What is the Perfect Way to Accessorize a Burn on Your Hand? More Burns of Course!

During one of our many stints of great parenting last week Marty touched the end of sparkler that had just fizzled out (yes we give sparklers to our two year old, I told you, we're great parents) and received a very gross blistering burn across his thumb and two first fingers. Early yesterday morning I found Lauren and Marty gathered around a lamp on the floor.

What Lauren said: Feel this, the light bulb isn't hot.

What I said: I know that light bulb is cool now, but when you turn the lamp on, it will get hot. Please don't touch the lightbulb again, because you can't always tell whether it is hot or not.

What Marty heard: blah blah LIGHT BULB IS COOL, blah blah TURN THE LAMP ON, blah blah blah, TOUCH THE LIGHT BULB AGAIN blah blah blah.

What I heard: WWAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!

What We Did For Daddy's Summer Vacation

Here is where I planned to post all of the cute pictures from the HP's leave, but the antique computer available here (and first let me say, all other aspects of my free accommodations are top notch) will not upload anything but lithographs, etchings, brass rubbings, and cave paintings. I am attempting to interest the management into upgrading their system, and if they do, the pictures will appear. Otherwise, you'll be in suspense until September. Suffice it to say, the HP's leave involved many beers, snow cones, trips to the beach, beers, snow cones, trips to teh pool, beers, snow cones, naps, and beers and snow cones.

HE'S BAA AACK

Daddy magically reappeared at the Baltimore Airport yesterday afternoon, and although he seems prone to dozing off at all hours (or shall I say still seems prone to dozing off at all hours), we are a happy little family again. In my typical super-organized fashion I forgot to bring my camera to the airport. Luckily my sister-in-law quickly provided me with a top of the line disposable one, so once the camera is done, developed, and put on a CD for me, I'll post some pictures of the happy reunion.

If I wasn't so tired and wearing noisy wind pants, I'd go find the digital camera and post the pictures of Marty's marker handprints (created while making the welcome home poster that is clearly depicted on photos that are still inside the disposable camera) all over the wall of the 5-month old retirement house walls. Unfortunately I am, so you will have to wait in anguished suspense until tomorrow.

By the way, couldn't someone have told me that I wrote that Marty was combined to his crib instead of confined to his crib? That's just mean, you know I am often distracted by my next cocktail and rushing through these posts.

How About Some More Fourth Photos?

Growing up in a big city, with the National fireworks just a short subway ride away, it is easy to overlook the way that most Americans happily celebrate the 4th.



But in small town America, it is easier to get in touch with that patriotic flutter in your heart.



Even though the fire trucks passing by can be much too loud.

Fourth of July on the Beach

Force down the healthy food...



And bring on the snow cones!!!

Answer: No, You Don't

Question: If you discover that you and your sister have bought all 6 cousins matching Old Navy flag shirts and that somehow all 6 are dressed in khaki shorts, do you attempt to perfect the photo op by brushing out 6 heads of sandy beach/pool hair?

And the Winner Is...

Grandpa, although it was a rather anticlimactic contest since Lauren never appeared for breakfast. By the time I finally got her to go eat something, she stopped at the top of the stairs and called "Grandpa, are you ready for the contest?" but Grandpa had already eaten his coffee cake. When I asked her about it later, she said "We decided to forget about the contest?" but she did concede defeat since she did not actually finish her piece of coffee cake before we went to the beach.

We hit the sand by 9:45 this morning, an all-time record, beating even the lifeguards to a spot by the ocean. Our good luck continued with schools of fish swimming by and leaping in the sun, possibly to escape the school of dolphins that was swimming along and eating them. The dolphins hung around so long, that all the beachgoers had turned back to their buckets and french fries before the show was over. A few pelicans stopped by to check on the action too, but by then the fish had wisely retreated to deeper water.

Good behavior continues, with only minor complaining arising to meet the news that today there would be no snow cones. The consolation prize met with almost as much enthusiasm as snow cones? Big carrots. Those three kiddies? A little nuts.

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown

It started innocently enough, when Lauren appeared in the living room looking for an after dinner treat. She declared that she wanted a corn muffin, and I, thinking that she was under the impression that the muffin in question was a sweet Otis Spunkmeyer cake rather than a Betty Crocker one that my mom had made, asked if she'd rather have the last piece of coffee cake instead.

Lauren informed me that she wanted a corn muffin, whatever kind it was, and while I was in the kitchen peeling off the wrapper and putting it on the plate, a coffee cake bargain (to split the last piece) was struck in the living room between Lauren and Grandpa. However, when I told them that I had bought a second coffee cake this evening when I went to buy milk, the once cheery sharing bargain turned into a coffee cake eating challenge scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Lauren immediately started talking smack to Grandpa, against my express advice, and Grandpa took seconds at dinner, confident that Lauren could be defeated no matter what he ate beforehand. Like all of you, I sit, on the edge of my seat, awaiting the results of tomorrow's contest. Finally, something to tide me over between World Cup matches.

Results and details to follow.

Beach Life Day #1

It seems that even the kiddies couldn't wait to get away judging from the excessive amounts of good behavior exhibited on the beach (pre and post-snow cone). If I hadn't been worried that Marty was going to keel over and fall asleep in his bucket, all three would probably still be sitting in the sand, filling a bucket using a small plastic spoon.