It was Zeeke's last week of summer vacation before kindergarten starts so we packed in as much fun as we could.
Monday, we met up with Addie & Zephyr at the Museum of Art, did the tour, made ceramic animals, and wore medieval armor. Afterward we went to Clark Park for lunch and ran into his pals Maddy & Cecily at the playground.
Tuesday, we went to the Zoo, where we ran into a family we'd met on last weekend's nature hike. When asked what his favorite thing to see at the Zoo was, Zeeke launched into an elaborate, step-by-step description of how you get an ice cream from the vending machine.
Wednesday, Steve & Zeeke dropped Karen off at work, then spent all day at the Franklin Institute. It was shaky at first because he found the brain exhibit and the train exhibit too loud and overwhelming, but he adored Space Command, the Air Field, and the Human Body. They watched all three of the presentations at the Planetarium and then picked up Karen at the end of her day and went home.
Thursday, we met up with Nick & Zoe and Tanya & Colette at Smith Playground. It was our first time back there since Zeeke's very rainy birthday party and we enjoyed many trips down the big slide.
Friday, we drove down to Sea Isle City for a mini-beach vacation. Zeeke had to be dragged to the beach for a late afternoon stroll but had a great, clothes-drenching time once he was there.
Saturday & Sunday, we were joined by Jen, Kim & the boys. Zeeke, Jack & William had some good beach time and did lots of Lego building back at the house. Zeeke made up his own classification system for the rough surf. We couldn't follow all of it, but there was: The Switch Wave, The Undercover Wave, The Whale Wave, The Triple Wave, and The Boat Ride.
Conversations with Zeeke:
"Daddy, I need seven of your fingers. Can you give me seven of your fingers?"
"Can I watch tv now?"
"First tell your mother how beautiful she is."
"Mommy, you're as beautiful... as a cute little chipmunk."
"..."
"Mommy, you're as beautiful... as a big hunk of..."
"Dude, don't even finish that sentence."
"... a big hunk of cloth that's decorated really pretty!"
"Who knocked over a cup of water?"
"It was me. I'll tell you how. I cartwheeled off the bed."