Father's day, or John's vacation from cooking

Father's day? Please. We had a father's weekend. Yesterday was apparently notable because I cooked (John almost always makes Sunday dinner, and then some).

The weekend started with a Saturday trip to Lawrence, where John had requested lunch at the Mad Greek and dessert at Wheatfields (this is not the part where I have three burners going at once; that comes later). As we drove west from KC, the darkening sky was reminiscent of the shape-shifting waves in Ponyo, a Miyazaki movie the three of us watched the night before. A few vendors had stepped outside their shops to watch. The deep blue storm clouds looked like they could have morphed into gigantic cruising whales, a perilous image from the movie, and it was good to get Josie inside, away from a window.

After lunch, we went shopping, including a trip to Yarn Barn (baby blanket in the works), Brits, and Target. John said he was starting to get really excited about the trip to China now that we have luggage for it. BTW, I'll stop linking as we left Lawrence after that, and I was plugging the places we love.

Sunday morning, Josie brought John the picture frame she decorated at a craft shop. The store had a booth where kids could design a frame with camoflage-colored paint. John's not a camo dad, as Josie knows. She drew flowers and wrote with Sharpies: You're awesome! You rule! You're cool! I love you Baba.  She made a card which featured a giant drawing of John's head and endearing messages. Her handwriting is more legible than mine but it is the ideas that really get us.

I was supposed to have help preparing crepes but my assistant blew me off to watch cartoons; she did, however, serve and eat crepes. These were good with fresh fruit, preserves, and/or powdered sugar. Josie ate hers flat like pancakes but John and I rolled ours, and John told us about eating galettes de la mer in France.  More reasons to travel.

During the afternoon, John realized that, for once, he didn't have to start Sunday dinner while Josie and I were at church; he could listen to a ball game and work upstairs, which he did. Josie brought him some black licorce. She thoroughly enjoyed preparing for Father's day.

We planned to eat late in the afternoon, but the neighbors were again kind enough to include Josie in their trip to the aquatic center. We owe them bigtime. With temps in the upper 90s, the children had wilted. Josie's pool time gave me a chance to call my dad without interruption, and I really enjoyed the conversation.

By the time Josie arrived home, I had minced and mixed the dumpling ingredients and was beginning to fill the won ton wrappers; broccoli was chopped, rice on the stove. She was disappointed but, as we discovered before, dumplings are not a child-friendly recipe: lots of minute chopping and folding. She tested the first batch--no, not for her, she said, and downed all four.

We finally sat down and ate dinner, polishing off all the dumplings. John had mowed the lawn and graded papers but it was otherwise a relaxing day for him, and a good father's weekend all around.

This morning, normal household order was restored when John made the coffee.