Surprise! It's a Whale Watch Day! (Except we didn't see whales...)

Luke is revved up on the Rudee Flipper...

Dolphins  on the center right...they were wonderful, swimming all around the boat...Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins...

So, L and I had a little adventure today...we headed down to VA Beach for a whale watching trip.  Unfortunately, we didn't see a whale.  Well, we saw a pod of dolphins (which are technically whales) when we were nearly back to the pier which was fantastic.  We see them out behind the house all the time, but we hadn't ever been so close to them.  They are so beautiful to watch...L was pretty  happy that we did see them.  We saw plenty of sea birds (L & I learned that Northern Gannets have a nearly 6 ft wide wingspan and are good indicators of whale activity because they eat the same types of fish...also some Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, and various kinds of seagulls), but nary a whale!  Bummer!  I guess we'll just have to go again before the season ends on March 20th...
Here are a few things we did learn:

1. It should be no problem for L to be a marine biologist because he didn't have an issue with seasickness today.  Not saying he'll never get seasick, but it is a good sign that he didn't get sick at all.
2. He has patience when he is searching the seas for whales.  A lot of marine biology (from the documentaries I've seen with him) is riding around, trying to find the whales.  And he is a cheerful and optimistic marine researcher.
3. A humpback whale's inner ear bone is bigger than the palm of my hand and at least 5 lbs.  And they can dissect it and count the layers in the bone to see how old the whale is.
4. Whale watches on 70 degree days are still FREEZING COLD!!!  I dressed L is 3 layers, one of which was his winter coat and his winter gloves, so he was doing pretty good.  I wore 3 layers, but didn't bring my winter coat and was therefore shaking by the time we pulled back into the pier.
5. I love animals.  I love doing research like that.  Maybe I missed my calling.  Oh well, like mothers everywhere, I plan on living vicariously through my children.   One of them is going to be a scientist, dammit.

Snakes Alive!

Hi, American Alligator!  Note Luke's look of mild disgust...

Petting the Rock Python...

The dude's H-E-A-V-Y!!!!

A is hesistant with the yellow albino Burmese python...

Then braver...Ooohhhh...she's smooth!

A little ring around the rosie and "To Infinity...AND BEYOND!!!" gymnastics after the Reptile exhibit...

If you couldn't already tell, we went to the Virginia Living Museum yesterday for the annual Reptile exhibit.  The kids took a late nap, so we didn't get there until 4 pm and only had one hour to see all the animals on display.  Luke loves kingsnakes since he learned at school that they are very useful on farms as a means to manage the rodent population (plus, they aren't poisonous).  And we walked in (might I add that it was super busy so that they couldn't get their usual hand stamp and this put Anna in a profoundly difficult mood...she felt cheated, I think)...well, the first reptile we saw was an Eastern King snake!  Hooray!  We went down for the Live Animal show during which we got to see a Blue Tongued Skink and an American Alligator up close and personal.  Luke loved the blue-tongued lizard (just what we want, he already talks about sperm whales, now he's going to wander about saying "skink" in startling places), but less enthused about the huge pythons we ran into in another room.  Anna was nervous at first, but they were all emboldened toward the end of our visit.  The pictures aren't great because while I was trying to position them for the perfect shot and keep them from trampling the poor, sweet snakes' tails, they had developed an unhealthy fixation on the hand sanitizer bottle in the background.  So they were basically wrestling each other for dominance of the pump-action bottle in a room full of huge, dangerous constrictor snakes, completely heedless of the snakes surrounding them (and their poor tails)...why does everything end up in a sweaty brawl at some point???
Anyhoo...it was a great time.  Luke got a kick out of the exhibit of the harmless snakes that are mimics of the poisonous snakes in their appearances as a way to survive predators...he thought it was hilarious.  It didn't end in tears, so I think we were ahead at the end...anyhoo...it definitely lifted their spirits after they realized that Dad was out of town again...which was the point (did you know that snakes can't hear at all?  They can sense body heat and vibration and smell really well, so I guess they don't need to...I learn something every time I go to that Museum)...

Banner Day... (Or, Luke sticks part of the alphabet up his nose)

On the left, a dime...on the right, the blue "dot" to the letter "i"...Luke would like you all to know that it was a red dot that goes to the letter "j" that he stuck up his nose during his morning lessons...

