9 at night with Niece-ling

Oh, Niece-ling, what will we do with you?

N woke up around 9 tonight sobbing and coughing wretchedly. I got her out of bed and took her to go potty. She continued to cry pitifully as I carried her into mom's room. She moaned her mommas and daddas name so much, still sobbing. She complained about her lip, so I went and got her ice to suck on. She calmed down a tad bit. Mom (mine) asked her if she would like to read books. She willingly agreed and I ran to the Doctor Seuss section of our bookshelf and grabbed about 4-5 books to read.

Believe it or not, she stopped crying as soon as "Aaa Schoon" began to read Pizza Pat. Wish us luck, we still have to put her back to bed! Night Night N!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve!¡!¡ Go 2 bed 4 Santa 2 come!¡!¡☆☆☆

Counting Down Down Down!

Well, Merry Christmas Eve Eve!



1 MORE DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Yumminess simplified

Thanks to a friend of my mom, I made these peanut clusters that were way simple and muy delicioso.  Commence drooling!

Layer in this order:

4 oz. German chocolate squares

12 oz. milk chocolate chips

24 oz. chocolate almond bark

24 oz. white chocolate almond bark

1 jar unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1 jar salted dry roasted peanuts

Spray crockpot well with non-stick cooking spray.  Set on low for 3 hrs - DO NOT TOUCH.  Stir and drop on tray covered with waxed paper.  Chill till set.

Christmas!

Raise your hand if you can't wait until Christmas!


COUNT DOWN THE DAYS WITH OUR FAMILY, STARTING NOW!

ONLY 2 MORE DAYS!

From the Mouth of...

This is what Scooby sang to me at one point a few weeks ago:

Crab-Will you sing me a Christmas song buddy?
Scooby-No....Okay, fine.

He then continued singing I Wanna Wish You a Merry Christmas! A few verses later, he decided to change the words up a bit....

Scooby-I wanna wish you a merry bistmas from the bottom of my bismol!

From the mouth of...

shrieked at our puppy last Christmas season --

"Quit eating Jesus!!"

And in case you're wondering, this is the type of Jesus to which I was referring.  (Thanks for posing, Scooby!)

From the mouth of...

JJ received a dreidel at school.  

Nacho: "Who gave you that dreidel, JJ?"

JJ:  "Andrew's mom."


Nacho:  "Is she Jewish?"


JJ:  "No, she's from California."

From the mouth of...

I've decided that since I can no longer relish the glories of the English language being massacred by my own children, I'll share the kid-isms my siblings share with me.  This one still cracks me up.

Nacho (to JJ, then 3 yrs old):  JJ, what planet do we live on?

JJ:  Nerf.

Alternative Sleeping Quarters

Here's the thing.  My family is pretty small.  I'm not talking about the family I have with Sapper + twins.  I know that's small in comparison to MANY families.  I'm talking about the family I grew up with.  Mom, Dad, me, T (aka Uncle Ralph), Kake, Nacho, and Bundles.

Since we've all aged (I can't say grown up, because that implies maturity.  And I can't say matured, as none of us are mature.  I'll probably tell Race Day stories sometime to illustrate my point.), we've acquired significant others and kids, etc.  So anyway, to my point.  The accumulated spouses, children, and paraphernalia that deluge my parents' now-small house at holiday time makes the walls tremble in terror.  Shinessite only does day visits - thank heavens - there's no room in the inn! - and we're only a 45 minute drive.

However...

there are the Ohio contingent - Kake, Helmet, Scoobie, & Niece-ling

there are the California contingent - Nacho, Carnie, JJ, and Junior.

and there are the unmarried brothers - T & Bundles.

Those are ten bodies being added to the normally quiet confines of my parents' downsized house.  Not the house with five bedrooms and 1.5 baths -- the house with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths.  But not exactly enough room for 12 people to sleep comfortably.  Of course, there is the Christmas their furnace went out and we ALL stayed in ONE room (minus 2 kids, they weren't in the world yet).  That was pretty darned cozy.  Anyway, there is a point to my story.  Truly.  I promise!

