Week in Review, 8/24--8/30

First, a brief update: Justin's family arrived early this morning, after driving all night. They rested and then came over for pot roast I had put in the Crock Pot the night before. Hurricane Gustav is supposed to reach land tomorrow--you can imagine we'll be watching the Weather Channel!

Mr. Blue has a fever (102 before the Motrin) but is playing and laughing and eating and drinking, so we're not headed to the ER or anything, thank goodness. I'm hoping it's one of the random fevers he sometimes gets (teething?) that just go away without getting worse. I would hate for him to miss the first day of preschool on Tuesday, but he really wouldn't know the difference.

Just so you know, I am doing the Week in Review because I can't let myself stop doing it: I really want a little snapshot of our REAL daily lives to make into a scrapbook at the end of the year. (Needless to say, the griping about the ILs will NOT go in the scrapbook!)

Yay
1. Miss Pink had a good week at school even after she had an upset stomach the first day. She hasn't been bouncing off the walls with excitement, which worried me a little at first, but then I figured out that she is just adjusting to SO MANY new experiences. When I ask her what they did that day, she doesn't have much to say, but later bits and pieces will start emerging and I can tell she's doing fine. Her teacher emailed me that she is "so animated and such a well-spoken young lady" which made me feel that the teacher must be on the ball, because that is Miss Pink to a T. So hooray for a good first week.

2. We were not late to school. Not even close. Since this was a big problem for one of my friends whose daughter started kindergarten last year, I was worried that it might be a problem for us too. As long as we keep getting up at the same time, it shouldn't be a problem. And I like walking her to school. Although Mr. Blue is the slowest walker ever on the way back.

3. Mr. Blue is potty training. I'm trying not to write anything that will embarrass him later in life. Let's just say it's early days yet, but at least he's cooperative and is having success every time he tries--now Mama just has to remember to take him to the potty more than twice a day!

Nay
1. I read Jen Lancaster's hilarious book Such A Pretty Fat in one day. Now I'm sorry it's over.

2. I hate hurricanes. So many people are having to find places to get away from the storm. No matter what, some areas will receive damage--I hope and pray that no lives are taken (as sadly happened in the Caribbean) and that this too shall pass.

The Week Ahead

I've decided just to forget completely about last week's week in review--I can't really remember much about that week except that I was lethargic while getting over the virus and I'm glad I'd already bought all the things we needed for the first day of school.

And now I don't want to write a numbered list about this past week. I would hate to abandon this weekly project, since I wanted to make it into a scrapbook, but here's why I am not feeling like writing much about the last two weeks. I'd rather panic about the week ahead.

Justin's family lives in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Because of Hurricane Gustav, they are all (my MIL, her sister, my SIL and BIL and their two kids, plus two horses and three dogs) coming here. They are not staying with us, because we literally don't have room even if everyone slept on the floor (not even counting the horses, just so you are clear on that) but in effect they are staying with us, if you know what I mean. They will be over here a lot. They will need to be fed. They do not demand that I cook for them; they eat out most meals when they're home, but I really don't want to do that. We are trying to stick to our budget so that means we don't need to take them out every night. They are not the type to say, "Oh, we'll just take care of ourselves; y'all go ahead and do what you normally do." (For example: when we visit them, no one cooks for us--I do the cooking so we don't have to spend too much, and they just expect me to cook--and buy the groceries--for all of them.) I stress out when I cook for a lot of people. Their kids are picky. Did I mention they're going to be over here the whole time? And that their kids have no bedtime and my kids HAVE to go to bed early for school and they have never understood that? Okay, breathe, Ali.

I can't explain the weirdness between us--it would take too long and I don't think I could do it justice, anyway. The last few times I have been around my MIL, it has been fine, but my SIL barely speaks to me (for no reason, I SWEAR). Usually we just pay attention to the kids and the puppies and it works out; I'm sure it will this time too. I do wish there was a set time frame instead of this open-ended "whenever the hurricane is over" deal.

I know part of the problem is that I don't do well with unexpected change. Instead of doing something useful, like straighten the house or go to the grocery store, I'm on the internet trying to distract myself and then whining about something that is certainly not my IL's fault and that they would much rather not have to do. I get that, and I clearly need to be more sensitive to their feelings. After all, three years ago my MIL's house was severely damaged by Hurricane Rita, and it is JUST NOW (almost) finished. She has to be scared it will happen again. I have GOT to be less ME ME ME and more, "What can I do to help them get through this?" That's what family is for, even if you just married into the family, and didn't know what issues you were getting into at the time.

