Underwear Blowing in the Wind

Yes. Hello.

Long time, no?

I have been knee-high in potty training.

Both literally and figuratively.

And our dryer broke.

Which is perfect timing considering I am doing a lot of laundry with the potty training shenanigans.

Have I mentioned I also do cloth diapers with Lil Miss?

And that the Hubs prefers to go to work with clean clothes? Or, to be more specific, clothes that are both clean AND dry?

The irony of it all is that I purchased a new washer and dryer for us last week.  Because I knew we were on borrowed time with our current ones. But the washer and dryer were not in stock.  No worries, I said, we can wait a week.

(HA!)

Even (un)funnier is that I got a call from the appliance store on Thursday saying that the dryer was in stock but the washer was not. I could choose to go ahead and have them deliver the dryer and then bring the washer at a later time or just do it all at once.  I decided to wait and do it all at once. Dude on phone said, "Cool. Got it."

Then, an hour later, another call came from the appliance store saying that they would be delivering my dryer Friday. I told the lady about the conversation I had an hour prior. She said, "Oh, ok, then go with that first conversation. They must be right."

Then, on Friday morn, I got a call from the delivery guy saying he was running early and could he swing by now(?!) to deliver. I told him I didn't want the dryer and washer delivered separately.

(I mean, why destroy the laundry room for one delivery just to do it a few days later?! Right?)

(HA.)

So, basically, I had to shove my dryer back at them until the washer was in stock.  Refuse it, even.

Friday night, the dryer officially broke.  Oh, the irony.

So, we are kickin' it old school here and drying the clothes on a clothesline.

Except that we have no clothesline.

Just lawn furniture.  

And toys.

Classy, I know.

Happy thought it was pretty cool that his "po-wease caaar" had an extra snazzy roof.

There is always a silver lining!

oh.my.word. (oh, and also, CHOCOLATE!)

You know how the simplest things can take the longest?

Well, my mom's birthday is this week.  She is a big fan of both pictures and cards.  So, I wanted to make her a customized card with pics of the grandkids.  Similar to the one I did for my dad.

You know, the one where he was only interested in pictures of his cats, not pictures of the grandkids.

He's a total nut.

I won't go into the horribly boring details, but basically, the 3 minute card has taken over an hour and a half and is not done.

On a website that specializes in making this super quick and easy.

I have done online support chat two different times with this online card company. For a 3 minute card!  And it is still not resolved.

The gist of it was that I did not have the "proper" internet browser. So I downloaded that.  Then, believe it or not, the browser was too new of a version!? And you can't download an older version to install it.  Then, I did not have the most updated Flash player.  So I downloaded that.  And it still didn't work.

I tried another, older, slower computer.  It worked on that.  But, because it is slower, it has frozen on the preview part while I type this blog post on my computer that now has the "proper" internet browser and upgraded Flash.

I finally hit cancel just now to end all of our misery.

I am a graphic designer and Hubs is a IT Computer guy.  If anyone should be able to handle this project and any technical challenges it presents in a snap, it would be us.  This just shows how frustratingly difficult this website is. And somehow Dad's card was able to be done a few months ago on the same computer without batting an eyelash. (???)

I hope my mom appreciates her card if she ever gets it!

---

On an entirely different note, my sweet precious friend, who lives in southern Africa, commented about my chocolate insanity stash.  She has been in her current location for about 4 years or so (without a return to the states) and mentioned that the only chocolate item she recognizes were the toll house morsels.

You just never really think about how the oh so important chocolate landscape changes so quickly, do you?

(And just for the record?  I am not normally this obsessed with food.  Nursing a baby makes me hungry and all crazy like. For chocolate and brussels sprouts. And broccoli.)

(And I also didn't realize how much chocolate I got until I was heading to the cash register.)

(And it was too late to care.)

(I assumed if the check out person was a lady, she would understand.)

(Did I mention we are potty training?)

Moving on...
I just want to tell Katie what she may need to stock up on when she visits the states.

1. Pretzel M&M's. A staple. Just like rice. Or milk. But much more necessary.

2. Chocolate Cheerios.  For when you want chocolate for breakfast but want to feign eating a normal breakfast. Yes, they are heart healthy. In more ways than one.