I suppose I should have expected it...I mean it had been a few months since the last Marston family ER run.  I got the call at baby gymnastics today (lucky for me, maybe not so luck for our fabulous friend, Jen) that L had stuck a part of the wooden moveable alphabet the kids at the Montessori school use to construct/learn their words as they learn to read up his nose.  Seriously.  Might I remind you that L is 5 1/2.  He can read the word "knife" and "knot" and various road signs we pass as we drive around town.  He can also name all 18 species of baleen whales (I'm not certain I spelled the word correctly, but if I asked him, he'd know) and what they eat specifically (as well as how they feed)...I'm not saying this to brag (and whenever I do say it, I am always saying it in awe of his intelligence/nerdiness, but I'm loving, just so you know)...I'm saying this to express my utter incredulity that he would, at this point in his life, stick a wooden thing so far up his nose that we couldn't even see it.  This is the kid who is so freaked out by anyone touching his nostrils that he won't allow you to help him blow his nose when he has a cold...or allow you to stick a tissue up his nose to try to get those hard, cement-like boogers out of his nose even if their presence has turned him into a total mouth breather.

If someone had called me and told me that Mikey did, it would have made sense.  Well, not made sense, but I would not have been surprised in the least (of course, I'm not really surprised any more when Mikey does a lot of things but not because he is normal, just because he has totally broken down what I classify reasonable human developmental behavior).  On the other hand, we have L doing this stuff.  I left M&A with their buddy, Mia, and her awesome mom, Jen (she tells me that they mostly had an awesome time except for when M's bowel movement literally made her violently lose her lunch) from 10:45 until 2:30 (during which time we sat in the ER).  The ER doc looked up his nose with that little light and couldn't see anything and sent us home with a referral to an Ear, Nose, &Throat Dr (in 2-4 days time, he said I should make a follow-up appt...and he said that there was only a minimal chance that L could aspirate the "j" dot and start coughing and having more serious issues)...which was not making me happy (I wouldn't have slept tonight).  Fortunately, when I called his pediatrician to follow-up, she didn't like that idea, either and got me an emergency referral from Tricare (I won't start on the ridiculously loopy process you have to go through to make sure you son won't aspirate a wooden dot) and got us into the ENT by 3 PM.

It was a family outing at this point (well, except for F, he's in FL at an alleged conference...one can never be sure these dudes are really working...for all I know he's lounging by a pool, drinking Mai Tais)...I couldn't burden dear Jen further (cause I'll need her for when Mikey stabs himself in the neck with his fork or when someone else sticks something up one of their orifices or whatever else is in our future)..so we all trotted about and brought the loudest, fastest racing toys ever made (those shake-n-go toys...one's a Racecar with Woody and the other's a rocket with Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story...the twins got them for their birthday and have been inseparable since) into the waiting room.  Anyhoo...long story short, we were there for an hour and a half...the doctor stuck a fiber optic lens up Luke's nose and found no red dots...so now we believe it has either fallen out at some point or, more likely, he swallowed it when he was initially upset by the foreign object lodged in his nasal passages.

So, now we wait and hope it isn't still in there and if it is, that he won't accidentally inhale it into his lungs (again, not likely, but still...they are bound by their malpractice insurance to warn you).  F suggested that we be really dilligent and smoosh all his poop in our hands to see if it has passed.  He probably suggests this course of action because he is in Florida where it is 75 degrees and he is not responsible for the kindergarteners who have shoved objects up their noses.  I will slap him when he returns.  I told him I had given enough (we didn't have lunch with us in the ER, so I was particularly patient and kind at about 1:30 pm).  Anyhoo...all's well that ends well, I suppose...dear Luke...what will we do with him?

Bounce it Up, Kids!

Yes, she picked that outfit...



Pizza time!  The blonde girl posing for the camera wants to be an actress/model when she grows up...I think she's a natural!

Not sure what M is doing...note, Falcon in the background, giving him a skeptical look...



Bouncing makes them tired...

Falcon being camera-shy...I'm sorry I never caught his grins on my camera!

The crew with Ms. Anna at the helm...



Mike loved the slides...

Here are some randomly ordered pictures and photos from our recent party at Inflation Nation at Williamsburg...the kids were so happy, they had a blast.  They got to bounce for 75 minutes and then we had pizza and cupcakes and fruit salad and applesauce and raisins.  We invited our best friends...it also helps that they are the kids' closest buds, too...and just had a blast!  It was miraculous that all of us made it...you can see for yourself how awesome it was!  We are off to see the reptiles at the Living Museum and I have spent long enough on blog postings...Happy Birthday again to Anna and Michael!  (Anna says she is 33 now, not sure how that math works...but I'll ask Luke because he is a math whiz)...

