She's Ready for Her Closeup

Meet Fox #1, one of the merry Moor Folk in "Secret Garden."

Ellie auditioned for - successfully! - her first play. Her school was putting on a kinda-sorta-weird version of "Secret Garden," and Ellie played Fox #1, one of the animals who befriend Mary Lenox in the story. Ellie had to work really hard - they had 4-hour rehearsals every day for a week after school, so she was pretty beat by the end of each day. But it all paid off, because she was AWESOME (even if, as Ellie charitably pointed out, that stinkin' Mary Lenox kept stepping on Ellie's lines). Ellie's a natural on stage, and can't wait for her next big performance.

Smartypants, Cont'd.

Been to these honor roll ceremonies with Jack a handful of times now. And I gotta say, well, it's the same dang thing every time. Generally the same kids, same ceremony, blah blah blah. It could get boring - but you know what makes it worth it to go each time? That face. Just look at that face, people. Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks? But don't, because he's a brace-face now, and you'll totally get his lips caught on his braces. So don't squeeze those cute cheeks. But I totally understand if you want to.

Congratulations, Jack!!

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

See that little ankle-biting one in the front? When we first got the other one, Mister Otis HATED him. He snapped at him anytime he'd come near, and generally tried to avoid him at all costs. Which was very sad, since poor widdle Oliver was just a widdle puppy. So that stunk, and it stunk for a while. And then we moved here, and for a couple of weeks, the dogs had to be in a kennel. And just like a little runt learns in prison, it's beneficial to have big friends. And now? Oliver is Otis's best buddy. Anytime Oliver settles down for a rest, Otis jumps up right next to him to cuddle. So, see, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

The Dog Ate My Homework and a Donkey Ate Ellie's Finger

When the kids went to an outdoor camp this past week, I had the opportunity to test my mother skills. And guess what, I'm pretty sure I failed.

Because when I came to pick them up, and Ellie held up a bandaged finger and whimpered "a donkey ate my finger!' ... my first (spoken-out-loud) reaction was....

"that's so cool!"


But come on, to put things in perspective

(1) her finger was clearly not COMPLETELY eaten, just gnawed-on a bit
(2) how many people can say that a donkey ate their finger?!?

I mean, just picture it, 20 years from now, Ellie is at a posh cocktail party and someone notices her somewhat-mangled finger. And, instead of some lame "oh, I fell off my bike" or "oh, I slammed it in a door," she can proudly say "oh, a donkey ate my finger!"

You're welcome, Ellie, you're welcome.

That's My (Snarky) Boy

Overheard at the house the other day....

(As big-ass spider scurries across the floor)
Mom: "Eeek! That's a big-ass spider!"
Not wanting to get anywhere near it, Mom grabs Jack's big-ass math textbook and throws it on top of the spider.
Picks up abused textbook with smeared spider-bits on it.

Mom: "Sorry, Jack, I just really hate spiders."
Jack: "That's cool, I just really hate math."

Overheard at the Batman/Superman movie the other day...

Leaning over to whisper in my ear...

Jack: "Spoiler alert: the batmobile's gonna lose a wheel and Joker's gonna get away"

Get it? Get it?

That's my snarky boy.