my elbow pop

daddy was playing ball with garrett yesterday. then he turned on me. no warning. just grabbed me by the ankles (i was sitting criss-cross, apple-sauce, like the good little girl that i am) and flipped me over.
well, i wasn't having any of that. so i put my arm back to catch myself
and my elbow popped.

after a bit of crying, a long nap, a trip to the orange store with doors and nail guns, mommy decided to take me to Scottish Rite, which included a trip to McDonald's, a very expensive ring from the Happy Meal, two kids movies, a hairy doctor, and a quick fix.

i got a balloon. and i got to stay up until 11:30.

i don't know why daddy tried to roll me like a ball yesterday. that's for Garrett. don't do it to me again.

flu... swine flu

Despite the tremendous press and the fear-mongering amongst the health 'experts' across the world, our Chinese-enriched child has come through the porkish experience with nary a scratch.
Maybe it was his sheer determination to beat this thing, or his enhanced "I'm a four year old trapped in a three year old body", his being raised on a steady diet of rice, or the inoculation provided through that brush with Bird Flu back in aught-six.
The Bowling Six lived in fear for what seemed like endless minutes, as we learned that it really isn't all that big of a deal. If you're not already on the path to the Great Unknown, then the porc du flu is not likely to require more than a few days of sleep and maybe a bit more sleep when you're done.

Your Peppers do not Intimidate Me

Eliza is two meals into two slices of green pepper, with no end in sight.

She has forgone the blessings of grapes, apples, carrots, fresh popcorn, graham crackers and marshmallows.

And while we weren't looking, has attempted to stash the last slice of pepper in the trash.

I've been to places where people regularly eat things in conditions dirtier than our kitchen trash can, so we just wipe off the pepper and place back on the plate.

"Mommy, I CAN'T!!!!"

We are fixing (I mean, preparing) hamburgers, french fries, fried squash for supper. Yet there is this plate with 1 oz. fresh vegetables standing in our precious daughter's way.

Will she control or be controlled by her stubbornness?

She likes it, she really likes it.

We may as well own up that we weren't all that sure that Louise would take to this 'school' bit. Last year, as a homeschoolin' kindergartener, life was not exactly a bastion of cooperation.

About two months ago, in a manner eerily similar to the chronology of her pottie-training experience, after a full year of attempting to teach Louise to read, she went off into the corner by herself, made sure no one was watching her succeed, and started reading books without a problem. ... as long as the parent involved doesn't receive any sense of accomplishment, Louise is happy to learn...

While we are forced to whisper our words of encouragement so that she does not hear, I am terribly proud of my new lover of learning.

The Cowboy Code

• A cowboy always tells the truth and keeps his word.
• A cowboy is a Patriot standing for Truth, Justice & the American way.
• A cowboy never betrays a trust or takes advantage.
• A cowboy is brave, but never careless.
• A cowboy defends the weak and helps them.
• A cowboy is kind to children, old folks, and to animals.
• A cowboy is free from racial and religious prejudice.
• A cowboy is clean about his person and in thought, word, and deed.
• A cowboy is loyal, hard working and maintains a high ethic.
• A cowboy is thankful for what God has given him.