True story!

1.  When you're 37 weeks pregnant, you might as well go camping.  You'll be just as uncomfortable at home, even if it rains, and at least camping, you have fun.  True story. 

2.  I've been thinking, lately, about how my children perceive me.  We passed a cool jeep the other day on the road and when I told Elijah I used to have one (that was even cooler), HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME.  So I didn't even TRY to tell him about other things I used to do (like stay up later than 10:30 PM regularly or do things besides take naps for fun).  As a result, I realized that my current behavior means that my kids will grow up thinking that their mother/evil step mother is BORING.  Also, that she shoots lasers out of her eyes if she doesn't get chocolate around 3:30 every afternoon.  Thank heavens for sugar free Dove chocolate.  True story.

3.  Behold, the monster more terrifying than anything previously seen at the Alfred home...and we have kids with Godzilla obsessions.  You have been warned.  Behold! (again):

And that's just its FOOTWEAR.  Can  you imagine the monster that will WEAR those beasts?????  In fifteen days (HALLELUJAH!) we won't have to imagine.  MWAH HA HA HA HA!

We inherited a box of baby clothes from one of Jon's professors...including a little pair of Mary Janes.  Given Jon's reaction to the shoes, you would think they gave us something more like this:

That's a Mongolian Death Worm.  True story.

I'm trying to be the calm one, here, so in all my optimistic glory, I think we should hope for this:

I think that's a nice balance. 

4.  We skyped with the boys the other day.  I thought Gabriel was going to destroy the monitor, as he started trying to wrestle with Elijah/the monitor as soon as he saw him.  Complete with choke holds and eye gouges.  He just gazed at Ethan in awe.  I think he misses his brothers.  Early August won't come fast enough for a variety of reasons.  True story.

5.  Speaking of Gabriel, I think I'm going to send him to nursery with a name tag that says, "My parents named me GABRIEL," since apparently telling the nursery workers this and loudly and obnoxiously calling him Gabriel doesn't do the trick.  I realize that "Gabe" is an acceptable nickname for "Gabriel," but we don't want him called that.  Shallow, but true.  Other pet peeve:  when people call Elijah, Eli.  Grrrrrrr.  It's like nails on a chalkboard.  Exception:  Baby Gabey...because--really--it's his BABY nickname that will likely NOT follow him into adulthood.  After all, while my aunts still call me "Beegie," I don't mind because--OH YEAH--they used to change my diapers and chase me out of their rooms.  I think that gives a person some latitude in the name department.  Rant over.  True story.

6.  I'm definitely ready to trade long blocks of sleep for dietary freedom and bladder capacity (although in 16 days, I'll probably regret that statement).  True story.

7.  Speaking of sleep, I found this the other night at 2 AM when I couldn't sleep.  Oh, the irony.  The composer is Eric Whitacre, who is probably a diva/DB (as is common with many talented people), but who is a diva who wanted to be "the fifth member of Depeche Mode or the Cure," which made me like him even more.  I've always like his stuff, this is one of my favorites.  True story.  Enjoy!

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0, 'Sleep' from Eric Whitacre on Vimeo.

(Note:  the choir consists of people who sent in web videos of themselves singing the various parts, which were then scrubbed and edited into...that.  Freaking AWESOME, it is!)