Smiling

Things that have made me smile (okay, maybe smirk is more like it for a few of them) this week:

Elizabeth, sitting on my lap in yet another waiting room, said "do you know what I want for my birthday, Mom?" I assumed she would say a puppy, as she always does. Instead she said "Freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want, like Emily's mom lets her do! And money to do whatever I want!"..... Sassy girl. I told her that I wish the same for myself!

A piece of sandpaper, given to Kate from my dad to work on a project, has been on the front bathroom floor since Saturday. How does sandpaper even end up in a bathroom and why will no one, especially Kate, pick the darn thing up?! I have stepped over it and I have even swept and mopped around it twice. I refuse to pick it up.

Jackson talks and sings to himself all of the time, now. It is endearing and annoying at the same time. Mostly though, it is so cute and I have to hide my giggles. Most often he is playing out an imaginary story or dialogue as he carries around action figures or walkie talkies. This morning, he was singing "God loves you and he takes care of you and he watches you and he maybe shouldn't stare at you so much because people should mind their own business!" What.In.The.World?!

My Kaitlin LOVES horses. She has for as long as I can remember. A friend from church and my MOMS group owns her own horse and was kind enough to ask if Kate would like to go to the barn with her today and help. Kate was so excited to be able to do this and it made my hear happy to see her be able to do something all her own. She is there now and I cannot wait to hear how her day at the barn was!

I answered a computer question for my neighbor! This didn't make me smile, it made my laugh because I am so dumb when it comes to computers, I cannot even tell you. Still, I did it and at least one person in the world now thinks I am pretty computer-smart.

I have been smiling all week when I think of the fact that my Holly and the rest of the Gooch family will be here in just 10 days!! I cannot wait to squeeze those Gooch kids (and have Spencer's "no more chemo so my hair is growing back" head of hair brush against my chin as I hug him) and laugh with Holly in person.


When we were at Koi for dinner last week, Jackson ate a large bite of wasabi. Oh, so painful! He was drooling and spitting and crying....and I could not stop laughing. The whole thing was youtube-worthy, actually. We were trying to help him, but he was in pain and in a full-on panic as he wiped his toungue over and over with the napkin. Each time he would get relief, he'd get a wave of burning again. I was DYING and crying because I was laughing so hard. I finally had to have Walter take him outside because I was sure Jackson was going to throw up! That kid can make himself gag and vomit just because, so I was sure he would throw up and I was not going to have him ruin our beautiful sushi! : ) He was fine.... though I am sure he will twitch whenever he sees wasabi, or even guacamole.




The kids have been sleeping anywhere but their own beds for the last 4 nights. Those crazies even slept on the hardwood floor last night instead of a bed, the couches or the futon in the girls' room. They say it is summer and so they can sleep wherever. The sleeping arrangements make them silly and loud and their usual 8:00 bedtime has given way to 10 or even 11. I have to use my "mean mommy" voice and repeat over and over to hush or turn off the lights, but inside I am smiling. One day, probably soon, they won't even want to do this anymore.