Spoily, Spoily, Spoily!

Yesterday My Baby's Daddy said something about needing something for Mother's Day. I said, "Why? I'm not your mom." Nicco said, "Don't worry Dad. I've got it covered."

I woke up to a multitude of hugs and kisses, wept as the small children sang songs honoring Mamas at church, then came home to a treasure hunt. My small boy left notes hidden around the house, accompanied by small treasures. All on his own. His very own plan. So cute. I lurvs him!

Happy mothers day, mom! this is your first clue, you will find these whenever you find a gift.
So here is your first clue. #one after you get dressed and see me look around your room. Love Nicco.

 Hidden under that clue was this lego heart with an M on top, for Mom.

My next clue said: Congratulations! You have reached your 2nd clue! You are going to have a lot of fun. Clue #2 eat breakfast. Look in kitchen.

I found this beautiful picture. He said, "I wanted to draw like Vincent again, but because it's mother's day, I made red roses. Your favorite color!" Did I mention that I love this kid? I love him.

The next clue said: Wow! I can't believe your at the 3rd clue! Your going to love this one! Clue #3 after you bake cookies (he gave me a choice...I can bake cookies, or a cake, or brownies. It's my choice!) look in the office.

In the office I found a red toy car (my favorite color). The good news, my boy said, is that I get to keep it. I told him he could borrow it from me any time. I also found my next clue.

Your at the 4th clue already! Well, your doing great, Mom. Clue #4 if you want to do anything else go ahead. Look around the house.

I looked around the house and found six little magnets he made in his primary class.

When I found the last magnet, there was another clue: Hurry up! One more clue! Clue #5 Go outside and look out there.

I found the package from his school project and the final note which read, "You made it! Happy mother's day, mom." I opened it on our new loungy chairs. The Daddy got me a gift after all!

More kisses!
The boys made a Mother's Day linner (it was too late for brunch) feast:

Bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, bagels and lox, and french toast. Om nom nom!

And now that the day is in the record books, I'm going back out to the patio. Must lounge.

Here There Be Monsters, A Mother's Day Story

"Today we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe. A child's bedroom."
~The Doctor

Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was like every other little girl. She loved some things and hated some things, some things made her happy, others made her sad.

And some things made her cry in the night for her mama. She had monsters.

The monsters looked like shadows crawling in through the windows and under the crack between the door and the floor. They looked like a sweater tossed over the back of a chair. They looked like a pile of dolls and stuffed animals. But they were none of those things. The monsters were real.

Every night her mama tucked her into bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. In that moment she felt safe and secure. Because there is no safer place than in the presence of one's mama. But her mama always left and she was alone with her monsters.

She tried to be brave. She tried to tell herself that the monsters were not real, that they were just shadows and sweaters and toys. But she knew better and she always ended up crying for her mama to save her from the monsters.

Night after night she anticipated the moment of terror when the light went off and the monsters came out. Night after night her mama came to her in a blaze of protective fire, frightening the monsters away until tomorrow. It was exhausting. For both the little girl and for her mama.

But monsters don't get tired. They don't wear out. They are very patient and they can wait and wait and wait until babies and mamas are tired of fighting and being brave and that's when they gobble you up.

Lucky for this little girl, her mama was smarter than the monsters. She would never get tired of fighting because she would win first.

One more time she tucked her little girl into bed. She gave her a kiss on the forehead. She said, "Good night, sleep tight," and turned off the light. And this time, she waited. She heard her little girl cry, as she knew she would, for her mama to save her from the monsters.

The mama burst into the room, turned on the light and dared the monsters to come out. She commanded the monsters to come out. Out of the closet! Out of the drawers! Out from under the bed! Out from behind the door! OUT OUT OUT!!! She grabbed her little girl by the hand and together they chased the monsters out. Out of the closet, out of the drawers, out from under the bed and behind the door. Out of her room, down the hall, to the front door.

The mama flung the door open and yelled at the monsters, "GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE AND DON'T YOU COME BACK!" She slammed the door as the last monster slinked away in fear and shame.

