Babysitting Carolyn

We had 2 great days with Little Miss Carolyn (and her parents, who were home some of the time!) Carolyn had her 1st programming lesson (observation only at this stage).We read Green Eggs and Ham, sang songs, fed the baby, bathed the baby, burped the baby, washed clothes and lots more.

We think Carolyn knows all the languages of the world, but is trying to figure out which one we speak. Other than the usual vowel sounds (at which she is already quite proficient), this weekend we very clearly heard "gula" (which Craig says is Romanian for Grammy.) However, an online dictionary search reveals that "gula" actually means the front part of the throat.

Carolyn also very clearly said "mbwah!" which is certainly French for forest preceded by mmmm(probably spelled "mbois"), , so maybe she thinks wood is good to eat (of course, everything she gets her hands on goes in the mouth!) or maybe she really is eager for her first camping trip in the woods. Either is possible..

On Sunday, we had a visit from Auntie Laura and Carolyn tried a new word, a very clear "hum." We don't know for sure if she was asking Laura to hum, or trying the word out as a sample word from the English language. Laura obliged her by humming, and she did not repeat the word, so we are not sure what to make of it.

I remember this!

What did you do all day?

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and tooth paste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

More on Peyton

1st Cousin, once removed

Just in case you were wondering, what do you call young Peyton? I call him my great nephew (or just my nephew if the "great" makes me feel old!) But what of my children? Is Peyton their cousin, or what?

Just because I know you've always wondered, I am here to announce that Peyton is the 1st cousin once removed of my children.

Here's the rules: 1st cousins have the same grandparents. (these are the ones you know!) 2nd cousins have the same great grandparents.(these are the children of my cousins - the children of Aunt Sue's son Mike & wife Kerry, for example) 3rd cousins have the same great great grandparents. (these are the children of Mike & Kerry's kids, when they have some)

The once removed part means it's just a step away from a regular 1st cousin (or 2nd or whatever.) So if Mark is your 1st cousin, his son is your 1st cousin once removed. Regular (non-removed!) cousins are your generation. Removed tells you how many generations from yours it is. (Click on the chart to get a larger view.)

I'm a Great Aunt!

Welcome to little Peyton James! And congratulations to new mom & dad, Erica & Mark!