Look! Something shiny!

Continuing in my well-practiced art of ignoring the things that are bugging the ever-lovin' tar out of me...

If you aren't aware, there is a huge market for llama picture books.  When Gabriel was a *little* baby, he loved this book, which is about a little llama looking for his llama mama:

On a good day, he still loves this book.  In fact, he went nutso when he saw the cover art.  However, as he has grown and his personality has started to come out from undercover, we have found a few books that more accurately portray our little llama.  He's gone from being a cute little llama looking for his mama to:

I see that face FREQUENTLY, especially when I thwart him...which is, out of injury preventing necessity, quite often.  Mom once told me that I was pretty much mad at her for the first six years of my life.  I seem to have passed that charming trait on.  Mom: yet again, your parental curse was a success.

And now for something completely different

On Tuesday, I just about packed it all in and headed for Disneyland.  I actually did the financial math and thought about how much the boys would miss in school.  It was a close call.  Not close enough that Jon ever heard anything about it (he probably would have shot it down), but in my head, the plans were getting quite elaborate.  Instead of blowing off all our responsibilities, playing hooky for a few days, and spending our tax return on churros and mouse ears, we....

...bought a car.  Meet Winnie (my adaptation of Jon's Space Balls reference to a Winnebago).  We've been looking for a while, because as much as we joked about letting Ethan ride on the roof or in the trunk when the new baby gets here, we would never really do it (although Ethan did go along with the plan enthusiastically).  Thank heavens Jon's dad called Tuesday to tell us he was coming Wednesday to bring us his Freestyle, which we had been talking to him about buying (thanks, Harry!).  So not only did we manage to use our tax return more wisely than in the harebrained schemes I was getting ready to spring on Jon, but we got to cross an item off our list of Unknown Variables Bugging the Ever-Lovin' Tar Out of Me. One down, ten to go.  Sigh.

 

 NO ONE EXPECTS THE 

SPANISH INQUISITION!

To wrap up quickly before I have to check my blood sugar again:

1.  Elijah seems to have resigned himself to his fate of...having a younger sister.  Poor kid.
2.  Having received a bluntly-worded rejection letter from Kansas State on Friday (hence, my Tuesday plans to chuck everything and head for Anaheim), we're down to waiting to hear from Ohio State.  As a back up, Jon started tentatively looking for jobs. 
3.  Naming a car is so much less complicated than naming a human.  Right now, our favorite for the fetus's first name is to name her after James, the brother of Jesus, and hope that she has better control over her tongue than her parents.  The middle name is still under negotiation.  Suggestions are welcome.
4.  Yesterday drove home the fact of how quickly things can change, and at the same time, how something so unexpected and yet expected can knock you off your feet.  Confused yet?  Let me come out of denial long enough to say that my parents' divorce was finalized yesterday, and Elijah, in a rare fit of compassion/awareness of others, gave me a note "welcoming me to the club" and a teddy bear.  Ethan, fresh from a session with his therapist, had lots of coping ideas.  FACEPALM!  I love those boys...

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go organize something.  Probably the DVDs.  And then do the dishes.  And fold laundry/watch Bones.  You know, this would be a lot easier if I could just eat a donut without affecting the fetus...