My dad is visiting this week and the kids and I have several things planned. Whether or not we will get to all of those things remains to be seen. I am using the plans more as suggestions than mandates on how to spend time. Hints or ideas to be reminded of if need be. So far they have played Wii Monopoly and the Harry Potter game we bought at the Lego Store last month? Or the month before. We had dinner last night to celebrate his visit and they watched the first of what will most probably be many Harry Potter movies. I think they started with #2. Possibly #3. Eva is set on getting the first one and we checked to see if the library had it today. Next stop will surely be Blockbuster as the kids and I are due to finish up The Half Blood Prince in a few days, if not tonight, and we will need to watch that movie lickety split. We can rent The Sorcerer's Stone at the same time. As my dad has never seen any of the movies or read any of the books, the place to start would seem to be at the beginning. As it turns out, however, starting in the middle is fine too.

Tonight we went out to dinner at Pizza Fino where my sister Ellen and her partner Evan work. It has turned into a sort of tradition for us to eat there when he visits. Eva insisted on it this time and was very excited about her dessert brownie. She talked about it all day and I am happy to say the brownie once again lived up to both her imagination and memory.

And now everyone else is either still playing Wii Monopoly or getting ready to finish the Harry Potter movie from last night or- wait- they are in fact watching Coraline, one of Eva's favorites. One thing I love about my dad visiting is how the kids like to gather up all of their favorite things- movies, books, games, stuffed animals, foods, walks, ideas- and share them with him. I enjoy reflecting on the ways the kids have changed from the last time he visited and the ways they have stayed the same. It is a great snap shot for him of the people they are becoming- the people they are in this moment of time- and a nice reminder for me of all of the ways that we spend our time each day.



Today at the park...