3.  Nestle Tollhouse Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter. See explanation in #2. Just add the precious morsels to oatmeal and a banana. But don't let the 2 year old see what you are up to.

4. Fiber One Peanut and Chocolate Brownie-ness. Word on the weight watching street that these are yummy. They are not the real thing, but they will do for less caloric intake.

5. Hershey Kisses Cookies and Cream.  Because it is sheer brilliance.

6. Hershey Kisses Dark Chocolate.  Because it is good for your heart, right?  Something about dark chocolate being good for you.  (I am sure someone just like me devised that study.)

7. Bliss Dark Chocolate.  Another word on the street item. Have yet to try them.

And, for the record, I only have opened 3 of the bags.  In less than 24 hours.

Hoarding Chocolate,
'licious

Mmm... Chocolate

Just got back from the store.  I seemed to have gotten a lot of chocolate.

I wish I had an adequate defense, but I do not.

Words-Healing or Destructive?

So, it has been a tough last couple of weeks for me.

Most recently, I somehow managed to really hurt my back and neck to the point that I couldn't do anything without great pain. You know when you are in pain, your tolerance level for other things in life is greatly reduced.

Needless to say, I've been on the edge a good bit.

There is this annual Folk Art show that my mom and I go to each year and thoroughly enjoy. It is one of the creative and inspirational highlights of the year for me.

As much as I love going, I was not looking forward to it this year because of my neck and back pain. You kind of need to be able to move your neck to view the art. I was tired. I was spent emotionally. But I was hoping to be energized by going. It is (almost) always fun to talk to the artists.

Mom and I had been at the show for only about 15 minutes when I had a really awkward encounter with one of the artists. She was rude and harsh with her words. I don't care to get into the details of it, but trust me. Harsh.

The interesting thing was that she had this absolutely beautiful painting that I was admiring, ironically entitled "Glory to God." It could have possibly been one of the best paintings at the show in terms of skill and technique. But the interaction with her made her painting now very unattractive to me.

Mom and I walked around a little stunned for a few minutes and eventually ended up at the booth of one of my favorite artists. I have never spoken to this artist that I admire so because she is usually busy talking with others and I am a bit intimidated by her talent. But, on this day, she was free and struck up a conversation with us. We talked to her for probably 15-20 minutes, which is a lot of her time when she is attempting to sell paintings and answer questions about them to all the patrons.

She was so kind and friendly and gentle. Quite the contrast from the encounter with the other artist.

Her kindness to me (and Mom) was healing, encouraging, and renewing. Life giving.

And her paintings that I already loved so much? All the more lovely now that I had such a sweet encounter with her. Exquisite, even.

After those two drastically different encounters, I thought so much of the power of our words to heal or destroy others. 

I honestly hope and pray that I may not destroy anyone with my words, but only encourage them. They are, after all, a powerful thing.  

'licious

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Fess Up Friday...on Saturday

or Slacker Saturday, right Maranimal?



Be sure to visit Kira's blog to check out other Fess Ups. I particularly appreciated her honest and poignant Fess Up this week.

So, I don't have a lot of time as I am in the throes of potty training (Well, not me. Happy is. Surely you knew what i meant), but I wanted to post some quick funnies/moments of desperation as of late.

One morning recently, I was leaving the house to go to a friend's house. Naturally it is challenging to get myself and the kids ready, all in one piece.

Something felt a bit off in the ear region as I was leaving our neighborhood.

Do you see it?  I have two earrings in one earring hold.  A silver and a brown one.  Lovely.

---

On another note, Lil Miss has been fighting the whole nap thing lately. Again. 

She screams but is not hungry or wet or anything. She just doesn't want to nap. I let her cry for a little while, but once I notice it starting to wake up Happy, I go in and try to help her settle down.  

On this particular day, she was inconsolable. And my patience was tested. Greatly.

Here I am hiding in my bed, with a pillow over my head and white noise blaring in my ear to block out some of the agony. I sent a SOS text to Hubs and Maranimal. I was over the edge. I failed the patience test that day.

---

This week, I was stoked a touch excited that it was our last class reminding me how I am neither wise nor discerning as a wife. To be clear, the class is great. I just struggled with it. And I was ready to be finished with it.

Anywho, I was also kind of excited it was the last class because they told us on the first week of class that there were significant prizes (like possible gift cards) for a few of those who did their "secret homework" each week.

