JUST CHECKING YOU

I was "supervising" Joey putting on her clothes.

It was a jumper.

She sat down and slid her foot through.

Mommy: "Ahp, wrong hole."

Joey: "Oh, okay." (She puts her foot through the right hole, and then she smiles at me, in a mischievous way. She then begins to put her other leg through the sleeve)

Mommy: "Ahp, wrong hole again!"

Joey: "I just checking you!" (Smiling grandly.)

Mommy: (slowly, as comprehension dawns) "Joey, do you mean you are just checking to see if I'm paying attention?"

Joey: "Yep!"

That is 100% Mark right there.

NO PARKING, LOADING ZONE

Back to school driving tips

Part 2

1) Do not park in or block the cafeteria delivery area.

(No, not even for the second it is going to take you to kiss little Tommy good-by. Because then the car behind you will do it, and the one behind it, and then the delivery area becomes a second kids drop off point and the drivers can't do their jobs because YOU are a selfish person and a bad Mommy who is setting a bad example for her children.)

**True story** We just had one of our trucks bump a motorcycle that was parked in the loading zone. Cop told the guy he shouldn't have been there.!

2) Let the truck in, let the truck out.

I swear, he is not going to pull in front of you in the drop off line and won't slow you down if you're both on the way out.

3) Don't drive selfish.

Everyone else has to get somewhere too.

DEAR SANTA...

Maddie has a watch.

Joey doesn't.

Mark heard ALL about Maddie's watch on Tuesday, when he stayed home with Joey.

Mark: "Well maybe, if you're a good girl, Santa Claus will bring you a watch for Christmas."

Joey: "Well... what's Santa Claus doing now?"

GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE

School is fast approaching and with back to school, comes back to school traffic.

I thought I would take this opportunity to remind people how to drive.

Lesson #1: GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE!

It is a passing lane.

Not a fast lane.

Not a "I'm going to stay over here because I'm not turning soon lane."

If you are not in the act of passing someone right now then move over.

It doesn't matter that you are going 10 mph over the speed limit already, someone behind you might want to go faster than that.

Don't pretend to yourself that you are doing some service by slowing him down. He is still going to pass you, he is just going to have to swerve through other lanes to do so, while pissed that you are blocking things up, and that is way more dangerous.

Please explain this to all the abuellitos in your life.

GARAGE STROLLER

Joey spent the night at Kaki's & Paka Rick's the other night.

She asked if she could play with the "garage stroller."

She had Kaki stumped.

She meant the toy lawn mower.

You push it, like a stroller, and it stays in the garage!

Oh yeah, another 2 years or so, and I'll have her doing the yard... for sure!

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS...

"One of these things is not like the other,
One of these things just doesn't belong.

Can you tell me which thing is not like the other,

By the time I finish my song?" -- Seasme Street

Joey LOVES animals.

Always has.

It was the animal books that made her love books and reading when she was tiny. She could "Ooh Ooh Ah Ah" like a monkey when she was 13 months old.

Unfortunately, from a mother's perspective, she does not discriminate. She finds bugs as interesting as horses. While walking to the house from the car, she has dropped everything to lay down and look at the line of ants.

The other day she was playing with her little plastic rain forest animals (mostly reptiles).

After she went to sleep I was cleaning up the living room. She had them all lined up, neatly in a row.

Including a real live (dead) cockroach.

EPIC ERROR

I am a bad mother.

I made a horrible mistake.

I told Joey that we were going to go to Disney around Christmas and she was going to have dinner with Cinderella at her Castle.

Christmas is a LLLLLOOOONNNNGGGG time away.

Do you know how many tomorrows that is?

I'm beginning to.

Joey: "Mommy, we go and eat with Cinderella in her castle today?"

Mommy: "No, Joey, not for a very long time."

Joey: "Oh. Okay. We go to Cinderella's tomorrow."

(tomorrow)

Joey: "Mommy, are we going to eat at Cinderella's castle today, or tomorrow?"

Mommy: "Joey, we aren't going to see her till after Grandpa's birthday, and then Mommy's birthday and then Halloween and then Cracker's birthday and then Daddy's birthday and then Thanksgiving and then FINALLY we go to Disneyworld and see Cinderella."

Joey: (silence for a moment) "Oh. Okay. Tomorrow."

A GREAT SMILE CAN TAKE YOU A LONG WAY...

Joey had her first dentist visit this past Tuesday.

She had fun (as she always does, wherever she is).

Yesterday, we were listening to our Disney mix CDs in the car. After we listened to Hercules sing a song Joey exclaimed,

Joey: "Mommy, Hercules is going to the dentist."

Mommy: Silence (While I try to figure this one out.)

Joey: (Continuing) "Yeah, Hercules go to see Dr. Abella."

Mommy: (Finally things click together) "OH NO Baby, Hercules is going to go the distance, not go to the dentist."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5jDlLJPz1A

You just HAVE to love her!

Falling flat

BOWLING

Did you know they made toddler bowling shoes?

Dude, they had a size 7, just Joey's size.

Did you know they make 6 pound balls?

The bumpers in the gutters popped out only when it was Joey's turn.

They had a ramp for her to push the ball down.

Between the two, she almost beat Mommy, who was having a really bad bowling night.

She knew she'd done good.

Throw in some really good chicken tenders and curly fries and that makes a perfect evening at the Fish bowl in the keys.