Packing

I think we may have another young engineer on our hands

I was feeling worn out today, to the point that I spread out a blanket, dumped out the Legos, turned on a cartoon, and abandoned the kids to their own resources.

But no matter how hard I try to utterly waste a day, my children always manage to give me something to write home about.

After the kids were done watching their movie, Ella and Alex bolted outside.  They came back some time later, with a little bouquet of flowers.  I did what I always do: I thanked them, and gave them a deep sniff.

Beware of Munchkins bearing gifts

And then I gagged.  Somewhere, the kids had found some wild garlic and tucked it in amongst the flowers.  Ella eyed me closely, and then turned to Alex, who was, likewise, watching me closely. "Hm.  She didn't like the smell, but it didn't destroy her, either.  I think it's okay, Alex. I don't think Mom's a vampire." They got suspicious, apparently, when I said I didn't feel like going out in the sun.

Well, clearly the kids had too much time on their hands, so I set them busy preparing for our trip on Saturday.  I borrowed another page from my mom's playbook and gave each kid a bag to fill however they wanted, with toys and games for the car.  But perhaps they needed a little more guidance than I gave them. Alex's bag is stuffed and barely zipped with is five stuffed kitties and his stuffed tiger.  Somewhere, floating around in there, is also a single bakugan and one little book.

Joey also decided to go for the minimalist approach: he heard Alex bragging about how nice and light his bag was, with only stuffed animals inside, so his bag now contains only a single board book.  I tried to talk him into adding some more books, or maybe a toy, but he shook his little head: "No! No! Nice a-light!" And I realized it was better not to press him when I tried to sneak in a few more toys and he took them out, looked me right in the eye, and said "NO! I dinosaur! RAWR!"

I think he's trying to tell me not to make him angry, that I wouldn't like him when he's angry.  Joey SMASH!

Ella made a good point, though, as she looked thoughtfully at the art supplies and books and stuffed turtles she'd put in her bag.  "You're going to let us play with the iPhone, right mom?  I'd be okay with a much smaller bag, if you say yes."  Well, yes.  So I suppose the boys will be okay.

So there are three hopeful little bags lined up in our house, although Dennis says Ella broke into hers at bedtime when she realized she'd left her turtles in her bag and ran to get them, fearful that they'd suffocated.  Dennis thought that she was just being funny until she came back, laid the turtles on her bed, and urgently gave them mouth-to-mouth.  Neither Dennis nor I know where Ella learned emergency rescue breathing, but lucky, lucky turtles that she did.