No Foolin' Around Here

For about half a second I thought about posting some sort of crazy April Fool's joke, like that I was pregnant, or that Brian was quitting the Coast Guard, or that we hate Hawaii, or that Charley went an entire day without being put in time-out . . . but then I thought that would potentially just start some vicious rumors and cause a couple heart attacks, so I decided to just skip it this year. And if you send me something equally as shocking, I'm going to be suspicious. :)

Let's see, what's new around here . . .

We didn't get to go the water park this weekend as planned because I totally spaced out the fact that I was going to be getting cut on by the dermatologist on Friday, and of course beaches and pools are not recommended for healing wounds. So instead on Saturday we just ran a few errands, took the kids out to lunch, and let them ride on some $.25 kiddie rides at the Navy Exchange (pretty cheap entertainment if you ask me). Overall we sort of just took it easy and relaxed, not doing a whole lot. On Sunday, as promised, we started working on the lawn, and I quickly realized how unrealistic I was about how much there was to do and how much we could get done. Don't get me wrong, we worked hard and got quite a bit done (especially Brian), but there was so much to do to begin with that we just made a small dent. So, we plan on spending one weekend day each week working on the yard until it either gets done or we get burned out, whichever comes first.

Yesterday Charley started swimming lessons, and I swear it could not have gone any better. She was super excited about it, listened to the teacher, didn't cry or whine for even one second, and best of all, she actually enjoyed herself and is looking forward to going back today. Thank the Lord for small miracles! Now just keep praying that the attitude and good behavior endures for two solid weeks. And that Zander doesn't drive me completely nuts, running around the pool and/or whining while Charley is doing her lesson. Amen.

Today we hit the grocery store, which was as painful as usual. I think that grocery shopping with the kids is my least favorite household duty. Overall the kids do as good as can be expected when they are confined to a grocery cart for an hour in a "cold store" as Charley calls it. I take snacks, books, and try to keep them busy and fed, but it's still tough for them to sit still that long. The good thing is that we go VERY early (we were there when they open at 8:00 a.m.) when it's not very crowded, so there are not too many people to get in our way as we speed down the isles, nor many people to be offended by my sometimes obnoxious kids. The downside is that we always go around pay day, just like everyone else, so the store is sometimes picked over by the time I make it (sorry guys, no Eggo strawberry pancakes this week).

In other news, Zander has recently turned into one big scab. He looks like he is abused, with bandaids covering both knees and shins, bug bites everywhere, and even a great big scab starting at his eye and running down his entire cheek from doing a face skid on the pavement. In sum, he looks like a boy. It's almost as if what he thinks he can do in his mind does not match what his body is yet capable of. He thinks he can sprint down the pavement after his sister, yet his small little clumsy legs easily get tripped up, frequently bringing him to a screeching halt/face plant on the ground. He also likes to run forward while looking behind himself, mostly to see if anyone is chasing him, and this is not a good combo (try it sometime). Again, it leads to lots of face plants and running into things. By some miracle, he has not yet chipped any teeth, but I'm just waiting for the day because he is constantly looking up at me with tears in his eyes and a mouth full of blood. Why is the mouth always one of the first casualties? Thank goodness he's a pretty tough guy.

On an academic note, Zander has now mastered his upper case ABC's, knows his numbers 1 through 10, and can recognize a circle, triangle, and square. He LOVES LOVES LOVES symbols in any form (must get that from Brian), so we'll keep teaching him as long as he wants to learn. He seems to be soaking it all up like a little sponge. Maybe he'll be an early reader. And I have I already mentioned that he's a talker, just like his sister? I think there is little doubt out there where they get THAT from.

Charley is doing really well on expanding her vocabulary, and her new favorite words include "schedule," "actually," "disgusting," and "absolutely." We are now working with her on making the "th" sound instead of an "f" sound, like "thank you" instead of "fank you" and "thirsty" instead of "firsty," and she seems to be catching on pretty quickly. We are also working with her on how to spell her name, and also working on lower case letters. I guess both of the kids are just great big sponges, eager to learn new stuff. Now if we could only make them dislike watching T.V. . . . .