Oh, and Mr. Blue has a fever. Low-grade, but still. It just adds up.

Going to make my grocery list. Wish me luck.

I don't have time for a full-length post because I have two pieces of writing due today. But let me just say that if I had all the time I have spent searching for special toys that certain children can't live without, I would have time to write a novel. If you add the time spent searching for their shoes, I could write War and Peace.

First Day

The first day of school. And Miss Pink's first day of kindergarten. She'd been going to preschool for three years, but that was only a few hours a week. This was the real deal.

Last night she said, "I'm a little nervous." I assured her that's perfectly normal. I told her even her uncle (who has a master's degree) is nervous going back to school. I said, "I bet you have so much fun you forget to be nervous." And she agreed.

This morning Mr. Blue woke me up earlier than I had to be up--he heard Justin getting up to go to the gym and of course the little guy was "hundry." Soon after that I woke his sister up and she was rarin' to go. I could barely get her to stand still for pictures before she was out the door and ready to walk to school--it's across the street.

We were the first ones to class (it wasn't THAT early, about 15 minutes before the first bell) and after she got started with some playdough, I asked her if she wanted me to stick around for a few minutes or go ahead and go. "I want you to go ahead and go," she said. A hug and a kiss and that was it.

Did I cry? No, I didn't think I would and I was right. Miss P was never clingy, even as an infant, and that has conditioned me to let her go when she's ready to be independent. I did wonder if she would miss me when the other kids came in with their parents. Maybe there's something wrong with me for not being emotional, I thought. My husband did tell me I'm the "least clingy" mom he knows. Really? The LEAST clingy? That sounds like I'm giving the kids a piece of bread and shoving them out into the woods for bears to eat them. But he meant it as a compliment, and since he doesn't know any for-real neglectful parents, I guess I'll take it that way.

Mr. Blue and I went to the gym and the bank. Not long after we got home, I got a call from the school nurse. Miss P had thrown up while on the playground. But the nurse said, she was begging not to go home on her first day of school. "I only threw up because I was hot and hungry," Miss Pink argued her case (something she's VERY good at). The nurse said she'd let her stay if I was okay with it, and she'd call if something else happened. I said yes, but spent the rest of the day second-guessing myself.

Apparently I made the right decision, because she didn't throw up again even after eating lunch or tonight (although she burped a lot this evening--I have no idea how the gas could be connected, but I gave her medicine for it and her tummy felt better before bedtime). Maybe she DID just get overheated and overexcited--Lord knows I've vomited under those conditions, except I was in college and I threw up in front of the entire football team; THAT was not one of my finer moments, let me tell you.

I had more to say, especially about how annoyed I was at the school for not providing drop-off and pick-up instructions before today, but I need to stop now and go hang out with my husband for a few minutes before getting into bed. That 6:30 wake-up time kicked my tail.

So let me just say to Miss Pink, if she reads this in a few years, that I am so proud of you, my precious girl. I will be right behind you, ready to pick you up and comfort you if you need me, but also willing to stand back and let you have your own adventures. Just don't forget to come back home and tell me what you learned along the way.

Non-pregnancy update

Since some of you expressed concern at the effectiveness of the dollar store test, I bought another test at W*lmart today, because I'm paranoid like that. And guess what, I still am not pregnant. *heaving a sigh of relief* Because we weren't trying to get pregnant. Quite the opposite, in fact. My husband had a vasectomy a year ago (FYI, it's important to get tested afterward because you want to be sure the procedure worked; most failures after a vasectomy are due to the guy not returning for the follow-up visit.) ALSO I am still on birth control to control my hormones since my anxiety and PMS are worse without them. So if I had gotten pregnant, it would have been a miracle. I told myself that if a sperm had managed to sneak through those obstacles, it would be an exceptionally strong and determined swimmer--we'd probably have the next Michael Phelps!

Sorry if all that was TMI, but several of you asked, and I think the people have a right to know. That way, you'd know whether to congratulate or reassure me if I had been pregnant. Thanks for being sensitive to my feelings either way :-)

Even though I know I'd adore any child we'd create together, I also know that I'd prefer to stop with the two we have. Here's the honest and raw truth that I wrote in my journal the other night before I took any tests.

