so much to say...(about not much)

*We had our first parent-teacher conference last week. It went well, and it's so interesting to hear what someone else observes about your kid. It was nice to hear that they enjoy having Katy, and the one teacher even convinced us to enroll her in "enrichment" next year so that she will have Katy in her class again. We turned in our application for two half-days of preschool plus one half-day of enrichment, so hopefully that will work out well.



*We went swimming on Saturday at an open family swim, and it was FABULOUS. We met some friends there (and then ran into others we know), and the kids had such a rip-roaring time. David was absolutely beside himself, which is the first time I've seen him enjoy the water that much. The pool also has this man in a frog-suit (think Mickey Mouse, but a frog) who GOT IN THE WATER with the kids, and encouraged them to pour buckets of water in his mouth, etc, and he was in there for over 2 hours. Hilarious.



*In other firsts, Katy had her first dentist appointment last week. Based on our pediatrician experience and Katy's negative anticipation of the dentist, I did not have high hopes for the appointment, but it went great. They were really good at making the whole cleaning seem like a game, and there were lots of fun surprises along the way. The hardest part was keeping David entertained in the cleaning room. Then at the end when it was time for the dentist to come in, they let her pick who would come and see her, so she got to request a GIRL doctor, which made all the difference. She had so much fun that she would've gone back the next day. And they said that when I come back in 6 months, I should schedule David, too. Seriously? That would be entertaining just to see how they would keep him in the chair.



*Sometimes the kids are so darn pleasant. The other day Katy got up from her nap, went into the bathroom, and shouted from the commode, "Oh, Mommy! Did you clean the bathroom?!? You did a great job!" Other times their behavior is so ugly that I feel embarrassed and ashamed and worried that they're going to be rude, selfish, deviant adults. Amazing how those two extremes can exist in harmony.



*Now that David is big enough to play with the same toys that Katy enjoys, the mantra in our house lately is, "No! MINE! I had it first! Give it to me! WAAAH!!! MOMMY!!!" So we've established a new rule that if you want something that the other person has, you ask for a turn, and then the response options are either "yes" or "in a minute." The three of us are rehearsing this conversation maybe 20 times a day.



*A few things have made dinner a little more fun lately. The first is a new sticker chart that has gotten rid of the "finish your plate so you can have a special treat" battle. (THAT was no fun at all) The second is a simple game of "I spy." All four of us can play (Brian and I have a little side competition of our own going), and I am amazed at how much everyone enjoys it. We've moved on from colors to shapes, location descriptions, etc. I'm sure it will only last a week, but hopefully we can keep up the momentum of having some kind of game or activity going to make dinner enjoyable.

*As of this morning, we have caught one Little Stinker (with a white stripe down his back) in the trap by our porch. I felt a mixture of sadness and relief to see him picked up by the trapper. I'm so glad he's not under our porch anymore, but I feel bad for him. I'm so sorry, Mr. Skunk! I tried to nudge you gently but you just wouldn't listen! I wish you would've found somewhere else to sleep...

*I've created a modified once-a-month cooking plan that I'm hoping to carry out this weekend. My first effort lasted us 6-7 weeks (we're still using them), so I've toned it down and only included recipes that look simple and very tasty. I'm doing it on my own this time, and will probably spread it out over the weekend. Hopefully I'll have a report next week about how this plan works out.