who's in charge here?

I'm sitting at the computer as the constant jibber-jabber is going on behind me.

I have produced a few talkers, and sadly, I am quite immune to them.

After successfully ignoring the yammering, I am handed an ice cream scooper.

I mindlessly get up and fill a bowl full of ice cream for the child.

She then says she wants the black stuff on it.

"Chocolate syrup?" I ask.

"Yes, and sprinkles!"

I finish up and then realize that she never actually asked for any of this.

She just handed me the scooper and I went through the motions like a trained dog.

What is happening around here?

Does she have some sort of spell cast over me?

How can I reverse this and use it on her?

i hijacked eric's phone

Eric left his phone charging on the computer last night.

When I came in this morning, the computer asked me if I would like to download the pictures.

I don't mind if I do.

After viewing E's pictures, I determined that he has a few main categories.

Let me share.

FOOD

NATURE

A FEW FRIENDS

SCHOOL WORK/LITERATURE/GRAPHS/MAPS/AND ONE AWESOME LICENSE PLATE

 OK, so "Nacho Libre" is not SCHOOL WORK/LITERATURE/GRAPHS/MAPS/AND ONE AWESOME LICENSE PLATE, but somehow I thought it fit in this category.

THE SIBLINGS - BUT MOSTLY QUINNY

AN ARM AND A LEG

ONE PICTURE OF HIMSELF

Thanks for a glimpse into your life, Eric.

You make our lives more interesting, lively, fun, and loving.

You are the most thoughtful and kind young man I have ever known.

rose soup

 Quinny loves to bring the outdoors inside, and I've about had it.

I vacillate between loving her creativity and hating the messes.

So yesterday after about the fourth time around of flowers being presented to me, I decided that the rose bushes were going to be cut down.

We are taking them out anyway to make room for a swimming pool.

I told the girls that they could have all the fun they wanted to with the roses as I cut them down.

And fun they had!

Mia's delightful friend Laielle was very willing to join in.

Hopefully this mess will soon turn into something more fun in the near future.

Well, more fun for me.

In the meantime, the kids (and Robert) have spent hours cutting, chopping, digging, and burning.

Here are a few of the creations that were made.

I thought Quinny's roses and fairy duster in Barbie's hair were superb.

Mia's rose picture was fantastic!

And on a totally unrelated note, Quinny has a horrible case of pink eye.

YUCK!

She's a mess!