Zeeke's teacher Annie told us he's a genius this week and one of the smartest kids in the school. (Not the best behaved though!) He definitely seems smart, but some of that's just because he's so willing and able to communicate everything he does know (or at least thinks he knows).
We found out this week that his former teacher (and crush) Kiki is getting married (although she insists that Zeeke is "still my man."). This probably had something to do with why he broke into a rendition of Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" (complete with dance routine) the next morning.
Zeeke's been really fighting going to sleep. He has a wide array of delaying tactics ready to whenever it's naptime or bedtime. Meals that were formerly rejected are now direly needed. Stuffed animals that have been scattered throughout the house must be collected. There are desperate cries for one more game, one more puzzle, one drawing, one more show. "I don't want to leave you guys!" he cries as we take him up. "I don't want to take my nap!" he howls from the crib. "You have to wait," he says as we're leaving the room. "You have to do one more thing!" he says to the closed door. Despite all this, he's actually been sleeping very well and wakes up happy and refreshed.
Zeeke's new love is pirates. This is mostly because his bestie Gabe introduced him to a show called "Jake & the Neverland Pirates." It's funny because Zeeke didn't even seem to like the show that much at first, but he forced himself to watch it because he had such faith in Gabe's taste. Now, he loves it though. It's given us an opportunity to bust out his toy pirate ship that he had lost interest in last year. And we're fortunate to have a couple hand-me-down skull-and-crossbone sweaters
On Thursday, we went to Karen's Uncle Nick and Aunt Nora's for Thanksgiving. Zeeke didn't want to dress up in his fancy clothes, so we asked him if he wanted to dress up in pirate clothes instead. Fortunately he didn't seem to notice they were the same clothes. His favorite parts were running around with his cousins and eating cookies. He amazed us by actually sleeping on the drive both ways.
Friday morning, Zeeke drew a startling good picture of a turkey and then we went to Steve's parents for turkey soup and sandwiches. Zeeke had a great time being the center of attention. He and Uncle Chris had a very entertaining lovefest, shouting back and forth at each other, "You make me so happy! No, you make me soooo happy! No, YOU make ME so happy!" After his nap, Zeeke & Karen had a playdate with Jen & Amelie.
Saturday, Steve & Zeeke went to the Please Touch Museum in the morning. In the afternoon, they ran into a couple of Zeeke's classmates when they went to pick up Karen at the library.
Sunday morning, Steve & Zeeke went to the playground. In the afternoon, we visited Liz & Kate and helped them decorate for Christmas.
Conversations with Zeeke:Zeeke: "You're my daddy!"
Steve: "That's right!"
Karen: "And he's my husband."
Zeeke: "No! He's my husband, Mommy! And I'm your husband!"