Hats Off to Single Moms (and thank goodness for a good support system)

Tonight I really, really wanted to go to my writing class. In light of H's absence in El Paso, I put out an email to my family asking if anyone would be willing to watch the Roses so I could go to class. 15 minutes later, I was covered. Thank you Guppy and Heidi for volunteering.

I really have to tip my hat to single moms. I can only surmise how hard it is - I am weary after only 48 hours. (Is that all? Only 48 hours? Why does it feel like 48 DAYS?) And it hasn't been that hard - I get out of the house to go to work, and we have an extremely kind, hardworking and willing-to-make-dinner nanny. I have it so, so easy by comparison.

But there are little cracks in my patience level, already. Example: Rose #2 used our bathroom, which is against the rules, by the way, and put a wad of toilet paper the size of my HEAD down it. I still have not been able to plunge the darn thing out. If H were here, it would have been fixed 24 hours ago. And the endless round of potty, wash hands, dry hands, etc. with Rose #3 is wearying. I had to ask Rose #2 to get undressed for her shower about 1,893 times before she actually did it, and she only actually did it when I walked her over to the laundry basket so she would not get distracted. I am solely responsible for taking out the garbage, locking up the house, killing stray and random bugs - why did the bugs wait for H to leave for Texas to ALL COME INTO THE HOUSE? So far I have killed a beetle, one of those awful basement bugs with 18,000,000 legs, and various flies and ants. I hate killing bugs. Not because I feel sorry for them either. Mainly because I feel sorry for me, having to crunch them and then pick up their dead bodies with a napkin, or worse, a Kleenex. Eeeeech.

H, hurry home to us. You need to plunge the toilet and do a shift on bug-killing duty. Plus we miss you.

Post-MND Sister Smiles

We had a wondeful MND at the Brodeens' house. Thanks Brodeens! Then we came home and ate our pixie sticks (yes, pixie sticks, thanks to Aunt Brenna) and showered, read books, brushed teeth, and now we are trying to come down from the sugar high to fall asleep.

After story time the Roses posed for a picture in their jammies:

We really miss Daddy. He is out of town again this week and will not be home this time until Saturday night, late. This post is for you, H. Hurry home to your girls!

Skirts and Scarves at MND

Guppy sewed skirts and scarves for the kids, and gave them out at MND!

Is this not the absolute cutest group of kids you have ever, ever seen? Here is some information about them, left to right:

On the far left is Bea, who once (famously) (in January 2009) fell down in the tide pool at the Minnesota Zoo. I thought of this because before surrendering to sleep tonight, Rose #3 said, "Remember Beatrice fell down tide pool?"

Next to Bea is Rose #2, who did not change out of her school clothes before going to MND! The school uniform summer t-shirt goes well with the 4th of July skirt, I think.

Next to Rose #2 is Maddie, who was inexplicably afraid of the horse in Kirksville. Maddie is a very tough little girl, but the horse was apparently too much for her!

Next to Maddie is Rose #3, who was running today and fell down, getting a very large owie on her elbow! She looked quite distraught when telling me about it, but perked right up as she recounted that our nanny gave her a bandaid. She loves bandaids. Note how Rose #3 is holding the hand of...

Baby Kate! I LOVE this picture of Baby Kate since she is right in the thick of things AND is she smiling a big, big smile.

Rose #1 is next to Baby Kate. Can you even believe it, Rose #1 wore a skirt! She removed it immediately following the picture, but she still managed to put it on. I think she looks beautiful in a skirt, but I am just the mom. What does mom know anyway?

Next to Rose #1, of course, is Sam. Sam looks very dapper in his 4th of July neck kerchief.

And circling back to the front row, sitting on his truck, is Gus. Gus came over to me at MND and laid his head on my lap, which I found quite endearing.

Thank you for the picture Guppy!

Kirksville 09, Part Trois

After the excitement of horseback riding, we had our very own guided tour of the herpetology department. In case you are wondering, herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles. Grandpa Pete knew two students who work in the herpetology lab and were in town on July 3, and who were willing to give us a tour.

Here is a small disclaimer: I HATE reptiles and amphibians. But the kids liked them! The students retrieved an absolutely enormous python from its cage - it was over 13 feet long - and let it stretch its, er, legs down the hall. The kids were fascinated. I was faintly repulsed.

The kids also enjoyed petting this orange snake creature. I have forgotten which type of snake it is - its snake genome or whatever you call it.

Rest assured, everyone washed their hands quite thoroughly after the snake touching was over. Phew.

Kirksville 09, Part Deux

On Day #3 of the Kirksville trip, Grandpa Pete was kind enough to arrange a horseback riding outing (because Rose #1 expressed a wish to go horseback riding!). We went out to the Truman State University farm and met the very, very kind equestrian coach Emily, who arranged for a ride on her very own horse Polly.

Anyway, here are all the Roses and their cousins waiting to meet Polly the horse:

And here is Emily the coach and Polly the horse. Polly was a very old and gentle horse, who did not mind in the slightest that the kids were riding her:

Before Polly could get her saddle on, she had to be brushed. All the kids got a turn to brush her, and here is Rose #1 brushing Polly:

After Polly was saddled up, Emily asked for riders. No one volunteered, until Rose #3 plucked up her 3-year-old courage and went first. Here she is in her helmet with Grandpa Pete and Emily looking on:

Rose #1 quickly lost her fear after she saw that Rose #3 loved it, and she went next:

And Rose #2 was fourth. She loved it - can you see the big smile on her face?

I got one silhouette shot of Rose #2 at the end of the paddock:

And finally, I had to take a shot of the warning sign. This was prominently displayed at the entrance. I had to snicker a tiny bit at the structure of the warning ("Under Missouri law...pursuant to the revised statutes of Missouri"). But that's the lawyer in me shining through.

Kirksville 09

Oh, yes, we went to Kirksville. Kirksville '09, baby!

Bad news: H was sick. Really sick. H1N1, probably, or at least "type A influenza," which is a CODE NAME for H1N1. If you ask me, anyway. I am not a doctor.

We decided to go anyway, because how could you refuse these faces:
As I was the only parent of the Roses present, I was unable to take as many pictures as I wanted. But I did take pictures of the horseback riding outing! Next post.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Rose #2 has been very worried about health issues lately. The news about Michael Jackson was a shock to her, I think. The other night on the couch we were reading and she leaned over suddenly and whispered to me:

"You know that Peter Johnson guy, whatever his name is, why did he have a heart attack anyway, Mom?"

I looked at her blankly for a moment, and said, "Who is Peter Johnson?"

Beat. Beat. Beat.

"Oh! You mean Michael Jackson! Well, I don't know why he had a heart attack. I don't think anyone knows exactly."