Pre-Halloween Scariness

A few recent hilarious stumpers from Annie:

-Where does the moon go during the day? Why can I see it sometimes during the day?

-Why do apples have stems?

-How does the medicine in the shot know how to stop the bad germs from making me sick?

-Why can't we see music?

So, I need some experts in astrology, horticulture, medicine, and physics to come to my house and have a little seminar gears toward 3-year-olds.

Lest you think that Annie has magically become a mature, thoughtful genius-child, here are a few other things she's done in the last few days:

-Cried because: her applesause was too cold, she bit her own finger while eating, Jemma's babbling was "hurting her feelings," her bike helmet (which she's worn for half a year now) was "choking" her, the toilet seat was too cold, her socks were too tight, she didn't want her hair in a ponytail, she wanted a different spoon for her yogurt. And I may be forgetting some.

-Claimed her ears hurt twice during the height of the unreasonable behavior, prompting a 5:00 p.m. add-on appointment to the doctor yesterday (right when Jemma's at her hungriest and fussiest), just to be told that there's absolutely nothing wrong with her ears.

-Threw a metal music box at Jemma's head.

-Refused to nap two days running and then melted down around 5:00 p.m.

I'm wiped out and can't believe it's only Tuesday night. Tuesday! Plus we have a week and weekend jam-packed with Halloween activities, overnight guests, birthday parties, football games, and literally one thing after another. Let's hope she can get it together tomorrow, or that little lion coming out of our front door really will be scary to someone. Me.

Bright Lights, Big City

Jason and I took a break from Mommy and Daddy duty Friday night and had a fun night out on the town. And that town didn't seem so much like Grand Rapids to us as maybe, say, Miami. Or New York City. (But then, we don't get out much.) After we got the kids in bed and Heidi came over (we're starting a neighbor-babysitting-coop thing with them; it was our turn to "watch" Jonathan last night), we started the evening off at the new Grand Rapids Art Museum. Very cool building, very hip vibe, live music, a little red wine . . . we felt like real grown-ups doing something with our brains. I like modern art in a detached, "isn't that bizarre/interesting" sort of way, and only in museums, never in my house, but still, it's good to look at every once in a while.

After the museum, we had dinner at six one six, the new restaurant downtown. Very hoity-toity atmosphere, all clean lines and tiny tables very close together. It was good for us to try something different, but it wasn't the best atmosphere for a cozy dinner for two. We loved our food; Jason got a steak and I got something called the Pumpkin Stack (Of course I did. It's October; if there's something "pumpkin" on a menu, I must order it.), which was fresh pasta and pumpkin, goat cheese, cranberries, basil, and a bunch of other yummy things that made me happy. If nothing else, it was refreshing to spend a few uninterrupted hours with Jason and catch up on all those conversations that are impossible to have when Annie's asking repetitive questions or making constant demands.

Yesterday was a gloomy, cool, rainy day, and I spent it doing less-glamorous things such as: scrubbing the upstairs shower with Comet and a toothbrush, washing floors, doing three loads of laundry, making lasagna for dinner, wiping Jemma's snotty nose every 3 1/2 minutes - you know, things that made me realize that I was not, indeed, in Miami or New York City. And then I watched Jonathan last night (and by watched, I mean read my book on their couch while listening to his monitor) so Heidi and Patrick could go out to dinner.

Now, Jason has Annie at church, Jemma's napping, and I'm thinking about taking advantage of this gorgeous morning and going for a run when they get home.

Jemma's 10-month stats

Jemma's stats from yesterday: 15 lbs, 3 oz (5th percentile), 26.5 inches (40th percentile), and head 35th percentile. She charmed the doctor with her sign for "more," lion growl, and semi-toothy smile at her otoscope light. Today, she was less charming; I think this cold she has is at its peak after three days of crappy sleep and lots of snot . . . . poor grumpy baby. I actually put her down for a 3rd nap today for the first time in about 4 months, and she went for it!