Simmer down, people. Secret homework just consisted of trying to be more encouraging to your husband, more respectful, etc. I stuck with the secret homework for the incentive of a possible prize (Oh, yeah!  And also, the appreciation of Hubs. I can't forget that!)

I drove to our last class this past Tuesday only to find a locked door to our classroom.

Apparently the last class was the prior week. The ONE week I skipped.

Did I mention we live about 45 minutes from church? And that we have to practically move heaven and earth in order for Hubs to get home early enough for me to leave to get to class in time? And that it is during peak traffic time? It is no easy feat for me to get to class.

I left for class at 6 pm. I got home at 7:45. All I did was drive there, find the locked classroom, drive back.

Fun times.

Wednesday Hodge-a-ma-podge

Linking up to Joyce again.

Q&A for more kicks and grins.



1. Using what's in your frig right now, what sort of meal would you be able to make for guests who are standing on your front porch this very minute?

Well, I have 4 pounds of raw broccoli in the fridge.  I'm a touch obsessed with green veggies lately.  I would make them roasted broccoli, sauteed garlic tofu, and couscous.  I also have 4 pounds of grapes.  Actually, I think it has dwindled down to a mere 2 pounds.  So, I would include grapes as well.  

We like our fruits and veggies at this house!

2. What is something about yourself that you hope will change but that you know probably never will?

Acne.  Why must a 32 year old deal with such?  And pretty soon I will have wrinkles and acne.  Fun times.  Or maybe I already do?  

3. What is something about yourself you hope never changes?

My love for my husband and kids.  Unless, of course, the love just grows deeper.

4. Do you usually send serious or funny greeting cards? Why?

I am not organized enough for greeting cards.  But, if I was, I would get a funny one and then write a sweet note in it.  

5. Bird watching, shell gathering, star gazing-your choice for whiling away the hours?

Star gazing. Living in a large metropolitan area, the only "stars" I see are planes in the night sky.  The real stars are faint because of all of the suburban sprawl lights.

On the first week of freshman year at college, which was in a small town, I was amazed and dumbfounded by how beautiful the stars were.  I had never really seen anything like that.  It took my breath away.

6. Do you double or triple check things? If so, what?

Yes, the doors at night.  

Also, my graphic design files I make.

Not so fun fact about graphic design files: I worked at my church for a number of years doing graphic design/publishing things. I loved my job and what I did. Our pastor had written a book that he wanted to self-publish.  Previous books he had written had been published through big name Christian publishing firms but he wanted to go a different route with publishing this time.

I was in charge of designing the cover, creating diagrams and illustrations within the book, doing the layout of the text, editing text (along with other people editing), and taking care of all the legal things.  There was a LOT to do and a tight deadline.  

After I had approved all of the final proofs from the printer and was relieved that it was DONE, I realized that there was a simple typo on the back cover of the book.  (satisfaction without the c)  I was mortified, horrified, scared, etc.  We had printed 10,000 copies.  I had to tell my boss.  Who then had to tell the pastor.  The pastor was so unbelievably kind and gracious, as was my boss, but I felt horrible.  And, yes, I had checked and rechecked that back cover at least 30 times.  But, when you look at something so long, you stop seeing it. 

Fortunately, the 10,000 count book supply diminished rather quickly, so we were able to reprint and fix the typo!

7. What's your favorite place for people watching?

Costco.  It is always fun to see what people buy in bulk!  

As a deacon at our church, hubs is in charge of buying grape juice for communion at church.   And we attend a large church, so that's a lot of grape juice, people!  A LOT. I think he is embarrassed to buy grape juice in bulk at Costco as he does get some comments, stares, and questions, but I always tell him how fascinating it is to watch what people buy.  I am not sure that is a comforting word to him, though.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

How do normal people keep kids clothes organized?  I am not talking about type-A people, but people like me who are disorganized and scattered but try not to be.  

Right now, when I come across something that no longer fits a kid, I throw it in a pile in the closet.  But, then I end up with a weird conglomeration of sizes and clothing seasons.  And then I can't remember that some random 6 month outfit really should be stored with the 3 month outfits because it runs small...and on and on. I try to write on a tag with a sharpie what the size really is, but then I still end up confused somehow.

