the park.
Things started to go downhill once we got in the car. August picked up the tape measure, but Vivian took it from him, saying it was hers. Carly said 5 minute turns, but when we got to Pennico Park at 11:40 Vivian walked around carrying it so he couldn’t have it.
August had me program him to walk the black edging of the playground. Vivian called him over and they played around, although she still wouldn’t share the tape measure. August went and cuddled with Carly and Vivian played with a toddler (Scarlet) and her parents. Carly had him do some running challenges and then when they went and asked Vivian for the tape measure she gave it to him. August said “Let’s measure something together.” He found a rubbery bit on the ground and said “At the Shmorgadeboop playground, the surface was that material.” We went on the swings and he said “I know what the word of the day can be: individual.” A balloon artist came by, he was friends with the couple, and made something for Vivian. He asked if August wanted one and August bluntly said “No”. He was afraid of it popping or blowing away outside.
We left at 12:20. I was thinking we have 9 more hours of this. Cassie and Jeff had gone home instead of to the park since they were hungry. August went downstairs with Cassie and the kids and Cassie gave him a good tour. He had a slice of pizza for lunch. Cassie had been on the phone talking to Claremay for her birthday. August wanted to use the phone to talk to someone, so I asked to use it, and we called my parents. My mom answered, and August said “Hi Gramma, it’s August”. He asked her a few questions, mainly bout whether she was doing a good job feeding the birds and squirrels. So cute. He asked about Grampa, and mom put him own. He asked him if he was working on fixing the car that was making that noise.
After a couple minutes he just hung up. He then agreed to skype with them, but when we did Vivian was wanting to get in on the action and August started saying his bad words and didn’t want to talk. Vivian also started cranking cars on the track, so I hung up.
Vivian and August had a good moment together and decided to do another plat together. Carly and I watched the matinee performance, as Cassie was trying to put Colin asleep. Colin didn’t go to sleep, and instead came down and August watched Sarah and Duck with him. Then, August and Vivian did a second performance for us all. I heard August talking to Colin about why Sarah and Duck wasn’t loading. He then wanted me to answer Colin’s questions about why the next Sarah and Duck wasn’t loading, but I was rather confused, as Sarah and Duck was now playing, and I don’t think Colin was actually asking any questions.
Vivian has a science cook book and she and August looked at it. We were then going to go to Columcille. Carly told August he was going to the bathroom first. Vivian raced in to use the bathroom first, and August got upset. I took him in the bedroom and we talked about it. He had wanted to go and say more mean things to her, but he eventually calmed down and apologized to her.
So we went to Columcille. Problems started right away when August didn’t like that Cassie’s car got there before us. Then, the actual walking. Or really more like sprinting, as Vivian led us from one place to another. The longest we stayed at one spot was the bell, which he had fun hitting. But then ran us to the pond, then to the castle, then along the path. “No running” then turned into a fast skip, etc. And August wasn’t handling it gracefully. We ended up back by the bell, and August found what looked like a “poop flower”. That was a good moment, as he got to teach her about those flowers we have in Israel, related to celery, that have a dark spot in the middle, which he says looks like poop. Then something else happened and I decided it was time to take him back.
Good timing, as it started raining, and everyone followed me. We were back to the house at 4:50. He had some ‘separate time’ with Carly and they read a book. Carly had made coconut curry for dinner, and we ate that. A new favorite.
He then got up on the stool to get down the solar-powered flower thing from the windowsill, which he’s done several times. He then went to take it outside and Vivian got upset and forbade him from taking it down in the future. We worked that out, then Vivian welcomed him and shared the task of hiding the strawberries in the hide and seek muffins.
He then helped me out away the rest of the dishes from the dishwasher. He found a butter knife, but said “I’m developed enough to carry a single butter knife.” Jeff had come back with a load of rocks, so he went out with Vivian and Colin to see the rocks. They came back and ate a muffin, then he played with the cash register with Colin. Carly read Hilde to August and Vivian, and I played hide and seek with Colin (he actually hid inside, in the living room closet) and went up and read to him in his room. Three or four books.
We heard August upset. Colin immediately got up, grabbed a book, and wanted to take it to August.
I switched with Carly. After a couple minutes he explained that Vivian had said he couldn’t be in a newspaper, or make one. The Hilde book is about a girl who has a newspaper, and Vivian said she had been in a newspaper before. August, of course, hasn’t been, and wanted to be. Not clear why she said he couldn’t. When he was calm enough again he had me program him like the Nancy Drew dog (again). I directed him around the living room, then into the bedroom, where Vivian was, and commanded him to play with her.
Jeff had made lemon cookies, and he got to taste Carly’s. He was then upstairs with Vivian. He next was walking down the stairs, calling me and Carly things: “Mama’s an iPad, Dada’s a book group…” But it turned into mean words. Vivian was playing Khan Academy Kids, which I had told Cassie bout, so August played a little Magnus Kingdom. Vivian wouldn’t let him watch her wash her hair so we played Mobster Learn until she was done and he could get in the bath.
Carly did the poop tea game and washed him. He wanted a lemon cookie, so ate carrot to earn it. I marked the carrot with a knife and he ate more than that. He and Vivian then each had a lemon cookie, then Carly came in and cut up the watermelon. Sadly, who was getting more watermelon turned into another competition. Mainly August’s fault, but Vivian wasn’t helping by immediately asking for more whenever August asked for more.
I took him in the bedroom and we talked again. He requested Carly for tooth brushing. She did that, and we switched again, with me coming in t 9:15. We set up the world clock again and talked about that and I sang some songs. Carly cme back in when he was ready a
nd he fell right to sleep, about 9:40.