The mama walked her little girl back to her room, closed all the doors and drawers, kissed her on the forehead, turned out the light, and said, "Good night, sleep tight."

And she did.
The monsters were gone.
And they never came back.

True story.

Umm, No Thanks

Or, Paging the Grammar/Spelling Police!
Or, What a Difference One Little Letter Makes.
Or, You Couldn't PAY Me to Do That.

Or, Exactly What is a Pee & Swedish Massage?
Or, I Don't Even Want to Know.

My Favorite Artist

I love Vincent Van Gogh. L-O-V-E him.

I love his ideas, his words, his colors, his passion, his pain and sadness and his beautiful way of seeing the world.

Nicco caught up with me and saw the Vincent and the Doctor episode of Doctor Who yesterday. I think The Doctor was correct in his observation, "I've seen many things, my friend," the Doctor said. "But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see." And the Tour Guide Guy's assessment of Vincent: "Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world. No one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange wild man who roamed the fields of Provence, was not only the world's greatest artist but also one of the greatest men who ever lived."

I told Nicco that I love Vincent. That he's my favorite artist. With a little pain and sadness of his own in his eyes, my small boy, who fancies himself "a true artist," looked at me and said in a small, small voice, "your favorite artist?" I quickly corrected myself. "Besides you, of course. Vincent is my second favorite."

When Amy and the Doctor were wandering around the Musee d'Orsay, I told my boy, "I've been there." He was amazed. "You mean those paintings are real? Vincent is real??!!??" Yes! Yes! I said. He became very excited and we spent some time navigating a Van Gogh Gallery online together. My heart almost burst right out of my chest, splitting me open and spilling exuberant love all over the coffee table.

I have now watched Vincent and the Doctor three times and it makes me cry every time. But I'll tell you what, that moment with my boy, my unspeakable joy in the presence of wonder and inspiration and my two favorite artists, my eyes may never be dry again. I'm a puddle.

 

McTeachers

Nicco's school partnered with McDonald's to raise funds. There were two McTeachers nights this year, one about a month ago and one last night. When I dropped Nicco off at school on the day of the first event, I asked the PTO representative if she knew which teachers would be there. She told me it would be the Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers. Nicco wanted to order food from his teacher and I like to support his school, so I decided I could endure dinner at McDonald's for those worthy causes.

When we got to McDonald's, we didn't see Mrs. G. anywhere! How disappointing! We had a nice little Mama-Son dinner together anyway and were happy to contribute to the school fundraiser. As April 30 approached, Nicco did not let me forget that McTeachers night was coming up. Unable to stomach another McDonald's dinner within a month, I told Nicco he could choose a treat: fries or dessert. He chose dessert. I even let him splurge and get a McFlurry instead of a $1 vanilla cone. It's for a good cause, after all.

We saw Mrs. G.

I told her how much I'm looking forward to the class play on Friday. She and Nicco glanced at each other, he giggled, and she winked and said, "It just gets better and better every day!" Then they laughed together. I can't wait to find out what the secret silliness is all about!

It was a mad house. The crowds were suffocating so we went to find a seat outside. There were none. We took our ice cream on the road. When we got home, Nicco told the Daddy how delicious his McFlurry was. He gave the Daddy a very small taste and we went inside to finish. He had to keep his frosty treat away from not just the sweet-toothed Daddy, but his sneaky and determined sweet-toothed cat as well!

And now I don't have to go to McDonald's again for a very long time.

Of Teenagers and Torture

We were invited to Sunday Dinner with some friends from church. Nicco asked if they have kids. "Two," I said. He was very excited. Until I told him they are teenagers. I briefly considered letting him bring his tablet, just in case the teenagers didn't want to entertain a 7 year old while the grown ups talked, as grown ups do.

The teenaged girl loves kids. Her Mama said she (the teenager) can't wait to have babies of her own. She (the Mama) really insists that she wait. She (the teenager) was charming and delightful and entertained my small child by playing Monkey in the Middle with the small dog. They giggled and laughed and barked endlessly.

