Homefront.

It's been a while, huh? I received a text today from Piggy (Chris, my brother) informing me that my blog was stale and boring and needed updating ASAP. Well, at least someone is reading. I'll take it as a complement.

We are officially done all of our travels for a while now. We did Disney, then England, and just arrived home from Arizona this past weekend. I'm tired. Tired of packing, unpacking, flying, etc., etc. It was fun and we made some awesome memories, but it'll be nice to be on the home front for an "extended stay" (like that, Jaime??). So, check out the Arizona slide show and stay tuned for future updates...there's always something going on around here. And hey Piggy...thanks for reading.

P.S. out to my mom and dad: thanks so much for keeping my pups alive while I was gone. I think they would have packed their bones and left me if you guys hadn't stepped in and cared for them these past few times I've been away. The King is thankful and so are we - you guys rock!

Get down with the science.

Zeke has been at Science Camp all this week. I've been living vicariously through him. I know, I know, I'm setting him up for a few decades of "the couch" (a.k.a. psychological counseling) but, it's just so darn cool! They've been doing some sweeeeeeeeeeeeet stuff in that camp!!! Today, I was spying from the window in the classroom and they were dissecting the stomach contents of an owl!!! In case you didn't know (and I didn't until Zeke told me), an owl eats birds, so they were finding all types of bird bones and bird skulls in there! As they found the bones, they matched them up to a diagram to determine which bird bone they had uncovered! And these kids are 4 and 5 years old! Very cool stuff in a very easygoing and fun environment. So, hats off to Teacher Doreen. She has managed to keep 5 boys, aged 4 and 5 years, interested and behaved for four straight days so far. Ummm, I wonder if she does weekends...

This just in...

The big news of the weekend: Zeke can ride a two-wheeler. Yep. It happened. My baby boy wanted his training wheels off and was ready for the big leagues. So, we took off the extra appendages on Friday, he jumped on the tiny Trek, and away he went. It wasn't 100% smooth, there was slight road rash involved, but I'm sad to say that the training wheels are now stuck in a box on the shelf in the garage. *sigh* Just one more stage telling me that he's growing up and moving on...

That's goodness.

Random thoughts about some things I like at the moment:

1. the very awesome tea I brought home from England. The teabags make great hot and iced tea. Yum yum. I'm trying very hard to save some for Pop Pop Ebs - he's a tea drinker too. I think he'll appreciate the deliciousness.

2. the fact that the nights are warmer and brighter. I just love going hiking at night in the Preserve or in the State Park and not needing a sweatshirt or parka. Love this time of year!

3. the chihuahua I saw at the pet shop today. He was stunning and sweet and so cuddly. Two reasons he's still at the pet store: A. Pauly and B. I'd rather adopt than buy.

4. the fact that my Dad has me completely obsessed with the stock market and the stock I just bought. Who knew it could be so fun?

5. Petey the horse on our corner is out in the pasture ALL the time now. And he kisses me on the lips now. I think we're officially past dating and now "going steady." Sorry Pauly.

Horses, my rosegarden, good purses, my "circle"...all the good things in life.

Weekend is over in a flash. I feel jipped because Saturday didn't turn out as sunny as promised by el lamo weatherpeople. We solved that issue by going to the movies to see "Up." Very cute movie and it had a sweet storyline. I actually had tears in my eyes a few times. It had me thinking about life and all the little things I do each day that make me genuinely happy. Think about it...when you're gone from this life, what will people say you enjoyed? Will they even know? If not, figure it out and start doing it. You're not getting any younger, my friends. Sorry to sh** on your Sunday, but it's true. I'm mentally pledging to myself to learn more, do more, and be more passionate about my interests. When I go from this world, people are gonna' talk. And it's not just gonna' be about how many purses they have to clean out of my spare bedroom...

Sandbox shennanigans.

Zeke had soccer today. His soccer class is held on the field at one of our favorite parks, so we decided to pack a lunch and stay afterwards for a little extra fun. We met a few friends and hung out for a bit. As my friends and I were getting lunch ready, there was a pretty large group of boys digging a very, very big hole in the sandbox. We thought absolutely nothing of the very, very big hole. As long as no one was arguing, hitting, spitting, or kicking and as long as no one was going head-first into the hole...no problemo. That was our big mistake. If something is interesting to a group of 4 year old boys for an over-extended period of time, it should raise a bright red flag. Today, for some reason, it didn't. And that's where the shoe trouble enters. As it turns out, the 4 year old boys were burying something. Something that wasn't theirs. Something that wasn't supposed to be buried...very deep...in a big hole...in the huge sandbox. They buried Gracie's shoe. Her tiny pink Croc. And when we finally discovered that Gracie's Croc was missing, there was absolutely NO sign of a hole ever existing in the sandbox. That is how amazingly well these 4 year old savages cleaned up their mess (for the first time in their small lives). So, the next 30 minutes were spent by 3 adult women and a few tiny little girls digging and shoveling on hands and knees in the very big, very deep, and very gross sandbox until finally the tiny pink Croc was found. When asked why the Croc was buried, Zeke only replied "because it was treasure."

Argh.