Annie had Twinkle Toes this morning, as usual, but with an added twist: they got to wear their costumes! So instead of ballerinas running around with Miss Amy, there was a lion, chicken, cat, Snow White, and two fairy princesses. Pretty cute. This afternoon, she, Lucy, and Caden were frolicing in the most beautiful orange leaves in the front yard - Shelly and I had to run and get our cameras to capture the moments. I'll post some digital ones if she sends them to me (mine are film).

It's been a long couple of days, so after Jemma was safely in bed tonight, I came upstairs to do some gift-getting for various people via the Internet and catch up on e-mails and blogs. Instead, Annie emerged from her shower to show me how she had wrapped her bath towel around her head "just like Mommy" and then begged for ME to take her downstairs, get her jammies on, and read her stories. I had been planning to let Jason have a turn tonight, but she was so adorable that I couldn't resist. As I picked up her little nakie body with a giant towel around her head, she made it worth my while and said, "I like the smell of you, Mommy." Awwww . . .

Birth Control

Some days, you're rolling along and everything's clicking and you're thinking, maybe we will have another baby (not immediately or anything, but eventually) and you're feeling deeply in love with your children and congratulating yourself on being such a "together" mom . . . . .

and then

your infant poops in the tub while your toddler busts into the bathroom and starts to poop on the toilet and you scoop the wet infant, screaming, out of the tub and tear through the house to find the Clorox disinfecting wipes and try to drain the tub while your toddler asks a continual stream of annoying questions about the poop in the tub and says "Mommy, wipe me" just as you're trying to re-fill the tub and clean the poop off your squirmy infant and put her back in the water.

And then you think, we'll see about that other baby.

A Random Tuesday

I feel like "Tuesday" is always the day referenced in poetry when the writer is trying to describe a very basic, average kind of day. (And if I ever unpack my beloved boxes of books from South Haven and find my Billy Collins, I'll post an example.) For us, today really was an average day, but good in lots of small ways. The highlights:

-Waking up miraculously at 6:29 a.m. for my 6:30 run with Sarah, even though I had accidentally set my alarm for 6:20 P.M. and it obviously didn't go off.

-Standing outside on my front lawn in the dawn darkness upon my return and peeking in at my little family, happily breakfasting in our cozy dining room.

-Having a Test Kitchen moment with Jason, when we attempted (again) to duplicate the Starbucks PSL with some leftover pumpkin, caramel sauce, half & half, and spices. Results: good flavor, weird grainy pumpkin bits at bottom of cup.

-Folding Annie's clean laundry in her room while she proudly matched all her socks.

-Snuggling on the couch with Annie after she woke up from her nap.

-Jamming out with the girls to Led Zeppelin in the car on the way to Grandville.

-Riding up and down the escalator at the mall, watching Annie's grin widen and hearing her say, "It tickles my tummy!"

-Bringing Annie to her very first official dental appointment. She was so PLG in the giant chair, and the hygenist had her wearing special sunglasses to block the bright lamp light. She thought she was quite something and was acting very mature and knowing throughout.

-Watching the end of a gorgeous pink sunset when Jason got home.

Even More Pumpkin

Since it's still October, I continue to embrace the pumpkin revolution all around me (my neighbors are obsessed, too) and tonight I went out on a limb and made Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce from my Everyday Food cookbook. Combined with the leftover Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce from this weekend and Pumpkin Beer, we had a nice little fall dinner.

Well, actually, the food was fine, but the company left something to be desired. Annie declined to nap today and then entered meltdown territory around 4:30, and Jemma was simply unhappy and whiny for reasons of her own. Still, Jason and I were pleased to eat a good dinner at a normal hour and then have the rest of the night free to do dishes, watch the Daily Show, talk more about his possible car options, and just hang out. I'm headed downstairs right now to do just that. But for those adventurous cooks out there, here's the recipe:

1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
4-6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 c sour cream
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
4 garlic cloves, peeled
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 t chili powder
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar

Combine chicken, scallions, and sour cream in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, set aside

In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, red pepper, chili powder, 2 1/2 c water, 2t salt, and 1/4t pepper until smooth. Pour 1 c of the sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 square or other shallow baking dish.

