feel no obligation to read this.

seriously, i'm just blabbing to myself here.

At Penny's school they talk a lot about feelings. mad feelings, happy feelings, sad feelings...penny is really good at talking about her feelings. In fact, sophie and i were dying last week (before doug left) when she was walking the kitchen saying, "I'm sad, mama. I'm missing somebody." She didn't know who, she was just having those missing feelings.

well, tonight she was missing daddy and wanted to write him a letter and draw a picture.

I think we will have to make a paper chain so she can see we have way less than 22 days to go.

other funny penny things:

when someone does something that makes her cry she comes to me and says "mama, go squeeze their hands and say no."

that is an appropriate punishment in her mind and i probably do that to her a lot.

funny thing is she wants me to do that to Owen's friends when they won't let her follow them around.if it's really bad she says to squeeze their hands, say no and put them in their crib.

i'm sure donald and matthew would love it if i did that. hahaha.

so tonight we were totally sick of being in the house so we went to the bookstore to stock Owen's summer reading. we would go to the library but we have about 25 dollars in fines from when we took 3 - 3 day rental movies to utah on our 10 day trip. i really meant to call and renew. Plus, the last time we were there, Penny walked away from me while i was helping Owen and she walked out the backdoor that lead to the park and was lost for 20 minutes. it was the scariest 20 minutes of my life! 3 or 4 parents were helping me look all over and when i found her, i was crying, penny was crying, the ladies were crying. it was horrible so now i am traumatized.

so we walk into the bookstore and i look back and Owen has NO SHOES on. he walked throught the parking lot, up the escelator without shoes and i didn't even notice until we crossed the barnes and noble threshold. I quickly escorted him back to the kids books and prayed nobody noticed. if they did they didn't kick us out so that's good.

so we got him some books, some subway (cuz i'm pretty sure the sky might fall if i actually cook something this week) and went to the park.

best bit at the park was when penny and simon were playing with sand toys and a little girl came over and took the pail from penny and simon got really defensive. he pointed his finger at this little girl and said, "no, no, dat.. penny...no" and then reached to take it back from the girl. haha, it was rad. they really do look like twins and at their last check up they were only one pound apart. he was 26 and she's 27. but then again she had clothes on standing on the big scale so she probably weighs less than he does. they are getting super cute together.

(after washing the car in the driveway this afternoon. sweet diaper on simon!)

Owen kept all 4 new books with him at the park while we were playing. and of course he left them when i asked him to sit with simon while i put a screaming penny in the car. so after baths we went back up the hill to the park and found them (and my harry potter entertainment weekly) still sitting on a bench. lucky, lucky us. he's like the absent-minded professor. super smart and so forgetful/distracted. it's hilarious/frustrating. good thing he's cute/awesome. just wanted to keep the slashes going.

Anyway, on the way back up to the park we listened to 'valentina' by brandon flowers. penny likes to listen to it really loud so we had it blasting and the two of them sing and do hand motions to the chorus and it's so stinkin funny. see below. i am really good at this. hootie and the blowfish may have been my peak, though.

was it someting i said or did? (point self and hold out arms)

was it something that i should have kept hid? (point to head like a ? and then cup hands)

if you leave me hanging i dont know what i'll do-oo-ooo. (say oooo and shake your head a little, you know, like the pros!)

don't matter whos wrong or right (some no and yes finger wagging)

in the clear of the blue moon light (jazz hands)

don't say it's true (finger wagging back and forth)

this is not like you (big sweeping finger point) simon is really good at that one.

i'm pretty sure there is a fist pump in there somewhere, too.

so now i'm listening to the cardigans. gonna drink a red bull and see if i can clean this house front to back top to bottom so i can quit being so mopey.

1 week down, 2 to go!