The children were absolutely exhausted this evening and I had no trouble at all putting them to bed after they heard two stories. They were woken up early by the darn roofers. I'll be so glad when we move or when they're done. I"m not sure which will come first. Meradydd got only half a nap today because I promised James we would go to the kids matinee down town since the tickets only cost $2. He was so excited that he got to pay for his own ticket and then got to buy a bag of popcorn. I'm very thankful that the Kenworthy is there. The movies might be considered "old" by other theaters but they aren't so old that they've been released to video although it's not always the case. Today, we got to watch Charlotte's Web. It was fairly interesting and had humor that wasn't over done and caught most adults in the audience. James really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to tell his father about watching. They also did a great job on the animation and graphics. Charlotte looked absolutely real. I had a problem once in a while with the expressions on the animals faces; they didn't always look quite natural and sometimes they were too stiff. Other than that, everything was well done. They were minor deviations from the original story but it didn't take away from it at all. Only someone who had read (and loved) the story would even notice. Deedee on the other was a little pill. We were up and down, back and forth from the bathroom. She's been doing that all day, and she really hasn't drunk anymore than she usually does so perhaps she might have a UTI which I'm really hoping that she doesn't.

Afterwards, I ran into an acquaintance whom also always goes to the summer kids' matinees at the Kenworthy. She has a boy that's 4 1/2 who really reminds me a lot of Charles (and no, it's not the red hair). Maybe it's his languid personality that is so like my little monkey. I invited him to James' party and although they aren't sure they'll be able to make it, I have my fingers crossed that they will.

After a quick stop to visit Papa Stu, I ran to the library to drop off movies that were due, as well as drop off movies that had been rented. Bleh, busy. I was thankful that James asked to stay with Stu while I ran to the library; one less child to keep track of. He was well behaved and he was busy in the back of the winery when I got back. After that, it was off for home, and although we were late, I was hoping that my friend Bernadette would stop by again or call to see if I needed more help today. She never called but hopefully she didn't stop by while I was gone, in which case it would be really bad. I told her we would be home by three, but the movie ran longer than I expected and I had to drop those movies off today since I really didn't feel like paying any fines. The visit to the winery was unplanned but when you have a small daughter screeching potty, you stop and find a bathroom only to hear a very small trickle emerge.

We also went to the Shriner's Circus this evening. I almost forgot about it but was reminded in time, thank goodness. I'd been looking forward to it ever since Stu gave us the tickets. I've missed the last two and darn it, I was going to this one. It wasn't the greatest ever seen. Some of the performers kept flubbing but the kids never noticed. They had a blast and that's what counts. And there were no clowns! Bleh The only other disappointment was that we were unable to ride any of the animals. :( I was really hoping to ride the elephant, but as always it was too much. If the kids had really insisted, we might have tried to pool our change but they were both a couple of wet blankets and refused to have anything to do with any of the animals. Only later, when it was to late, did James ask to ride the elephant. Ah, well. He also wanted a light up pirate sword, and he had birthday money to spend, but everything he wanted was still too expensive. Technically, Carey and I probably could have made up the difference since it was only a few dollars but Carey asked James if he wanted the sword, or if he wanted to go the movies again next week and James chose movies, so I didn't press it. He's old enough to learn about managing his money responsibly and learning the consequences of his actions. Also, once instance really upset me. Towards the end, the mucis was getting really loud and it scared a little bloy sitting nears us. He was maybe two at the most. His mother was forcibly holding him down, and telling him to shut up, that there wasn't anything wrong, so he screamed louder. And she stood him up, and then stood over him to shield people from seeing that she smacked his mouth! She also told him to stop being a baby, that there was nothing for him to be scared about. I don't understand what that woman was thinking. She was in the top row, at the end! She was right by an exit and she could have easily left. She could have also still looked in through the windows along the top; she wouldn't have missed anything. Instead, she put herself before her child, and punished him for something that he had no contol over.

James and Deedee didn't make it to bed until 10 but they were so tired that they didn't even fuss (which was nice) although I'm wondering just how much of a bear they will be tomorrow after not enough sleep. Especially my slug abed; James is notorious for sleeping in, even when he goes to bed on time.