More Monday Adventures

This entry has been a long time coming! Daniel found the laptop open and running and decided to play the prankster. He somehow managed to change the keyboard assignments so that when you hit the "m" button, it typed a "5." There were many other interesting changes and it has taken some time to undo his work.

Libby is crawling all over the house and pulling up to cruise down bedsides and couches (and I thought I was busy before). Emily actually got her to laugh the other day but we have had no repeat success. I feel sorry for any young man who tries to impress her with his wit because it takes serious effort with little encouragement in return.

We have remained faithful to our Monday adventures and have even recruited friends. The Branner family joined us in an exciting field trip to the Bass Pro Shop in Ontario last Monday. I know, I know, the Bass Pro Shop but the boys really enjoyed themselves. First, we shopped for a boat. The Branners' 3 year-old Micah was "test driving" a party barge and I asked him where he was driving. He was going to Vietnam. I was impressed. Jacob and Micah thought this must be Bruce from Finding Nemo.
The store has a large waterfall the feeds a huge tank which holds about 20 varieties of fish. The boys were fascinated and had to be dragged away crying. We walked around admiring the taxidermy and then had lunch and headed home.

This week we drove down to Santa Monica to play on the beach and walk down the pier. Jake immediately ran into the waves fully clothed so we stripped him to his underwear and let him have at it. The waves overtook him a few times and once Erik or Mark pulled him up, he ran up the beach to dry off and find his bearings for about 5 seconds, then charged back into the water fearlessly. These is a small amusement park on the pier so Mark and Erik were kind enough to indulge Micah and Jacob in a quick ride. Danny sat in my lap and sulked at being left behind. I felt sorry for him as it is never fun to be left behind but the last time I took him on a ride was ugly and no repeat was needed.
After our frolic on the beach we headed to Bubba Gump's for lunch. Libby was quite happy! Notice the note on the table in front of her: I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid.

Here is the note I got:

Very true! Mark took us by his old stomping ground for ice cream at a favorite stop by UCLA in Westwood Village. We bought ice cream sandwiches from Diddy Riese's for $1.50 each and drove over to a grassy spot on campus for a dessert picnic. What a great day to be a little boy! After our adventurous day, we crashed on the couch for rest, relaxation and a little Planet Earth, our family's favorite video.