Funny Tales of Mr Happy as of Late

This is more for me to remember than anything, but I have found Happy exceptionally humorous as of late. I do realize that people often think their kid is funnier, smarter, cuter, etc than other kids and fully acknowledge that tendency.

But, Happy?  He truly is.  To me, anyways.

Here's a sampling of recent funtivities.

Today, we were at the store and the kids were on the brink of a meltdown.  In a panic, I gave Happy my phone to keep him occupied for the last 3 minutes while I paid for our items.  He started laughing hysterically.  He likes to laugh (hence, his pen name), so I didn't think too much of it at first.  But when he starting practically falling out of the shopping cart laughing, I finally looked to see what he was doing on my phone.

He had found his way into my photo/video library and was repeatedly watching a video I had taped of him dancing to music.  His "dancing" includes spinning in circles until he is so dizzy he just collapses.

I just love that he found himself hilarious.  It's a gift to not take yourself too seriously.

---

Another funny (and smart, I think) thing happened last night.  I was pushing him and Lil Miss on the swing.  Happy likes to do the following while he swings: He says the ABC's, counts to 20, and then lists everyone important in his immediate circle.  In that order.  Always.  Much like the Pavlov Dog Cookie Monster happenings.

The list of important people includes family members, family pets, friends, and some key characters in his life.  You know, Elmo, Thomas the Train, Lightning McQueen, etc.

I have two brother-in-laws. Or is it brotherS-in-law?  Anyways, one of them is named Jay.  When Happy got to the part where he lists Jay in his important people list, he got a slightly confused look on his face and then said, "K, L, M" ? He appeared to be confused as to why a letter ("J") was someone's name.

-----

Happy tends to be loud.  What 2 year old isn't, I guess?  Whenever Lil Miss is sleeping and we are near her room, I quietly tell him, "Shhh..." and put my index finger over my mouth, training him to be respectful when others are sleeping and need quiet.

Well, that has evolved into him letting me know when she is asleep in the car or in her infant carrier at the store by saying, "Shhh..." and putting his index finger over his mouth.  It starts out with a quiet and simple enough "Shhh..." and, if I am not watchful, turns very quickly into an ever-increasingingly loud, "SSSSSHHHHHHHH" and then rocking her violently in her car seat.  The whole purpose of the "Shhh" becomes null and void when he is so loud and violent with her when he wakes her up.  He is attempting to be sweet, but I don't think it always sweet for her to be abruptly woken up.

Happy Tuesday, my friends!

'licious

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I'm having one of those days (or weeks...maybe even months?) where I am just tired and worn out and overwhelmed.  By nothing and everything. And anything in-between.

So, I decided to take some time to link to Joyce's hodgepodge.  To distract myself.

It's a question and answer kind of thing.  Her questions. My answers.  For kicks and grins, I guess.



1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why?


Well, my able-bodied neighbor Roger collects disability.  So, that sounds like something I would be interested in.  


Do nothing, get something?  Sure.  Sign me up.

2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

Well, I am human and quite sinful.  So, it can be challenging. But I know God calls us to forgive. I can forgive by His grace and because of His forgiveness of my own sin.  He who has been forgiven much forgives much.

3. What is your favorite meatless supper?

I am a vegetarian, so everything I eat is meat-free.  Lately I have been a touch obsessed with brussels sprouts, collard greens, broccoli, and sauteed tofu and garlic.

Fun fact: My husband is very much NOT a vegetarian.  When we got married, he ate the following items: bread, meat, cheese, and dessert.  He would only eat spinach if it was in spinach artichoke dip or lettuce if it was drenched with caesar dressing.  That was pretty much the extent of his diet.  

I don't buy or cook dead things meat.  And I am QUITE intolerant and allergic to cheese and milk. I get sick.  Like, I had to go to the hospital on our honeymoon because I apparently ate something with cheese in it.  And I couldn't stop throwing up.  That was super fun.

So, it has been quite a challenge making food that I eat and that my husband would like.  Hubs has been a trooper and is willing to try new foods, for the most part.  

One of his most hated foods is mushrooms.  One of my most beloved?  Also mushrooms.  Portabella mushrooms.  Yum.

4. Wednesday, August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so tell us how so we can be lazy too. 

I am sitting down to type this.  That is probably the extent of the lazy for my day. 