Over the weekend my parents came up with this fantastical idea to borrow our camper so they'd have a 'spare bedroom' at their house.  Not a bad idea.  They don't need to de-winterize the camper as the 3 bathrooms at their house are adequate.  It will give them a break from the madness & hilarity that only their kids can provide while playing Mad Gab.  Even better?  They'll be able to go to bed WHEN they want and not have their rest interrupted (providing we don't go out and start a car or four while they're sleeping).  They have plenty of yard available and electrical hookup so they'll have heat.  Hmmmm.  Sapper ok'd the idea and I thought things would roll into place later this week.

Wrong.

Dad emailed yesterday at 2pm asking when he could pick up the camper.  "Dad, I'm at work."

"That's ok, what time will be good."

"I'll be home at 5:30, but if we wait longer it will be dark and that would suck for camper packing."

"That's a little late.  Can I come earlier?"

"That's fine.  I don't care.  You have a key.  I'll be home to help you at 5:30."


Fast forward to 4:30 when I get in touch with my dad.  Not only has he found the keys to the camper (in our kitchen), he's jacked the trailer up off of the blocks, removed the wheel chocks, hitched up the camper, completely ignored the sway bars, and has the camper out of our yard, IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE with the lights on, ready to go.  ::okay, deep breath::  "Dad, you did that all by yourself?!"  "Yep!  I may be 75, but I'm spry and get the job done!"

Well.  Since he didn't need me after all, I ran errands after picking up the chicklets from school & we got home at 6:30.  This is what we found.

Yep.  We found an open garage door.  Apparently he's spry, but a little forgetful.

spelling bee!

I have officially made it into the spelling bee, yay! Thank you mom, for pointing out that Mrs ___ had pronounced the word incorrectly, but, I had better go study soon so bye!

Quote of the Weekend

So I thought I was going to make Sapper crack up when I told him the quote of the weekend.

Without mentioning names, I walked into the living room and said, "Hey, I have the quote of the weekend for you."  He looked away from the television.  Hmm, looked good, he was paying attention.

"Mommy, can we have a mini refrigerator in our room?"

Sapper cracked a smile and said, "When did Yell say that?"

Deflated, I responded, "When we were at Home Depot."

Apparently he knows our kids well.  The kid with the insatiable appetite is the likely candidate for the fridge request.

But my conversation with Yell got better.  I just flat out said, "NO!"

Yell:  But it would be great!  We could have our breakfast in our room.  We could have snacks.  We wouldn't have to come out at all!

me:  [momentarily pondering the silence of mornings that would ensue {yeah, right}]  Oh, and you think that would be a good thing?!!

Yell:  Yeah, we could bring all the dishes up to our room....

I'll let you know when we get the sink and dishwasher installed.  This is obviously a well thought out plan.

And if you believe that, I know a prince in Nigeria who'd like you to collect an inheritance.

Almost Christmas!

Merry almost Christmas!

On the Wii

Hello again!  I have strange news... I'm typing this from our Wii, cool, huh?  Well, gotta go, hasta la vista!

Hi Again!

Omigosh!  I just created my own twitter account and have um, 7-8 people I am following such as celebrities and such, cool huh?  Well, just wanted to update you!

random tidbits:  Congrats on going potty on the potty and your big girl underpants, Niece-ling!

Top 10 Things Learned While Mom was Sick...10+ Days

1. The dishwasher doesn't unload itself. 
   Even though the dishwasher gets full and the dishes get washed, unless Mom specifically says "Crab empty the dishwasher" the dishes stay INSIDE the dishwasher.
2. Mom disappears after being sick for 3 days.
   In the beginning, very attentive children brought popsicles, drinks, tissues, medicine.  After 10 days, I got ONE visit from the girls.  No visits from dh.  Ouch.
3. Puffs Plus tissues, though occasionally causing excessive amounts of oil to develop around the nose, are the preferred tissue when copious amounts of fluid are leaking from sinus cavities.
4. When Puffs Plus are not available, toilet tissue, napkins, and the occasional sock will work.
5. Sapper *can* get the kids out of bed and to school.  (Maybe I add too much volume to the normal routine, causing him to avoid us like the plague?)
6. 7Up and popsicles.  Not necessarily in that order.
7. My mother is the most wonderful woman in the world.
8. Flannel sheets are excellent for keeping the sickly warm & 'coasty' in cold weather.  However, they also trap heat when the sickly person has a fever (resulting in the formation of puddles).  Bleccch.
9. Not all antibiotics are created equal.
10. Sick time, when depleted, does not spontaneously regenerate.  ::sigh::

The biggest thing learned, though, was that H1N1 stinks!

