Target or Bust

continue to enjoy resuming normal routine ... Annie returned to Moms Day Out today and was VERY excited about it (me, too, truth be told) and we're still so grateful she's feeling better and acting like herself ... so, so wonderful to be out of the house ... even have a big fat honkin' trip planned to Target for us tomorrow ... yippee!!

Freedom

finally ventured out of the house this weekend and had MUCH fun ... so lovely to be back in the world again ...

Please Let Us Out

ok, so we are going stir crazy and have resorted to self-portraits and taking pictures of the girls' pawprints when they very briefly venture out during the snow ... and yes, that is a lovely shiner on Annie's cheekbone ... she slipped on one of her toys last week and banged her cheek on a table ... I was sitting no more than a few inches away but still it all happened so fast ... irony of the situation is a photographer is coming to Moms' Day Out on Monday, so I guess her first little black/purple/green eye will be permanently documented ...
nonetheless, even though Annie's still coughing a bit, she seems so much more like her old self ... we even plugged in the Christmas (may leave them up til next year) lights along the banister yesterday just to have something exciting (she loves the lights) to do ... even though being confined to the house is not the best thing ever, it is the best thing for her, and when your pediatrician tells you to do something, you do it ...
very, very curious about Idol tonight, and (as always) "Lost" ...

Confinement

ok, so the surgery was no big deal ... this was my 6th laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis and this time nerves were affected, so things are getting a bit more interesting ... next surgery (within the next year most likely) will be a hysterectomy ...
am currently confined to home with sick child ... NOT the flu, though ... was called from Moms' Day Out on Monday because Annie was running a high fever ... Anthony came home, and we got her in to see our wonderful pediatrician within hours ... however, the real fun was in the waiting room ... our child was hot and lethargic, and sickness seemed to abound ... we saw one little girl come in with a plastic bag (and her mom) and soon make a trip to the bathroom ... she was called back to see the dr. and emerged with some sort of bucket ... not a good sign ... one kid came in still wearing his pj's ... not to worry, though, as soon as we were called back, Annie (still running a high fever) was immediately swabbed for the flu but the test (thank God) was negative ... our dr. said to keep her in for a few days, so here we are ...
am very happy to report she seems to be feeling LOTS better, and we are enjoying the beautiful snow ...
am sad to report the highlight of my day is "American Idol" and then "Lost" tomorrow night ... will be glad to resume normal activities next week ...

Yet Again

am having the usual laparoscopic surgery this morning ... will write more later ...

Annie on the Tundra

Elvis In the House

These are, of course, random pictures from the last few days ... the first one is Elvis ... Annie's going through some phase where she unzips her jammies just about halfway down, and it reminds us of The King ...

Next is Ann (as she refers to herself on occasion) with her pacifier on her way to take a nap ... that's about the only time she really wants a pacifier ...

Then we have our lovely, freezing snowy day ... it really was beautiful even if it cancelled most everything in Middle Tennessee, except of course Anthony's work. The snow did, of course, cancel Annie's Moms' Day Out progrom. Joy.

And now we have Annie with my mom or "Kay Kay" as she refers to her. It really is the cutest thing ...

Finally, there's Annie trying to catch some bubbles ... she couldn't understand where they went when they hit the ground, bless her heart ...

We've Got a Mission

And so from our house to yours, greetings from the Little Einsteins, Annie's newest obsession. From the top, that's June, Leo, Quincy, Annie (ironically), Rocket or as he's known around her, Bucky.
One special day, during the weekend we were all home with the stomach bug, Annie went down for her nap and I realized I was alone in the living room still watching "The Little Einsteins." As I was not feeling particularly good, I began to feel cynical and poke holes in the happiness of the show.
For example, in the theme song, the lyrics are "we're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship ..." which made me wonder: how many rocket ships do the kids have? And who taught them how to fly a rocket ship? And how do they get to Egypt or Paris or wherever within the 30-minute constraints of their time slot? And why aren't they in school? And why does one of the characters always ask a question during each show, such as "Do YOU like toys?" and then stare at the screen with these enormous blinking bug-eyes? And, perhaps more importantly, why do the songs from the show get stuck in your head? I was going around the house the other day singing "Use your hands for turning, turning, turning, turning, clapping, clapping, up, down!" which is a lovely diddy from the show where the kids assemble a birthday machine.
Ah, we've got a mission ...

Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

have hit parental all-time low ... oh, and must apologize for lack of blogging lately ... between champagne, bon-bons, Oprah, the round-the-house stomach bug and the explosive poop diapers have just not had a chance ... however, today found self and Annie in Target going up and down the aisles whilst I sang OUT LOUD the theme song from "The Little Einsteins." What has life come to? truly thought self had already hit all-time low with "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" (incidentally, I am most assuredly NOT) but suppose not ... ah, parenthood.

Random Pictures

The Dyson Airblade

Scroll down for a lovely story about the Dyson Airblade ...

Sunday Afternoon On the Frozen Tundra

Sunday afternoon and Annie's new haircut

The Dyson Airblade

Here are some more Phoenix pictures and one of the many stories from our trip ... lone-time readers may recall a reference to a super-powerful bathroom hand drier called The Xelerator ... well, let me just tell you, I encountered one in the airport that put the Xelerator to shame ...
It was called the Dyson Airblade, as in the people who claim to have the strongest vacuum cleaner. I was immediately afraid because it looked NOTHING like other hand driers (dryers? I don't know how to spell that word) plus it had the word "blade" in it. Anyway, you put your hands down into the mechanism, and I had an instant horror that they would not come back out because my skin was literally being sucked down by the air. Nonetheless, there were others in the bathroom, so I tried to be cool about the situation even as parts of my clothing were going into the Dyson Airblade.
I have to say, though, after the terrifying experience of removing my hands from the machine (this required MUCH effort on my part) and being afraid they had been ripped from my arms, they were actually remarkably dry. Of course, they're still numb from the incredible air power, but 'tis a small price to pay ...

Phoenix

Pictures from Phoenix ... more to follow ... our rabbit friends were everywhere -- it was amazing! They hid in these cactus things, and the bottom picture has 3 hiding in there ... they were incredible at camouflaging themselves ... we'd be walking along the grounds, and out would pop 5 rabbits. And I swear you could stare in the cactus things (and yes, that is OF COURSE the actual scientic name of these plants) having just seen some hop into their little hiding place and not be able to find them. We had so much fun, though. Oh, and that is a most lovely self-portrait ...