Lazy would be one of the last words I think anyone would use to describe me.  Though, I am gifted in procrastination.  But I view the two as very different.  My type-A readers would disagree.  To their scoffing, I would say that I get overwhelmed (see beginning of blog for reference) with mentally harder tasks and just kind of shut down in regards to those tasks all the while rapidly doing the more mentally manageable tasks.

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent have you continued those traditions with your own children?

My sweet mom would take me to buy some new clothes and school supplies.  We particularly enjoyed shopping for those things together.  It's probably part of where my school-supply weakness originated.

My kids are not of school-age yet, but I would like to homeschool them if possible.  So, I am not yet sure what traditions we may instill.

6. Write a summer tongue twister.

Um, this would be one of those places where I procrastinate.  More mental bandwidth is required for this than I currently have.

7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse pulls out the needle?

No. Thank. You.  Never.

The nurse and needle isn't a problem for me.  But guts?  Yuck.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We need to replace our washer and dryer.  So I have been shopping around and researching it.  The one thing I really want is a large capacity washer.  Without the agitator thing in the middle of the basin.

Because I have been looking around and seeing the (wonderfully huge) models available, our current washer looks super tiny now.  I am dreaming of days to come with that larger capacity washer.  I honestly think I could easily fit my whole body in some of the larger capacity basins.  Our current washer?  I don't even think my legs could fit.

And, yes, I feel like a total dork being excited about the aforementioned larger basins.  And I'm more than ok with that.

Hot Tea and Plaid Blankets

Sweet Hubs and I went out tonight.   It was fun to have time just with him. I ordered hot tea with my dinner.  Which is caffeine overload for me. (Sonic sodas just don't pack the same caffeine punch.) I am still riding on that wave of caffeine many hours later. I fear I won't be falling asleep for hours and am not even sure Benadryl could knock me out at this point.  Even a double-dose.

And Hubs broke out the much-hated plaid blanket.  Because it is only mid 90s with like 85% humidity. So, you know, frigid. And ever-so necessary.

On another note, we are finally getting our privacy fence installed tomorrow!

How do you know when you are old?  When you are excited about a fence, my friends.

More what I am excited about it keeping the weird behavior of neighborhood kids (and adults) out of our yard.  I have seen many disturbing things in our yard over the years.

Recently, I have come across barbie's leg, barbie's shaved head, spiderman's leg, and garfield's head. We have had clogged gutters with (toy) car parts.  I have witnessed a young man running shirtless through our yard as if he was running from something (like the law!).

It's time to keep the crazy out, people.

Or at least the crazy that doesn't live here. And for that, I am ecstatic.

'Fess Up Friday

Well.

It is going to be an interesting day.

I have an unrelenting migraine.  And I am due to go to one of those local kids indoor jumping/play places with the kids and some friends.  I think today is the last weekday before all the local kids go back to school, so I can only assume it will be extra insane with parents and kids wanting one last fun outing.

Because of said migraine and the trip to the local crazy house jumping/play place, I took my magic elixir.

Yes, the same one that made me fall asleep in church.  2 benadryl and 2 tylenol.  I am not sure who I am more concerned for-the kids or myself.

Speaking of my magical elixir, let me tell you something that was happening to me when Happy was about 9 months old.

I was having a season of migraines (they typically appear when the weather is changing or extra wacky or lots of atmospheric pressure changes) and I was just totally worn out from them.  I was nursing Happy at the time, so again, I was limited in what pain medicines I could take.

Because I was in such unrelenting pain for about a week or two, I was taking the benadryl and tylenol combo at times.

(For those who err on the side of worry-I only take both of those when absolute necessary.  It's not just a willy nilly thing.)

Now that we have that cleared up, let's move on, shall we? Ok.

So, I was super tired from the migraine but I was also just insanely exhausted.  Like I could hardly walk.

Yes.

And, I had made sure I wasn't pregnant (you know me and my love for pregnancy tests!  I'll jump on any excuse to take one).

I wasn't sure what was wrong, but I just pushed through it.  What else could I do, really?

A week or so later, I was at Target buying some more pain medicine and then it all became crystal clear.

It appears that previously, I had accidentally bought generic Tylenol PM.  So, when I was taking both my tylenol and benadryl, I was double dosing myself on benadryl!

