Heard Today

"Nee-nah; nee-nah..."  This is G's version of singing the "Clean up; clean up" song.  He began singing as soon as he went into our front room and saw Joseph's study zone.

"After"

This is almost the "After."  Apparently, there is still more to come, but I couldn't wait to show you all.

Amy spent last Saturday with us (with my fabulous goddaughter La!).  Amy said she'd do some work around my yard, and had me take her all around the house, pointing out what I liked & didn't like.

On Monday after work I found out that she had been at my house, working all day in the 90 degree heat!  The results were beautiful!  And then she came back Tuesday!  And Wednesday!  And Thursday!  No joke.  I think she may be planning to come back yet again.  It has been a stunning gift.  She even remembered me saying that I wanted, some day, to plant a lilac outside my bedroom window so I could enjoy the fragrance in my room.  She bought & planted my lilac.  Seriously unreal.

So here's how it looks now...

(the brown bag is hiding our last name & our house #)

My lilac:

Has anyone else ever received a gift this awesome?

Another First!

I know you're thinking that I just baked chicken for the first time.  But no - not yet for that.  See the wristband?...

Today was G's first trip to the Emergency Room!  Didn't take long for that.  Although, at the rate he has accidents, I'm sure it's not too surprising.

The 3 of us were outside.  G was mostly standing around because he still doesn't really "get" independent imaginative play.  Joseph was cutting branches and I was bagging them.  Suddenly G started SCREAMING & rubbing at his eye, which he would not open. 

(Skipping the boring middle of the story)

We end up in the ER, G with his eye numbed.  The doc has the eyelid flipped, and he finds the "foreign body therein!"  It was a speck.  Seriously, a speck.  The size of a period.  Crazy to see how much trouble a speck can cause.

Soon we'll see how crazy the cost of speck-removal is.

Being in that hospital in our cozy suburb is weird to me.  It's so much like (I imagine) a luxury spa would be.  Tranquil environment, plenty of staff there to serve you, polite capability everywhere.  Today, being there with G, made the experience even more weird.  Do you know that when someone goes to a hospital in Haiti they'd better have a friend there to take care of them?  Assuming that they are seen, the friend will be responsible for providing any food & water.  They need to bring their own medical supplies for any treatment that's done.  I've heard this information from multiple sources and believe it to be true.. before the earthquake.  I don't know what it's like now.  I know that the people of Haiti still desperately need help. 

And I know I'm very glad that G is home, safe.

Using Your Head

Every night G chooses some books to take into my room for reading before bed.  Sometimes he tries to carry them in on his head.  Sometimes he really wants me to carry them in on my head. 
It is always disappointing and hilarious when I fail.

"Before"

Assuming that you all are completely fascinated by what's happening with my (lack of) landscaping....

I hate to leave you hanging with just the "before" photo, but....

2 Timothy 2

I'm liking verses 3 & 4:

"Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army."

Plenty of applications for that - eh?

Tadpoles: A Nature Experience

... I mean "A Nature Experience: Suburban-style."  Because I really want my child to experience wading for tadpoles... surrounded by 10,000 other children in the beautiful man-made pond.  The perfectly-smooth stepping stones were treated with a non-slip surface.  jk  What can I say?  It works for me.

And - btw - I don't think I'd ever seen tadpoles before.  They're pretty cool - little black swishy things.  Not at all like the textbooks show.  The Morton Arboretum - I'd recommend it.