Lay the tortillas flat on a work surface; divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla into a tight log; place seam side down over the sauce in the baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Can be assembled up to 8 hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake.

It's Sunday Night . . .

and suddenly, our weekend is over. It was filled with a bunch of small, unrelated activites - the birthday party, Jason's car shopping (no decision yet, but he's really in love with the Audi A4), hosting Jason's parents for dinner today, another round of Sunday School helping, and lots of general house chores mixed in with a little being outside to enjoy the gorgeous, warm weather. In a move that will make Sarah proud, I was out the door and running around the lake at 6:30 a.m. this morning even though she was enjoying a girls' weekend away. Frankly, it was too dark out there to see my feet, so probably, I should not be running by myself at that time of day anymore. But I was lucky enough to see the sunrise over the lake - all pink and misty from a little bit of fog (or "steamy," as Annie would say).

Annie got a new doll from her Grammy today, and promptly named her Amy, likely after her dance teacher. Then, while playing with baby Amy, Annie instructed Jason's mom to "get out her pointy things" to feed the baby. Oh, my. I think the word "nipple" is going to have to cross my lips soon in a female anatomy discussion.

Jemma has now gotten the beginnings of Annie's cold from last week. She had a runny nose all day and was just generally grouchy and uninterested in food. I hope and pray that I won't be up all night with her. She is also (finally!) getting her first two bottom teeth and is constantly chewing on her pointer finger. PLG. I need to take dozens of pictures of her in the next few weeks while she still has her gummy, baby smile; I feel like they never look quite the same after those teeth peek through while they grin.

Princess Party

I took Annie to Caitlin's 4th birthday party today. It was a Princess Party, so of course she wore her tutu, dress-up shoes, necklaces and bracelets, and a tiara. The other little princesses were similarly attired. What do princesses do at a party? Well, they make their own pizzas, have princess dance parties, play a princess trivia game and princess bingo, listen to the story of Cinderella, break a princess pinata, have a princess gift exchange (Annie got some stamps), and get their picture taken with CINDERELLA (Ena's sister Kelda, who really did look like Cinderella). It was quite the two-hour whirlwind. Annie had to tell everyone she saw today:

"I went to a princess party. And guess who was there???? (eyes wide) Cinderella. Yep." Nodding seriously.

Being there made me exhausted; however, it made Annie very, very hyper. She (luckily) did take a nap when we got home, but then went on a tear for the rest of the day - moving, jumping, running, singing, talking in a very spastic way right through her tricycle ride around the block and our lovely dinner with Heidi, Patrick, and Jonathan. Thank goodness she's in bed and please, please let her sleep later tomorrow than she did today. (6:20. Happy Saturday.)

Jemma in the Tub

Jemma loves her bath. When I take her into the bathroom at night (or if she sneaks her way in there another time of day), she stands right up at the edge of the tub and starts squealing and banging her fist on the side of the tub, like, "Mommy, let's get me in there!" Once in, she splashes half the water out, is obsessed with this little red plastic cup, and spends the whole time trying to stand up. I guess the tub is just such a sturdy surface for her wobbly feet. Tonight, she discovered her reflection in the overflow drain cover and spent at least 10 minutes licking it. So, it's fun to see her so happy in the water, but it's a little stressful, too, trying to hold down a slippery, determined Jemma. And the minute I lift her out . . . the crying begins, and it doesn't end until the last, bitter snap is snapped on her jammies and she can get OUT of that horrible bathroom. What a stinker.

I Got My Hair Cut Today . . .

and that's really all I can think of to report. It's semi-short; it's cute (right now, of course, because someone blew it dry, put product in it, and straightened it); and I hate to admit it, but soon it will go up in a wet ponytail 95% of the time. I called Connie and said, "Your sister cut off half my hair."

A One-Person Play, Starring Annie

Annie's imaginative role-play took her in two different directions today: playing Mommy, and playing Daddy. Here's how it went . . .