Can you imagine what a double dose of benadryl is like?

I can.

It's not pretty. Trust me.

Read the label carefully, my friends.  Very Carefully.

Randomness as of Late

1. I missed our exit off of the interstate today.  Like, the exit to our house.  The exit I take pretty much daily.  The exit to the house I have lived at for almost 5 years.

I know.

I am still unclear as to what happened.

2. A few weeks ago, Hubs asked me to cut down on my caffeine/soda intake.  I have no idea why.  None whatsoever.

3. It's not going super well.

Well, it was going well but the stress of the possible job change for Hubs made me fall off the wagon.

4. Job change is official.  Good news!

5. I decided I am just high maintenance on fluids, anyways.  I had 64 ounces of water before noon today. Plus a gatorade.

6. It was 99 degrees today. That is not counting the insane humidity that makes it feel like 119 degrees. I saw a lady at the park, very pregnant and wearing jeans.  At the park. With her kid.  Playing on the playground.  At noon.  In jeans.  Pregnant.

Absolute Insanity.

7. Lil Miss LOVES swinging.  Hubs can get her to fall asleep every time he swings her. I do not posses such superpowers.  But I can make her laugh.

I think she's pretty cute.

Snuffaluffacow?

The other day, I took the kids to a local farm to feed the goats.  We have gone several times before.  And we have only seen and fed goats. No other creatures.

The land is fairly flat and the fenced in area is rather small.  In other words, you can pretty much see all of the area and all of the animals in the fenced in area.

After we had been there for about 30 minutes and were running low on stale tortilla chips food for the goats, I turned around to the car to get some stale veggie chips more food for the goats.  I kid you not, when I turned around 4 seconds later, this curious creature had appeared out of nowhere.

Seriously, out of NOWHERE!

And what the heck is it?  

As you can see, Happy is perplexed as well.

It kind of looked like a cross between snuffaluffagus and a cow. 

I guess it is a cow?  I have no idea. And I feel like I should know.  I googled "Hairy Cow" and didn't find much.  The most I can gather is that it is a long-haired cow?  

Regardless, it made for an interesting morning.  

Happy is telling Hairy Cow about the plane overhead.
Hairy Cow just wants the food.

And the cow graced me with a big lick when I was bending down trying to help Happy.  He was so strange looking that he was endearing.  

Has anyone else seen such a creature?

Our Very Own Pavlov's Dog

You guys are familiar with Pavlov's Dog, right?  The whole conditioned response thing?

My husband was unfamiliar with the term, but once I referenced an Office episode which illustrated the concept, he realized he knew of it.

Speak their language, my friends.  Speak their language.


The Office - Pavlov's dog from Rauno Villberg on Vimeo.

Please watch the embedded video for reference and for your viewing pleasure.  It is delightful.

Anyways, a couple of months ago, on a Saturday morning when Hubs and I were particularly tired, and the kids were up and ready to party eat breakfast, Hubs decided to just bring Happy into our bedroom, plop him on our bed, turn on a video and give Happy some cheerios.

At the time, that seemed like a brilliant thing to do, given how tired we were.

On that particular day, Hubs just grabbed the closest DVD, which happened to be a Cookie Monster one.  It was wonderful.  Hubs and I could try wake up while still giving Happy some semblance of breakfast.

We liked the system so much that we did it the following few Saturdays.

Well, now any time Happy goes into our bedroom, he says, "coooooo-key" and turns the TV on, hands me the DVD remote to play the video, climbs onto our bed and requests cheerios.  In that order.

Every. Single. Time.

Multiple. Times. A. Day.

No video substitutions are allowed, nor are any snack substitutions.

It has to be Cookie Monster and it has to be Cheerios.

Exhibit A

Please note the green cover.  NO PLAID BLANKET that day!

And usually I am trying to get ready or put laundry away or something, so I oblige him.  The video is less than 20 minutes.

I have teased him saying that he is Pavlov's dog.

(Like he knows what I am talking about.)

(Or maybe he does.)

(He has taught himself the alphabet letters and their sounds. He knows how to work our tv better than I do. I am afraid I have taught him he has already taught himself everything I know.)

Exhibit B

Just today, we walked into our bedroom and before I even realized what happened, I had the cheerios in hand to give him.

I guess I am really the one who is Pavlov's dog, huh?