No Babies here...

How it all started...in preemie clothes that were 2 sizes too big (especially for teeny little Michael)...



She's always been skeptical of me...I think this was in Fall/Winter '08...



Winter '08...I think they were around 10 months old???  He always did love this bouncy seat...



I can't believe I used to trot about town like this all the time....and that they sat still enough for longer than 5 minutes to let me!

Mikey at a little over a year, eating the Mexican ants near Puerto Morelos...

Anna has always been a Daddy's girl...

Two years old and up to no good...but having a GREAT time doing it!

3rd Birthday Breakfast time at Panera Bread (thanks for the French Toast bagels, Daddy!)

Whew!  Time flies, doesn't it?!?  I can't believe I am standing here, three years after the birth of these two beautiful kids...children are so funny...they completely take over your life like a semi-friendly alien invasion and they change the landscape of your homeland so completely (and you, yourself, thank goodness) that you can't remember who/what you were before them nor what it looked like in your house before someone dumped out a whole bin of blocks/race cars/Dora purses out on the floor and slid their peanut-buttered fingers all over the wall.  You are so changed as a human being that as you lean into those brown finger smudges, you take a hopeful sniff to make absolutely sure they are, indeed, peanut butter before wiping them up (you, who in your previous life, if faced with a poop stain on a public restroom toilet would have vomited quietly as soon as you could lock yourself in a cleaner stall).  They seem like they've been here forever and while they've been growing, time has seemed to stand still and rocket past at the same moment.

Three years old.  It's a big milestone because they've left all the trappings of babyhood behind...and it seems even more tremendous because I am not sure we'll have any more kids after these...it seems so final.  Like the End of an Era.  And yes, the beginning of a new one, but I am nostalgic and have been for about two weeks  now.  The baby years are so crazy..and twins are even crazier...it isn't baby times two, it's baby to the Power of Two.  Having babies 9 or 10 months apart is NOT the same as two babies at once.  I'm not saying it's harder (as I have never done it the other way)...well, okay, you caught me.  I totally think having twins is harder than having two babies close in age (and I'm only harping on this because I am so annoyed with people who keep saying, "I had her when she was 11 months old...that's just like having twins, huh?!?)..in my real life, I am pretty nice about it because I always try to be kind, but I'm allowing myself to be a little snarky. 

But seriously...only when you have pushed one baby out, the labor stops, then  Baby 1 gets put under a heat lamp like a left-over hamburger after the lunch hour rush at Burger King while some nurses start pushing Pitocin and the Dr breaks your water (again!) while chatting with your husband about deployments/future summer vacation plans and then waves a passing resident into the room to introduce him to your husband because he, too, was in the Navy, while you are laying on the bed, legs splayed out (but covered discreetly with a sheet), still pregnant can you understand what having twins is like (or any variation of a story where two babies are born from one person).  And that is how it happened, strangely enough.  (Sorry, Mikey!  Daddy was torn between hanging out with you and helping me deliver Anna...who was positioned horizontally and had to be coaxed to a head-down position and then proceeded to come out face up...leading to some startling bruising and one bad case of jaundice...you weren't alone long as the Army of Pediatricians came along to give you all your diagnostic tests pretty quickly).

So, twins.  Amazing...it's hard to remember much from that time.  I remember looking at Michael when he was first born and thinking he looked so much like Luke...only about 1/3 of his newborn size (he was 5.2 lbs).  Also, being alarmed that he was so teeny that his skin was wrinkled and hung off him like he was wearing a suit about 2 sizes too big.  He looked quite old-man-ish and he wouldn't stay awake for anything.  He was too tired to eat, even.  Also, I kept thinking he looked like a tree frog.

Anna was a little scowler from the get-go.  I mean, even in ultra-sounds she had a pouty face (Auntie said once that she was going to give Angelina a run for her money with those lips)...she's always been a force of nature.  Never shying away from the crying...always a miraculous sleeper compared to her brothers.  It's funny to look back and see their personalities present even at the very beginning...Anna screamed like it was her job (which I guess it was) when she was hungry.  I was up with her for the first few nights until my milk came in five days after I delivered them.  She was PISSED!  In fact, Mikey was a quiet lad until they were a month old because a light bulb when off in his head and he said, "Ding, ding!  She gets held/changed/fed/rocked/etc because SHE YELLS AT THEM!"  And he proceeded to follow her example.  He loved to be around her so much when I'd put them down for a nap in their pack n play, he'd naturally worm his way over to her and end up sleeping with his head on her shoulder (see first picture).