As Mommy:

It started when I was in the shower, Jemma was taking her morning nap, and Annie was playing contentedly with Gracie. She came into the bathroom, saying she needed a Kleenex. She's been a little sniffly lately, so I told her to help herself and thought nothing of it. After I was out of the shower, I heard her talking to Gracie from her bedroom.

"Oh, Gracie, honey, OK, just a minute, I know, I know, you're so hungry. Do you want some milk? OK, just a minute, sweetie . . . " I peeked around the corner and saw Annie cradling Gracie while trying to haul her pink chair out of her room. She plunked it down, loudly, in the hallway, and proceeded to sit on it, cover her shoulder with a baby blanket, and feed Gracie. No bottle involved, if you know what I mean.

Now this is nothing new; she's been pretending to nurse her babies ever since Jemma came along. So I smiled, got myself dressed, and then went to dress Annie for the day. Which is when I found the Kleenex, wadded up into a ball and stuffed under her little Gap PJ top, right around the booby area.

"What's this?" I ask.

"That's my pointy thing, for feeding Gracie from my tummy. I need another Kleenex so I can have two of them, like you. Mommy, where are my pointy things?"

(Oh, dear God, the anatomy lessons will never stop, will they?)

Other ways of role-playing Mommy included stomping down the hallway (and, on reflection, I actually do this when I'm bringing Annie to her room for a time-out) and telling me, "I'm giving Gracie a time-out for being rough with Jemma!," taking her shopping cart to go get groceries, putting on lotion, and, of course, going to a concert. It was a busy morning until Jemma got up and we braved the rain to go to the mall. Then, after dinner . . .

As Daddy:

Announced, "I need to go to work. I need you to iron my tie." Then proceeded to have me tie an old ribbon around her neck, put on giant brown dress shoes, drink some coffee from her kitchen coffeemaker, get a bag to carry plus her play doctor kit, and get on her car to go to work. She informed me that she drives a red car, "like Miss Heidi."

"Give me a hug and kiss! I'm going to work! Be good today! See you at dinner!" - all yelled breezily from her car as she was rolling away. Her "office" was in the dining room; "Don't come in here! I'm working!"

Minutes later, she arrived home, apparently weary, and announced that she was going to bed. She took her "tie" off, hung it on our bedroom doorknob, put Jason's shoes back in the closet, and climbed up into our bed, where she merrily pretended to read "Eat, Pray, Love" until Jason really did get home from work.

I love things like this on two levels. One, it really is hilarious to me to see what Annie picks up from both her parents and then get to observe her acting it out in her kid-size fantasy world. Two, I like to think that she's growing up with the idea that she could be happy playing either one of these roles - or both of them - in her real, grown-up future. Maybe she'll nurse her own babies, take them grocery shopping, give time-outs, cook, clean, and generally make a life for herself at home. Or, maybe she'll march out into the working world with a briefcase, medical kit, or tap shoes. And maybe she'll find a way to do a little of both and be happy in all her roles.

Annie's Issues

Annie's disposition has been pretty reliably sunny lately, and I'm enjoying it. She (mostly) asks nicely for things, gives spontaneous hugs, says "thank you," helps out, giggles and plays with Jemma, has fun at school, and generally is interesting to be around. However, just for fun, today's exceptions:

Within 30 seconds of getting in the car with us on the way home from school today, was beside herself with annoyance and was shouting at Jemma to "STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" Poor Jemma was just saying, "mamamamamamama" over and over in a very sweet, quiet voice.

Had a five-minute conversation before her bath tonight about how she doesn't like arms because they have hair on them. ??? She repeatedly insisted that hair doesn't belong on arms and said, "Get it off, Mommy." I had to list off everyone in the whole wide world who had hair on their arms ("Aunt Connie?" "Yes." "Grammy Freriks?" "Yes.") So bizarre.

After asking for her Daddy various times throughout the day, refused to let him anywhere near her during the bath/brush teeth/read story part of the evening. I had to do everything, and then he was graciously allowed to come in and sing the night-night song.