After dinner, Nicco lost the teenaged girl. He felt a little sad and lonely and bored, so I suggested he look for his new friend to do art. Apparently, the girl likes to draw. That is why her school counselor put her in drama class for her elective. "I like to draw," she said when considering what fine arts class to take. "Perfect!" said the counselor. "We'll put you in drama." I guess if it sounds pretty much the same, it is pretty much the same. Wha???

This Pretty Young Girl has managed to stir up the drama in Drama. They are working on a play in which there is a kiss (on the cheek, of course.) The Freshman Boy who plays The Girl's husband sneakily turned his head and got to smooch the Junior Girl on the lips! "He totally planned it," she said. Of course he did!

She must have that effect on all the boys, because my Nicco sought after her attention all evening. He did eventually get up the courage to approach her in her room to do art. They came downstairs together after a while and sat on the sofa giggling and making art. When we were wrapping up for the evening, the two insisted we see all the artwork. We saw the Girl's drawings of animals, lighthouses, and sunsets. We saw Nicco's drawings of The Grown Ups at the Table, trees, cacti, and body-slamming animals. A moose, body-slamming a cat, which was body-slamming a dog. Each time they said "body-slamming" they laughed nearly until they cried, the two of them. My 7 year old and the 17 year old girl. It was hilarious. And cute. And depending on her social life, we may have found a new babysitter. All the way home Nicco asked if we can go back there again very soon.

The day after Sunday dinner was Torture Day at swim. The coach made them swim lap after lap after lap with no rest in between. She did give them a break from laps to make them do dry-land drills. Push ups and lunges. Lunges in twos and threes and fours. Then back in the pool...they had to kick with kickboards, lap after lap. And on every other lap, they added a kickboard. I think to engage their core muscles and for more resistance. Then they had to swim holding a giant, sinking traffic cone afloat. That was hard. One of the other moms and I commented on how great a practice it was...it was nice to see them working hard and pushing limits and doing dry-land drills. Nicco came to me, breathless at the end of practice. "That was torture!" he said. And, "I lost almost all my breath! In five more minutes I would have died." I replied, "It is a good thing practice ended at 6:00 and not 6:05!" I told him I loved it. He said, "You loved watching your own son being tortured???11!!!?"

Yes. Yes, I did.

(although the Littles in near tears after falling down and being stepped upon did elicit some sympathy.)

There Was An Old Lady....by Nicco

There was an old Lady who swalowed a paper
I don't know why she swalowed that paper maby she'll die.
There was an old Lady who swalowed a pencil
she swalowed the pencil to write on the paper
I Dont know why she swalowed the paper maby sh'ell die.
There was an old Lady who swalowed a eraser
she swalowed the eraser to erase the pencil
she swalowed the pencil write on the paper
I don't know why she swalowed the paper maby sh'ell die.
There was an old Lady who bruped
and all the suplise came out and made a shcool.

The end

For the Birds

We watched our stupid mourning dove family endure the windstorm and rebuild. We watched the Mama and Papa take care of the baby for a few more days. Then Mama and Papa quit coming back to the nest. They hung out on the gate or the wall or by the pool, but they never went back to the perch on the pillar. Baby Bird was all alone. 

Mama and Papa would yell at Baby, but Baby just sat snuggled up on his perch. Until one day he sort of fell/dove down to the gate. He sat there fluffing his feathers for a few minutes getting settled on this new perch.

The Mama and Papa yelled at him some more until he stretched his little wings. He lost his balance and did not leave his new perch.

It took him a while, but eventually he semi-float-fell to the patio. He walked over to a shaded spot in the bushes by the wall and stayed there for the rest of the day. I guess he did in fact learn to fly, because we haven't seen him since.

 

And, the quail are out and about.

Pairs are crossing the streets and wandering around our yard. I can't wait to see the little families!

Nicco likes watching our avian friends. "Birds," he said. "What interesting creatures."

For The Record

Nicco got another taste of the rewards of hard work at swim practice today.

