I can’t believe it is Friday already. I have been dreading this week because it was Emma’s spring break and I figured that there might a little too much “togetherness time” and, more than likely, only one if us would be left standing by the end of the week.

Instead, it has been a little preview into what our summer is going to be like, I think.
And by the way, when did my 2 and 4 (almost 5) year olds acquire a bigger social life than I have?

Seriously. We have had 2 lunch/park play-dates, one play-date at our house, one at a friend’s house, and one aquarium trip already this week and we have another play-date scheduled for this morning. Every day, a different kid. It has been crazy. But it has made the week go by very quickly and has kept the kids alive and entertained, so I guess I can’t complain.
(Well, I could – but does it really ever do any good?)

It has left very little time for me to do real work, blog, or any sort of work that might resemble housework. So today will be catching up on all of those and planning some sort of birthday party for Em.

Gah! I think I have been in denial that she is turning 5. She is insisting on a High School Musical birthday party. So again, I will call on you, my internet friends, for some clever ideas for the HSM party. We are going to have the Wii karaoke game that they got for Christmas, but I need some fun game ideas, craft ideas, food ideas. Any thoughts?

What else? I need to start carrying a notebook (like Em does) around with me. We have had some pretty funny little conversations this week, and I’m now drawing a blank on most of them.

Addie is insisting on calling the drain (bathtub drain) – a “dream.” No matter how many times I correct her she will say at least once during bathtime each night, “Is my (ring/washcloth/baby) going to go down the dream, Mama?” Last night she was looking intently at the drain and said, “Am I fit down the dream, Mama?” and before I could answer she laughed and said, “Nooooo, Mama! I’m too big for that dream!” Too cute.

Emma has learned how to be “helpful” while we are driving. She will screech “Stop, Mama! There is a stop sign!” And she doesn’t miss any, either. It makes driving so much more of an adventure than it already is in L.A.

And she carries little pieces of paper, or notes, around with her everywhere. “Mama, how do you spell….” is the most asked question in our house (and car) at the moment. She furiously writes out all kinds of notes to everyone. The Easter Bunny brought a little spiral notebook that she can keep all of her treasured writings in and there are pages of words already that she has written out over the past week. She definitely recognizes quite a few words and is getting much better about sounding others out that she doesn’t know.

I think she is going to be much more mathmatically inclined than I ever was. She is obsessed with adding numbers. J. is teaching her all kinds of math tricks, and the Easter Bunny also brought her a little first grade math workbook (aw, don’t give me that – she got plenty of candy, too!) that she loves, she just sits with her head bent over her “work,” counting on her fingers, lost in her math zone. Crazy kid.

The other night we were out to dinner, and we were eating at one of the tables outside. There was a small group of protesters that were setting up their tables and signs right near where we were dining. One of the signs had a photo of a soldier that had died, and all of the posters had some derogatory remarks about Bush, the Iraq war, and the soldiers that had lost their lives. I was watching Emma as she was taking the whole scene in and I was willing her not to ask me what the sign said – especially the one with the soldier on it.

Instead she turned to J. (ha! my mind trick worked!) and said -

E: Daddy, what does that man’s sign say?
D: Um…it says Happy Easter!
E: No, it doesn’t Daddy! I know how to spell Happy Easter. What does it say?
D: It says we only have about a year before we will have a lot of explaining to do.
E: Daddy! What does it say?
(At this point J. looked a little lost for words and was obviously looking for someone to bail him out.)
M: Remember when you went and helped me vote for a President and we talked about what the President does?
E: Yes.
M: Well, that man doesn’t agree with, or like what our President is doing.
E: Oh. Ok.

Whew. Long, uncomfortable discussion averted. But J. is right, it is coming those hard talks they are all coming, much sooner than I would like.

————-
Just a little note to Aunt Carol, too – hope you are having a wonderful birthday today and wishing you lots of happiness in the upcoming year!