There has also been a lot of loud, public "What smells stinky?" and informing me that she does not like someone's face (again - ???). I think she's only days away from asking a stranger if they have a baby in their tummy. I can only wonder what tomorrow's issues might be . . .

It's Really the Middle of October?!? Holy #$*%!

So, with the advent of the first rainy, cool fall weekend, plus the deluge of October birthdays, I am forced to acknowledge the date (I basically never know what the date is) and realize that October is half over. Unbelievable. I'm also forced to realize that many things need to happen, as a result of it being the middle of October, such as:

-begin Christmas lists for everyone

-buy snowboots and snowpants for Annie

-put up heat tape on the roof before it snows

-plan our February vacation (suggestions for a warm and sunny destination with not too much travel drama are welcome!)

-get flu shots (oh, I dread another shot for Annie . . .)

-buy Halloween candy

-pay for snowplow service

-begin going to the gym again, a place I haven't visited in months except to frolic in the outdoor pool . . .

In looking at this list, I'm not too enthused about the tasks that come with late fall/early winter. I will have to keep baking yummy pumpkin treats to get me through and maybe get some new slippers and winter cozy clothes to keep me happy in the house. Tonight, we're making beef stew and a big loaf of bread with roasted garlic and cheese, plus we're going to make the first fire of the season in our fireplace. (For Annie, this event requires hot chocolate.) And we'll spend the rest of this lazy Sunday afternoon entertaining the girls inside with more hide-and-seek and kitchen play time.

Above, Annie and Ben at Koetsier's play area last week. How cute are they with their little vests?

Time

Seven minutes until my Thursday night TV-watching begins . . .

So:

Jemma, in the last couple of days, has become so much less of a "baby" and so much more of a person. Things she's doing lately: giggling naughtily when I tell her "no;" trying so hard to squirm off her changing table that I'm afraid she's really going to do it; splashing so much in the bathtub at night that my shirt becomes completely soaked; being waaaaaay too busy to nurse during the day; standing up randomly in the middle of the room, preferably holding a forbidden piece of chalk from Annie's easel; screaming when she wants something and I take it away; making a high-pitched little "woof-woof" noise when she sees a dog; saying "ba" for ball.

Is she two years old? How is time going by this quickly?

And speaking of time, I am going to start a national movement promoting awareness of how little of it parents have. This is because I'm so, so tired of random people (OK, a pompous doctor/acquaintance I ran into at Starbucks and my mother-in-law) complaining to me (ME!) about how they are so, so busy and there just isn't enough time. Yeah, tell me about it! I'm betting these people actually get to take a shower by themselves every single day, go to the bathroom whenever the need occurs, run errands without hauling along two small bodies, eat meals in peace, and sleep entire nights. Nobody should be telling parents with young children about how little time they have. I think the only people more busy than parents might be first-year surgical residents and single parents, and you won't find me complaining to those people about how busy I am.

That's my seven minutes today. Tomorrow, more time?

Night Owl

It's happening . . . slowly, slowly, I'm becoming a "night person" again. And I love it. I've always functioned best when I've been able to stay up late at night and then sleep in (relatively) late in the morning. However, for years, teaching required me to get up at 5:15, leave the house at 6:00, and then put myself to bed around 9:00 in order to do it all again the next day. Having a newborn, both times, made me crave sleep so much that I was sprinting for bed the minute the baby was asleep "for the night" and then dragging myself out in the morning.

Lately, though, Annie and Jemma have been consistently sleeping until (dare it say it?) 7:30 or 8:00 almost every day. And do I get up early and get a few things done around the house? No, I do not. I stay in my bed, unless I am getting up to run with Sarah, and I get a full 8 hours of sleep. Then, I stay up late at night (well, until 11:00ish), finishing dishes, writing, reading, doing laundry, and getting organized for the next day. It is fantastic!

