Eric's Accessories

So Eric has been wearing this hat and carrying this purse around for almost two weeks now. (At least it feels that long . . .) Every day, when he wakes up, he puts the hat on and grabs the purse, which are both placed oh-so-close on his bed the night before. He takes them everywhere he goes and insists upon doing most things one-handed rather than letting go. When he does put the purse down or take the hat off, we often have to move them to sit down or eat. Brian has started calling him Erica (behind his back, not to his face.) But as you can see, there's nothing girly in the purse. He carries all of his tools in it. Lesson here - appearances can be deceiving. Personally, I'm impressed with his color coordination.

thank you

There is good in everything, even in grief. I have felt so cared for in the last few days - friends and family have shared our sadness and I am truly grateful for the kindness offered. Thank you all, for being there to help us work through this process. You've lessened the pain more than I thought possible.

Penny

This morning, she pulled me six miles through the woods. She jumped in streams, ran her circles, and barked at all the other dogs. She was feeling feisty. Life was good. This afternoon, we let her go. It was the hardest decision I've ever made, and I'm filled with sadness. But there is relief as well, and that is a welcomed surprise. Thank you, Penny, for ten wonderful years. I miss you, love you, and wish we could have had so much longer . . .

bath talk

Tonight in the bath, Sarah's varied thoughts -

When you're first in your mom's belly, you're a little crumb, like this big. (Imagine pinched forefinger and thumb here.) It's a good thing that I got fat and gained weight because it would be hard to be a little crumb now. (Good observation and so true.)

(Three seconds later . . .)

I think I'll go potty after the bath. Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have said that. (The child is obsessed and I've explained that I would appreciate not hearing about this topic, unless she'd like to do something about her needs. I hear about her bodily functions way more than is necessary - think twenty times a day.)

(Three more seconds . . .)

Eric, give me the goggles. It's my turn to wear them.

(And three seconds after that . . .)

I liked the lemurs and the playground the best today. (We went to a new museum. More on that soon.)

my super boy

He climbs tall buildings to rescue people. And shows off his awesome moves and super strong muscles when no one needs rescuing.

at Sarah's restaurant

Sarah is the executive chef, waitress, and dancer at her restaurant. (Originally she was just the chef, but I guess there wasn't quite enough to do. And, yes, it's a family friendly restaurant, even with the dancing!) As for Eric, as Sarah says, he takes the orders and brings the food. (So he's a waiter, too, I'd say.) Today's special - "chia eligria." What's that, you ask? That would be meatballs, spaghetti, and a cupcake with pink frosting and lots of rainbow sprinkles.

blue poop

One of the things Sarah wanted to do at her birthday party was decorate cupcakes. This seemed harmless enough, however, here's the thing - instead of squeezable frosting, I unwittingly gave the kids gel food coloring instead. I know this because after thinking it odd that everyone's face was stained, I looked at the label on the package. Eric squirted the stuff on his cupcake at least four times, sucking it off after each squirt. The result? He had blue poop for three days. He thought it was great, announcing the color each time he went to the bathroom. I won't make that mistake again.

finger print art

Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book is great, and Sarah's focused attention takes my breath away in a "oh, she's growing up" kind of way. Thank you, Santa, for a great gift.