Do you have one of these? We've had this model for two years now and highly recommend it. It, we call ours "Zoe," is a constant source of entertainment. As with any product, there's an occasional glitch, but overall we are pleased with Zoe's performance. Of course, it may take two or three (or more!) decades to truly assess our ROI, but we're risk-takers and willing to bide our time. Now, Zoe may not be for everyone, but has proven to truly enhance our lifestyle.
We're starting this summer of with a bang. Or, one could say, a bang, a tumble, and a chomp or two.
Amelia: First black eye. Crashed into a trunk.
Zoe: Scraped face. Fell down front steps onto concrete.
Quentin: Chewed hole in right foreleg.
Shane: Didn't hurt herself, but murdered a robin moments before this photo was taken.
Click on the slideshow to view it on flickr's site and see the captions (which decipher the pages). :)
">
Brandon sent home some books for the girls the other day. He's in Arizona for six weeks. This was the scene when the box was opened.
Text conversation the other day:
Me: Quentin just peed on the slide.
Him: Dick!
Me: Yep, that's what he used.
Him: :/
Me: You're welcome.
We were sitting in the family room Sunday night after a long day's drive back from the mountains and a dinner of leftovers. The girls were playing with a toy where you take a plastic hammer and pound balls into a chute. Zoe had the hammer and had wandered away from the toy while Amelia lined up the balls with her back to her little sister. I muttered quietly to Brandon, "Do you think I could talk Zoe into hitting Amelia on the head with that?" He nodded in assent. A moment later, Zoe walked directly to Amelia and SMACK! that hammer made contact. We were so stunned we sat in silent as she did it two more times. At that point Amelia screamed and we snapped out of it. I comforted Amelia while Brandon removed the weapon.
"Was that my fault?"
Shrug.
I am far more powerful than I thought.
Brandon made an incredible apple pie last weekend. It was the kind of pie that takes five pounds of apples to make it worth your while. When Brandon bakes, it's a best-case scenario. He researches and gets out his scientist hat. This is the pie.
And this is the inside of the pie.
We ate some pie. We gave some pie to our neighbors. We ate some more. And there was still some left several days later. Amelia and Brandon looked at the pie and Amelia came running to find me. "Mom, there's mulch on the pie!" "Mulch?" "Yeah, mulch on the pie. And that's the first 'mergency!" "Mold? Could it be mold? And what's the second emergency?" Never did find out what the second emergency was, but mold was indeed the culprit as far as the pie was concerned.
Today at the fire house, for the field trip:
Fireman, after the puppet show about fire safety, "I bet you all have smoke alarms in your house."
AC, "I don't!"
Fireman, "You don't? Really?"
AC, "Well, we do, but they're covered with bugs."
Fireman, laughing, pointing to me, palm to forehead, "I bet that's your mom."
So, Zoe is now crawling on her knees. She is also snacking nearly constantly. She is often heard coming with a 'thunk' as she crawls with her fist lodged in a Snack Trap.
Amelia is on her second sinus infection of the year. Not normally a cuddly girl, she wants to snuggle. With her 102 degree body. In the heat of summer. Oh, kid. I tucked her in the second night of the fever and she said, "I can't believe it." "What?" "That I'm sick. I don't want this headache or this fever. I just want to be all good. I had the fever lesterday (sic) and I'm not bery (sic) good at getting better." Poor Little.
A few weeks ago I took the girls to the NC State Museum of Natural History in Raleigh. This was the justification for going to Trader Joe's. The store had kites displayed throughout and was holding a drawing for these. A worker got AC's info and, guess what, she won one. So now we're driving back (2 hours) to get her free kite. What? It totally makes sense. This time I'm justifying it with a visit to a a children's museum.
We started the day with breakfast out (complete with free extra waffle thanks to overstressed ((Hello! It's Mother's Day!)) kitchen). After Zoe's morning nap, we headed to a local farm for some pick-yo-sef strawberries. Back home for a late lunch, naps for the girls, and then a fabulous dinner on the deck. Brandon made a grilled shrimp & bread salad and some grilled artichokes on the side. I whipped up a shortcake with the berries and we maxed out on all the deliciousness. Thank you 70-something degree day!