"I adore my children. I just want to enjoy them where they’re at, and not return to the infant stage. I can do the infant stage—or at least I did—and I enjoyed the baby smell and the way they look when they nurse, and there’s something deeply fulfilling about nurturing this completely helpless little person: you are the only thing keeping them alive. (Yes, I AM overdramatic. Wanna make something of it?) But. I think I am a much better parent of preschoolers (and with any luck, of grade-schoolers) than infants. At least conversations with the kids now engage my brain cells. Me being a SAHM is the right choice for our family, at least right now. It’s much better than the alternatives. But I’m not going to lie—it’s been hard on me intellectually and emotionally. I need time to think and write, and I don’t get as much of it as I want—and when I do take some, I feel guilty."

And here I am about to have some free time for the first time in two and a half years, and I was worried I was not going to get it after all. I don't want my kids to grow up any faster than they have to, but I'm not wishing I could return to the baby days, either.

Week in review coming later, I hope.

At the Dollar Tree, the pregnancy tests are up by the cashier with the gum, batteries, and travel packs of wet wipes they're hoping you'll suddenly decide you need. Who impulse buys a pregnancy test? "Well, I think I've got all the cheap plastic crap I need for today--wait! I might as well go ahead and find out if I'm pregnant."

P.S. I am not pregnant. Unless the test is not worth the dollar I paid for it.

Makeover

As you can see, my blog has a new look and I am so happy with the results. I was fortunate enough to win a header and signature design from Made Digital (I entered through Bloggy Giveaways, which gives away awesome prizes). Theresa Marie managed to read my mind and give me a clean yet vintage-y design with a bit of an edge (love that barbed wire) that I think expresses my style very well. (When your title is "Hairline Fracture," it can't be ALL frills, right?) I feel like I have new clothes and am out on the town to show them off!

If you are wanting a new look for your site, you should definitely check her out. I never would have been able to come up with anything half as nice on my own (I couldn't even figure out how to use any template other than the basic Blogger freebies). Thanks, Theresa Marie!

I Have Decided to Live

But it was close at times. I think that is the only time Justin and I have ever been that sick at the same time--definitely since we became parents. (I can't remember much before the kids. I swear pregnancy depleted the brain cells I used to use for memory.) My parents helped on Saturday, but they are pastors and so have to work on Sunday. And I didn't really feel right about asking friends, "Could you come over and pick up our potentially disease-carrying children so we can recuperate? We'll do the same for you in a week!"

Enough about that. Here's a picture of me holding a mask of myself which was drawn by Miss Pink. The photo is taken by Miss Pink, which I would say explains the darkness and blurriness, but in fact it is not much different from many pictures I take.


When I asked why my tongue is sticking out in the picture, Miss P told me it was because I was about to eat some chocolate.

It's so helpful to know what I look like when I get a chocolate craving. I bet I lose weight every time I look at this.

That kid knows her mama. For Mother's Day, her teacher interviewed the kids about their moms and this is what she said about me.

Favorite color: Green (correct!)
Favorite Food: Chocolate (no comment)
Favorite Flower: Any flower
Favorite store: Wal-Mart and Target (because we are always at one of those two)
Favorite Book: Any Grown-Up Book (she knows I read a lot of 'em)
"I love my mom because she's sweet."

I'll tell you who's sweet, and she's five years old and wears pink glasses.

Finally, I did go ahead and get a twitter page. I am hlinefracture, if you want to look me up. I may already be following YOU! Muahahaha!

Must go shower. See you later, alligators.

Weekend in Review

This week's Week in Review will be delayed because Justin and I both got sick and I can't remember anything that happened last week because I've been spending the last two and a half days practically crawling between the bed, the couch, and the bathroom. Oh, and praying for merciful death.

Justin must be feeling better because he's heading to Wendy's for chicken nuggets and Frosties. I am going to allow him to bring me a Frosty since I may finally be ready for something with more flavor than saltine crackers and ginger ale.

The worst part of being sick at the same time as your spouse is that sometimes you lose the game of "Who's Sicker?" and you have to do something to take care of the children instead of lying in bed and occasionally emitting a faint moan to remind everyone that you need to be cared for like a piece of fragile china.

Or, as we say in our house, "Don't jump on Mom's stomach! She's SICK!"

With any luck, I'll be back tomorrow.

For the last few days, I was reading Breaking Dawn, the last book in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series. My only problem with the book? I couldn't read it fast enough.

See, I'm normally a fast reader. Not speed-reader fast, but it wasn't uncommon for me to finish a book in a day if I wasn't interrupted.

