HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY!

For Sale and Blue Poop


I'll get to the blue poop, 'cause I know that caught your eye. It's crunch time here on the home front! The For Sale sign is in, we are having open houses on Saturday AND Sunday (anyone want a displaced family from 2 to 5 this weekend?), and the marathon will begin, in a matter of speaking, on Friday. Whew! Finally. That's how I feel... finally! Now all we need is a buyer.


I have not found my brain yet. It is so far gone it's not even funny. Did you know that Baskin Robbins is having 31 cent scoops on Wednesday the 29th? They sure are. And did you also know that I thought today was Wednesday? Yep! I sure did. So we went to Baskin Robbins and drove the poor teenage boy behind the counter bonkers as it took us about 200 taste samples before my kids could decide. Well, the moment of horror occurred when he rang us up at the register and instead of the $1.50 I was expecting to pay it was $10. CRAP! Tomorrow is Wednesday.


Zinabu picked Pop Rock ice cream, which is a hideous neon green and purple. We have had experience with this particular flavor before. Lily tried it back in 2007. Two days after she ate it her poop was bright blue. She called me to the bathroom and I took one look at it and almost called 9-1-1. All I could figure was that we had radon in our basement or she had come in contact with a nuclear reactor. At some point I put two and two together and remembered the ice cream. I warned Zianbu that this could happen to him, and you'd have thought I told him Christmas was coming early. That kid has thrill issues.

Missing: One Brain

Last used sometime on Friday. If found, please return to Cathy.

I am surprised at and wary of how fast my kids are growing. I mean, yesterday they were babies with ear infections and tomorrow they'll be leaving for college. Ack! Before long, I will be losing my all-encompassing influence over their lives and they'll begin testing the waters of life, making bigger and bigger decisions, and probably making some mistakes. I can't help but wonder if I shouldn't have an arsenal of weapons to "help" them make better choices. For example, if they break curfew or get caught skipping class, I feel I need to have some consequences in place to ensure they won't be tempted to repeat the infraction. So far, here's what I've come up with:

I could start my own club to bring back the "jumpsuit" and have regular meetings at our home.


How about wearing an "I love David Hasselhoff" t-shirt every day for a week?


Even better, I dress up in full Southern Belle regalia to pick them up at school.


I could threaten them with a mural for the family van.


Stand across the street from where they're hanging out with friends and tell all their cute baby stories with a bull horn.


This is fetching...


I would only use this as a last resort, but I never say never.

adoption
adoption
adoption

Despite how insanely crazy our lives are right now, I've got a bee in my bonnet to adopt again. There are a chunk of adoptive moms that I know who are also facing this constant tug of the heart. The eternal "let's adopt just one more" mind game. The desperate longing to give a home to a child who needs one and to grow our family in an exciting way. Once you go through the adoption process--which is no picnic, I can tell you--but are rewarded for all your waiting and gnashing of teeth with the most amazing child, well... you find it hard to say "We're done." My heart is yearning for a 10 year old boy. I know David and I--and Carver and Lily and Zinabu--would make a great family for a boy of that age. I know there are thousands of boys that age waiting for a home, here in the U.S. and also Ethiopia. But I think we really are done. And that makes this so much harder.

Next week Zinabu will have been with us for 2 years. Hooray! He has grown and changed and thrived in ways I never could have imagined. Not even in my wildest dreams. And he's still that nutty, happy kid that walked off the airplane and into my heart.

I hate being done.

Earth Day

I guess for Earth Day I'll be cooking up lots of hamburgers. Lily was given the assignment to draw a picture of something that can be recycled. She wrote:

I can use a cow for cheeseburgers.

10 years since Columbine.

Uncle Jim, Aunt M, C, K, and K. I love you.

Tell me you've seen this by now. I have so much I could say, but it speaks for itself.

This article sums it up perfectly! Please read the whole thing.

I admit, I bawled like a baby when I watched her.

Allergies and Snow!

This is what is happening outside. It is supposed to snow for the next 24 hours.


This is what my family is doing. They pushed back all the furniture and are having a jump rope contest.

This is what I am doing--reading Harry Potter. Enough said.

Grumpy!

