Tom is a genius

Today got off to a rocky start. We had planned to go to IKEA and pick up a few pressing items, but Neko collapsed into a heap of tears and tantrums at the very mention. We thought she might just have low blood sugar, having been up for two hours with no breakfast (a recurring problem), so we made a last-ditch effort at the coffee shop with muffins.

Even after some breakfast, she still insisted she just wanted to stay home. And when we had a chance to think about it, we realized we should honor her request. It's been a long week for her, and although we've always been busy, she's used to spending much more of her day around the house. So I packed Ellery and Shep up for IKEA and Tom stayed home with Neko.

It was the best thing we could have done.

When I returned home, I was greeted with the conversion of the playgym into a full-blown pirate ship. They had crafted a pirate costume, periscope, anchor, television (which, clearly every pirate ship should have), beds for she and Shep, and a fully-functional pirate flag which went up and down. Even Captain Feathersword was taped to the side of the ship to take part.

Although Tom had a big hand in construction, he insists that most of the ideas were Neko's, and the two of them couldn't have been more delighted at the results.