I'm sure there will come a period, weeks or months from now, when Jemma or Annie (or both) will commence to wake up at some ungodly morning hour, and my routine will be ruined again. But for now, I'm thoroughly enjoying being a night person again. And I'm off to read in bed - maybe for an hour or two!

New Neighbors

As of this weekend, we officially have new next-door neighbors. Heidi and Patrick have technically owned their house for longer than we've owned ours, but they've been lovingly gutting and renovating it until last week. It looks completely amazing, and the most amazing thing is that Patrick did the bulk of the work himself. (Jason is secretly excited to have such a handy person living feet away!)

And now, finally, we're thrilled to look over and see them on the porch, say a daily "hi" to Jonathan, and just know they're there. We're sure there will be years and years of great neighbor memories to be made, plus we've pre-arranged the marriage of Jonathan and Jemma. It's an auspicious time for them to move in; it was this exact date last year that we offically took possession of this house! Can't believe it's been an entire year . . . and still, we couldn't be happier to be right on this little piece of land, surrounded by great people.

One Last Piece of Summer

We had such an amazing day today! Checked the weather last night (as well as water temps) and decided it would be irresponsible NOT to skip church and go to the beach for what will surely be the last time until next June. I met Sarah for an early-morning run (seriously, it was still so dark at 6:30 that it seemed like the middle of the night), then we had a calm family breakfast on the patio. We did some frantic packing from 8:45 - 9:15, and we were headed out of town by 9:30. Jemma slept in the car, and we arrived at Grand Haven State Park in time to pretty much have the entire beach to ourselves . . .

Bliss. There was a little breeze, the air temperature was in the high 70's, and the water temperature was 69 - all astonishing for October 7th. Annie and I had the best time building castles, digging a huge moat, racing each other into the water, and splashing in the shallow water. Jemma was very pleased to be sitting right above the water line, piling mud onto her chubby thighs and digging her toes in the sand. We ate lunch on the beach, pushed Annie on the swings, and then went to get ice cream before heading home. We were back by 3:00 and so glad that we took advantage of the hot day (I think it topped out at 86) to enjoy being at the lake with our little family one last time this "summer."

It's so weird to think that Jemma will be an entirely different person - not a baby at all - next summer, and the beach experience will be different again. I intend to file this little piece of summer pleasure away to keep me going through the bleakness that will be January and February . . .

Football with Friends

Just returned from a big day in Ann Arbor, watching Michigan football in the freakishly summer-like heat. We left the girls at my parents, picked up Chris and Sarah at 7:30, and drove through Starbucks before heading back to the old stomping grounds. It was a gorgeous morning there - Farmer's Market in full swing, people out walking absolutely everywhere - and we hit Zingerman's first to grab favorite sandwiches, pickles, and brownies for some tailgating. We parked in a yard, got out the chairs and football, and sat in the shade, enjoying some great food, cold beer, and relaxing conversation with no kids around to interrupt. Fantastic!

Then, we walked to the game, where we immediately became a part of the 100,000 hottest, sweatiest people in America on October 6th. It was hot. It was really, really hot. Despite the heat, we did the wave, talked and talked, and even managed to cheer appropriately after paying attention to some good Michigan football.

On the way home, we had an early dinner at Common Grill in Chelsea. So many good memories there; it's the place Jason and I used to go for a splurge, meet friends for Sunday brunch, and celebrated Jason's dental school graduation with our families. Still really yummy.

We hit a traffic jam just east of Grand Rapids, which made us a tiny bit grouchy, but did give us more time to listen to Richard Marx (and personally admit that I used to listen to "Endless Summer Nights" alone in my dark room on the night before school started and cry while smelling Baby Soft perfume - WHAT???), plan future trips to Hawaii and Europe, talk about which cars Jason thinks are "sharp," and gossip about people we know from college.

Meanwhile, my parents had a really fun time with the girls. They went to the Pumpkinfest parade, saw Brett and Meagan at the store, and participated in the craziness that we call "meals with our kids" around their dining room table. Jemma did great, and Annie got over her morning sadness after some cuddle time with doop.

