Dog Days of Summer

One can hardly be expected to blog, when there is just so darn much going on...

...I somehow feel like we're officially breeders now, in spite of the fact that we've been parents for nearly 3 years already. This arrived in the mail today. (Little boys not included) It was much cooler when gifts from our parents involved things like plane tickets or just plain old cash.

...I've been signing up kids up for the "Lord's Army" this week -- over 900 of them no less. No, no, I swear the VBS theme for this year is not the "Lord's Army" but their is an incessant amount of discussion about being equipped with God's armor that makes me squirm a bit. The war and battle metaphors in evangelical Christianity are not my favorite, and seem taken too far, most often. Anyway, Vacation Bible School seems to be my last major hold-out in the land of evangelicalism. I've parted ways with a lot of my over-wrought emotional connections to the big, big world of church, but I'm kind of a sucker for the week long extravaganza that makes time for not only crafts but a snack too. They are apparently a favorite of my daughter's as well, who had nothing to say about her experience today other than "I ate some fruit and made some 'craps' -- can I go again tomorrow?" I optimistically assume 'craps' involve paper and glue versus time spent in the bathroom.

...I've spent a lot of time listening to my child NOT nap. Apparently, she thinks she is no longer in need of an afternoon siesta most days. Instead, she lies in her bed, talking to her stuffed animals, gently explaining "My mom thinks we're sleeping. We're not sleeping. MOOOOMMM....me and my animals...WE'RE NOT SLEEPING."

...eating Jello Pudding Pops. Well, I just started eating them today, but it will likely prevent me from blogging in the future, so be fair warned. Over a decade ago, Jello Pudding Pops were ripped from supermarket shelves all across America, with no explanation. My sister staged a campaign of hate mail and emails over the years, trying to bring this beloved treat back. A few knock-off varieties of the creamy dairy pop have come and gone, but no sign of the true J-E-L-L-O until TODAY! Earlier this evening, I swung down the freezer aisle of the supermarket to secure a bag of ravioli, when I spotted the pops. I gasped out loud, quickly dug in my bag for my cell phone, and had my sister's number dialed within seconds. All the while, my daughter is exclaiming "Why you so happy about popsicles?" Although, I ended up hanging up before she answered, thinking the surprise would be best received in person. There was much weeping and rejoicing when we stopped by her house on our way home to tell her that she would indeed be able to endure her last 7 weeks of pregnancy because God (or perhaps Bill Cosby) had heard cries and had mercy on her -- in the form of frozen pudding on a stick.

...speaking of things my daughter wondered. "Huh mommy, why you laughing at that sticker on that car?" "Because it says 1.10.09 George Bush's Last Day" on it. Perhaps we should start a paper chain or at least start gluing cotton balls to the calendar.

Yes, life is just that interesting. And I do all of this in my spare time, when I'm not bugging my husband about a name for a son. Its no wonder I don't sleep well at night. There just aren't enough hours in the day.