I have never had spring allergies before. I can only assume the universe is trying to punish me because I am suffering big time! This morning, David said to me, "What's wrong with your eyes?" They're puffy and red and watery and on fire. I can' t breathe through my poor nose, and you really don't want to be near me when I do my one hundred sneezes per day. Allergy medicine has not helped at all. What is up?

We are T-minus 15 days until the house goes on the market. I have only one more room to paint, and then some odds and ends to tidy up. Next Thursday, though, the photographer comes to take the house photos--so I really need to have everything ready spot-on in 7 days. That's a good thing. I'm ready. Let's just get this done!

David took yesterday off from work so we could do a day's worth of yard work--and it really paid off. Things are greening up around here, and we have an amazing back yard that could really help sell the house.

The other night David took the kids on a hike. We are 1 mile from an open space with lots of hiking and mountain biking trails. When we move to my mom's house, the open space will be in our back yard. But one of our favorite family activities is to go pick a trail and hike for an hour. The kids always have fun. I mean always. David took this photo at mid-hike:


Our bathroom is finished and other than the fact that it is a very boring khaki color, the tiles look amazing. It was not a cheap process, but it was fast and has that "instant" improvement feel. Now I get to spend the next month screaming, "Don't touch the tiles."

True Confessions: We Have A Pink Bathroom

Our house was built in 1958--when bubble-gum pink and powder blue were all the rage in bathroom tiles. (Apparently no one slept in a Queen-sized bed, either, because we cannot get a box spring up our stairs... but I digress.) When we moved to Colorado, it was at the height of a seller's real estate market. There was so much competition for houses, especially in the neighborhood we wanted to live in, which was 2 blocks from the school where David was teaching. When we found out that the owners of this house were looking to sell, we pounced. It really didn't matter what the inside looked like: we wanted it!

It has been a great house, but, alas, the upstairs bathroom is very pink. Can you also see how small it it? All 5 of us share it. I, personally, think we deserve some kind of medal for that. Feel free to nominate me. The first few years we lived here, we invested our money in other house projects, and the pink bathroom stayed. We got used to it. It's quirkiness grew on us. Indeed, it became fun. It's also the place Carver and Lily were potty trained. It's the place I quickly learned that a certain un-circumcised Ethiopian should NOT stand to pee. It was the place to be for the Great Food Poisoning Epidemic of '02 and '07. It was a great place to stick the kids on a bad day--filling up the tub with bubbles and toys and letting them have at it. And it was the one room our realtor said, "Welllllllll......" (insert dramatic pause.)

Today there is a company coming that sprays an acrylic coating over tiles like ours and makes them look brand new and less appalling. Good bye, my pink friend. You've been good to us.

happy easter!

Dear Gifted and Talented Teacher:

Thank you so much for your note about my child. Of course we are excited that they did well on all your assessments and are now qualified as "gifted" and "talented." Forgive me, though, if I don't jump up and down and fawn all over my child as so many parents do when they receive news like this. You see, we have another child at home who has a learning disability. For them, school is a daily struggle... a mountain climb, if you will. We've been working with them all year to make school a place of excitement and joy, rather than something to fear.

I have one child who does really well on tests and standardized assessments. They know the answers and are blessed with the right amount of logic to get through tasks quickly. Learning comes easily to them and they have never known the "how do I do this?" feeling.

I have another child who cannot for the life of them remember how to spell "what" or "flavor" or "special." They work twice, sometimes three times as hard on their homework and schoolwork to get good grades. They struggle through assignments that take other kids 5 minutes. They get up every day and do it again, with a smile on their face because deep down, they have moxie, courage, and determination.

So you tell me. Who is the talented one?

If/Then

If you used your own money to buy a dog collar and leash but don't own a dog yet,

Then you pretend you're the dog.

This, That, and Everything

Call the furnace guy: check
Call the bathroom repair guy: check
Make doctor appts. for me and Zinabu: check
Made dentist appt.: check
Pick out new sink: check
Pick out plumbing fixtures: check
Pick out back splash tile: check
Pick out new floor for Lily's room: check
Call Dell customer service about glitch in laptop: check
Wait around all morning for furnace guy to come: check
Fix computer: check
Look over paperwork from realtor: check

Pick out carpet: not yet
Paint office: not yet
Reseal grout in bathroom: not yet
Clean windows: not even close
Yard work: as soon as it quits snowing
Get my physical on Thurs: can't wait
Have filling replaced at dentist on Friday: ooooooh, lovely
Kindergarten registration paperwork: what????
Take Carver to appointment this afternoon: can't forget
Clean carpets: someday
Registration for summer day camps before they fill up: in my dreams

And that's just today. So it's a good thing that there are only 100 days until the next Harry Potter movie comes out. I have something to look forward to after days like this.

