A-Wanderin' We Go

We went for a short walk with some friends recently. Our trips included the library and Arctic Circle for ice cream cones all around. Mason rode his bike, and with the huge hill that comes off the walking path to the sidewalk, it felt a little more like hiking; Ashlyn found some flowers to blow. I'm glad we weren't by our already-infested yard! And Claire talked to the friendly animals dangling from her car seat/stroller.

In the end, Mason was exhausted, and came home toting only about half of the 12 library books he selected. Heather got to snuggle with Claire (and was spit up on, thus being inducted into "the circle") for a while. Mom got out of the house for some fresh air and sunshine. Overall, I would say it was a hit.

Three Months and Counting

Likes: snuggling, her swing and bouncy chair, sitting up, staring at the lady bugs on her walls, ceiling fans, kicking those long legs, her grandpas, sneezing

Dislikes: Mason's loud noises, the hiccups, being put down, the carseat

Is this how we pictured it?

At least, that's what Alan always asks me. Usually as we're sitting in the porch swing while both kids are crying. Our sixth wedding anniversary was last Sunday, so here ya go. I finally got around to it. Thanks to my mom for scanning the pictures, which gave her much difficulty. Thanks to Alan for putting up with me all this time. He must be crazy. It's not what I pictured, but it's what I would have pictured if I had known what to ask for.

Like good wine, marriage gets better with age - once you learn to keep a cork in it.

-Gene Perret

Six years

Two kids

Two dogs

One house

Nine jobs

Eleven states

One college degree

Many years to go

Love you!

Murphy hates my freaking guts

So on top of all the other stuff, our car broke down last week. In the grocery store parking lot. Alan had to deal with me towing it (I'm not great at that sort of stuff...I've barely got normal driving under control). In the end, it had to go into the shop.

We got it back today, $500 later; it's sporting a new timing belt, a new water pump, a new serpentine belt, and a couple of other things I cannot name. Granted, it is an older car with many miles on it. We knew it would need some help. Still, don't believe the guy selling a car on KSL when he tells you he replaced the timing belt. Chances are, he's a liar.

On the bright side, our mechanic is awesome. Email me if you need a referral.

Nice!

Being the sole caretaker of an infant led to a lack of photographic evidence of our recent camping trip. So while I attempt to steal pictures from my mother-in-law to post, chew on this conversation with Mason from earlier today.

First, let me set the stage. We were driving home from Mason's swimming lesson, engaged in fairly pleasant conversation, when he posed the following question.


Mason: How do you kill someone?

Dad (after he had picked his jaw up off the floor, under his breath to mom): You're so in charge of answering this one.

Mom (with a dirty look in Dad's direction): You don't. It's naughty. Like, the naughtiest thing ever.

Dad: Yeah, that would get you a really big time out.

MAN! Do you ever wonder where things your kids say come from? I for one have no idea what prompted this. We weren't having a conversation about where we would hide the bodies; we hadn't even jokingly referred to Achmed, the Dead Terrorist.

Things That Make You Go #@%*&!

This is what happens when you have a little monkey who insists on swinging from things that aren't, oh, I don't know IMBEDDED INTO A STUD. And the conversation goes something like this:

Mason (rubbing eyes): I want that circle thing back in the wall.

Mom: Well, I think the hole makes that impossible right now. We'll have to fix it. Are your eyes okay?

Mason: No!

Mom (with a sigh): Mason, didn't I ask you not to swing from it like a monkey?

Mason: Yeah.

Mom: Then why did you do it?

Mason: Because it's a swing!

So I took my friend's advice to grab the camera. Mason ran off before I could get a picture of him with his face covered in sheetrock. Did I mention he happened to be wearing his bicycle helmet when this happened? At least he believes in workplace safety. (Or he learned something from earlier today when he tried to climb an unopened ladder that landed on his head. Other than a small scrape on his forehead, he's just fine). His eyes survived this run in with sheetrock/paint/drywall. We can only hope he'll be so lucky when he "helps" us fix the wall.