Last Friday as summer arrived on the Prairie, our Solstice Child turned two. The day was sunny, the presents were happily modest, and the celebration was quiet and included cupcakes and a trip to the zoo that wasn't.
We had planned to go to the Oregon Zoo and have a nice lunch with my parents. However, when it was time to leave, my mother could not find her wallet. We were pretty sure that it had been on the kitchen counter, but there were just enough blanks in my mother's memory from the night before to leave just a whisper of doubt - and frantic searching and re-searching and re-re-searching and talk of calling credit card companies. Eventually, I left for the zoo with the kids, altering the itinerary and planning to meet Jay at work so I wouldn't be outnumbered at the zoo. He was prepared to go at 11, and we pulled in right on time - as my cell phone rang and he told me from inside the building that he had to get on a conference call right then. In the meantime, my parents found the lost wallet hidden in a cabinet in the toy kitchen (hmmmm), and hopped in the car to try to meet us at the zoo. (With only minimal coaching, Maggie came up with the idea that she should apologize to her Grandma Sue at the earliest convenient time.) So, that left me and the girls sitting in the parking lot of Jay's work (see photos) waiting for him to get off a call that he estimated would take 20 minutes. Almost an hour later, we were still waiting, as I rerouted my parents from the zoo to Jay's office so we'd at least all be in the same location.
By the time they arrived and Jay got off his call, it was noon. I had planned on being at the zoo by 10 and meeting Jay for lunch afterward. Somehow, the skill that it takes to get my family anywhere at a particular time for a specific purpose is beyond my grasp. Good thing I did not choose "General" as my chosen career. "Where are your troops, General?" "Ummm, I think some of them are in the bathroom, and some others are looking for their ammunition, Sir." So... Instead of the zoo, we just went to lunch at Laurelwood. Lunch: DONE.
But, once the idea of the zoo is planted in the head of a three and a half-year old, it is not easily pulled out and tossed aside. So, after lunch, my parents went shopping for birthday presents, Jay took Birthday Girl home for a nap, and Mags and I went to the Zoo, along with her rolling penguin bag. We got there at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Luckily, she was agreeable and named the three things she wanted to see: polar bears, fish and giraffes. Also had an unexpected nose-to-nose with an ocelot. Trip to Zoo: DONE.
That night my friend Jen and her son came over for cupcakes, and Steve came over with his young'uns the next afternoon to decorate and devour the cupcakes that remained. Said cupcakes, although made with mix from a box, earned me Good Mommy points (in my own mind) for creativity and for linking to a classic kids' book instead of a television show. Cupcakes: DONE.
And now, I have a two-year old. I'd describe her like this: Likes to run with purpose. Hugs without a second thought. Spouts new words every day. Gives sloppy kisses and laughs from the belly. Devours broccoli. Not at all afraid to jog down the driveway toward points unknown with nary a glance back. Loves her sister so much that her first word every day is "Maggie." Learning to defend her turf by saying, "MINE!" Mags likes to call her "Sweet Ellie," and she's right.
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