Zinabu with David at the guest house. This was the first day Z spent the night with David and I remember they called me on the phone and Z was laughing like a hyena: he was pretty hyped up. That's David's AMAZING sister in the background--my beloved sister-in-law Diana. Zinabu really liked the feature on the video camera where he could see himself in the screen. He also had a whopper of a runny nose, which we now know was the beginning sign of the mumps. Ahhhhh, memories!

*Zinabu is saying "Ababa"--which is Dad in Amharic.

In honor of Zinabu's 2 year "arrivalversary" I've been viewing video clips from David's trip to Ethiopia. I confess that it is very, very difficult for me to do. It makes me bawl like a baby every time. For different reasons... like the fact that Zinabu was still very much an Ethiopian and by coming to America he left so much behind. He spoke a different language, and he no longer remembers or cares much about Amharic. I also cry that he endured a lot of upheval and pain and loss for such a small guy. But look at that sweet face. He was so small... where has the time gone? I'll try to add more over the next few weeks. It is such an honor to have these glimpses of him on his native soil.

Today

Today our realtor is coming over at 4:00 to walk through the house and discuss listing price and our schedule for the next 3 weeks before the house goes on the market. Our "realtor" is a real realtor, but she's also my friend Sue. David had wanted to interview several realtors and pick one, but I told him that because I would be the one who had the most contact with the person selling our house, I wanted it to be someone I like. A lot! And I like Sue. She has 2 young boys who go to school with Carver and Lily. She's funny and sweet and she's very, very cool. She wears high heels all the time. How could she not be cool?

At my mom's house, the renovation is moving along great. There are 3 main projects: new kitchen, 2 new bedrooms in the unfinished part of the basement, and tearing off a sunroom and building an office/guest room in its place. All the other projects are smaller in scale and are more cosmetic. Well, the boys' bedrooms are framed in! We love to go down to the basement and stand in their rooms and imagine what they will look like when finished. The sunroom was demolished yesterday. It is completely gone. They will lay the new foundation today or Monday, and they can start building after that. And the kitchen--well, it's going to be worked on in about 10 days. The cabinets are going to be delivered next week. I picked the counter tops. Tomorrow I just need to pick a sink and decide on a back splash so it can all come together. I took some "before" pictures and I can't wait to post them with the "after" photos.

The kids are doing well. We've been virus free for 10 days. Wooo hooo! Please, please, please let that be the last of it. I can hardly believe it, but it is time to start planning summer activities. Our area offers a wide variety of day camps and I need to sign the kids up for something to do. Since we really aren't going on a vacation this summer, I want the kids to have some fun memories. I found out that our zoo offers multiple day camps, and Lily is enthralled. She said to me, "I hope that they can shoot the lions with darts and make them fall asleep, and then I can go in and lay down with them and pet them." I don't think that's going to happen, but I love her grandiose dreams.

So a little more painting, a little more packing, a lot of cleaning, and we're going to get this house ready to sell!

These are not my children.


These are my children.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. Aristotle.

Well, I sure don't presume to be smarter than Aristotle, but I think this is the dumbest quote ever. Why on earth would I want to be married to myself? I'm quite enough to deal with, thank you. I rather like being married to someone different than moi. I like this quote:

Love is an act of endless forgiveness. A tender look which becomes a habit. Peter Ustinov

On March 31, David and I will have been married for 13 years. Lucky, lucky 13. Lucky me. As we have not been in the same room together for the past year, I have to use a photo from last spring, but no big deal. He's still pretty cute.

Recently Overheard

Lily: Mom, why did God invent the word "boogers"?

Me: Uh...

Zinabu: Of coursely*, because that's what they're called!


*a new Zinabuism: of course + ly

I read someone's blog today whose son died young, from cancer. I can not even stand the thought. As it is, I have a hard time even imagining sleep away summer camp. I so love this boy. I am so blessed.

