Since You've Been Gone

It's been too long since I blogged, but I have two excellent excuses.

1. My internet didn't work for 4 or 5 days. (I blame Paul, though I have no concrete proof.)

2. My parents have been visiting from California for the last week and to say we've been busy is to make the first GIGANTIC understatement of the year.

So...what's been happening in the week since I last blogged?

1. My oldest, The Scientist (aka The Lawyer), turned 10. I don't feel old enough to have a 10 year old but since he looks like my hubby and I vividly remember the 26 hours of labor, I have to admit the strong possibility that he is, indeed, mine.

2. We gave The Scientist a cell phone for his birthday with rules like "Only call those on your contact list" and "Don't answer any call from a number you don't know" and "Text us in the middle of the night and die a slow and horrible death".

3. The Scientist was showing the features of his cell phone to his younger brothers (who are suitably in awe of their older brother's recent voyage into BIG KID status) when he discovered he had several games on his phone. He was reading off the names when he came to one called "Midnight Pool". Our middle child, Daredevil, perked up at that and responded with "Midnight Poo? That's silly. Everyone knows you can go poo any time you want."

4. Paul and I have had a few food fights at work, just to keep life interesting, and in our most recent skirmish, I nailed him in the eye with a cooked carrot, for old times sake.

5. He pretended not to be amused.

6. Who needs a sword collection when you have cooked vegetables at your disposal?

7. Speaking of Paul, he recently bought a pair of handcuffs so he could practice on the likes of my children before taking on the criminal element in Nashville.

8. The Scientist thought the experience of being handcuffed was interesting but not very exciting.

9. Starshine thought it was the coolest thing ever and ran around the house, proudly displaying his restrained wrists to anyone who would listen.

10. Paul's plan fell apart with Daredevil though.

11. Daredevil has more testosterone running through his little fat-free frame than most grown men.

12. Daredevil makes his momma proud with his ability to smack-talk anyone, regardless of how much they outweigh him.

13. Also, Daredevil does not back off when challenged. Sometimes, as his mother, this trait is the bane of my existence. Other times, this is a source of great amusement.

14. I found this vastly amusing.

15. Paul went to lock the handcuffs on Daredevil's wrists and discovered what I have known for years: Daredevil is one slippery little sucker.

16. A scuffle ensued and the end result was this: Daredevil wore the handcuffs on his ankles and Paul had lost the key.

17. Paul did not have time to consider the error of his ways.

18. Paul was standing, holding Daredevil's handcuffed feet, and looking around for the key when Daredevil launched his attack.

19. He twisted, squirmed, hit, kicked, licked and finally, as Paul was trying to placate him with instructions to just hold still and he would find the key, Daredevil twisted up, yanked off his shoe, and threw it, with unerring accuracy, at Paul's head.

20. The other shoe soon followed.

21. Paul was very grateful when The Scientist located the key.

22. Perhaps Paul should practice on the criminal element in Nashville and work his way up to Daredevil.

23. New pics of Juan Pedro were taken and will soon be posted here.

24. It snowed today.

25. Off to the airport to return my parents to California.