Getting promoted to Lane 2 means he is swimming with older and bigger kids. There were two kids in the two lanes Coach Debbie was working with. That meant they got to swim side by side. Little Nicco (there's another Nicco on the team. Other Nicco is Big Nicco. My Nicco is Little Nicco.) kicked bootay. He swam faster, more efficient, stronger, and better than two of the three other kids.

At one point, Coach had them doing a breathing drill. Most of the kids didn't quite catch on. I say most because one kid did catch on. And did it perfectly. And was asked to demonstrate while the others got out of the pool and watched from the sideline. Someone's Mama was beaming. She must beware her pride. She's very proud.

When Little Nicco finished the drill and came back to my end of the pool, I gave him a high five and told him I was proud of him. In the car he told me that after I gave him a high five, he went under water and smiled. (My heart. It is bursting.)

He earned a few extra wii minutes today.

Our super speedy niece Lucy went to the State of Sport Awards recently (she did not win, but winning in this case actually and truly is in the nomination) at which Andre Agassi said, "Sports builds a muscle that makes you say, 'what can I do to be better today'." I do believe my boy is exercising that very muscle.

I'm so happy.

The Boy is Swimming Again

And it's a good thing too. Because our pool is empty now. (Well, almost empty.) He needs somewhere else to be a fish.

Soccer ended and with it ended the season of outdoor life for Nicco. Without a reason to be running and playing and breathing air, the kid was drawn again to his Screens. TV Screens, i-pad Screens, Wii Screens, phone Screens. I hate Screens. Except my computer Screen. I confess a small hypocrisy there. My excuse is that without a Screen, I can find something else to do. All by myself. And I am fully capable of walking away from a Screen. There. Justified.

Anyway...

Soccer ended and Nicco had a week's respite before beginning a new season. We skipped swim last summer for French camp and have been anxious to get Nicco back in the water for exercise, not just for play. Since we already paid an annual participation fee at the Y, Y swimming it would be. I was curious to see where Nicco would pick up after a whole year off, and I was pleasantly surprised. He managed to retain his skills and being a whole year older, he's better at listening, comprehending, and applying instructions from coaches.

I took some pictures of him at his first practice. I wanted the Daddy to see that he was doing well. I tried to get him when he was taking a breath with his face out of the water and his arm extended, but I did not do a good job of anticipating and timing it right. I got a bunch of pictures of kicks.

There were more, but two pictures make the point. The point is, he kicks from the knee down. Not very efficient. I showed him the pictures and I showed him how to kick with his whole leg. I showed him videos of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Their legs are mostly straight. I told him to focus on keeping his legs straight. There might even be some bonus wii minutes for him.

He did it.

He zipped past the other swimmers in lane 1 and was promoted to lane 2!
He's not a beginner anymore.

I told him I was proud of him and he said,"It's all thanks to you that I got promoted. You're the one who told me to keep my legs straight." (squeee! He listened! And obeyed! And was rewarded! And thanked ME for it! Best. Mom. Evah!)

I bought him some jammers (a.k.a. skinny swim pants. I measured around his middle so I could get an appropriate size and his waist is 3 inches bigger now than mine was in high school. Crazy.) and now he's much faster.
Just ask him. He'll tell you.

And yesterday, before we drained the pool, he jumped in and asked me what I wanted him to do. I had him doing starts, flip turns, side breathing, streamline-into-freestyle, backstroke starts...

This little taste of success has motivated him and thus opened up a whole new world for him.
This summer swim season is going to be fun.

The Best Thing About My Cruiser...

...(besides that it's such a cute bike) is that when I'm totally sucking wind going up the slightest hill, it looks like I'm just out for a stroll.

There's a First Time for Everything...

...And Saturday was Nicco's first time bowling. It was also his first visit to Hooters. You see, the bowling alley is attached to Hooters. It is unclear from the front where the bowling alley entrance is located. Based on the sign and arrow, it appears that you have to go through Hooters to get to the bowling alley. So I took my little wide-eyed boy, innocently and sweetly carrying his colorfully wrapped birthday present, into Hooters. We asked how to get to the bowling alley. The gals smiled and pointed the way. Nicco smiled back and said nothing. It was amusing. I barely suppressed my giggles. And my shame.

