This Amuses Me

The minor league baseball team in Montgomery. 

The mascot is a big, healthy, athletic biscuit, with a tongue made of a pat of butter.

And yes, they haul around a pig before the games. 

And yes, they call him Gravy.

We Went Ahead and Ordered Out

Desert and a Nap

Ice cream cake--certainly this was my dream.

Yeah, it was. 

Well, and then maybe a nap.

Mother's Day Semantics

I was not really the sweetest, when 1 minute after giving them to me, Alida returned to ask for them back.

Notes from Ben.

Reads a little like a to do list. 

Nicholas.  You are becoming expert--the maze for us to find each other was a particularly nice touch. Reminded me of walking through our house on a Saturday afternoon.

Conundrum

Alida is invited to a sleep-over by one of her friends in class.  Elaine is not invited.  

Take Alida. Elaine is upset. 

Stop myself right there from letting it become a big deal and going out of my way to try to smooth things over because I instantly envision the amount of smoothing I'll be doing for the rest of my life if I set this precedent now.  So, I make it no big deal, and we go on about our day sans Alida.

Sure enough, a week later, Alida is not invited to the pottery making birthday party that Elaine's friend from her class is having. The universe sets itself right. 

Except that when I send an e-mail RSVP to friend's mommy, friend's mommy responds that she knows that Elaine is a twin, and she should bring her along to the party too!  

Drat.  Command decision: ignore second invitation, explain to mommy as I drop off Elaine.

This was a great idea

A bunk bed nook in the hotel room for the children, with a television mounted there. 

Harry Potter, snacks and weary eyes from a day swimming.

Perfection.

Then it came time for bed, and I shared with two while two slept in the top bunk. 

No one would touch the bottom bunk.

The Sound of Silence

I sneezed while playing the silent game during post-dinner clean-up the other night. 

There was a flurry of pantomiming and then I was kicked out of the game. 

Not very upset about this, because the sound of my own voice wasn't the reason for the start of the silent game, I went on about my business--pretty silently. 

Turns out there was a flurry of silent arguing over my status in the game, and I was silently presented with this note from Alida with an apologetic face about two minutes later. 

Boys

Will be boys. 

And then they will be grounded from the iPad.

And the Wii, and the TV,  Netflix, and the computer, and basically anything that can be plugged in.

Grounded until I need help with one of these items at least.

Happy Birthday Laguna

We threw a birthday party for Alida's stuffed dolphin the other day after school. 

I'm not entirely sure how I was duped into doing this, but it made her day.  Reason enough I think.

I Still Love Watching People Watching Us

I went to show the woman the receipt to prove we paid for these as we walked out of the store. 

With a smile: "Oh Dear, I've been watching.  We all know you paid for these."

And in another effort to recreate my own childhood, I tell the boys: "Go away.  Get on your new bikes and go away.  Go to the park.  You can handle this, can't you?"

And they are coaxed out of the house and on to the bikes.  The huge world in front of them, permission to cross that big street and go to the park, the forest, wherever their little legs take them.

Failure: They return after half a hour, with full tales of their adventures. Super excited, and back within 30 minutes.

Weren't they supposed to go away for hours?

You just never know

What will click around here. 

After seeing Alida's list making on the blog, grandpa and grandma sent her a package of infamous Helmers notepads.  I'm pretty sure our family has kept the manufacturers in business single-handed in this electronic age with our list making inclinations.  

Turns out, the notepads were treasured by all (thank you for thoughtfully sending many).  And here I found the boys huddled around their lamp, well beyond bedtime.  Here they are making lists of characters for some game they are creating.  These, the children who could not be convinced to pick up a pencil for their homework.