Sometimes, I'm just awesome.

So, as I mentioned before, Ruby was excited about her new box. The problem was, that she didn't quite fit into it (you don't need a very big box to ship a backpack.) She got frustrated after it was all decorated, and then she couldn't even get in it. Then she got mad and threw it in the recycling.

Today, while she was at music camp, the other two kids and I went to Target. On the way into the store, we saw a big box from a car seat in a cart in the cart return. I mentioned that Ruby would sure love it and said we should get it. The kids didn't want to stop and go back to the car for some old box, so I said that if it was still there when we came out, we'd grab it.

And how lucky we were, it was still there when we came out, so we did indeed grab it.

Guess who was so excited when we got home with Ruby and the box? As is my habit, I closed the garage door after we pulled in, and Ruby had a panic attack that with the garage closed, she would never be able to get to her box out of the trunk (drama queen much?) We got the box safely into the house, and while I'm not sure what it will be when it's done, I'm sure it will be something very fun. Could be a house, could be a spaceship, could be a boat. You just never know.

Sometimes, I'm a good mom and I pick up other people's garbage for my kids to play with.

Happy Birthday Ruby

What? You're thinking Ruby's birthday was in February? You're right it was.

For her birthday present, we wanted to give her a new backpack. When she started school, we just bought a cheap Disney Princess backpack from Target and planned to get her a nice one from L.L.Bean for her birthday, as we did with the other two kids. Both of them still have theirs (Squig is going on 7 years with hers, and it's still in great shape) and we've been extremely pleased with the quality and usefulness.

The problem we ran into, was that February is not backpack season. We couldn't find the one we wanted in the color we wanted. So, we gave her a picture of the one we wanted and told her we'd get it as soon as it was available. And as soon as it was available, we did. It's the L.L.Bean Critter Pack, in pink and we had it monogrammed with her initials.

So, the backpack came today and after she got home from music camp, she saw it and she opened all the zippers and explored the pockets and was very excited about it.

Suddenly, she stopped and said, "Wait, where's the box?" And I said, "You mean the box it came in?" and she said yes, and I pointed to it. She said, "Oh, do I get the box for a spaceship?" I told her she could have it. She immediately ran and got the crayons and is now decorating her new spaceship; her brand new, much-awaited backpack tossed to the side.

Sigh. Happy Birthday Ruby.

The Puddle

Yesterday we were eating dinner on the patio by the pool, and Ruby finished eating and said she wanted to go swimming now (we're not so much proponents of the 30-min-after-eating guideline). So, John and I started joking around and he said, "Well, it's too bad we don't have a pool." and I said, "Yeah, go play in that puddle over there next to that chair" and I pointed at the pool.

A little bit later I realized that she hadn't ever gotten in the pool, so I asked John if he could see her, and lo and behold, she was playing in a puddle of water behind a chair, by the pool. Just sitting in the puddle, splashing.

Crazy kid.

Summertime, Summertime, Sum-sum-summertime!

So, it's summer. School's out, piano lessons are done, the piano recital is over. No sports, no activities, no projects, reports or homework of any sort.

We're spending most of our time thus far not doing anything very important. Swimming, watching movies, playing video games, bowling. It's wonderful. I love summer vacation. I look forward to it every year.

This is our weekly schedule, though, since it's summer, we aren't married to it:

Monday: Library day, swim.

Tuesday: Free Movie, swim.

Wednesday: Other Free Movie, swim.

Thursday: Nothing in the morning, friends over to swim in the afternoon.

Friday: Free Bowling, swim.

There's a lot of free stuff to do where we live. A local movie theater shows two free G & PG movies on Tue, Wed, & Thur mornings. The two movies change each week, so you have three days to catch them. The library is always free and is full of, well, books! A local bowling alley gives out free passes to the local schools good for one game each day for the entire summer. And the school district got some kind of grant and offers free hot breakfast and lunch Mon-Fri at each of the school sites. Sometimes we make it over there, sometimes we don't. Breakfast ends at 9:30, and we aren't always up and dressed in time. It's summer, we're taking it easy.

Next week Squig is at girl's camp, so the other two kids and I might take a field trip to a zoo or something, but I haven't decided yet. It's summer. I don't have to.