Towels Are Inappropriate Climbing Gear

Once upon a time, there was a little girl.  This little girl was a little over 11-yrs-old.  She enjoyed singing with her friends, spelling class, and swim team.

One day this little girl came home from her swim practice.  She hadn't put on her clothes after practice because she only had her school clothes in her backpack.  So since she was wrapped in a towel, and she didn't want to open the gate that keeps her precious puppy from invading the upper regions of the house, she attempted to vault the gate.

And she got stuck.

"erkkk.  Halp?!"

Daddy to the rescue!

Silly Crab.

Par-ty!

Hello world!  Let's get this party started!  Happy birthday, Shayla... you are now officially a 12-year-old! Yay!!! Updates:  Grandparents day has come already, thanks for everything Grammy and Papa!  Shayla turned 12!  I need to sleep!  Mom went to the ER with dad while Grammy stayed over night because Mom felt so awful. Feel better, Mom!
I need to leave and perhaps update you guys later! :p :)

Homemade chicken noodle soup

Made by my 11-yr-old. I am truly the luckiest sick mom in the world. Thanks, my Bird!


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Hi it's me again!

Almost time to go to bed, so I am going to go take a shower.  Bye!  Happy b-day Grammy! :)

Hi, it's Crab!

Well, it's me again, Crab!  School is going great, but sadly mom is really sick so our grandma (Grammy, Happy Birthday!) has come over to our house again.  Get well soon mom!

breakfast a la Yell

Today I woke up feeling cruddy. Really super sore throat, sinus congestion, aches. I fell back asleep & was awakened by the chicklets.

Crab brought in scrambled eggs & buttered toast. Yell brought in hot apple cider.

It didn't cure whatever is ailing me, but it sure did make me feel loved!

Hello! It's meee-eee!

Hi it's meee-eee!  I recently went on a field trip with my class and Yell's class to CYO Camp, it was so fun!  I rode in a canoe and learned all about animals in the environment and such.  I am so happy!  I have to get my swim suit on for swim practice at 6, so, post you later!  And don't be a afraid to comment on anything!

Personal hygiene

Or a complete lack thereof.

If your desk looks like this, you need to give it a few minutes of attention.  I should NOT have to do it for you.  That is NOT in my job description.  You are an adult.  Please act like one!

(Honestly, if I have dry heaves after cleaning your workspace, there is a problem, and it isn't mine!)

Dear Amazon...we need to have a talk...

Once upon a time we received a package.

And the chicklets were happy!

And the package was huge!

Or was it?

Hmmm....

You know, the item was surprisingly small.  Maybe we should have a talk about excessive packaging?

Because if a 65# 11-yr-old can fit in this box, I'd say the box was a little on the large side.

Potato Soup...mmmm...it's what was for dinner!

Due to the popularity of this soup (at our house), I'm posting it here for others to enjoy.  I originally got it from my sister's college roommate (thanks, Sandee).  I've tweaked it to use chicken broth (she was [is?] vegan), and its still the yummiest soup in the world.  So simple, so satisfying, and so colorful with the inclusion of the carrots & celery.

Sandee’s Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups water (or chicken broth, or vegetable broth)
4 cups potatoes
1 cup onions
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk
Salt, pepper, butter/margarine

Directions:
 
Peel & chop vegetables (this is the chicklets’ job).

Saute onions in a clump of butter/margarine until onions are translucent.

Add broth/water.
Add potatoes, carrots, celery & bring to a boil.
Reduce heat & simmer until tender (approx 20 minutes).

Remove from heat.  Pour in evaporated milk.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Stir.  Serve with bran muffins.

And because my family goes through so many of these muffins whenever we have potato soup, I naturally have to include this recipe as well.  These suckers are so tasty.  Make sure you double the recipe & throw the extras in the freezer.  Excellent straight from the microwave on a cold morning.

