So Many Ideas

We had a very full weekend, which I'll post about later.

This is the conversation Libby and I had in the car on the way home yesterday:

"Mom, can we jump on clouds?"

"No babe. They're just water vapor. We'd fall right through."

"What if we put a trampoline on top of it?"

"No. The trampoline would fall right through it, too."

"What if we taped the trampoline to it?"

"Um. I don't think that would work."

"Glue?"

"No. They're made of water. Glue won't stick to water."

"Maybe if we dried the cloud out first. Then, the trampoline would stay on it."

"Yeah, maybe."

Then a few minutes later she held up her hand and said, "Mom, my thumb and pinky are a little on the small side."

So, remember how my kids feel about leprechauns? Those little green guys have got NOTHING on the Easter Bunny. Or as we like to refer to him, the fluffy hare of HOLY TERROR. What have I done to my children?

A Discovery Day Off

Today was a (fabulous) furlough day for me and the weather took a much needed turn for the better. I've been wanting to take the girls to the A.C. Gilbert Children's Museum in Salem for awhile now, and since it wasn't a holiday or weekend (no crowds) and the weather was decent, today turned out to be the perfect day. The girls loved it and we'll definitely be back!

Libby steers clear.

I think the best part, or at least the part where we spent most of our time, was the enormous play structure. And by enormous, I mean eNORmous. Huge. GiGANtic. When we first got there, Shane and I tried to tag team the girls so we could keep track of them, which proved nearly impossible. Luckily, since it wasn't at all crowded, we could usually see Libby and keep track of Peyton by her voice. She's louder than most, you know.

The bottom of Libby's feet as she tries to navigate above me.

Peyton liked the sternwheeler and the train.

I chased Peyton up to the top and then she fearlessly sat herself in the slide and was gone. I knew the fastest way to get to wherever she went was just to follow, but I second guessed this decision because it was pitch black inside and went on forever. I also worried that she might stop herself and I'd plow into her. Neither was the case and the girls (especially Libby) loved the slide. They went over and over.

After one trip down the slide Libby jumped out and ran for the top again without missing a beat. As she climbed she shouted, "I can't believe you taked me here!"

Let's swing!

Peyton and I get brave.

Libby loved milking this cow and kept coming back to it.

The bubble room.

The Quotes Just Keep Coming....

In the car today, Libby says, "Peytie, are you my dork?"

Then, this afternoon in response to Libby's treatment of her sister I found myself saying, "No, you can't keep your sister out of your house because you're four and she's two. It's age discrimination. It's illegal, not to mention unkind. Now, open the door and let her in." Returning to the classroom is definitely having an impact on my parenting. I did do a little research, though, and I think the law only applies to people over the age of 4o. Can that be right? Either way, I think I'll keep that to myself.

Happy Four-Oh, Big Sister!

Happy 40th birthday today to my big sister! We've known each other for almost thirty eight of them. You've had many roles over the years, but as adults I'm happy that we can call each other friends. I love you so much! Here's to the next forty....

You are....

Sister

Grandaughter

Wife

Goofball

Mother

Daughter

Aunt

Mary Kay Consultant

Duck Fan

Woman

Athlete

Superwoman!

Hope your fortieth is the best one yet!

The Third Egg

Remember the owl box camera we watched last year? Well, this one might be even better. It's a family of bald eagles in Decorah, Iowa. My students have been watching like hawks (pun intended) their every move. We've been watching now for two days. Momma is sitting on top of two hatched babies and one egg and we've been waiting, waiting, waiting for that third egg to hatch. I'm starting to wonder if it won't. If it does though, I can tell you this...... We will be glued to our computer screens watching its every move.

We have watched the momma and papa eagles come and go and take turns feeding and sitting on their little family. And by feeding the babies, I mean ripping apart whatever they've just killed, chewing it into tiny digestible pieces and dropping it into the mouths of their waiting babies. It is school-sactioned gore at its finest, and my class (of mostly boys) loves it! Here's to the third egg and hoping the little guy (or girl) makes it.....

Update: Just after writing this I went to the site to check on them and the third egg had hatched! My class will be so excited, and bummed that we missed it. You can see the third hatch here, though. I wonder if I could trick them into believing they're watching it in real time. They'll probably just be excited that there's a dead fish on the edge of the nest.

TMI?

I know there is a lot of banter going around the internet about over sharing and the lack of tact anymore with regard to what we'll write for complete strangers to read. But, it's not like it's about me.