Hunkered Down

We are awaiting a big snowstorm--typical for Colorado in the spring. And we welcome it, as we have not had a drop of moisture in months. It is so, so dry here. But I did what everyone else in our city decided to do today... go to the library and Target to stock up! The library was actually wall-to-wall people and it took us much longer to navigate the shelves to get what we wanted. Lily was determined to find all the books on polar bears and Zinabu wanted to "help" her. From there we went to Target, which was not as bad but the kids got extremely hungry so I caved and we had lunch. I feel it is my duty to tell you that the soup bread bowls at the Target food cafe are actually good! In an emergency, you know.

I am trying to muster up the energy to keep painting, but there's not much energy there to muster. I'm about half way done with my list, and I feel like just hanging up my paint brush. I did re-do the upstairs bathroom though and it looks quite nice. So, yay me.

My friends Ali and Shannon are supposed to come over for a PPP (Pride and Prejudice party) but if we're all snowed in, I sure don't mind watching a little Mr. Darcy by myself. He's good medicine.

News From The Rails


David and Carver made it to San Francisco and had a blast on their train ride. The above photo was taken with David's cell phone, so it's a little dark. Their sleeper compartment was small but hosted nooks and crannies and storage compartments that kept a 10-year-old boy pleasantly busy for hours. They've played card games and read books and goofed off and rested. David said the ride through the Rockies and the rest of Colorado was spectacular. Carver slept like a log. David slept like...well, a grown man on a moving train. But he said it was so nice to not worry about a thing. Each car has its own "steward" to answer their questions and tend to their every need. Apparently, you get an endless supply of apple juice (see above) and Carver is trying to drink it all.


The dining car provides all their meals, as well as interesting conversations with strangers. Since space is limited, David and Carver were always seated with 2 other guests. David said they have met and eaten with all sorts of characters: a World War 2 veteran, an elderly woman and her son traveling to see her sister, a Buddhist monk, an ACLU worker traveling to California to work on Prop. 8, and a music professor from UC Davis. David... loves... it!


David and Carver are staying in downtown San Fran, in an old historic hotel that makes me jealous. Unfortunately, David forgot to have the talk with Carver about seeing lots of homeless people until they began walking from public transportation to their hotel. While David and I have lived in very urban places in our lives, our children have not. That is one part of the suburbs that I hate. By not living in a place where homelessness and poverty are very visible, my kids are unaware of it. And when they are then exposed to it, they are afraid of it. I do NOT want my children to be afraid of poverty, or the human beings they see who are living in poverty. I do NOT want my kids to look down at their feet and pretend not to notice despair. David has a big job on this trip--to have a delightful getaway with his son, and to impress upon our son the value that each and every person on our planet has, no matter what their circumstances.

Suddenly, my painting projects sound easy.

Choo-Choo

Tomorrow David and Carver are taking a grand adventure together: a trip to San Francisco. David promised each child that when they were 10 years old, they would take a train trip somewhere. They depart from Denver, have a sleeper cabin, and are all hopped up for some male bonding. I am very, very excited for them--especially Carver, as he has not been "super keen" on his younger siblings as of late and needs a break from them. He and David have some great plans for their time together, like biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, a ferry ride, museums, and trolley cars.

I am just now emerging from this blasted illness that turned me into a pitiful lump of pain for the past several days. I woke up yesterday, discovered I could breathe through half my nose, and rejoiced! I tried to do too much, though... I was at Target picking up more of this and that and suddenly hit the wall: I contemplated curling up in a ball right there on the floor. I was dizzy and tired and wanted to crawl back in bed. But today is better and I hope to be 100% tomorrow. I have the loveliest hack. I sound so Charles Dickens ill! But I figure I've earned it.

And what are my plans for the week? Painting. And more painting. Our goal is to put our house on the market May 1, and I have about 5 weeks to clean and paint and get it ready. I promised Lily and Zinabu we would do something fun every day during spring break, but I also told them I would have to work a little each day. They looked at me skeptically, as if daring me to bribe them to be good. No bribes yet, but it is certainly not beneath me.

If/Then


If you walk by a mirror in a public place

Then you must stop and make ridiculous faces.

Still sick.

Still really sick, if I am to be completely honest.