The Original All-Bran^TM Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 c sugar

1 T baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 c All-Bran cereal

1 1/4 c milk

1 egg

1/4 c vegetable oil

Directions

1.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt.  Set aside.
2.  In large mixing bowl, combine KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN cereal and milk.  Let stand about 2 minutes or until cereal softens.  Add egg and oil.  Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion evenly into twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.
3.  Bake at 400° F about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Wow, now I'm really hoping for leftovers for dinner.  Something tells me the chix will beat me to them!

So here I am. Sitting on a gurney in the emergency room.

Should I express my disdain for my primary care doctor? Or my chiropractor? or both?!

I awoke on Thursday with what seemed to be a deep cough.  Throughout the day I felt worse.  I went so far as to predict I wouldn't be at work Friday and that I likely had bronchitis.

And I was right.

And wrong.

I woke up Friday feeling crappy & did send an email to my supervisor letting him know I would be out due to illness.  I had had the presence of mind on Thursday to make a doctor's appointment for Friday morning.  Yay me.  Whatever.  The doc confirmed what I thought I had - bronchitis.

I got my prescription filled - ONLY $193 - thanks doc - and then went home to two little girls (dh is out of town) who attempted to take care of me over the course of the day by making jello, chicken noodle soup, ramen noodles, and hot apple cider.

I managed to wake in time for my chiro appt.  I knew I should have canceled.  But I didn't.  I went in the hopes of alleviating the pain I knew I should be feeling as a result of lying in a very tense position (while trying to avoid coughing).

And at the chiro appt, the doc again said I should bring in my girls to get their immune systems in alignment.

Uh, doc, you 'aligned' my immune system 12 hours BEFORE I started this nasty cough.  And now you're aligning it 36 hours AFTER I started hacking up a lung and it's phlegmy contents. And AFTER a medical doc diagnosed bronchitis.

How come immediately AFTER your alignment I developed a nasty case of diarrhea? Yeah, I know you'll probably try to tell me it was my body getting rid of some toxins.

Whatever.

I still ended up in the emergency room on Saturday.  24 hours AFTER your 'immunity alignment' -- being diagnosed with H1N1, getting two breathing treatments, steroids, and a painkiller to help me stop coughing.  If I'd waited for another 'immunity alignment' I'd probably be DEAD! My oxygen sats were in the 50s.  THANKS!

Dear Chiropractor, you SUCK!

Oh, I won't be seeing you again.  Enjoy your flakey self-righteous life with your son who has never had an illness or a vaccine.  Doorknob.

Oh yeah, and primary care doc?  Thanks for not bothering to check to see if I had H1N1.  As a result of your inefficiency, I wasted $193.  You may have that kind of money to throw away, but I DON'T!!!

School Science Fair

My class is having a science fair and I really need a good idea for mine and A's project.  I was thinking about doing a memory test for a couple of different age groups, but I am not sure.  Let me know if you have any ideas or comments about this!  :)

Random. Just Random.

Things overheard:

12:30pm  "Hey, you foreigner!"  (heard from a co-worker possessing his own Indian accent)

11:20am  "Aaa Schoon!  BM!"  (Niece-ling called to tell me she went potty on her own little potty--Yay Niece-ling!!!)

10:25am
supervisor-type-person:  "So, I don't understand.  You renumbered this chapter because....?"
me:  "There were duplicate entries.  12.02 and 12.02.  So I renumbered the area following the initial entry."
supervisor-type-person:  "Okay.  Let me look at this...why is this a different number?"
**gah!!!!!**

8:59pm  "Oh man.  I put my underpants on inside out again." 

7:40pm  "Waaaaah.  That reminds me of D______ and D________....I miss them so much!" (in reference to a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse promo)

12:10pm  "Mom, I just wanted to let you know I can't open my medicine bottle.  That's all.  Bye."  (this was from the twin with the 22 day sinus infection on her 3rd antibiotic)

8:55pm  "Mom, the TV won't work!"  (because they'd entered the wrong PIN# on the cable box a few too many times)


And I thought the conversations got less interesting once they spoke English (as opposed to babbling pseudo-English as toddlers)!

Hey it's Crab again

Hi, it's almost fall break and I am still sick, if you didn't know it I have been sick since October 1st. I can't believe that it's almost Halloween already! I am going to be mismatched for Halloween and Yell is going to be either a hippie, a weirdo, or a hippieweirdo. Fun stuff!

mixed up

I can't wait till winter; but when it comes I'll hate it.

