Friday Gallimaufry

Let's see...what has happened this week...

*Henry has discovered the Mr. Rogers CD in my car, and it is his new favorite. He likes "Some are Fancy on the Outside..." and "Be Brave, and then Be Strong...Be Brave, you won't go wro-o-ong!" I did little hand movements with them the first time we listened (he was screaming and I was trying to distract him), so now I have to do them every.time!

*Todd's company had a meeting to let them know that business has really picked up - lots of banks are hiring them to monitor mortgages and try to help people not default. They said they are having to turn people away and they're going to hire people - good news!

*Todd has lost a total of 26 lbs since the middle of December!!! He is proud that he can now run 50 minutes without stopping.

*Leo's ear hurt in the night a couple of nights, and then he came home from school yesterday at noon with a stomachache. I took him in, and he has a sinus infection and a double ear infection. The illness train continues, but this one isn't too bad.

*Henry and I went to the zoo on Tuesday. Turns out this was TAKS test day, so lots of schools were there. Over 3000 kids. Oof. But the first hour, we had it all to ourselves and even got to watch a zookeeper feed some birds...she talked to us all about each one...pretty neat. Wednesday, we met Miss Allie and "baby" Luke at the Arboretum. The weather was gorgeous, and they enjoyed exploring some little houses they have set up. Will post pictures later. We ate a lovely lunch on the patio in the middle of the gorgeous arboretum. It's a hard life!

*Henry went back to school for the first time in two weeks on Thursday. We've kept him out even though he's been healthy most of that time - trying to let him get completely well...give his little immunity system time to recover. He was there 3 hours b/c I had to pick him up early to get Leo to the doctor...so I predict he'll be sick by Sunday. And what did I do with my 3 hours I had alone? Cleaned toilets, of course!

*We have a fun weekend planned - we'll see if it all actually happens. We're going to have store-bought pizza tonight (gasp!). Going to try a new take-and-bake place called Papa Murphy's. Tomorrow we're planning to go to a family event at a sculpture museum down in Dallas and take a picnic. Todd and I have a date Saturday night to celebrate our 8th anniversary. A babysitter from the neighborhood is coming. Sunday afternoon, I might take Leo to see an IMAX about the ocean - they are studying the ocean at school. We'll see how exhausted I am. I am planning minimal cooking so I won't be so tired from that!

The Great Girl-Scout Cookie Drama

We're not in Kansas anymore. Or, maybe more appropriate is...we're not in anonymous Planoland anymore. We wanted to live in a great neighborhood, and we got it. Everybody knows everybody. The neighborhood grapevine is vast and entertwined.

To give a little background, Todd has lost 26+ lbs since the middle of December. He looks awesome - his jeans are hanging off of him. Todd also has a serious weakness for Thin Mints.

A few weeks ago, I came home from a Saturday run and coffee, and Todd said..."While you were gone, some Girl Scouts came to the door selling cookies. Don't worry, I said no!"

Me: Whaaaaaat? You said NO?!?!?! To Girl Scouts?!?!?!
Todd: (baffled, surprised his Weight Watchers guru is not proud) Yes, I said no TO THIN MINTS.
Me: Oh no. Oh no. You never say no to little Girl Scouts. We're going to be on the neighborhood black list. You just buy and donate to the troops. DONATE TO THE TROOPS!
Todd: Oh, well. It's no big deal.
Me: Oh, it's a big deal.
Todd: Whatever.

So, time passes. I have no idea which girls these were. Now, cookies are being distributed. And one of the moms who picks up her girls in the alley and visits every day has been talking about cookies with the other moms. And she never makes eye contact with me when she talks about this. So, today...we were alone...

Me: So, were your girls the ones Todd said no to about cookies?
Her: Yeah.
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry. He has lost 30 lbs, and he thought he was doing the right thing. I told him to always buy and donate to the troops. It will never happen again. Please come back to our house.
Her: Oh, ok. Yeah, no one has ever said no to them, so they were shocked. They said they would never go back to that house with that man.
Me: Oh, no. He's really very nice. (I should have said...I'm the bitch, lady! Trust me. lol) He just didn't know and was trying to stay on his diet. He doesn't understand. He has been instructed. Can we still buy?
Her: No, but we'll be sure to come next year.
Me: Ok, he'll be ready.

hahaha!

So, I told Todd all of this after work. He, of course, couldn't believe it. I explained to him that we are no longer anonymous and that he must always buy Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn.

And this is all so confusing b/c we just found out that the special needs adult who comes around collecting for the March of Dimes is really just a scam. Todd thinks he has given him at least $40.

I am learning that anonymity has its perks.

The Peppercorn

At Leo's school, they always have a blow-up yard decoration for the appropriate holiday out on display in the lobby. Right now it is a big leprechaun. Henry and I went up there to take Leo his snack that I forgot to pack, and Henry was quite taken with/terrified of the Leprechaun. He has talked about it for two days. I had to get his pronunciation on tape.

(I started this video the right way and THEN TURNED THE CAMERA! I need a new camera that fixes this problem.)


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What's going on?

Well, we have a pretty quiet week ahead of us. No big plans...just hanging out. The weather is supposed to be nice, so I imagine Henry and I will do a few excursions.

After our Winter-from-You-Know-Where, we're hoping we are all better. I last posted that we had the flu (after WEEKS of illnesses)...since then, the boys have both had ANOTHER stomach bug and Henry had fever/wheezing/ear infection last week. On the advice of the pediatrician, we've kept Henry home from Mother's Day Out for 10 days to let him get completely, totally well and rested. I think he's going back to MDO on Thurs. of this week...but we'll see how brave I feel. Today is the first day in a long time that he has been happy and playful...I'm scared to mess it up, honestly. Last week was a living nightmare of whining, crying, and total craziness with him.

Henry has become somewhat of a blanket wagger. GG (my Mamaw...Henry's "G"reat "G"randma) made Leo this blanket. I had good intentions of putting it away to save for Leo...but Henry found it and has adopted it. When he gets sick or upset, he has to have his "bankit." There was lots of bankit time last week. And Barney. Henry is a blanket wagger and Barney lover.

(Yes, I know he is 2.5 and has a paci in these pictures. Those who judge can please come live here during a sick week. :) )

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Leo has 99% good days at school...but we've had a few hiccups. One day they were playing chase...and a child caught him and restrained him. So Leo ...BIT THE CHILD on the arm. Yes, we had some discussions about that. Last week, he was apparently "wild" in the bathroom after lunch. Here is his note to his teacher.


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"Dear Ms Price, I'm very sorry about what happened today. I promise I will never do it again. I know it is not OK to be wild in the bathroom. From, Leo."

Leo loves to do "projects" from "The Project Store"...aka, Michael's. This weekend, he made a Tinkerbell clay mold think-a-ma-jig.


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And, finally...a glimpse into my world. I was washing sheets today after school. I sat Leo down...got eye contact...and asked him to go upstairs and take the sheets off of his bed and Henry's bed. He has helped me with this before, so I thought maybe he could do it alone. Next thing I know, the crib mattress is downstairs in the living room. Oh, well....pretty close!


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