Round Robin

The term usually brings to mind good things: ping pong games, family newsletters, the first stray scene from City Slickers ... fun stuff.

Unfortunately, we've been playing host to a round robin tournament for bacteria and virus strains living in our house. Each of us has gotten sick with at least two separate illnesses in the last two weeks. Yuck.

I hesitate to say so, for fear of being proven wrong, but I think we are all finally on the mend. If we really are, I have some plans for cooking and crocheting posts in the next few weeks. I had been hoping to post about some projects in the works, but they were pushed to the back burner while we all have been boosting our immune system activity and making sure there is enough tissue in the house.

***Update***

Dang. Not five minutes after I hit "Publish Post" I was cleaning baby spew off the carpet.

Don't pass out holding your breath for those new creative posts.

Because It's All Ancient History When You're Five

We were driving past a construction site near our house where they're building a pharmacy. I noticed a new sign announcing that the store would be open in a few months and pointed it out to the rest of the family. Rosi asked what it meant.

"It means they'll be done building soon and the Lewis will open up," I told her. "That's what the pharmacy is called."

"State Farm?"

"No," I laughed. "Pharmacy. It's where you go to buy medicine if you're sick."

"Or other stuff," Adam added.

"It's like Walgreens," I tried to relate it to something she knew.

"Except this one is called Lewis," Adam told her. "Like Lewis and Clark."

Rosi considered for a moment, then she asked, "Don't you mean Noah's Ark?"

My New Favorite Holiday

As far as celebrations go, I've always considered the 4th of July my favorite holiday. Parades and fireworks and going to barbecues with family and friends ... it just doesn't get any better than that. Or so I thought.

Little did I know, I was missing the greatest holiday celebration ever.

Did you know there is an International Chocolate Day? Really, today is dedicated to celebrate the wonder that is chocolate. I just found out about it myself, and the day's more than half over. To think of all the missed chocolate opportunities this morning ...

So, quick, while we still have the chance, let's celebrate together. Maybe I'll make chocolate pancakes for dinner. Or chocolate popovers. Yum.

If I had the ingredients I'd make S'more Bliss or the best oatmeal cookies ever (just substitute chocolate chips for the raisins).

What a great holiday!

You Can't Handle the Tooth

I didn't quite realize it had been over a month since I'd updated this blog. Time flies when you're having, uhm, fun.

I've been keeping busy through the last days of summer working on a deep cleaning and reorganizing of the house, getting my ideas and plans together to really dive into homeschooling this fall, and just generally thinking thoughts that don't necessarily translate so well to a post. The last few days, however, have offered several newsworthy items that I'd like to share.

For starters, baby teeth are busting out all over in our family. One of the kids is growing 'em in while the other one is yanking 'em right out.

"Mom," Rosi told me the other day as I got into the car. "I have a loose tooth!"

Since we had just recently seen the movie Tooth Fairy, I didn't think too much about it at first. But, we had to stop for gas, so while she, the baby, and I waited for Adam to fill the tank, I asked her to lean forward so I could check it out. Sure enough, one of the teeth on the bottom was getting pretty wiggly.

The next day, we were back in the car and she announced, "My tooth came out!" She'd already practiced this announcement several times, so at first neither Adam nor I reacted much. Then I asked to see it and held my hand into the back seat, expecting to get a giggle and reassurance, "I was just joking."

Instead, into my palm plopped a tiny, still bloody tooth. She's convinced that she's a real grown up now because she's getting her grown-up teeth.

Meanwhile, our son has six teeth fully grown in, four on top and two on bottom, with four more not quite breaking through the gums. Oh, and, yeah, he started walking this past week. That makes us two for two on early walkers. Both of them took their first steps at nine months.

All of which leaves me asking myself, where exactly is that pause button on life so we can relax and enjoy these moments a little more?