But of course those days are gone. I'm constantly interrupted by the Peanut Gallery.

For example, I was just interrupted right as I finished typing that sentence by Mr. Blue saying he was "hun-dry." I go in the kitchen with him, where he rejects my suggestions of grapes, raisins, or yogurt in favor of one maraschino cherry.

Obviously he was starving and it was vital for me to feed him that cherry instead of doing something I wanted to do. Now imagine that happening 17 million times a day while I'm trying to read a book whose ending I desperately want to know.

Wait--I don't have to explain it to you moms. You already know.

Yesterday as I got close to the end of the book, I was trying to figure out how I could check them into the gym day care and read for the whole two hours I'm allowed to leave them in there while I work out. Unfortunately, my thighs vetoed that suggestion.

Anyway, I finished it yesterday. It was kind of bizarre to go back and forth between rereadings of Goodnight Moon (current estimated number of readings: 596) and the world of the undead, but I did it. And it was worth it. There were some parts I thought didn't totally work (I'm not going to say which ones to avoid spoilers and also to keep from receiving scathing comments from avid fans who can't abide criticism of their favorite books) but overall, I have to hand it to Stephenie Meyer: the woman can design a plot that gets you hooked in and leaves you wanting more. She deserves her success. Bravo, Ms. Meyer. Bravo.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to stop pondering the endless passion of Edward and Bella and pick up the the Cheerios off the floor of the living room before we host a playdate.

Mosaic Meme

1. Alison in Underworld, 2. La Merenda, 3. Lighthouse Christian Academy, 4. Meeting the pregnant princess of the forest, 5. Patrick Dempsey, 6. CokeCan3, 7. "La mia casa è il mare e con un fiume no, non la posso cambiare", 8. Happy Birthday, nal from miami!!!, 9. Author, 10. The Calvo Family - Holidays, 11. Pelicans at Sunset, Mendocino, 12. hairline fracture
Here's a fun meme I got from madhousewife.

Here’s how it works:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)

Week in Review, 8/3--8/9

Last week was tough, partly for easily discernible reasons listed below, and partly because I just felt "blah" and unmotivated. (Fortunately, I feel more energized today than I did all last week.) So I decided to get the "nays" out of the way first and end on a more positive note.

Nay

1. We had a round of sickness: a stomach bug for Miss Pink and Mr. Blue and an upper respiratory infection for Justin. I think everyone's all better.

2. Our church is sponsoring Dave Ramsey's course Financial Peace University, and we're attending, because who couldn't use financial peace, right? When we calculated our current budget, my head exploded. I had no idea we were spending that much on eating out. And there were many trips to Target that I have no idea what I bought. No wonder we never had money left over! The silver lining is that we have already started changing these habits and while it will no doubt be difficult at times to stick to the budget, I know it is doable and it will feel better to have that money in savings than on our waistlines and in our closets.

3. I felt like the worst mother in the world this week when I noticed one of Mr. Blue's fingernails was coming off. Yes--somehow he had hurt his finger badly enough that the nail was coming off and I never noticed (!!) until it was nearly off. The new one is growing in, but we had to bandage it until the nail came off on its own. Gross, I know. It was hard for me to look at. And I'd thought I was reasonably attentive to my children.

Yay

1. Miss Pink is obsessed with the Olympics. She wants to watch it all the time. She doesn't quite get certain concepts, though. During the opening ceremonies, she kept asking, "Are they still in China?" Like they could magically be transported to another country on the same evening. And during the women's gymnastic qualifying round, she rooted for the Chinese team because she hadn't seen the Americans yet. "I want China to win," she kept saying. " I told her, "No, we want our country to win!" Which she agreed with once she had seen Shawn Johnson perform (and who I think is Miss Pink's new hero). Whew--the sports patriotism base is covered.

2. Mr. Blue is a lover, not a fighter. I wish I had a video of my dad kissing all over the side of his face on Sunday and the way Mr. Blue just sat still with a stoned, blissful look like a dog getting his tummy scratched.

3. We went over to some friends' house on Sunday night for an informal dinner. We hadn't gotten to spend much time with them over the summer, and it felt good to reconnect.

Here's to a good week ahead!

I'm in a little bit of a blogging slump. I don't know what I want to write about. It doesn't help that every day I log on and read amazing posts and think, "Why can't I write like that?" I'll never be as funny as some of you, or as intellectually incisive as others, or as poignant and moving as others. That doesn't even count the bloggers who are actually published. I've got a bad case of comparisonitis. Wah wah wah.