Now, everyone's back in their own beds and we're looking forward to another strangely summer-like day tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, we'll sneak in one more trip to the beach before it really feels like fall.

School Concert

When Annie's feeling a little independent and imaginative at the same time, she often "goes to a concert." This involves: putting on her tutu and dress-up shoes; informing me that she's going to a concert and I can't come; having Miss Kelly or Adam come over to watch me, Dinah, Brother, Gracie, and everyone else she's leaving behind; going into our front foyer and shutting the door; singing and dancing while watching herself in the mirror; "coming home" from the concert and telling me she's back. (While it's not always clear whether Annie is the performer or the audience member at this concert, it's all stemming from months ago, when Jason and I got dressed up and went out to see a concert at the Van Andel while Adam babysat.)

Today, the concert bug bit Annie while she was at school. I arrived to pick her up and got a full report from her teacher about how Annie had corralled 6 or 7 other classmates, made them put on clothes from the dress-up bin, and "go to a concert." Hilarious. Other recent school adventures include finger painting with chocolate pudding, learning about acorns, and making a squirrel magnet. In reference to planning to show Jason her squirrel magnet tomorrow morning, she said, "I think he'll love it." I'm so glad school is such a big hit; I think she loves it.

Car Talk

For some reason that I absolutely cannot fathom, Annie asked me today, "Mommy, why are you driving the car all by yourself without Daddy?"

Ummmmm . . . what??? Has she been asleep each and every day of the last three years when I've been driving her around? Do we live in a militant Islamic nation where women don't drive cars? Do I seem like I need assistance driving the car?

Also in the car today:

"Mommy, someday when I get so so big and get a grown-up, I can drive the car and you can sit in my carseat."

"Mommy, is this the Beltline? Why are you turning around??? (doing the Michigan turn) I don't like to drive on the Beltline."

"Now, go so so fast! Because there aren't a lot of houses around."

"Why does that sign say Road Closed? What are they doing on that road? What kind of diggers are they using on that road? Why can't we go down that road? . . . "

Ahhh, the days of my one-hour metro-Detroit commute each way are starting to look, in retrospect, relaxing. I had my coffee, I had my NPR, and I could be alone with my thoughts. Those days, clearly, are gone.

Me Gusta/No Me Gusta

So random . . . in high school Spanish class, we watched the weirdest movie starring the Three Stooges with dubbed-in Spanish speakers saying "Me gusta" and "No me gusta." My teacher thought it was hilarious, our class thought it was bizarre, but here I am, remembering that "me gusta" means "it pleases me" in Spanish. So in honor of Senora Bird, the things that are and are not pleasing me today.

Me Gusta:

-Jemma has learned the sign for "more" and does it continuously through each meal. It's cute, if a little exhausting to keep up the excited signing/saying "more?!"/giving her a constant stream of banana.

-My twilight run. Not to be creepy, but I love running when it's just getting dark and I can peek inside the lit-up houses and glimpse families having dinner, art on the walls, interesting furniture and architecture, etc.

-The book I've just begun, "bird by bird" by Anne Lamott. Suggested by my friend and life-coach, Heather, I think it's going to propel me forward in the writing department and be that little push I need to start putting more out there . . . a freelance gig here, a magazine submission there, a workshop after that, a little more blogging - who knows where it might go? Also, I'm claiming this quote of hers about perfectionism to assuade some of my cleaning-the-house guilt: "Clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground . . . "

-Annie and Jemma played nicely together (!) from 4:30 - 5:30, I had a plan for dinner, and Jason arrived home from work on time. This Monday Trifecta allowed me to cook, and the entire family to eat, a lovely dinner together with minimal sweating.


No Me Gusta:

-The fact that Target, upon my visit today, October 1st, had a large Christmas display right next to all the Halloween stuff. Seriously? I love, love, love Christmas, but really. Too early.

-The man standing at the corner of Burton and Breton this afternoon, wearing a shirt that said, "Nuke 'Em Till They Glow." Not sure who "they" are, but I think it's a little harsh. Glad Annie can't read yet.