Cooperative Capers

  I was going to make dinner last night but realized I didn't have a large enough saucepan, so we decided to make an evening of it and go to the Irvine Spectrum Mall instead. After a lovely dinner at the Bristol Farms Newfound Market hot bar and dessert at Chocolate Bash, it was off to Target we went. In addition to picking up some other essentials like magnesium, Aleve, the Bodum Brazil French press, and a 10.5-qt stockpot, we of course swung by the toy section. Normally I am the LEGO connoisseur of the family, as Shannon never has great interest in activities that involve following a lengthy set of instructions, but you should have seen the delight in his eyes when he found the Botanical Collection. Our Target had a bonsai tree, an orchid, and a bouquet of flowers in stock, but the LEGO website also sells a bird of paradise and a succulent kit. He was suddenly struck by visions of finally decorating our home with the plants I had wished for, but in a much lower-maintenance versio...