I'm not asking for sympathetic comments--I just needed to vent. I think it's because I'm stuck in limbo, sick of the summer heat, drained of energy and ideas for things to do with the kids, and school doesn't start for three more weeks.

Here's something I believe: that every one of us has a choice to make. We can either make the world better with our attitude, or worse. I am not saying we can flip a switch and decide to be all LALALA LOOK HOW HAPPY I AM when a tragedy has happened, or when life just sucks, or when you have a brain that doesn't produce the right chemicals to make happiness even possible. But you can decide to do the best you can with what you've been given, and not to make things worse. My medication helps me get up to the baseline of normal; then I still have to choose not to focus on the less-than-wonderful aspects of life. So that is what I am trying to do. I KNOW I am blessed and that I don't have any real problems.

Also, on Wednesday nights our church is starting a family night that includes dinner. I don't have to cook or clean up? Score! That right there makes me happier just thinking about it.

Apropos of nothing--and ridiculously for someone who just complained that she doesn't know what to write about--I've been thinking of getting a Twitter account. But I don't know if I should because a) hello? do I need any more reason to waste time on the computer; and b) would anybody even read my tweets? What do you think?

I think I should just pretend this post never happened, but instead I am going to hit publish.

Defining Moment #2: The Real Thing

It had been a long healing process since I'd broken things off with J. As I mentioned, I spent over a year avoiding most social occasions. After the first six months, I developed a crush on a guy who was dating someone else and who lived across the country. We wrote a few letters and talked on the phone and flirted outrageously--and then he broke up with his girlfriend and soon after started dating one of my best friends, who was at college with him. I was heartbroken, but thankful I'd never told him anything that proved I liked him so I could at least salvage the remnants of my pride. I never told her how I'd felt, either. (They didn't end up together.)

Now, years later, I wonder if I picked someone unavailable to me so I wouldn't have to try again. I could have the fun of romantic feelings without an actual relationship with a person. After all, I was in charge of the fantasies. I didn't think I had anything left to give, to tell you the truth. When other guys asked me out, which didn't happen often, I had a secret reason for turning them down. As I said to one very nice guy, inexplicably using a baseball metaphor, I was still in the dugout, not the on-deck circle. I wasn't ready to get back into the dating game.

The spring of and summer after my senior year in college were fraught with Big Decisions. I was planning to go to graduate school, and I was stressed about the entrance paper. Basically, I was trying to write a master's thesis before I ever got in. For the first time in my life, I developed horrible insomnia--at one point I think I didn't sleep for three days straight. Finally, something broke inside me and I called my dad in the middle of the night, weeping, "Dad, I don't want to go to grad school."

"Okay, honey. You don't have to."

Things got better then, but not by much. I accepted a job teaching at the private school I'd attended, and I wasn't sure I could handle the kids. (This seems funny to me now, after the years of subbing and having my own classroom and now my own kids, but at the time it was scary.) I was back living in my parents' house and still not sleeping well, and August was coming up soon and I had no idea how to teach and...ACK.

I give you all this background to show you that I was not exactly in the most stable emotional state of my life.

One day my dad told me that one of his pastor friends had told him about a "great young man" who'd moved to our area from Louisiana and who the pastor thought would be a good match for me. I was not impressed, for several reasons: a) Why did the pastor talk to my dad and not me? It was 1996, not 1896; b) He made the guy sound booooring by talking about how stable and hard-working he was, plus he was older than me by seven years; and c) this was the same pastor who'd fixed me up with J., so he didn't have the greatest matchmaking track record in my book.

I shrugged the opportunity off. I actually saw my prospective suitor at a church camp meeting, but instead of going to the restaurant where he was going with a group, I went elsewhere with--you guessed it--my former crush. I wasn't trying to get with him (really!), but I didn't want to date this other guy.

That night my dad and my brother both told me I should give the older guy a chance. The thing that made me pause and think: my brother had never been wrong about the guys I dated. Still, I wasn't ready.

Then my family went on a vacation to the Gulf Shore of Alabama, and we had a nice time in our house on the beach. I swam and sunbathed (a little; remember how white I am!) and rode a Sea-Doo and ate a lot of shrimp. I also watched Sense and Sensibility and by the end of the movie, I was an emotional wreck. I went to my room and cried. Would I ever find the kind of love Jane Austen described? Or was I destined to be alone for the rest of my life?

