Funny

Today I made a stop at The Dollar Store.

The guy in front of me in line holds an item up to the cashier and asks, "How much is this?" (And I assure you...he was completely serious.)

To which the cashier calmly responded, "One dollar."

I laughed the whole way out to my car.

What Curtis Has Been Up To

Remember when I was nervous about having a boy? Remember how I forgot about all that nervousness simply because he was just SO DARN CUTE?

Well...I do believe I recall now why I was apprehensive to begin with. Boys don't sit still. I mean it, they're always moving. Yeah, yeah, I know some of you already know this little bit of info all too well. I'm just saying that, at 18 months, Curtis has figured out how to keep his mother in a perpetual state of neurotic jumpiness. Caused by:

His newfound love of bugs (and other creeping things):

His independent need to self-serve from the kitchen cupboards:

His passion for bike-riding:

His habit of emptying each wipe individually from every container possible:

His compulsion for trying on others' shoes (a precursor to constant tripping):

And last, but not least, his erroneous belief that he is a Junior Spiderman:

I'd also like to mention that I don't have photographic evidence of him stranding himself on the bathroom counter between the wall and a sink-full of water, emptying all the dishes out of my kitchen cupboards, climbing the bookshelf, climbing into the fridge, jumping off the couch, jumping off the coffee table onto the couch, drawing on himself with a pen, diving in (and OUT) of the bathtub, OR peeing on the floor.

I do like to take pictures, but sometimes you just have to nip some things in the bud. Right?

The Tooth Fairy

It's been 68 days since we noticed the loose tooth. 68 long and dreary days of impatient waiting and wiggling. There were times I didn't think she'd make it...it was just too much to expect of a 6 1/2 year old. But...somehow she endured.

To be honest, I'm not sure the tooth was actually ready to pop out of that cute little mouth. And this is evidence of the impatience of my child: she simply couldn't wait any longer and actually allowed, nay, encouraged, her father to stick a pair of pliers in her mouth and yank the offending tooth out.

This yanking was followed by more blood than either of them expected, and some coaxing by her father to make sure she was okay with it all. But, as you can tell, the loss of the tooth was a victory to be celebrated. And celebrate she did. I don't think she has stopped grinning and/or showing it off since.

Congrats, kiddo! Save those "Tooth Fairy Quarters" for something worthwhile!

Nostalgia

As a kid I loved summers. And not just because school was finally out. I loved summers because I knew there would be a couple weeks spent with grandpa and grandma in Idaho. Mom and dad would pack us up in the pea-green Ford Maverik (yea...it was awesome) and drive 10 hours to foist us on our maternal grandparents.

Those summer days of my memory were full of magic. We would spend hour upon hour exploring the farm and all it's nooks and crannies, building dams in the river, catching frogs, sneaking fresh peas and carrots from grandma's garden, shooting cans off the fence with bb's, and basically living the care-free life of children. Grandma and grandpa were strict, but in different ways than our parents. And they did allow us little concessions that would never fly at home. My favorite concession was that each child got to pick out one box of cereal. Whatever cereal we wanted. And, as you can imagine, we came home with the most sugary-sweet box we could find. My brother's pick: Captain Crunch. Mine: Froot Loops. Seriously awesome.

The other day I happened to pick up a box of Froot Loops (because they were on sale and I'm not as smart as my mom). This morning I told the girls they could have some. I cracked into the box and opened up the bag. And, the second I did, the smell of those sugar-filled loops made me homesick. Homesick for the farm. Homesick for the smell of the woods. Homesick for my grandparents.

It was at that moment I realized that while I was having the time of my life, there was also a fantastic side-effect. I got to know grandpa and grandma in a way I never would have any other way. And I'm so lucky...and grateful.

Grandpa, I miss you. I know you're in a much better place, but the world isn't the same without you and your "bang!" to keep us hopping.

Grandma, it's been an incredible blessing to have you around to meet my children. They love you...almost as much as I do. And we all hope to see you real soon.

It's Hopeless

This evening, as Ellie was in her bedroom trying heroically to put on her jammies, I heard a sudden fit of foot-stomping. I walked in to find her confused and upset. She just couldn't match up the buttons and button-holes the correct way. Finally she turned to me, nearly in tears, and said, "Mom, it's hopeless!"

Luckily, mom has some serious buttoning skills or all would certainly be lost.