Distraction is Key

So I've been reading up on my cousin's blog and I hope he doesn't mind me exposing his secret relatedness to me, or that I linked him to my insanity, but I don't think he will. If he does mind... oops. Too late.

I mention him because, as I've said, I've been distracting myself by reading his blog. It makes me laugh to think of my little niece telling everyone "It doesn't work" when she fails to produce poo on her potty.

I need to think about happier things, today. And since I've been meaning to write down my happy moments in life (since last December when I went to NYC with my dad) I think now it the appropriate time get those memories out there.

****
This past summer, Homemakerman, Tumbleweed, their daughter Peanut, and I were walking up a back road to loop around to my house; as I suspected, and had been hoping, I found a baby toad no larger than a cocoa puff. Smaller in fact, nearly as slim as a cornflake, no taller than two or three stacked.

"Look at the baby frog, Peanut." I said, lying and saying it was a frog because I wasn't sure if she'd understand the technical difference between frog and toad. "Look how small, Peanut." I said, as I've always been amazed by the size of them. Ever since I was a little girl, and my dad would take me to that exact spot on his moped.

"Look, Peanut, he is so small he is smaller than that bug!" I exclaimed so perplexed. I pointed to a long, greenish bug that just so happened to be on the ground beside us. No sooner than I had pointed out that bug did my niece stare, pause, and squash. She lifted her foot, and her tiny, colorful sandal landed square on it. She squished it around a few times, making sure it was good and dead as her parents and I looked at each other in disbelief. Then we burst into laughter. "I don't know where she learned that one!" One of her parents laughed. I think they may have been embarrassed because they respect nature and want to raise their children to do the same. Still, it was funny as hell.
******************
More recently, we went down to visit them on Mango Street. This was one of the first weeks of October, I believe. Mom and I had gone to the Fryeburg Fair on Friday, and Saturday we went down bearing Maple syrup cotton candy and other such goodies we had acquired. We sat on their black sofa, ate pizza, and busted out the cotton candy which caught Pumpkinman's attention. When no one was looking he latched onto the bag for dear life, and cried bloody murder when we took it away from him. Worst parents ever, those two--depriving their under-aged son of such a sweet (no pun intended) energy-increasing, cavity inducing treat.

Well Pumpkinman was quite upset until he stuck his fingers in the sofa and found a minuscule crumb of pizza, sauce and all. He was estatic, and when we figured out what he had uncovered, we laughed. The little darling stared at his Daddy, and if looks could kill (or steal pizza...) well, you get the picture.

What a great moment for poor baby pumpkinman.
****

THERE'S AN APE OVER-THERE!!

Well, first, I must explain the embarrassing context which preceded this exclamation.

See, as you already know, Homemakerman and Tumbleweed visited us this summer, and what you don't know is that we spent most of our nights up all hours of the night playing board games. Well, I have wanted to play Pictionary since I bought it years ago, but it has since vanished. I've searched for it where it sat for a year (in my closet) then I briefly browsed the basement, where it was moved to after I got sick of looking for it.

Obviously, when I heard my sister say, "Pictionary is in mom's room." I was excited. Beyond excited, really, and I jumped up to go get it--completely missing my cousin's subtly mortified expressions. See, the game in my mother's room was Scategories, and not, in fact, pictionary. This fact I loudly shared with the whole household upon discovering it.

Moron.

"Happy Birthday," They said to my sister, and it all made sense. Oops. Yes, I had blown my sister's birthday present and ruined their surprise..

With that detail out of the way, let's turn to the game:

The letter was A and the category was: something you'd exclaim.

Naturally, my mother wrote: Ape.

"Ape?" Homemakerman had asked,

My mom nonchalantly replied, "Yes, Ape. Like Oh my God There's an Ape over there!!"

She will never live that one down.

*****

What else? What else? How about the Fashion Show tent I bought for Peanut. I know there was a hilarious moment with that, but it has since slipped my mind. She went in and out and in and out of that tent about a million times. She crawled, seamlessly, through the cat tunnel too. Homemakerman... not so much.

Oh the memories.

More to come, when I think of them.