February

I forgot to mention in the last post that in January, Will was called to be a counselor in the bishopric, and I'm going to go ahead and use that as an excuse for why I took nary a picture in February. I was *ahem* readjusting to having an absentee husband. I should say a husband who is more absentee than he used to be, because I know it's all relative. Some women's husbands are permanently absentee...  In other words, there was less picture-taking and more let's-just-get-through-this-day. So here's an oldie but a goodie from the archives of my childhood. If you haven't seen Eve lately, the little girl in piggies is a pretty good rendition, or let your eyes wander down the page a little to the video of the early days of Eve's forays into the world of bipedalism. She has since decided that isms, in her opinion, are not good, and instead of believing in an ism, she should believe in herself. But she still has to bum rides off people.

Without pictures to guide me, I can't really conjure up many tangible memories to describe for your reading pleasure. I do remember that on actual Valentines' Day we very selflessly sacrificed a night out so that Lori and Sean could have a V-Day date, which they repaid me many times over by bringing me Whole Foods beet salad. And I'm definitely not being facetious, that salad TASTY. Will and I went out the next night to Bachi Burger, a delicious meal which featured the Bahn Mi burger, as seen on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (except not exactly as seen; I subbed turkey burger for the pork) because we are Triple D Disciples. I guess you could call us Quadruple D. No, that's dumb. Don't do that.

Moving on. I was pretty excited about some Valentines' activities I had planned for the kids, but Charlie woke up with a stomach bug the day of. So not only did he miss his class party, but he was uninterested in all aforementioned activities because everything I had planned was food-related. I was sad for him AND for me. At least Antonia enjoyed the way I put little gummy lips on all her food, although the overall effect was more "my food has a mouth" than "my mom kissed all my food because she loves me so much." And one more complaint: I spent a good bit of time gluing the candy that Charlie had selected to the valentines he had selected for his classmates, then he wrote on all of them and the whole dog and pony show took not a little time. Imagine my frustration when he REFUSED to take those same valentines to his class the next day because in his mind handing out valentines the Day After Valentines Day is just not done. I could more easily have convinced him to come with me to the doctor and get a full round of shots, such was his terror and panic at the thought of doing something so irregular. So those valentines sat in the garage for a while until I finally unglued all the candy and used it to make some delicious baked goods. But don't be fooled, I was not a winner in this scenario.

I have no more stories. Here are some Quoteable Quotes:

On a worksheet for Presidents' Day, Charlie answered this question: Imagine that you live at the same time as George Washington. What would you say or ask him? He wrote: "You are a good leader in the army. How good are you in math?"


Me: (explanation of the coming days events) Ok?
Antonia:
Me: Ok?
Antonia:  Ok. Sooo...the sun stays in the same place, and the earth moves around it?


 (I have lots of interesting conversations with a boy who rides in our carpool. One day he gave me an unsolicited and lengthy explanation of the mating habits of the Chinese fly, which involves a lot of spitting...)
Me: That's a little big gross.
Kid: Yes. It is a little bit gross, but that's just Nature's way.

Antonia: Mom, my this toe is bigger than the other one. I think it's because I always chew in the back of my teeth and not the front.
Me: ......?

In preparation for the monthly "Superstar Challenge" at preschool, I quizzed Antonia on the name of our first president. Her answer: President Omni!

Me: (after Antonia noticed the smartcars have no backseats) If I were a person with no kids, I might want a smart car...
Antonia: But you need to drive a van, because you have a lot of kids.
Me: Right....
Antonia: And also, you're not smart.

Me: This is a good song, it's called "Piano Man" and it's sung by a guy named Elton John.
Charlie: (Trying to be diplomatic) There is, um, also a song called "Piano Man" and it's by Billy Joel.

As I was putting the kids to bed, Antonia began to beg for an opportunity to go swimming, which I explained may not happen for a few weeks.
Antonia: But I want it to be warm enough to go swimming TOMORROW!
Me: Well, sorry, I'm not in charge of the weather.
Antonia: (as I was closing the door) Charlie, who's in charge of the weather?

And finally, a couple of comments which have me rolling in the self-confidence, which I'll share for the entertainment of anyone who likes to laugh at me :)

I overheard a lady sitting behind me remark to her young son, as I played the piano at a church activity, "Keep practicing and maybe someday you'll be able to play as well as that little girl."

And from the dude on the spin bike next to me, as we mopped up our sweat at the end of a grueling class: "Wow, you look like you just received some really bad news." To which I WISH I had replied "I did. A stranger just heartlessly pointed out that I don't always look my best after cardiovascular exercise." But of course, I didn't. (Thanks for the warning, Joe Fox!)