Back to storytime

Random storytime, however. I suppose anything is better than my failed attempts at whoring my blog.

First story: Bring the Funk! Bring the Noise! Bring the Bread! (Khubz)

We got to party with Funk & Noise Tuesday night. This was even better than our previous party. I benefited from the lessons learned during that previous party, the calming,soothing & reassuring presence of Noise and the improved adult/child ratio (yea Scully!)

Abu Funk & Noise dropped Funk off with Scully (they had just come from a dr. apt. and Scully was already home) She was not thrilled to be dropped off at the home of the absconders without her brother, without even Khubz there to reassure her that we don't eat toddlers.

I was not far behind after picking up Noise & Khubz from daycare. Everything got better once Noise arrived. Funk was thrilled to see her brother. Her relief was palpable. And as long as he stayed in her eyesight, she had a great time.

Chocolate chip pancakes for dinner! I decree. "Oatmeal!" Replies Funk. "O'meeaal" Khubz chimes in (Khubz would gladly eat oatmeal three times a day, every day.) Um. . . Okay. I had spent the trip back from daycare telling Noise that we'd be having chocolate chip pancakes. Easy enough. The girls get oatmeal & Noise gets a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. "Where's my oatmeal?" He asks.

Three amazing children sat on the red blanket in the living room (an indoor picnic, if you will) happily eating oatmeal. Unreal. Oatmeal. Cinnamon raisin, to be exact.

They did eat some pancakes, cottage cheese, applesauce, animal crackers, green beans (at least three bites) but the main star of the night? Oatmeal.

We had a great time. Giant sheets of paper on the floor for coloring with our toes. Pirate hats decorated with skull/crossbones personally designed by Noise. A pirate ship constructed out of couch pillows. And an endless Simon & Garfunkel sing-along. Ce-ceeeeliaaa! "mah daddy'ssong, mah daddy, mah daddy's" Funk delighted in the the repeat function of the ipod.

What a good time!

Scully took Khubz upstairs for a bath & put her to bed. She wasn't happy going up the stairs when the party was still going on in the living room. But the girl was tired. Tired. She fell asleep 15 seconds after Scully laid her into the crib. She was out.

The kids downstairs bundled up in their jammies with their blankets & settled down on the couch. Umm Funk & Noise also delighted Scully by packing the movie Cars (which Scully had personally requested.) So we were downstairs with the lights low, watching Cars.

Funk was sleepy. Her eyes would start to get heavy and then she would shake the sleepy off, sit up and look over at Noise. Seeing him she would lay back down and her eyes would start to get heavy again.

Noise kept a running monologue of what was happening in the movie, what had just happened, what was going to happen next and then what just now, even as he was talking had just happened! Did you see that? "No, I missed it. Tell me all about it!"

Funk passed out. Noise became sleepy & quiet. Scully crept upstairs to lay down with Khubz who wanted some company. I laid down and watched the rest of Cars until Abu Funk & Noise got there to collect his marvelous & sleepy children.

The next day I checked in with Scully. Four? Still interested in four?
Sure! She tells me. That was a blast. But let's start by getting number two.
Indeed. Lets!

Second story: Everyone in iowa is ill.
I'm coming up this weekend, I announced to my one sister. Great! She replies. I have a couple conditions, I warn her. "The trip may be cancelled if I am sick, Khubz is sick, anyone in iowa is sick, there are any snowstorms in any states that border iowa or if I'm just too damn tired." (yeah right.)

So the weekend approaches. My mom has bronchitis. Sister, K, is still battling walking pneumonia. Joe's husband has strep throat. MajPaj (Khubz's cousin) has vomited every day this week due to a raging ear infection. Dax (another cousin) has scarlet fever--do people still get scarlet fever?? i ask. Sure, it's strep throat with a body rash my mom replies--and Mo (another cousin & Dax's sister) has plain, old, boring strep throat.

Is everybody on antibiotics? I inquire. Um, yes. Great. We're coming up!!

In closing, please don't let this story dissuade you from feeling sorry for me or reduce the amount of sympathy you feel when you read next week that I have come down with some bizarre combination of walking-bronch-scarlet-throat. p.s. any "what were you thinking??" comments will be deleted.