Happy Halloween, argh!

I can fix it!

On Sunday we took possession of a practically new couch that my father was giving away. He's just moved house and decided to get all new couches. As these things often are, the couch moving was awkward, although not as awkward as the time we moved into our first apartment and had to bring most of the furniture including the couch in through a window. That explains why we left most of our furniture when we moved to the house.

I digress.

As the couch was being awkwardly moved into the house, one of the feet got knocked off. Once we got the couch in place Rob tipped the couch on its back to see if he could get the foot back on. He tried to jam it on, but then declared he would need tools as it was a screw situation. All of a sudden Zoë tore off and up the stairs. An instant later I knew exactly where she had gone.

"Where did she go?" my Dad asked.

"Wait a sec an you'll see," I said already smiling.

Feet thundering down the hall, she re-appeared tool box in hand. "I can fix it!" she declared. "I have tools!" She knelt down next to Rob, popped open her orange Home Depot tool box and said, "Do you need a phillips head or a flat head?"

I just love that kid!

Halloween Strategery

The other night Zoë asked me if she and her two cousins could eat dinner after trick-or-treating on Halloween night this year. Traditionally the cousins come over with their parents (my brother and sister-in-law) and we all have dinner together before hitting the streets trolling for candy. Her argument was that it would be better for her younger cousins to go out earlier and then there would be plenty of time for dinner and they could still get to bed on time.

"Do you think I was born yesterday?" I asked her.

My brother is convinced she will grow up to be a lawyer or politician -- maybe both.

This needs no further comment...

http://site.despair.com/blog/2007/10/11/new-despairwear-your-blog/

Education complete

The other day Zoë brought home a drawing that said "I want to learn...to cross the monkey bars in kindergarten." The drawing is quite an effective representation of her actually swinging monkey-like on the playground bars rendered carefully in crayon. On Saturday, while we were away visiting friends, she managed to do exactly that -- she crossed the monkey bars. In fact, she did it so many times that I am not sure how she was able to lift her arms the next day.

Tonight I asked her, "Now that you have accomplished crossing the monkey bars, what do you want to learn in kindergarten next?"

"What does accomplish mean?" she asked.

"It means now that you have learned to do it. What do you want to learn now?"

"Nothing!"

I guess I don't need to worry about saving for college after all.

Guy Smiley, is that you?

Is it just me, or does Jake Gyllenhaal...



remind you of Guy Smiley...?

While driving

I really thought I had seen everything people could do while driving from kissing to putting on make-up to, of course, talking on the cell phone. However, today I saw something I never saw before.

I was stuck behind this Saab that was driving erratically -- slowing down and speeding up with no rhyme or reason. Finally I was able to pass this car and when we came to a traffic light and I was stopped next to the car I looked over to see who was driving this car fully expecting to find someone talking on their phone. Instead, I saw the man in the driver's seat was eating corn on the cob.

Seriously, corn on the cob. While driving.

I don't understand that at all.

Eeyore is sleeping

Last night my husband put Zoë to bed and as he was tucking her into her cozy bed filled with stuffed animals of a wide variety Zoë suddenly realized her beloved was missing. Her beloved is Eeyore, of course. She has had this same Eeyore since she was 6 months old and he is her one true lovey.

With panic rising in her voice she said, "Where's Eeyore?"

"He's downstairs sleeping on the couch," my husband replied calmly.

"When he wakes up, can you bring him upstairs?"