Sickness in the 6th grade

Wow.  My computer teacher said that the 6th grade started getting the whole school sick, and basically everyone in my class agrees.  I especially agree because our classes are the ones that started the swine flu virus. In my sister's class of 29, 15 were out sick last week.

I do not feel good.  I have been sick for the past 11-16 days.  Yay.  I am so excited, can't you see my enthusiasm.  It's totally non-existent enthusiasm if you can't tell.  I wish I could feel better.  Tell me if you feel the same way.

Understanding Underwear

As I was leaving work yesterday, I realized I hadn't worn a jacket or coat.

::mental head slap::

me:  "Oh my gosh, I forgot to wear a jacket this morning.  I'm an idiot."

co-worker:  "I can do better than that.  I forgot more than my jacket yesterday..."

me:  "Yeah, but yesterday didn't you wake up at 6:28 and had to have your kid at the bus stop by 6:45?"

co-worker:  "Yeah, but this is pretty good."

Co-worker went on to explain that while in the bathroom, at some point in the workday, co-worker had realized that the tag of the underwear they were wearing was...in front.

Yep.  An adult.  Put their underwear on backward.  This co-worker also explained that they had sent a text message to their spouse asking for advice on the situation.

I'd say that was a bit of a hectic morning (but I was glad for the story, it was the highlight of my workday)!


But it reminded me of going to a bridal shower a few years ago.  The bride-to-be had left the room to use the facilities.  All of the other women chatted & visited, but did notice she took a while to return.  Upon her return, she said, "I don't know what your husband's like...but Matt likes these thong things..." and we started laughing immediately.  "I was going to the bathroom and figured out that the label was on the side of my hip.  So I had to take off my pants to put them on the right way.  But I couldn't figure it out..."

To think anyone is slender enough to put their hips through the leg hole of a pair of underwear...yowza.


And then I remembered watching my little niece Nallie a few months ago.  The Chicklets had gotten her dressed for church; diaper, top, bottom, socks, shoes.  I remember noticing it was a little difficult to strap her into her car seat, but didn't make an issue of it and we all got to church on time.  While at church, though, Nallie wanted to sit facing me on my lap.  But she was having a tough time straddling my lap (and I'm not *that* much overweight, I swear).  While shifting her position, I realized her legs wouldn't come apart...oops.

Both legs through the same hole of her outfit.


Last underwear story of the day -- I hope.

My girlfriend had triplet girls eleven months after I had my twin girls.  R used to take "the babies" to their grandmother's house so she could attend church in peace (I totally understand this)!  One Sunday R got baby A dressed in her dress/pants, baby B dressed in her dress/pants, and baby C in her dress...couldn't find the coordinating pants that went with the dress.  Searched and searched, couldn't find the coordinating pants that went with the dress.  Gave up and put on another pair of pants, took the babies to their grandmother's house, then took the two older girls to church.

Upon her return to the grandmother's house, she found a laughing grandmother.  Apparently one of 'the babies' had needed a diaper change and Grandmother had found the pants!

R, in her sleep-deprived-half-crazed-gotta-get-out-the-door-to-church state had clothed baby A or baby B in TWO pairs of the coordinating pants.  How's that for efficiency?!

crummy

Hey, I am sickly and tired and my throat hurts really bad.

Oh my aching back!

Way back in my not-so-distant past, I fell off a ladder.

When I fell (such an amazing demonstration of poise & grace), I not only landed on my back in a searing blaze of pain, but also nearly decapitated my husband by bringing down the ladder on top of both of us.

::sigh::

Sapper had the presence of mind to insist I take a walk (with out hyperactive dog) to keep my muscles moving.  For that I am grateful.  The next day I was sore, but was able to move.

When I say I was sore, I should mention the parts of me that were *not* sore.  Hmm.  My nose.  My ears.  My eyes.  Everything else hurt.

I couldn't move my neck (whiplash?) and head.  I had bruises on both arms.  I especially remember the pulled muscle feeling inside my right thigh.  I was moving so slowly that our choir director didn't recognize me walking through the school parking lot!

Anyway, fast forward to eight days later when I went to donate platelets.  Crab n Yell's school participated in a blood drive but I was ineligible to donate whole blood because I'd done so less than a month previously.  blah blah blah so I talked to the blood center & they said they reallllllly need my platelets.

