Randomness, often associated with Water (and Tigers and Cherries, Oh My!)

So many little thoughts that I wanted to record...where to start, where to start...

**Miss O no longer calls her sisters "Ado" for Miss A and "Odo" for Miss E. Instead, she calls Miss A "Adol" and Miss E, "Bith."

**The other evening, right after showers but just before bed, I was getting Miss O dressed and noticed her leg seemed wet...especially considering that she'd just gotten dried off (fyi: we shower the girls in the "guest room" bathroom and then they literally run into their bedroom to get their pjs on). I asked her if she'd gone potty and she gave me the sign language sign for potty. I got her diaper on (just in case that sign was because she was NEEDING to go potty) and asked her WHERE she'd gone. Super J went with her...into OUR room...and followed her over where she had, indeed, peed. Right on Super J's shoes and a Dora the Explorer book. But she was so proud that she could associate "potty" with what she'd just done that she came running back to me, rather exultant. It was quite funny, though probably because they weren't MY shoes.

**My mother-in-law sent a small package (the idea that she has to send stuff in the mail in order for it to be received in our household is a post for another time) for Super J's birthday in which she gifted him a pink oxford shirt and a book called, "Moments for Fathers: Positive Reflections to Strengthen His Spirit." Okay. But more impressive is that she sent ME a "baby shower" card, saying that she was sorry, but she wasn't invited to any baby shower (?????) but wanted me to have a little something. Um...I'm not HAVING a baby shower, but I digress. She sent me...wait for it...a polyester aqua-colored peignoir from "Woman Within." Gentle Reader, that's lingerie. It is WILDLY inappropriate. Super J said that we should go ahead and dress up in them and take a picture and send it to his mom. I'm dying about a thousand deaths. For some reason, my m-i-l seems to think that gifting me stuff like this is quite acceptable (and has sent me a number of these types of "ensembles" over the years). For those who might wonder about such etiquette, the answer is NO! It is NOT acceptable. For crying out loud.

**Besides, we can't take pictures (*Shudder*...and no pun intended) because Super J left our camera in a little restaurant on his drive home from Nauvoo. They are supposed to be Fed-Ex-ing it, but we'll just have to wait and see if they really are going to. Sigh. I probably would have just driven back and gotten the camera instead of relying on the honesty of these people, but I hope to be proved wrong.

**Happily, on a different note: For F.H.E. last night, we took the girls swimming at our little neighborhood pool for the activity. The girls got to show off what they learned in Swim Class in the past two weeks, and it was both enlightening and terrifying at the same time. Their skill set has vastly improved, as has their confidence and I loved that. However, only Miss A can really "swim", but Miss E is determined that her ability to dunk her head in the water and cast herself off before losing her ability to hold her breath and emerge from the water gasping is officially a sign of her competence in the "swimming" category. She kept telling me over and over, "But I know how to swim!!!" (remember, this is the girl who thought that because she could kick her legs while floating in a pool ring that she was now qualified to teach a swim class). Yes, she knows how to swim...just enough to cause trouble.

**Which leads to these little gems: had TERRIBLE dreams all last night. One involved Miss E jumping into a Cherry Bog before anyone was able to either catch her or determine how deep the bog was. Now, I know cherries grow on trees and my subconscious was getting them confused with those cranberry drink commercials, tossed in with a strange mix of Star Wars, where Luke is in the trash compactor and you are worried he's going to be drowned by that weird creature, amongst the floating debris where you can't see the bottom, the water is so murky. I was so freaked out by this that I woke myself up (have you ever done that, mid-nightmare?). Ugh. Hard to shake off.

Then, that was followed up by yet ANOTHER bad dream closer to waking-up time, where we went to visit some new neighbors in our subdivision who had a cemetery right outside their house (I know, it's a WHAT????? kind of moment right there, because if you've ever been in our subdivision there is NO cemetery even near it, but so dreams go) and there were some unusual squash plants and an orange tree and Super J went to pick some oranges and this new neighbor husband guy went with him and then, out of no where, the family's pet tiger (?????) became HUGE and ANGRY and started mauling the two men and some random dog and...and...and I started running after them all with a rake. Ummmmmm...TERRIBLE!!!!!! As I type it, I realize just how dumb the whole things sounds, but at the time in that weird dream state, it was very scary. I woke up, feeling very...thick and stiff and bleary-eyed. And I must confess that even now, after breakfast, I'm still feeling a bit like that.

**Which leads to THIS gem: I'm taking the girls to a swim play date at noon...that I kinda set up...with some of Miss A's friends from preschool. Why oh why did I not simply set up a play date at McDonald's? I mean, then at least lunch would be taken care of and I could sit in some A/C. Nope. Instead, we'll pay $5.00 each for this "aquatic center" and hope there is enough shade as the temperature gets to be 90 degrees outside and that Miss E doesn't jump into a Cherry Bog and no tigers maul anyone around because I highly doubt there are any rakes nearby, only to end up going through the drivethru at McDonald's when it's all over, thus spending twice the money!.

Oh well. Maybe if I'm lucky, Miss O won't pee on my shoes, though I wouldn't be sad if she did on that polyester aqua-colored peignoir. Unless you want it, Gentle Reader. In that case, give me a call.