Zinabu just topped off his afternoon with 3+ hours of computer time. Normally he gets 30 minutes a day. It has not dawned on him yet that I am letting his time go on and on to infinity. His eyes must be incredibly bloodshot and tired. I can only guess, though, since I am upstairs in bed.

I got Lily and Carver set up with things to do after school so they don't have to come home and listen to me hack and snuffle. Last night Lily started crying and when I asked her why she said, "Are you going to die?" I assured her I wouldn't, but even now--based on how I feel--I suppose it's a possibility. David would not miss the wads of tissues littering the floor on my side of the bed.

And yet, despite my weakened state and horrible appearance, I still have the gumption to tell Lily we are naming the dog Mr. Darcy.

The Fever, Colorado Style

My blog friend Vivi has been battling the "fever" at her house for a long, long time now. I had to laugh that she dubbed it such. Here at our house the fever has taken hold and will not let go. Carver and Lily and Zinabu all had bouts with really bad colds, recovered, then began round two. Zinabu has not officially breathed through his nose in about 25 days. Lo and behold, Carver just started sniffling and sneezing once more. I, myself, am getting nervous that I have the flu and not just a really, really bad cold. A really bad cold does not make you feel like dog doo underneath a garbage truck. I now understand why they put horses with broken legs down. Please, somebody, come put me out of my misery.

I could not sleep last night I was so congested. I watched an infomercial on acne products. I also have aches and chills and have not eaten much other than some grapes and dry Cheerios. I am chugging tea and juice, though, so even though all I want to do is lie on the couch and moan, I have to get up and empty my bladder every hour.

This is the hardest part of motherhood--being sick and still needing to feed and water my children. When I woke up this morning I spent a good 10 minutes telling my stomach not to vomit, and it has been downhill from there. David left this morning at 6:45 and will not get home until 10:30. I kept looking at the clock, telling myself "Just get through the next 5 minutes." Made breakfast. Packed lunches. Got kids to school. Collapsed in bed. Picked Z up. Went to Target for drugs. Noticed I was wearing 2 different shoes. When the salesperson said, "How are you today?" I actually looked her in the eye and said, "HORRIBLE!" I believe I scared her. If not my attitude, then the mismatched shoes and sweatshirt covering my pajama top. I feel a little unbalanced.

Right now I am letting the kids do pretty much whatever they want, except eat sugar straight out of the sugar jar. But who knows... when I'm moaning and writhing they might be sneaking spoonfuls in. All I have to do now is watch the clock and keep plugging along, 5 minutes at a time. I am dreaming of bedtime like there's no tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Jack and David


My brothers just celebrated their birthdays. They are one day apart from each other. I love them dearly, but when I was little it had to be my least favorite time of year. They each got birthday cakes (or birthday donuts, by the looks of this photo) and gifts and parties. I held it together each year until we sang Happy Birthday to Jack. Then I would bawl. I would be pretty fed up with birthdays at that point. So in our vast collection of family photos, I am crying in all the boys' birthday pictures. Lovely.


Which is why when we adopted Zinabu and we got to "assign" him a birthday, I made sure it was not near anyone else's.

We're in for another week of glorious weather! Since that is half the reason we moved to Colorado, we're always pleased when mother nature complies. The kids spent the entire day after church building a fort. Never mind that they have a perfectly assembled one already. They wanted to build their own. They needed snack breaks throughout the construction process.


Below is the finished product. It includes a flag, too. I was a little surprised (and horrified) at the junk they were able to gather together from our backyard--the detritus of firewood and who knows what else. It made me feel like we were living with Sanford and Son.

Oops!

What happens when Zinabu has a full bladder and David begins tickling him?

Guilty Pleasures...
My BBF (best blogging friend) Heather recently tagged me for the following fun assignment: share 5 of my guilty pleasures. I had to think for a while about what to share, since my deep-dark secret guilty pleasures more or less peg me as a nerd. Gasp! Dare I share such trivial nonsense with my readers? However, after thinking for a while I came up with 5. Achtung! Here is your official warning that I lead a very boring and non-descript life and you will be let down if you think I'm going to confess to clandestine meetings with the mob or that I own a tea cup chihuahua and carry it with me to the grocery store. Uh... no.


