Paka thinks he is so funny

We had lunch at Dad's house the other day and he thought it would be a wonderful idea to give his grandson a temporary tattoo. He did this almost a week ago and it still looks brand new. I have soaped him and lathered him and even scrubbed his arm and its not going anywhere. In case you can't read what it says ( in jailhouse cursive writing) underneath the elegant bouquet of roses, it says "Freedom". At first, I thought it said "Rebel" so Owen was walking around the house saying "I'm a rebel!" and pointing to his arm. I have to admit, it was funny, for the first couple of days or at least through the weekend. Now, I'm ready for it to disappear. And, yes, that is a sword that the flowers and ribbon are wrapped around.....ugh!!

We have been very busy lately. Owen started his music class and it is soooo hippie-ish. It's a group of about ten parents and children that come together and sing songs and play some instruments. I felt a bit uncomfortable at first with all the adult participation, but its getting a little easier. There are some people in the class that are definitely having more fun than their children. I think they signed up for themselves and not their kids. We do have to sing and dance along, which I don't mind, but there is one mother in the class that is using this time to practice for her American Idol audition. She's a total Whitney Houston wannabe. Needless to say, she's one of the people having more fun with the class than her son. JJ was working from home this morning, so I made him go with me. He was totally uncomfortable the whole time. I loved it!!

We've been having a lot of fun with Alika lately. Its been nice having him here and he's slept on our couch for the past two weekends. But he did get some bad news in that he has to have another week of chemo starting on Monday. We were hoping he could get right down to the bone marrow transplant, but he'll have to wait and see after next week. Stay strong, Alika xxoo!!

Thanks to everyone who made it to our end of summer pool party on Saturday. As usual, a good time was had by all. I only have one bruise left on my arm, but its fading fast. I can't remember if I got it during the cannonball contest, or when I was practicing my dolphin kick like Michael Phelps......

auf Wiedersehen! (that's goodbye in German for those of you who don't watch Project Runway)

We had a lovely visit with Helen this past weekend. She got here Saturday night and was able to stay until Tuesday evening. She left from here and was going straight to Germany. I'm not sure when we'll see her again :( Maybe Christmas? I know she won't be able to stay away from Owen for long. She arrived just in time to babysit while I went to see Hall & Oates in concert Saturday night. Let's just say it was less than stellar. I was actually quite disappointed in their performance. I was really looking forward to it and it was a total let down. They didn't play a lot of songs I knew (while I was there -- we skipped out early), but the part of their performance I did see seemed to lack energy. It just wasn't what I was expecting. But a warm, heartfelt thanks goes out to Joanna for getting us the tickets!!
Everyone came over for dinner at our house on Sunday and Helen made curry. It was soooo good and Patricia was nice enough to point out that my curry doesn't taste anything like Helen's. I'm not taking it personally..... I've only made it once, as opposed to once a week for years and years. I definitely need some practice, though, and I'm not giving up.
I finished reading The Innocent Man by John Grisham. It's a gripping true story about a man falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. I thought it was an excellent portrayal of the injustices that occur within our judicial system on a daily basis. But the whole life story of this man is tragic and its not just about his false imprisonment, but the horrible hand he was dealt in life. This is not a feel good story with a happy ending, but one I would recommend none the less.
My son has decided that he no longer likes to have his diaper changed. He's 18 months old and I thought, fine, we'll just have to start with the potty training. But, no, he is not fond of the potty I bought for him and he refuses to sit on a regular toilet. He does love to flush, but we can't spend all day flushing the toilet, can we? Suggestions, please!!?? He is kicking and screaming when I try to put him on his changing table and holding onto me for dear life. I've also tried the "time out" route (when he behaves like that), but he thinks it's funny and has since started putting himself in time-out periodically throughout the day.
Helen, we loved having you. We hope you guys are getting settled and we'll talk to you soon!!

Dad, I am so sorry! I know you have been bugging me about not updating and I feel really bad about being behind lately. Its been a pretty busy week or two and we had a very full weekend as well. Saturday was Princess Gigi's first birthday and I have never seen anything like it. Patricia has totally outdone herself, as usual, but all the decorations were adorable and all the kids had a really good time.
I just finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. That's probably why I haven't updated in so long. It was really good. Sort of like a juicy, gossip filled, soap opera set in the fifteen hundreds. I couldn't put it down and now I really want to see the movie.
The rest of our weekend was pretty uneventful. JJ played golf on Sunday and Brooke and Tahnie came over for margaritas by the pool. Monday was spent running errands and picking up the house. We did end up at Dad's house for dinner and a cut throat tournament in Wii bowling. Alika won, of course. I think he's had some extra time to practice. Mariocart was way better, but I officially came in last every single time we raced.
Owen has his first ear infection. The other day he just wasn't acting like himself.....very upset, crying, etc. Then he started pointing to his ear. We went to the doctor yesterday and, sure enough, it's infected. He's going to be on antibiotics for the next ten days, but I think he's already starting to feel better.
For some reason, I have no energy this week. I'm tired and I don't want to do anything but read (even though I just finished my book and I have yet to start another one). I think maybe it has something to do with the weather. I'm ready for it to cool off so Owen and I can start riding our bike again in the mornings.
I'm excited for this weekend. I think Helen will be paying us a visit before she makes her move over the pond. Owen can't wait to see his Nana!!