Beautiful Day.

Big Daddy and Donny are spending the morning working in the yard.

Shalom!

I think the Abigail's curls look like those of the Hasidic Jews.

It's Been Two Weeks.

Once again, Donny has been running a high fever for a few days, so we went to the doctor today. While we were in the waiting room the nurse opened the door and said Ashley. Donny looked at me quite panicked, "She's calling Ashley and we left her at home." (For those who don't know, Ashley is our dog.)

Twenty minutes later the doctor informed me Donny has a "raging" double ear infection and strep throat. Could I be a worse parent? I almost cried when she said he must be in a lot of pain. He never complains, he is such a trooper. Driving home I was feeling so bad and thinking about how he must feel when he said, "Mama, I found Jesus." "Excuse me," I replied thinking it might be worse than the doctor thought. "I found Jesus. I found God." I said, "Do you see him?" "Yes I do." I was really starting to worry he was going to follow the light. "Where do you see him?" "On the lawn over there, it's a statue." He was looking at a statue on a church lawn.

Cranky

Abigail has been cranky for the past few days. Monday I felt around in her mouth and discovered she had her first tooth. After a second pass over the gums, I realized she cut both her bottom from teeth. I can't believe how fast she is growing.

Fireman For The Day

I took the kids to the Children's Museum in Poughkeepsie today. Donny was on his best behavior and having the museum to ourselves didn't hurt. We were the only customers for quite awhile until a group of children and parents took over. As we walked in the door, Donny spotted the fire engine. We spent most of the time playing there and in the bakery next to the fire engine.

Donny playing in the water table.

We took a walk along the Hudson before we left.

When we returned to the house, Donny put on his snow pants. When I asked him why he was wearing them, he told me they weren't snow pants, "They are fire pants mama." I explained that it was very warm outside and he would be very hot, but he wouldn't take them off. We took our evening walk wearing his "fire pants" and boots.

Photos From Our Ohio Trip...

Donny thought he was dressing up in a Superman costume rather than Supergirl.

Playing with Elaini.

Abigail and Riley in the pack-n-play.

Grandpa and Donny on the deck.

Following the path, walking and talking.

Grandma's rhubarb is taller than Donny.

Just one of Grandpa's cars.

Donny loves to look at everything in Grandpa's garages.

One of our many stops on the way to Ohio.

Somewhere in Youngstown, Ohio. Donny was so "kickcited"

Tea Please

Every morning for two weeks, Donny would ask me, "Is today Mother's Day?" His class has been preparing for a Mother's Day tea for weeks. Wouldn't you know that my little guy is sick again. I was very tempted to give him Motrin and send him to school for just the tea, but I decided he was still not well enough. So, when he woke yesterday and asked again, I had to tell him he wouldn't be able to participate, he was really disappointed. Thanks to Aunt Stephanie, I had a plan, we would have a tea party at home. I made blueberry muffins, toasted bagels, put out grapes, jams and jellys. He was so excited! We sat down, he had two bites of his muffin and declared, "I'm done." He jumped out of his chair, sang one line of the song the class had prepared and went to play.

Hard Work Makes Me Hungry

The boys took a break from working on the fence to have a picnic lunch.

Pot/Kettle

Abigail was cooing in the car today when her brother said, "Mama, someone's very chatty today." Several minutes later..."Mama, I love Abigail, she's my best friend." Is he playing me?

Chatty Charlie

My morning plan was quite simple; bank, grocery and vet. If things go well, I should be back to the house in thirty minutes. I knew things were going to be more complicated when I opened the door and saw something looking back at me. Kitty is back to her hunting ways, there was a mouse head on the porch which I would have to deal with later. Now I had to carry Abigail and Donny to the car because I know Donny would pick up the head and there is not enough soap for that.

The bank was the first stop and Donny talked the entire time. "Mama please ask the lady for a sticker. Is she giving me a sticker? Did you ask for a sticker? Mama please ask the lady for a sticker. Is she giving me a sticker? Did you ask for a sticker?" Luckily the woman heard him a gave him a sticker, I didn't want hear about a sticker for the rest of the day.

When we got to the vet, I put Abigail in the carrier on my chest and held Donny's hand. Very easy stop, just picking up allergy medicine. Yes, our dog takes allergy medicine because she is allergic to grass. There is a woman with a dog on lap in the waiting room. "This is my Abigail. She's my sister. I got a sticker at the bank." As Donny was telling her his life story, the door to the examining room opened and a woman and her teenage daughter came out carrying an empty pet carrier. They were both crying. I pulled Donny closer to me to divert his attention, but it didn't work. "Why is she sad? Where is her dog? Why is the cage empty?" Moments before we arrived, the doctor put their 11 year old dog down and my son wants all the details. They followed us out the door and Donny asked me questions the entire way. Those poor people!

I won't bore you with the next two stops, they were just as chatty. Just before we drove out of the parking lot to go home, a man in a pickup pull in the space next to us. "Mama please open my door so I can say hi to that man." An hour and a half later we returned home.