If I am alone in the car (I think it happened once back in 2003) I lurrve listening to the BBC broadcast on NPR. I am in love with all things England, especially their delish accents. So I listen to the BBC news and repeat aloud what they're saying and pretend I live in London. So posh.


Books. I am a book fiend. I keep a stack just like this next to my bed. I need, need, need to have 2 books going at the same time and at least 4 in the wings waiting to be read. I get antsy if I don't know what I'm going to be reading next week. How is this a guilty pleasure? Because I am often reading when I should be doing other things, like parenting (did I just say that aloud?). Reading is the most divine form of escapism.


The Office. I bought David seasons one through four for his birthday and we had the greatest time working our way through them. Alas, David and I hardly see one another these days--let alone have time to watch any tv--so when season five comes out on DVD we'll buy it and get caught up. The writers for this show are bloody brilliant! (See? The BBC influences me all the time.)



My running play list. When I run, I prefer to run alone and listen to really great music. I should probably use that time to pray more or organize my thoughts, but I get sucked into my play list every time. I have a weakness for inappropriate rap music (Eminem, Kanye West, ahem). In my defense, though, you really need someone hollering at you with a steady rhythm to finish mile 10.

Sugar-cinnamon roasted almonds. We are frequenters to the Colorado College hockey games, and when we walk in the doors to the arena, we are always assaulted by the most amazing cinnamon smell. One day we went all out crazy and followed the smell. There was a vat of almonds being turned in a roaster and they were coated with cinnamon and sugar. We bought a bag, and after David and I each tried some our eyes met over the tops of our kids' heads and it was like we both had the same thought at the same time. This is nirvana. We will always buy these. Oh, sweet nectar of the gods, how have we been missing these all this time? I have since found a recipe to make them at home and they are just as yummy. I could eat 6 pounds of these in one sitting.

If you've read this, consider yourself tagged. Do share! Ooooh Vivi, Melodie, Kristin... do you have any?

AAAACK!

I had horrible insomnia last night. My brain just wouldn't shut off. At 4 am I finally fell asleep. Unfortunately my internal alarm clock that wakes me up without fail at 6:30 every morning had not yet adjusted to daylight savings. Neither have my kids, who also have internal alarm clocks that go off at 6:30. So imagine my horror when I opened my eyes and the clock said 7:45!

Guess what time school starts? 7:55.

No, wait. It gets worse. I was scheduled to work in the library this morning.

No, wait. It gets even worse. I was also scheduled to bring snacks in to Carver's class for an event they're having today.

I feel like the world's most incompetent mother. You can just imagine my hair today, can't you.

Saturday
After a week of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s and 70s, Saturday was cold, overcast, and wet. Unfortunately, the kids still had all their regular energy and were not really interested in quiet activities. After dinner, David and I took them to the mall for a scavenger hunt. I came up with 12 clues and they had to read the clues and figure out where to go. They had a great time and it was a fun and cheap evening together. The last clue led them to ice cream, which was (no surprises here) a big hit.

Riding the escalator


Carver digging in


Lily

Zinabu.

U2's new album + Really loud speakers = Great Dancing

Interview With My Child

The following questions have been floating around Blogger and Facebook for a while now, and I have laughed until I've cried reading some children's responses. They are priceless. I thought Zinabu would answer the following questions predictably and his responses would be dull. Boy was I wrong. He did not disappoint. Remember he's my chatty one? At times I had to tell him to stop talking so I could get to the next question. Here is our interview:

1. What is something mom always says to you? Don’t play with my bellybutton. (This was not a good start, in my opinion, as I cannot ever recall saying this to him… ever!)

2. What makes mom happy? Eating fruit

3. What makes mom sad? Punching

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Like when last time you did a really funny thing to me (he cannot speak anymore because he’s laughing so hard. I wait for him to finish and then he continues) I just can’t remember but it was soooo funny (Dissolves into laughter again.)

