Penny!

A has discovered money.

I'm not sure how this happened. It's certainly not a concept we belabor around here. I think it's all the stupid pressed penny machines, although no, he's never gotten a pressed penny out of one.

Yesterday the car needed a tune-up (periodic maintenance, yadda yadda, car's fine an ouchie $400 later). So A and I went to Sea World while we waited for them to call us and say the car was done, since I thought it would be about the right amount of time. A picked Sea World. I offered him the Zoo or Sea World, and he picked Sea World. Fine.

While I was putting the car seat into the loaner, A went into my purse and got out a quarter.

"Penny!" he told me.

"Quarter," I said.

"Quarter," he said.

He carried that quarter around like it was a good luck charm. "Put it in your pocket," I said. He did, but then he had to get it out again to look at it. Quarter in hand, quarter in pocket, repeat.

Since we arrived when they opened the gates for the Shamu show, we went in and waited for the show. A thought all the hawkers were funny: "Water, ice-cold bottled water here!" "Pepsi, diet Pepsi, ice-cold lemonade!" A liked the lemonade vendor the best; he had a big deep voice and every time he walked by, A said, "Lemonade!"

But then the ice cream novelty vendor came by, and A said to me, "Ice cream, please, Mommy"

"I'm not sure you need an ice cream," I said.

"Ice cream please," he said.

"Have you got any money?"

He put his hand in his pocket and got out his quarter.

"Well, okay," I said. I got out my money to pay, and when I handed my money to the hawker, he gave her his money too.

Yes, it was a quarter he stole from my purse, but it was still awfully cute.