It has been an amazing journey with these two.  I take comfort in knowing that they will always have each other (and Luke, of course)...I hope they grow up to like each other because it seems this bond they have is unbreakable.  They like to fight, of course...but there is a sweetness and a depth to their twin-hood that I have witnessed over and over again.  I hope it only grows as they get older.

Sometimes I get anxious because my children are so powerful that I feel lost in them and motherhood.  I feel a bit worn down, wondering how my life became this crazy whirlwind of chaotic activity.  I dream of driving away and finding a quiet nook where I can think, dammit.  And I'm sure it is universal to every mother every where...this feeling (especially if you stay at home and opt to wait on a professional life) of 'who am I?  what do I really think/want/need?" because in your life as an at-home mother (especially one of a military spouse), there is little time in life to pursue your own goals.  And I know that Oprah would point out that it is not a recipe for success...but sometimes it's just how it is for a few years.  So yes, it can be hard...but as my friend, and mother of five, told me today, "Your worst day as a mother is still better than anything else you'll ever do."  And I know it sounds trite, maybe...but when I look at these faces, I feel that statement's truth in my bones.  It's hard to give up your life, even for a short time, so you can devote it to your kids...but it is something I will choose every time, at every crossroads, until they are grown because motherhood is a miracle, truly.  It breaks you, sure, but then it remakes you into a stronger, more courageous, more selfless human being every time.  It teaches you that you can give and give and give and feel like you can't give anymore and then get up and give again.  And I'm not saying we should forget ourselves in it or neglect ourselves in it (I am a feminist after all), but I do believe that sometimes it can strip away all the things you thought you needed to be or to have and show you what life is, really.  And that every stage is temporary...and that we'll all come back around to ourselves eventually, with plenty of peace and quiet...

Anyway...I just want to say to Michael and Anna, Happy 3rd birthday, darlings.  I was so afraid of the challenge you presented me with...but I have been enriched and humbled so much by the two of you...we are lucky to have you and to have gotten you together.  Grow strong my sweet, adventurous, brave, sensitive little man...never forget your own voice (which you know so well now), my beautiful, smart, (selectively) kind, cow-costume wearing daughter.  I thank the Universe for your life every day...and I feel fortunate to have kissed your wounds, dried your tears, cleaned up your messes, felt your arms around my neck (sometimes strangling me, sometimes hugging me).  I am glad it worked out this way...I am lucky to have you both.  I wish you love and joy all the years of your life...

(And Mikey, if you could say, "I have to go potty now" before you crap your pants in, say, the next month or two, I'd be eternally grateful!)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!! (Or, "Mikey celebrates Love Day by throwing up on people")

The kids playing with balloons L's teacher gave them...

M forcibly hugs A...



More Valentine's Day happiness...



Anna bakes a birthday cake for Dad...

Guess he's younger than we thought...

I made these cupcakes for F between Mikey's episodes...they are awesome and they are vegan!  Don't knock it til you try it!

We don't really get into Valentine's Day.  It seems a little contrived to us (has anyone else noticed that as a nation, we generally celebrate holidays by buying stuff on command? Sure, we do have some holidays that center around eating certain things on certain days...but I noticed this while I was reading a book on Chinese New Year to L...they have rituals they do like going to a temple or cleaning the house or setting off firecrackers, but our rituals center mainly on buying stuff together), so we aren't really into that kind of thing.  As it happens, it is also F's birthday (a fact that I can count on to find both ironic and hilarious as he is probably the least mushy dude I know...he once told me that he thought engagement rings were totally ridiculous expenditures and that a marriage would be better served if one invested in, say, new hardwood floors)...he would like to grow older quietly, without a fuss being made over him.  Ha!  Fat chance in this family.  We like to force him to have cupcakes and a special dinner so that we can sing to him...and we get him little presents even if he tells us year after year not to get him anything.  It's really about us and our desire to celebrate his life whether he likes it or not!
Of course, there is always a kink in the proverbial hose.  And that was Mikey who had a stomach virus that he is still, at this writing, trying to get over.  He woke up from his nap throwing up all over the place and proceeded to throw up everything he ate or drank until the end of the night.  The crowning moment was when F was reading bedtime stories to the twins and M threw up on his sister.  She was not pleased.  I wish I could've caught that face on film!  She perked up when she found out she could have a bath that late at night, though!  Anyhoo...he seems to be better today, but one can never tell.
L was so happy to get so many awesome Valentines from his friends at school.  His most prized was a blue tractor from his buddy, Cevan (thanks, Miss Chy!).  Reason #122,991,546 that we love his school: he came home with three red, heart-shaped, mylar balloons from his teachers!  You never saw such happy kids!  I made him make valentines for his friends, which he was happy to do as long as I included some store-bought Toy Story 3 valentines, too.  (He is Buzz Lightyear.  They call Frank "Ham" after the piggy bank from the TS movies...I am Rex, the Tyrannosaurus (is this a commentary on my temper???), Anna is Andy, the boy who owns all the toys, and Mikey is Jessie, the yodeling Cow girl and sometimes Woody)  It was a super fun day until the puking started.
I think F had  a good day...I did make him chicken parmesan, after all.  And don't judge, he LOVED the vegan cupcakes...even the vegan icing which was all made with whole wheat flour, no eggs, no butter, no processed sugars at all (I subbed in agave syrup and maple syrup because they are easier for the body to process...I am trying to get us all off of any kind of processed sugars, that's my new thing)...F said he wouldn't eat them if they were horrible or even bad.  And he ate a couple!  So I think I did well...hooray!  He makes me love him more every day, seeing him interact with the kids (well, maybe NOT every day, but most days, hee hee)...who else would answer cheerfully to "Hi, Ham!" every day when he gets off work?