5. What was your mom like as a child? In kindergarten

6. How old is your mom? “ 37

7. How tall is your mom? Right up to here (pointing to his cheek) on Ababa (meaning I am as tall as David’s cheek)

8. What is mommy’s favorite thing to do? Give me a hint

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Doing computer

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? You’ll be famous for drawing

11. What is your mom really good at? Reading and typing

12. What is your mom not very good at? You’re not good at doing like on the baddest thing or like a skatebord. You really have a hard time. (I had to raise my eyebrow to this one)

13. What does your mom do for her job? Your job? To be the mommy

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Pasta

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you play

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? I would say… Mickey Mouse clubhouse

17. What do you and your mom do together? Lay down and watch tv (Really? This is all he remembers that we ever do together?)

18. How are you and your mom the same? We both like to work --like I work on doing reading… it was monsters everywhere in my house and you took that back to the library. Why did you do that? (This means he is still very mad at me that the book “Monsters Everywhere” by Mercer Mayer was due at the library today and he has not forgiven me for such a cruel injustice!)

19. How are you and your mom different? Give me a hint....(I give him a look) We have different bodies (Bingo!!!)

20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because you want me to enjoy the evening and the day (What?)

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Souper Salad (I about wet my pants I laughed so hard over this. It’s all about the food with him)

I Don't Know

I know a lot about Zinabu. We are coming up on our two year anniversary of his adoption. But there is a lot about Zinabu I don't know. For example, he has a large scar on the back of his hand, wrist, and arm that looks like a severe burn. I don't know how it happened. He probably put his hand in the fire--or fell in the fire--when he lived with his birth family. His family lived in a small farming community and cooked all their meals over a fire. It's our best guess, but we really don't know. We are overjoyed to be celebrating his two years with us, but we are not yet to the point that he has lived with us longer than anywhere else. He came to our family when he was three and a half, so he's lived more than half his life not with us. The "I don't knows" seem to bother other people more than they bother us. It drives one of my friends crazy that we don't know Zinabu's actual birthday. She cannot fathom this. Perhaps because we focus on what we do know about Zinabu, we are better able to deal with the mysteries of the unknown. We focus on what is real and true and so undeniably him. His smile, his giggle (oh, if only you could hear it!), his sense of humor, his non-stop talking, his love of adventure, his love for his daddy... This is what makes up our Zinabu. I treasure each and every moment we've had with him.

Weird Things I Said Today, Vol. 2

Put the pickle-picker down! (don't even ask what this means!)

Chew what's in your mouth before you talk to me. No, really chew it. That's not chewed yet!

How did it feel to pet the skunk?

Were you chased by the girls again at recess?

Zinabu, you don't have to tell me what the speed limit is. I got it.

Just eat your pudding without a spoon.

Thinking Happy Thoughts

Hooray for me! I packed 8 boxes yesterday. David cheered me on while he was working on a paper, but getting those few boxes done felt great. If I can take a couple of hours each weekend to pack, I think we'll be fine by the end of April/early May. And at one point, I'll have to wait to pack until we actually move, since I can't very well box up our clothes and dishes yet. I also need to make my "to do" list and spread it out over the next several weeks. It's mostly painting, but I think I won't feel so overwhelmed if I can tackle it a bit at a time.

I MUST get to my mom's and take some "before" pictures. The construction starts March 15th, and we are so excited. Bless my mom's heart, she has to live in the house with all the noise and dust, but she's just as excited as we are.

It is 72 degrees today. I don't know what on earth we did to earn such sublime weather, but it is heavenly. It also caused me to eat extra helpings of ice cream today (sorry David), but how could I not?

In other unrelated news, Zinabu starts soccer this week. It's through the YMCA and very low-key, but his coach's name is Billie Joe. She's a woman--named Billie Joe. I didn't know whether to laugh or give her a hug.

It is now March. Where did it come from? This means I can no longer pussy-foot around and kind of get our house ready to move and sell. I need to actually get our house ready to move and sell. Yikes.

We have had a wonderful weekend. Zinabu is fighting the cold Carver had. It went straight to his chest and he sounds like a pack-a-day smoker. However, it did not slow him down for the big event last night: charades! After dinner we let the kids put on a talent show (Lily chose burping as her talent, if that helps you picture the moment) and then we played a raucous game of charades. I don't know what it is about charades, but Carver and Lily and Zinabu could play forever. I came up with 25 different topics to act out--from eating a lemon to a pillow fight--and we took turns acting them out. Very, very fun.

Right now Lily is back to work trying to make money in any way, shape, or form. She's creating art to sell. And how could I turn her down? She's too cute.