routine check up

The other day I took Teresa and Katie in for their annual check ups. My kids love going to see their doctor. He always takes time to talk with them and he appreciates them as individuals. While we were waiting in the exam room Katie was drawing and coloring a picture for her doctor. Now that she's in school, EVERYTHING is about writing. She kills more trees than a lumberjack with all the writing she's been doing. Anyways, she drew a sweet picture of herself in one of those paper dresses for the doctor and then she wanted to write "thank you." She starts sounding out the words. However, what with all those missing teeth, Katie's "thank" sounds more like "fank" and of course SHE knows best and won't listen to any guidance from me so she makes a great big "F" at the top of her paper. Then, because she is only in kindergarten, she skips over the whole rest of the word and moves on to the next word. You. So right next to her great big "F" she makes a great big "U." Of course I couldn't help but chuckle. "F-U" Bwahahahahahaha!!!
The doctor finally came in and both girls went through their exams. They chatted about school and activities. Then the doctor told them they'd both be getting flu shots and Katie also needed her chicken pox booster. Cue the frowns. And when Kate got her shots, the screaming commenced. It was not pretty. And she was furious. However she calmed down quickly and they got dressed so we could leave. That was when Katie discovered she had forgotten to give the doctor the picture she made him. Luckily he was not with another patient, and Katie proudly handed him the picture. I've got to give him credit. He laughed and thanked her for the picture. To me he added, "She really wasn't happy about those shots, huh?" I'm so glad he has a sense of humor.

sports nut

Sam has become a sports fanatic in the last several months. It was like someone flicked a switch and the kid cannot get enough sports. He hated that the baseball playoff games went on past his bedtime and he made Joe promise to leave him a note letting him know who won their respective games. Every night Sam asks Joe, "who's on tonight?" He doesn't care if it's baseball, football, hockey, or basketball. Any game is fair game. He even sets the dvr to record games he is unable to watch due to unfair bedtimes and school. And he will pester Joe ad nauseam with sports related questions. "Who played in the Superbowl in 1993?" "Who won the most World Series?" "Which team is the oldest of all the sports?" "What is this team's or that team's win/loss record? and what was it last year?" The questions go on and on and on and on. I know Joe always hoped his kids would share his love of sports. Sam surpasses even Joe in his desire to know everything about sports. I look forward to taking him to Cooperstown someday soon.

Sam has his favorite teams. The Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and the Bruins are, of course number one, but he does have others that rank pretty high on the list. Wins and losses mean nothing to Sam in terms of determining who his favorites are. Nope, it's all about the mascot. Any team with an animal is a winner in Sam's book. The Rays, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Cardinals are all on the list. And then anything a little bit quirky also peaks his interest. If you know Sam at all then his favorite of favorites should be easy to figure out. None other than the Buffalo Bills!

not a good napping spot

hmmmmmm....breakfast is tasting a little...furry, this morning.

bliss

My favorite little rocking couch, a cup of tea, some magazines, and a purring kitty curled up with me equals a beautiful zen moment for me.

hurricane Charlotte

You wouldn't think a tiny little kitten could make all that much of a mess. Really, she barely weighs a solid pound soaking wet, how much havoc could she wreck?

I'll tell you how much...this much.

Just look. The mess starts at the floor with the blocks, shoes, and doll accessories. Then it's strewn all over the stairs until you get to the landing with blankets, stuffed animals and more shoes in piles. You'd think this was the work of the kids or even our resident dogs/Tasmanian devils. But nope, the culprit can be found perched atop the chaos all worn out from her frenzied sweep up the stairs.

And don't let that sweet face fool you. She's a master of looking sweet and innocent having learned it from Mudge, for whom the phrase "puppy dog eyes" was invented.