What the kids did...

...while we were in Mexico. Well, these pics are just of Anna, obviously. They both stayed with Grammy and Papa Joe for 4 days and they loved every minute of it. One day they had a company picnic where they do all kinds of things for kids. Anna got her face painted...and apparently wanted to get it painted so bad that she stood in line for an hour and a half to get it done. She's so patient and knows the sweet rewards of having that gift. But sadly, she cried when she saw the paint dripping off her face in the bathtub that night. I would cry too if I had to endure a long line for some face paint only to have to get it washed off! But it had to happen. Thanks for the pics Grammy! I wish we could have been there to see it in person!

Yeah, I cook my own tortillas...

...but I sure don't MAKE them!!

I have recently become a bit of a tortilla snob. I canNOT find any tortillas (aside from getting them at Rosa's or some other place that makes them for you) that I really like. I keep getting different brands and they all taste like the plastic bag they come in. I have found a new love, La Abuela Flour Tortillas. These babies are actually cheaper (since you DO have to cook them yourself) than the regular ones you get in the bread isle. I found these at Wal-Mart in by the canned biscuits and stuff. MAN, are they good. You just let them sit out to room temp, throw them on a dry griddle of skillet for a minute on each side, and they're done. In two whole minutes you have a wonderful, homemade (sort of) tortilla. We had them with fajitas and they were great. I'm going to make some quesadillas tonight with them because if you put a little butter on them while they are in the skillet, they get a little flaky and crispy. Mmm. And just for kicks last night, I made one with butter, cinnamon, and sugar on each side. Whoa. I'm addicted.

Grey's Pot.

This is Grey's pot. He thinks it's a chair...or something. He likes to eat the dirt and chew on the sad little plant that tries so hard to thrive in it (I think it's a peach tree seedling that Anna and I planted last year).

Grey: Get outta my face, woman.

Anna: Grey! Say cheese and look at Mom! (I didn't teach them the "cheese" thing)

Grey: Woman, if you don't get outta my face...!!

Cows.

Grey: Mom, don't those things only live in books?! We must be in a REALLY big book.

"...chase a turtle back to the ocean..."

This post is long overdue... A little while ago, Anna came running into the living room yelling, "Mommy, there's a turtle outside!" It had rained a bunch recently and so I believed her, since turtles wander up our way when things flood. We live across the street from a field/lake that is used mainly for drainage...not recreation. But there are things that live in and around the water, no less. When Anna told me about the turtle, I'm thinking, "it must have gotten really lost if it's in our yard or in the street close to our house! Maybe we should take it back to, at least, across the street so it can wander it's way home." So I asked Anna to show me the turtle out her window. She took me into her room and pointed through the glass. I looked.... I looked all in our front yard...nothing. I looked up and down the street...nothing. I looked in the neighbors' yards...nothing. I said, "Anna, where is the turtle?" She pointed out, her finger raised much higher than I thought it would be to point to something very close. I looked out passed the curb and across the street and searched. There, about 50 yards from the edge of the curb across the street in the field was a microscopic speck with very subtle movement. It was the turtle. How in the world she found him is baffling to me, but that's Anna. She has senses that are off the charts. She can smell, see, feel, touch things with such sensitivity. So we got shoes on and walked the half a mile (not really) out to see the turtle, who was in no immediate danger and was actually about halfway home anyway. We got to him and Anna says, "Mom, we should chase the turtle back home to the ocean." Poor girl. The sad little drainage lake is the closest to the ocean that she's ever been...which is fine by me. She'll get there soon enough and I don't feel THAT sorry for her. ;) The turtle sucked himself into his shell when we walked up on him. Anna waved and talked to him...she told him to go home. She picked some thing for him to eat and some flowers for herself. And we went back home. She sat next to her window and watched the speck slowly waddle back to the water...

Aww NUTS!

Long story short... Grey is very allergic to peanuts. This is what will happen if he has them again. Within seconds of coming into contact of peanuts, his symptoms include hives and horrible itchy, splotchy skin, sneezing fits, vomiting, couching and wheezing, and swollen lips (which I'm sure includes other swollen things). It was not a fun day for anyone.

Many of the hives were about the size of a quarter.

Grey: Mom, can you just make it stop?

Enter this dude. Yep, the EpiPen. Our doctor prescribed "us" two of these and lots of information, including a video, on allergies and how to use the pen. I'm so not looking forward to using it...ever.

Whahhh?!

This lovely dirt wall his our house about 10 seconds after I took these shots. Note to self: just put the camera on an semi-auto setting if you want to take a shot of a dirt wall approaching you at a high speed.

My teeth were a little gritty and I'm still digging gunk out of my eyes.

Anna's next plan.

Tonight we were reading "Muldoon," a really funny book about a dog and the family that chose him from "a lot of other applicants." Anna likes to interrupt during many stories to tell me about some plans that she is making, usually pertaining to whatever we are reading about (and sometimes not). Tonight, this was her plan:

Anna: Mommy, when I get a dog this other day, I'm gonna take it to the park too!

Me: I don't think you'll be getting a dog any time soon.

Anna: Why?

Me: Because I would be the person that would have to take care of the dog, and I already have two little rugrat kids need me to take care of them. So I don't need more things like that to worry about.

Anna: Yeah, but you could put Grey back in your belly then you could be me a puppy!

Me: How do you suppose that will work?

Anna: You can just break your belly open and put him back in.

(unrelated pics for fun. she's looking in the mirror.)

Airborne baby.

I took these like a month ago...  We had a cool sky so I thought I'd include a small bit of it.

Static cling.

Well, maybe the complete opposite of "cling".  It's Grey's turn to have some static hair shots.  He really loves being on the trampoline.  Don't worry, no one jumps much while he's on.  ;)  The trampoline actually somehow has it's own gravitational pull for Grey.  Kind of the same as plastic bags, electrical outlets, and busy roads...

And there's The Banana again.  Her hair can almost look like this without the trampoline static.  Daddy will be proud of how well his cycling tan shows up in this shot.  It's like a battle scar.

I think she spotted land.  This girl has had to be on top of something tall since she was about 6 months old.