Welcome, welcome.

Welcome to the list (thankfully nontoxic) markers.

We will miss you.

The List

I'm a terrible Mom. Let's just get that out of the way right now. I often don't listen to my children, at least not as well as I should. I still pick up what I view to be relevant verbal cues such as the words, "can I", "juggling" or "knives", but largely, I focus on what they are doing rather than what they are saying.

So when Sloan did this:

for the third time, I gave him no chance for explanation. All crayons that I could find were destroyed and crayons were put on the same "Not Until You're Eighteen"-list as stickers, Pop Tarts, and for a brief period following a sofa-involved incident: bubblegum.

So when a better mother than I happened to be around, Sloan seized his opportunity and told Grandma all about his artwork.

"It's a red birdhouse." he said, "For mine penguin."

Ah, I see. I punished in haste. Maybe only until you're twelve.

Anyone know how to get crayon off a door or Looney Tunes stickers off a banister?

It Lived Up To It's Reputation:

Miles Traveled: 548.3

Smiles Smiled: 1,387

Characters Visited: 11

Laughs Laughed: About 7. Turns out, Bart's not that funny...

Sugar Consumed: Less than expected...

Rides Ridden: 36, at least once.

Hours Slept: Far too few.

Sleep Lost: Far too much.

Proximity to Park: A stone's throw.

Souvenirs Purchased: 13

Birthdays Had: An Awesome One.

Dances Danced: Roughly, four.

Cups Peed In: Surprisingly, only one.

Pictures Taken: 359

People wishing we could do it all over again: 7 or 8,

give or take a Mason.

Black Monday