Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Mistakes

Tonight's bedtime conversation with Doodle made me chuckle.

Doodle: Wouldn't it be great if we could erase all the mistakes that we've made in life?

Me: What mistakes have you made?

Doodle: Buying too many stuffed animals, especially Web*kinz. I packed some of them up; maybe they'll be worth something some day. (I didn't burst her bubble.)

An amused me, probing a bit more: Have you made any other mistakes?

Doodle: Not finding out more about cooking camp before going. (Both girls are at cooking camp this week; Doodle has a few issues with how the camp is being run. Tootle seems to be happy to cook and eat her way through the day.)

After a moment of silence, Doodle asked me what mistakes I would erase. I replied that I would have to think about the question before answering it because a change could have unforeseen consequences and result in changes to things that I love about my life. We agreed that correcting her "mistakes" would not alter the state of the world:)

Bunnies at Dusk

Discovered on our lawn; I wonder if they know about the pet bunny next door.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

HP Again

But this time, I'm referring to the computer. On our way home from Hershey, we stopped to see my mom's twin sister. All four of her grandsons were hanging out at her house for the day. What did Doodle and her teenage cousins do? Fired up the laptops, of course...Six kids, three laptops, and a dog who didn't know whose lap to jump on to. Later the kids decided to get some exercise and played dodge ball.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Notes

I only travel for business 1-2 times a year, with one of the trips always falling in the summer for 5-6 days. The girls began a tradition 2-3 years ago where they write me a note or card for each day that I'm gone; I pack them in my carry on bag and open one from each girl every morning right after my shower. This year's cards, enjoyed last week when I was in Boston, were particularly fun. Doodle's were motivational, urging me to be happy and wave my hands with the Red S0x fans. Her cards were created by Emma's Cards Inc. and had a smiley face logo. Tootle pulled at my heart strings, telling me each day that she missed me. On Monday she wrote: "I hope you are haveing a good time. I can't wait till you come home." On this trip I work 14 hour days and have to be on 24-7 so overall it's not a good time, but I appreciated Tootle's sentiments. Both girls also taped money into their cards one day; silly kids.

I also get e-mails from both girls when I'm traveling. Last week when I didn't respond to one of Tootle's quickly enough, I got another one demanding to know why I hadn't answered her.

I leave a grab bag of small presents for the girls to open when I'm gone. This year's gifts included books, Japanese erasers (all the rage in our area this summer), and hair do dads.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Third Tooth on July 3

After watching a local country club's fireworks show from outside the gates (along with lots of other people who aren't wealthy enough to belong to the club), we came home and started the bedtime routine. Doodle, ever the helpful big sister, decided to stall a bit by wiggling Tootle's loose tooth. The tooth was so loose that it came out, and the resulting excitement pushed bedtime back by at least 30 minutes. Tootle hasn't lost a tooth in about nine months, so she was ecstatic, especially when she realized that she lost her third tooth on the 3rd.
This morning Tootle decorated her bike for the holiday and then asked me to take a picture of her new smile. She is very pleased with herself.