Things that sneak up on you

Snickum Diddles.

Where do they come from, these growth spurts and these mental leaps from like tee-niny newborn to solid-foods eater to half-rational toddler? We were out chasing chickens earlier tonight and I was going on and on about how the trees were just budding and flowering YESTERDAY and how TODAY they are fully clothed in all their summer leafdom, and then I realized that right there in front of me, squatting down behind his cart and tweeting while checking out a female cardinal with a broken wing, was my own little sneaker. I mean, one day he's lying prostrate on the linoleum in a demonic fit about the refrigerator door closing without his prior approval, and the next day he's responding positively to requests such as, "Here, go put these socks in your dirty clothes hamper." As for the cardinal, I'm afraid he may have been responsible for her injuries. I was in the kitchen cooking a delicious, low-fat meal while he was out in the backyard. Then I heard the tweeting (his) and went to investigate. He was just about to pick her up when I called a halt to all the fun and games and we took a break and came inside. He's been really into "catching" things lately ... like pre-monarch butterflies in their fuzzy caterpillar state and what I think are box elder bugs. It's the pointing that kills them. It's not intentional. It's really not. It's just pointing ... another case for "everything in moderation."

Sweets.

That's another thing that sneaks up on you. From behind ... if you know what I mean. My seester (the one who's 8 months pregnant) was telling me the other day about how she's been finding all of these really delicious sweettreats in various places. Like she'll just be driving down the road and there! in the median! is something sweet. One day she was just driving along and found an Oreo McFlurry. And then another day she found some Hostess cupcakes. (God works in mysterious ways.) But then tonight when Husband came in for dinner, he had a cake in his hands. He said he found it on the doorstep. And this was actually believable because one time we found a cake on top of Suzie Q. Subaru. We know who it is, this mystery cake baker, but still! It's a miracle every time. It really is. And tonight the manna from heaven came in the flavor of lemon pound cake. Moist yet light and fluffy lemon pound cake. And it just fit so nicely with our delicious yet low-fat meal of baked chicken legs sans skins with brown rice pilaf and asparagus, and so even though we aren't eating sweets until our five-year anniversary trip (coming up at the end of the month), we went ahead and tried some because the cake baker had requested feedback and we felt bad not obliging. But things quickly escalated and pretty soon there was only point seven five of a cake left on the table. And then the bottom part of the cake started disappearing. You know the part with the really squishy stuff that is so very delectable? Vanishing. And pretty soon after that there was a lot of what can only be described as "cakeshell" lying around. Husband came over and asked what I was doing eating out the middle part and it was at that moment that I realized: cake is like chicken! It's just the skin that's fattening. The inside part is really good for you.

Water Currents.

Very sneaky. Yesterday, on Family Wednesday, we took our first kayaking trip of the year! The Goose did much better this year than last year. In other words, there was a lot less screaming. None, to be exact. This time, he only fell in a couple times and once he even had on his life jacket. Just kidding. Sorta. We took a leisurely five-mile float down a local slow-moving river and then went to a pizza joint where there were lots of video games and teenagers. All in all it was a delightful afternoon/evening. Here's a smattering:

Click any photo to see more.

He does this thing now when he sees something cool (like turkeys in the front yard or big trucks or half-dead female cardinals) where he goes "oooohhhh" -- only it's more "oh" than "ooh" and there's sort of a "ha" in there at the same time. Almost like a "wow," but not really. It's a sound that indicates a state of total awe. He did it a lot as we were floating.

This river is really nice because it's a loop and so you don't hitch a ride from the put-in point to the take-out point (or vice versa). The Dad dropped us off with the boats, went and parked, and was back in 10 minutes. While he was gone, I decided that it might be a nice time to take a potty break behind some bushes since there was no bathroom anywhere in an umpteen-mile radius. When I finished, The Goose said, "tee-tee." I said, "Yes, Mama had an emergency and had to go potty outside." He kept saying it. "Tee-tee." Ha ha ha ha. "Tee-tee." Finally, The Dad arrived and of course we can't keep any secrets. The Goose made the "ssss-ssss" sound that I make while he's sitting on the potty and I'm trying to get HIM to go tee-tee. Then he pointed directly at me and said, "tee-tee." Lord help us all if he ever learns to say, "Mama used the credit card again at Steinmart." I've really got to start watching myself.

11:00 p.m.

Seriously! It's like one minute it's dinnertime and then all of a sudden it's way past my bedtime. Especially on Thursdays. Maybe if it didn't take me so long to cook delicious, low-fat meals, then clean the kitchen (including using baking soda to scour the sink and Simple Green to mop the linoleum -- a Thursday night favorite chore!), and finally bathe and put the Goose down, then I could get more done. Luckily, I only work part-time.

Tah-tah (which is not at all like tee-tee) till next time.