Last night as we waited in the car for Shane to run in to the store and grab a new bottle of children's Motrin, Peyton let fly a toot that seemed to have a little (or a lot of) substance to it. I said, "Peytie, don't. Your gonna poop your pants."

Her reply?

"No I not. I wearing leggings."

20 Questions (Give or Take 5,000)

We made a whirlwind trip to Bend this weekend. Over in back in about 24 hours. We went so I could go to my sister's surprise 40th birthday party. She was totally surprised. More on that later....

On the way home Libby and I talked for two straight hours, which was actually pretty exhausting. It gave me a little insight as to who my kid is though, and what things weigh on her mind. So many questions, so little time. It's so hard to believe that at one time I was worried that she would never start talking.....

Momma? Why did Annie run away?

Momma? Why did the police chase her?

Momma? Why does Annie wear shorts under her dress?

Momma? Why will we die?

Momma? How did God make everything?

Momma? Did he make the dinosaurs?

Momma? Where did the dinosaurs live?

Momma? How will you die?

Momma? Will God die?

Momma? How come you never made a chair for my teacher?

Momma? Will you make me a bracelet out of string?

Momma? Can it be red, white and pink? And purple? I love purple.

Momma? Does the real Santa have hair?

Momma? Why does Miss Hannigan wear a costume?

Momma? Who's Annie's mom?

Momma? Why is the road red? (Cinders) It's pretty.

Momma? Can you get me an ipod? Sometime?

Momma? Why is Miss Hannigan so grumpy?

Momma? Why does Molly cry so much?

Momma? Why does Miss Hannigan make the girls scrub the floor?

Momma? Can I take ski lessons? I don't want to ride horses.

Momma? Did Daddy ever get bucked off his horse?

Momma? What was Daddy's horse's name?

Momma? What if we were orphans?

Momma? Can I have an Annie book like my movie?

Momma? How come we're out of gum?

Momma? Can I pick new gum at the store?

Momma? How come I can't chew some kinds of gum?

Momma? Can we write our own Annie book?

Momma? You should be Miss Hannigan for Halloween.

Momma? How old is Annie? Pepper? Molly?

Momma? What are the other orphan's names?

Momma? Why doesn't Annie have parents? (They died in a fire)

Momma? Did they burn or did they melt?

Momma? Could we put round things (curlers) in my hair, so it's like Annie's?

Momma? Who married Daddy Warbucks?

Momma? Why did Grace Farrel love Annie?

Momma? Is this a fast road?

Momma? Why are there car accidents?

Momma? Why are people in too much of a hurry?

Momma? Is that how people die?

Momma? What was Daddy Warbuck's job?

Momma? What was Grace Farrel's job?

Momma? Why did Annie take tennis lessons?

Momma? Can I watch Rapunzel again?

Momma? Why did Rapunzel's mom be so mean?

Momma? Why didn't she want to get old?

Momma? Why was Cinderella's stepmother not nice?

Momma? Why were the stepsisters jealous?

Momma? Why did she have a fairy godmother?

(insert story about a classmate of hers who yells and hits and jumps off of chairs and sometimes lands in time out.)

Momma? I can believe your kids at school don't jump off of their chairs.

That's breaking the rules.

That's not kind.

Momma? What does SBH spell?

Momma? Why isn't Cinderella's cat nice?

Momma? Cinderella's mice tried to jab him (the cat) with a fork.

That was not nice.

But that was so funny.

Momma? When we get home, if it's warm, can I wear a dress?

Momma? When Grunny dies can we get a cat? I'm not afraid of cats now.

Momma? Would our cat be nice or mean?

Momma? I like fish.

Momma? Do we still have our fish tank? The rocks? The food?

Momma? What's a bank?

Momma? What's a withdrawal?

Momma? Why are Cinderella's stepsisters not nice?

Momma? Why do they all want to marry the prince?

Momma? What days do I go to school? Can I add a day?

Momma? Grammy Jane has candy like medicine.

When I suck it, my throat feels better.

Momma? Is ice cream good for you?

At this moment Peyton wakes and yells, "Mom! Jayden not like ice cream!" and then she immediately falls back to sleep.

Momma? Why does some gum have bad sugar?

Momma? Cabellas is a pretty name for a store.

Momma? When will I be a mommy?

Momma? I'm going to be a doctor, and a teacher and have an ipod.

Momma? Why did we go to Bend?

Momma? What are you writing?

Yes, I wrote while I drove. Barely. Without looking. It was sloppy, but effective. I have to keep track. There are so many questions that need answering.....

For most of the time it took me to write this Libby was asleep on a chair in the living room. Pondering life's biggest questions is really exhausting work.