The rest of the family...

Just like back at "the pond". The picture does not do it justice.

So now I'm sure everyone is wondering...what on earth have Billy and Gilly been up to? The complete answer: resting; moving around tank skittishly; pulling food into their mouths; fighting. Yes, you read that correctly, the other day when Barry fed them, there was a minor fight over the food. Yikes! I don't think the "Grow-a-Frog" people mentioned the potential battle for resources.

Gabe has (smartly) washed his hands of any ownership over the frogs. He told me, "Most of the time I don't like them. Then sometimes I get happy and like them for a little while." I don't which part is scarier - that Gabe may be depressed "most of the time", or that I am the only one in the house with any emotional stake in the frogs. And I might add, that stake is smaller than a Froglet Food nugget (ingredients: fish meal, bone meal, blood meal, yeast, dried whey, kelp). Which is very small.

The "optional" filter is only on one side of the tank, so the other side gets really, really yucky. Grow-a-Frog should not only quit calling the filter "optional", but Congress should IMMEDIATELY enact statutes making it a federal capital crime to not have a filter in a Grow-a-Frog tank. The tank is on our dining room table, the only place large enough for the tank, and next to our Christmas tree, which is in the dining room. The smell of stale frog water always did remind me of Christmas!

Barry has gotten to do a little babysitting recently. On Thursday and Friday, I had CLE in Lexington. It was boring, but free. I did LEARN a lot, however: (1) Attorneys like acronyms and abbreviations a LOT; (2) Attorneys like jokes about themselves; (3) I need to keep my ipod in my purse at all times; (4) I need to work more next year so I can afford non-free CLE. While I was doing this, Barry and Gabe checked out the new Miley Cyrus movie (Bolt), and in one of the most exciting events I've seen Gabe have since he was born, Barry won him a stuffed bear on the little claw machine at the movies. No kidding, Gabe was and still is so happy about this.

Then, on Sunday night, I caught some sort of flu or virus and spent all night, well, you know. Barry kindly took a sick day at work and babysat the kids. I spent most of the day in and out of consciousness in bed, awoken only by the occasional shrill scream (not sure if that was Audrey, Gabe, or Barry), and even got bedside delivery of Sprite and Gatorade. What a sweet husband! They even got to spend some time at Gatti's and worked in a trip to the pawnshop (work-related, of course). Gabe said "They had some cool things at the pawnship." Barry would never say this, but I think he was glad to be back to his "regular job" after a day of doing housework, etc.

That concludes my multiple posting for the day.

Another post!

Gabe borrowing Barry's Santa hat.

The pirate standing in front of our tree (it's a wonder he could hang ornaments with that hook).

Fake smiling for the camera

Gabe and his favorite ornament, the talking - what else? - Capt. Jack Sparrow.

I'm cute, even if I need a haircut!

Gabe doing some "work" at the table.

Gabe and his pirate puppet are ready to go to the UK game. (I think Daddy may have "forgotten" pirate, because he didn't quite make it to the game.)

Gabe plays a tune in the bathroom while I bathe Audrey.

A little strangulation is good for the brother-sister relationship.


Gabe is still in love with pirates. He also still mostly loves hanging out with his little sister, except for the brief strangulation episodes (which we are getting in check with medication - only kidding!). He is still enjoying preschool, and he is in the process of prepping for singing a few songs with his class for Christmas. Excuse me, a correction there, whenever I call them "songs", Gabe reminds me that it's not "songs", it's a "program". So anyway, he's prepping for his school program in a few weeks, and we are excited about seeing him possibly sing - "possibly" because with Gabe, we're never really sure how he will respond to new things until they actually happen. He may sing, or he may just stand among his classmates in his little Santa hat staring blankly, you just don't know. I keep trying to pry information out of him about the "program", and he'll tell me little cryptic clues like, "One song is about a snowflake and baby Jesus." Hmmm...I've never heard of that one...

Of course, he's also getting excited about Christmas, and has even gotten to help pick out Daddy's Christmas present from him. Yes, he's even kept it a secret this long. (But no, I didn't trust him enough to tell him what the other presents to Barry are.) He has picked out a present for Audrey - an alarmingly age- and gender-appropriate book, and a little dress that was on sale (great work on that one, Gabe). He even picked out two candles for his teachers, and he chose ones that actually smelled good. Gabe seems to have great taste for a 4-year-old (although the pirate vest over "street clothes" look is not so great).