I just want to point out here that I was barely 21 years old. Afraid that love would pass me by. Oh, it is to laugh, how young I was.

I came out of my room and told my mom, "When we get home, I'm going to go out with that guy." I sort of felt like, "I might as well; nothing wonderful is ever going to happen to me again."

And so I left a message on the pastor's answering machine. A couple of weeks later, I was at a youth all-night lock-in, talking to Justin (for it was he) for about four hours straight. The connection was instantaneous. I was so comfortable with him from the first minute we met. Plus, I thought, "This guy couldn't tell a lie to save his life." Not only did this turn out to be true, but it was also exactly what I needed, after all the mind games and fake flirting I'd been subjecting myself to.

Then later that night, he dressed up as a woman, and I almost decided not to go out with him.

But I think I'll save that story for another time, since this is running so long. (Such a tease I am!)

We kissed on the second date, at a stop light, and he said something like, "I hate to stop." And this is what I said to him: "Don't worry, there's more where that came from."

Shameless hussy! But he took me up on the offer. And it was like fireworks and dancing and chocolate and all my most favorite things.

I was still having intense anxiety and insomnia about teaching school and finding my Purpose In Life. All of that didn't stop immediately when I met Justin, but he was so sweet to me while I dealt with it. The turning point came when one night after a date, he offered to massage my back so I could relax enough to sleep. I didn't think it would work when nothing else had, but I agreed to let him try. He massaged my neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs, and feet for over an hour. As I felt the tension slip away, I drifted into sleep, remaining just conscious enough to feel him carry me into my room and tuck me into bed. I felt so safe in his strong arms.

That's why, only a few weeks later, I responded as I did when he said those three little words. We'd been talking making out in his red Ford Explorer (good thing that car can't talk) and the conversation somehow turned to the future. He asked me if I'd ever be willing to leave the town my parents live in, and I said I would. I knew what he was asking, and it felt a little surreal. Despite feeling completely comfortable with each other while we could hardly stand to be apart, we hadn't yet discussed the F-word.

Feelings. So we had this whole conversation about possibly spending our lives together without saying anything about the fireworks between us.

Until he started driving me back to the friends' house where I was spending the night. Then he abruptly pulled the car over to the curb, and said, as if he just couldn't stand to wait another minute, "I love you very much."

"I love you, too," I said without thinking--but I knew it was true. I didn't know it, but I had just made one of the best decisions of my life.

Week in Review

Yay

1. Miss Pink went to the eye doctor and she is doing well with her glasses. We will need to get new lenses since the prescription has changed slightly (and also one lens is scratched right where she looks out.) There is still a good chance she may outgrow her need for glasses. She's happy about that, but also says, "If I still need glasses when I get bigger, I'll just get contacts." I love her positive attitude.

2. We had friends over for breakfast on Saturday morning, which we enjoyed. (It also forced us to clean up the house on Friday night, which almost never happens.)

3. I have an awesome husband. Besides making his special French toast for breakfast, on Saturday he fixed the weatherstripping on the front door, replaced the inner workings of an annoying (and expensive, in increased water bills) toilet, and measured and started drawing the plan for a playroom he's building on the back of the house. He didn't even seem to mind that I wasn't nearly as productive. Yes ma'am, he's a keeper.

4. It's so cute how Mr. Blue pronounces certain words. If he wants to show you something: "Lurk!" Every word that starts with a "c" he says with a "t": "toffee," "tandy," etc. He has to show everyone his favorite toys: "Dis my monter twuck. It name Dravedidder [Gravedigger]."
By the way, it was him who wanted the hairbow. His hair is about an inch long; it wouldn't stay in even if we tried!


Nay

1. The high temperature today is 106. And it will be above 100 every day for at least another week. Insane.

2. We had to pay the man whose van I scraped $250. Not that bad, but we still will have to get our car fixed. Oh well.

3. Did I mention it's 106?

Gender Bender

The strangest thing I've uttered so far today:

"No, I'm not going to buy you a bow for your hair. I bought you a monster truck yesterday."

Also, I keep meaning to mention that they have switched colors. Miss Pink now likes everything blue (because of Blue's Clues) and Mr. Blue wants all the pink stuff (plates, forks, etc.) I suppose I am doing a good job of raising modern children. But I am going to keep the same blog names for them in case things change again!