38 : Vacation, Sort Of

It was about nine o’clock in the morning. Both boys were pulling a “Captain Underpants” again.

“Why?” I asked.

“We’re ACROBATS, Mom,” Puck explained, as Yali tumbled across the king-sized bed. “This is PURE ACROBAT SKILLS!”

Puck somersaulted across the bed to demonstrate his sweet skills. Yali followed suit.

“Can I do a back-flip, Mom?”

“No, you may not do a back-flip.”

If we get out of here without damaging my in-laws’ property, I’ll be slightly amazed.

When Oxbear got back from his Guys’ Group down in South City, he wanted to show me houses. First, he got me chocolate. Because I think he knows, when it honestly all boils down, that as long as I have chocolate, I really don’t care which house we get.

After Des Peres and Creve Coeur – such a French city – we circled back to St. Peters – also very Catholic – just in time for Yali to grab a cheese stick for the road.

Spanish class at one o’clock. Yali learned his vowels with aid of white board and dry erase markers. For his efforts, he was rewarded a ripe banano, which was in his stomach in seconds.

The afternoon brought treats for the boys. Tortellini with pesto for lunch, and juice boxes. Readings from “Indian in the Cupboard” by Nana. A water slide in the backyard. Before five o’clock, we left Papa to supervise this event while Oxbear and I left to meet the realtor in Des Peres for a first house tour. Just as we left, Puck pounded back up the deck stairs.

“MOM! MOM! I WENT DOWN THE WATER SLIDE AND YALI’S AND MY HEADS COLLIDED AND NOW HE HAS A BLOODY NOSE!”

Nothing a wad of tissue couldn’t fix.

So Oxbear and I got about 90 minutes of a little less noise, a lot more Reese’s pieces, and our first taste of house shopping in about nine and a half years.

Back in time to tuck Yali in for the night.

“Sing!” he tells me now, in his own pronunciation, when I cuddle him into the blankets. “Sing!”