A message from your not-so local Marstons....

We started a family band...contact Mama for booking (read: put the ear plugs in now)

The weekend before last, F brought out his guitar and the children mobbed him...especially Mikey...

I know our life is crazy.  A lot of the time there are tantrums and destruction and fighting (sometimes with bloodshed).  I like to make jokes about it, the ridiculousness of child-rearing...but there are plenty of moments where the love in our life is so apparent, so palpable, it brings tears to my eyes.  And the weekend before last, when there was a lull in the various sicknesses we've had since the beginning of the year, was just such a moment.  F brought out his guitar and the kids crowded around it, trying to play it, then grabbing their toy drums, and some pots and pans to join in the singing.  It's the moments like these that are the real romantic moments in my life...not the absence of the kids or roses or chocolates or what have you...my dear husband, patiently attempting to play the guitar while keeping the kids engaged but protecting his guitar from scratching, making up songs about garbage trucks, sperm whales, and Christopher Robin on the fly (and on demand).  It was such a fun night...sitting around like that, banging on pots, singing all together...I kept looking at F, thinking, "What a fine man I've chosen to spend my life with." 
I recently read a quote from the actress who plays Pam on "The Office."  She said when she was going through her divorce, someone told her that it's not hard to find someone to love, what is difficult is finding someone to spend your life with.  That is so true, I think.  What the mainstream advertisers sell as true romance pales in comparison with what I feel is really romantic, the actions that really demonstrate love and respect (like when F is exhausted and gets up with Diarrhea Mikey, takes him to the toilet, cleans him up, etc because he knows I've been doing it all week while he's been away) in a marriage.  Watching F and the kiddos making their music together, all the sweetness of their respective personalities shining through, my life felt full and joyful.  It's easy to feel overwhelmed by these little people and often, I do...but then I have moments of clarity where I can see the beauty of family and I feel profoundly grateful for all their little lives and for my husband...my own family life as a child and teenager was not often happy...and my 20s were essentially rootless...and to have this little band of merrymakers as my people, my roots, my family sometimes still feels miraculous.  I am so thankful for them all...and for the excellent fortune I had in stumbling into this...

The Mighty Hornets Triumph 5-4 (thanks to a basket from the other team)

That's our man, #14...practicing his passing with Coach Daddy...they warmed up in their blue uniforms...but switched to white for the game...

The Hornets practice shooting the ball...

Where is Luke?  Look closely at the water fountain for the answer to that puzzling question...

Congregating at the other end of the court...Luke does some traveling....

One of L's teammates gets a free throw...