I thought I was doing alright.  Honestly.  I was still a little stiff and sore, but thought my back would get better over time.

I was really wrong.

These bed things they have at the blood center are pretty comfy.  I've been tempted to nap in them more than once.  But on the 12th I laid on the bed for approximately eight minutes before realizing my back hurt -- a lot.  The phlobotomists noticed something awry (moving my legs incessantly? moans of pain?) and after a little bit of conversation gave me the phone number of a chiropractor.

I managed to see the doc that afternoon.

Good news?  My back isn't broken.

Bad news?  The doc says I have a bulging disk.  And 3 or 4 vertebrae out of alignment.  And they're putting pressure on my sciatic nerve.  (I saw the x-ray, didn't see what the doc was talking about.  But I'm not a doc, nor do I pretend to be one.)

Weird news?  At the appointment for my 'adjustment' on Tuesday, the doc suggested I'd need treatments every day for two weeks, and that after 'two months' I should be pain free.  Yike.

Weirder news?  At my appointment Wednesday, the doc offered to 'adjust the kids' backs to get their immune systems in alignment' after giving them each a free sample of chewable vitamin C.

What?

Freaky-might-make-me-switch-doctors-news?  The doc then said, "Watch out for flu shots and antibiotics.  Toxic!"

The chix said, "Was he serious?"

---

Anyone know a tactful way to switch chiropractors without having to talk to the weird one ever again?

How to go camping without being there

I love my husband dearly.  I am completely in awe of his abilities to perform small but daunting tasks (fix the broken light fixture in the hallway), larger labor-intensive jobs (remove a cabinet, plumb & install the dishwasher), craftsmanship (design & build the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in our home) and general household maintenance (strip & paint the back deck).

But sometimes I wonder how he gets along without me.

---

Ring.  Ring.

me: "______, this is Susan."

person: "mumblemumblemumble"

me:  "This is Susan."

person:  "Suz!"

me:  "Oh, hi, try not to mumble next time."

Ironman:  "I'm not trying to...mumblemumble...(men's voices)...how do you get the awning up?"

me:  "Seriously?"

Ironman:  "Yes, seriously...mumblemumble...I need you to talk me through it."

me:  "Oh, gad, let me remember.  Okay, go to the arms & unscrew the black travel locks on the back."

Ironman:  mumblemumble..."Unscrew those black things!"

me:  "But don't take them off!  Just loosen them.  Then take the hook and flip the lever down.  On the far right."

Ironman:  "The silver metal? or the gray metal?"

me:  "What?!  The lever - at the top right - very top - by the awning.  And then flip the arm levers."

Ironman:  "mumblemumble...here, talk to KD."

KD:  "Hey, how's it going?"

me:  "Is this a clusterPu(k or what?"

KD:  "Hey, watch your language now! Are those arms supposed to be in two pieces?"

me:  "What?!  Is he using the pull bar to pull the awning out?"

KD:  "It's not pulling out."

me:  "What do you mean?  Is the arm taken apart?  Did he flip the switch down?  Did he flip the arm up?"

background:  mumblemumble...men's voices...click...click...click...men's voices

Ironman in the background:  "It's not moving out...tell her it isn't coming out."

me:  "Tell him to flip the switch down again.  And the arms up."

KD:  "She says to flip it again..."

in the background, click...men's voices...click....click...

Ironman in the background:  "It's not...hey, you have to flip these things up...why didn't she tell me..."

me:  "I did tell him!"

KD:  "She says she did tell you.  Man, I'm telling you, if Julie told me, she probably did and that's it."

me:  "Is it extending?"

in the background:  clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick

KD:  "Yeah, it's working."

me:  "OK, once it's out you have to lock it using the levers on the inside of the arms."

KD:  "Yeah, we got it."

me:  "Have you guys got it?  Do you know what to do next?"

KD:  "Yeah, I think so."

me:  "OK, tell him to call me when he needs to retract it."

I'm awaiting a fun phone call on Sunday when Ironman is done with his relay race and everyone is exhausted.  Something involving Kentucky, our camper, a bunch of Army guys, and Bourbon(???). 

Fun times ahead....

---

Of course, in his defense, I can't start the lawn mower.