When Donovan woke up on Sunday morning, I tried to convince him that we should sleep in a little.

“Let’s get up at 9:00, when the first number on the clock is 9,” I suggested.

A few minutes later the clock changed to 7:46. Donovan picked it up and flipped it upside-down.

“There!” he said. “Now it says 9! Time to get up!”

Donovan:   Give me some apple juice!

Me:   Ask nicely.

Donovan:    Give me some wonderful apple juice!

I used to be able to leave the house for just a few minutes during the day (when Mike’s not home) to take the dog out, take the garbage down to the can or walk to the curb to get the mail.  You know, like a normal person.

Then Donovan discovered the power of The Door.  He started locking me out, leaving the dog out, or escaping himself, all of which are Very Big No-Nos.  Eventually we installed chains way, way high up on the doors (since he’d figured out the locks, of course) and I resigned myself to standing on the porch to take the dog out, leaving the garbage on the porch all day, and waiting till evening to get the mail.

But yesterday I decided to be sneaky.  I was organizing and decluttering the house and had accumulated a giant pile of garbage bags on the porch.  When the pile got so big that they started falling off the porch I decided I really needed to take them down to the trash can.  So I had the brilliant idea of sneaking out through the basement door.  Donovan would never know I was gone, and the upstairs doors would stay locked so he wouldn’t try to escape.  Genius, right?

Wrong.

I was outside for five minutes, tops.  And I came back in to both kids screaming bloody murder and the awful smell of burning plastic.  I ran up the stairs and found a floor lamp knocked over in the kitchen (with a chair lying on top of it…what had he been up to?).  The lampshade had completely shattered and the bulb was lying directly on Donovan’s backpack, melting the plastic of the picture on the front.   The kids were terrified, sure the house was about to catch on fire.  Which it very well may have if I’d been out for a few more minutes.

At least part of my plan worked…he didn’t try to open the door while I was gone.

I usually go out to work in the garden after the kids get to bed.  This is prime mosquito time of course, so I make sure to put (non-DEET!) bug repellent on all exposed skin.  Which works great…until skin you didn’t expect to be exposed decides to poke out.

I didn’t know I’d gotten bit until I came inside and realized how itchy I was, and realized my mistake.  When bending over to pull weeds, the lower back will most likely stick out, providing a lovely all-you-can-eat buffet for all the mosquitoes you can’t see hanging out behind you.

I ended up with 19 mosquito bites on my lower back.  (Mike counted.  He finds this hysterical).  Plus 4 on my face, where I also neglected to apply repellent.

I learned my lesson.  From now on when I work in the garden I will be putting bug repellent everywhere.  And I will tuck my shirt in no matter how ridiculous it looks.  (Who sees me in my backyard anyways, right?)

Summer vacation has been wonderful so far.  I know parents are supposed to dread summer vacation, but I’ve really been looking forward to having a little less stress for a few months - no running back and forth to school everyday (and no waking up in the morning to do it!), no homework to supervise, no lunches to pack, and no dance class to try to make Donovan sit patiently through.  And of course I’ve been looking forward to spending more time with Kelsey!  But I was worried about how the kids would get along now that they’re together all day every day. They’d been fighting a LOT lately, usually starting the moment Kelsey would hop in the car at carpool and not ending till they were asleep!  But so far they’ve actually been getting along!!!!!  They’ve been playing together a lot with minimal fighting, and it’s been so very nice.  I’m sure eventually they’ll get tired of each other, but for now it’s so nice to not have to break up fights every 10 minutes!

Donovan: When I grow up I will be a daddy and I will grow into a new Daddy. Kelsey will be a mommy and grow into a new Mommy. Mommy will grow into a new Kelsey. And Quark will grow into a new Donovan!

Kelsey is done with first grade!

She’s grown up so much this year.  See for yourself:

First day of school…

Last day of school…  (Taken before she got too muddy at the last day of school picnic!)

More later!  For now I’m off to enjoy the first official day of summer vacation with the kiddos.    :c)

Oh my poor, beloved Penguins.

I’m heartbroken.  Yes, it’s just a game.  Yes, Detroit is an excellent team and totally deserving of the Stanley Cup (although I do question the sanity of their octopus-flinging fans).  Yes, it’s amazing that the Penguins came within 2 games of winning the Stanley Cup when they were last in the league just a couple years ago.

But the looks on their faces when they lost just broke my heart.  I’m just too dang emotional for sports.

Last night’s game was AMAZING.

I was literally crying (I’m a bit emotional!) in the third period when the clock was running down and it looked like Detroit was going to win it…until Talbot scored in the last 35 seconds and forced those THREE overtimes. And I cried again when Sykora scored the game winner after telling that terribly biased announcer Pierre that he’d be the one to do it! Take that, silly octopus lovers!!

So the Penguins are coming back to Pittsburgh! As it should be. :c)

Kelsey had her dance recital last week.  Dance recitals are so much fun, but they make me feel so old.  Wasn’t it just me out there?  How can I possibly be old enough to be at my daughter’s dance recital?  Yikes.

Tap class!

Best friends and ballerina buddies.

Tutus are for spinning.

Mommy and the beautiful dancer.

Where’s Donovan?