Luke played his first basketball game yesterday morning.  As we were leaving for the Y, he kept repeating over and over that he didn't like basketball and that he didn't want to play anymore.  And then we got to the gym and he got to see the last part of his friend, Cevan's, team's game and all of a sudden, he was measurably more interested in not only playing, but winning the game.  Anyhoo...watching a basketball game between two teams of preschool/kindergarten-aged kids is HILARIOUS for those of you who haven't done so in a while.  I think it was shocking to everyone that there was only one ball (in practice, I think there are enough for everyone, so this really threw them for a loop).  It acted like a magnet...they kept crowding around it (and sometimes wrestling for it)...at one point, one little cutie got body-slammed by an opponent who tackled him with a flying leap from across the court.  Both boys were fine, but a little startled, I think, by what had just transpired.  Luke now says he really likes the game...and that Daddy is his Coach (F signed on to be an assistant coach at the most because of his limiting work schedule...but then nobody else showed up, so they promoted him)...it was one of the funniest mornings I've had in a while.  We look forward to future games...may the Mighty Hornets always reign supreme (and master some actual b-ball skills)...

IT'S THE ARCTIC!

It's 7:30 am...L is already outdoors in the Arctic, frolicking with whales and rescuing polar bears, he says...

He says the dump site is over here...good thing Mikey's not outside, or that sentence might have a sinister meaning...

"Yaaay!  It's Christopher Robin!" L shouts as Anna comes out to play....

"Mama!  Christopher Robin likes SNOW!"  Anna has been CR for about 4 days now (with a brief Raffi break for a few hours)

"What?!?  No, we're not cold, Mama!"

2 hour delay = time for Luke and Anna to play in the snow BEFORE it melts!!!  Hooray!  Luke was beyond THRILLED this morning when he woke up and found a light dusting of snow everywhere.  He finished his breakfast (kale/collard green/berry/banana/green apple smoothie...don't knock it til you try it...and French toast) in record time and headed out back (where he still is while I write this at 8:33...currently, he is eating snow...a practice I can't stop and that makes me a little ill to think about)...anyhoo...he has incredible Arctic weather stamina.  Anna just came back in after 20 minutes of playing (ironically, it takes her about the same amount of time to get her ready to go outside in the snow what with all the potty trips, hair-braiding, suiting up, hunting for socks, time it takes for her to put her mittens on herself, etc)...but I think ol' Christopher Robin had a good time with Buzz Lightyear.
Did you notice a dearth of Mikey-ness out there?  Yup...crazy, but he is STILL sleeping.  He's been sick for like 3 weeks now...and he wouldn't nap yesterday, so I think he is catching up this AM.  I noticed there was a lack of crying/pummeling/stealing of trucks during that 20 minutes that L and A were playing together.  Hmmm....

Some School Work for your Viewing Pleasure...

This is the FIRST time Luke has drawn people...and faces!  And written their names!  He said the circle in the center is a thought bubble...notice: it is empty...

Practicing his numbers...he has written all of them to 100...he LOVES math...obviously, not due to my genes...

Luke is literate!  And able to write legibly..I am especially impressed with his "s's"...we were practicing them a couple weeks ago and it was tough to do it upright, but Montessori school kicked in and now he can!  Hooray!

So he doesn't color in the lines...oh well...he is awesome at writing!

He writes these calendars every day at school and puts a sticker on the actual day...it helps him learn the dates, I think...

I have been slacking on the updates because we've been cycling through various colds and viruses these first couple months of 2011.  The year of the Rabbit is kicking our butts!  Currently, F and the wee ones have the horrible colds Luke and I had last week.  I had to post these pictures of Luke's school work because I am so proud of how hard he works every day!  And I am excited that he is becoming a literate member of society!  Plus, he can add...and somehow, he loves math!  He told me excitedly that he got to do the "addition strip" at school...and tried to explain it, but I'm not sure I understand.  Whatever it is, it is something awesome.  Please excuse my excitement (sometimes it can come across as bragging)...it's amazing to see these people who start out as tiny blobby infants turn into actual people who talk and write and read and master all this crazy human skills.  These colds/viruses have evidently sucked out any intelligent things I had to say about our lives...so I will stop for now and hope inspiration strikes at some point...

Turn your back for 5 minutes...

She did this all by herself...apparently you have to empty the book case so that you can find 3 (over-sized)  books to stuff in your sheep-shaped purse...

Mikey introduces me to "Naked Farm Building"...sure to be a hit with the preschool set...

Maybe it was more like 10 minutes.  But this is what happens around here when I have to be on the phone with the insurance company and then the pediatrician so that I might book their next well-child visits.  First, an avalanche of books (she ain't nobody's fool...she totally blamed this on her brother) then...I found Mikey's pants...then his underwear...then him, stark naked, happily building a farm.  Usually the shedding of Mikey's clothes indicates an accident, but not on this occasion (thank God!)...he just needed some...ahem...freedom...next time maybe I should do what all smart parents do and turn on the TV?