It was a challenge, once inside, to find bowling balls light enough for small children to roll, but heavy enough to do the job. Once that was accomplished, Nicco said, "That ball is heavier than I expected!"

 He got the spare on that shot up there. He was really excited.

 Here, he's encouraging the ball down the lane. Sometimes, it almost didn't make it.

(I have videos, but google hates me.) 

His score after the first game. I think he's better than me! Let's just say it was a good thing they used the bumpers.

After bowling, the party moved to the party room for gifts, pizza, and cake. Then the kids were set loose in the arcade. Nicco played the same game 20 times in a row. It only cost one token to play and he got 20 tickets each time. Enough to "win" a cool swirly straw water bottle.

Nicco had a blast, so that's a winner. Unless his having fun means we have to come back...hmmm. Maybe it was NOT a successful day after all!

 

Firebirds, the Conclusion

The Crazy Firebirds

Nicco finished his first ever soccer experience last weekend. It was quite an adventure. For me.

It all started when my friend invited me to invite Nicco to play on a team with her boy. She told me the registration deadline and of course I procrastinated. It turned out I was a day late. They put me on a waiting list. They had to match up all the kids and coaches and specific requests then see if they had room for Nicco. A few days went by with no word and I was not optimistic. I apologized to my friend and told her I wasn't sure we would get on a team. She saw the glass half full and was sure that they would find a spot for Nicco. And she was right. Apparently, they really had to scramble, beg, and maybe even bribe people to coach these little guys. We did get a coach and enough kids to make a team and Nicco loved it in spite of his full intention to hate it.

Their first game was a 1-1 tie. The kid who scored our goal did not return to our team. I don't know why. Maybe because he was one of two third graders on an otherwise all first grade team? Our bad news bears kept at it. They practiced, they ran, they drilled, they laughed and smiled and had fun breathing air and moving their bodies and getting vitamin D in the sunshine. And they just kept on losing. Not bad though. Their worst loss was 3-0.

I really enjoyed sitting on the side of the hill with my friend and my husband chatting and laughing and giggling at the antics of the kids on the field below. In our conversations it came out that I had coached some middle school teams back in my teaching days. I wanted to keep it a secret because I wanted to watch, not coach, my kid. But it came out.

A few weeks into the season, I heard a horrible news blip on the radio. There was a fatal hit and run accident. Our kids' coach was involved. He would not be returning. One of the moms called me to see if I would be willing to fill in, seeing as how I had some experience and all. So I did.

The first half of the season the kids worked on shooting, passing, and trapping. The second half of the season, we spent more time on positions and spacing. Those little guys were running themselves half to death chasing the ball when they really didn't need to. In the first game I coached I made sure that all the kids played in pretty much whatever position they wanted to. Then I started getting a sense of where they played best and positioned them accordingly. And wouldn't you know, they started playing a lot better.

Their last game day was a double header. Or, a two-headed game, as Nicco called it. They played more offense in those two games than they had all season long. I was sure that they would at least score a goal. I was sure that they could even win one of the games. Alas, they did not. But, they only lost 1-0 in each game. I told them how proud I was of them for trying so hard and learning so much. I told them they can learn as much from losing as they can from winning and as long as they try their very best and keep learning and keep trying, they have the hearts of champions. Nicco said, "I don't feel like a champion." I said, "You're not. But you have a HEART of a champion, IF you learn from losing." The lesson was above his head for now. But he did have a good experience. One we will probably repeat in October.

I have fear that they may ask me to coach again, now that I'm on the radar.

Quotes of the Day

We were watching Mr. Bean. It was the episode where he's taking a math test and he says he focused on geometry because he believed they focused on trigonometry last year. Nicco asked, "Is that when you learn about guns, how to shoot the trigger? Triggernometry?"

Yesterday when I picked Nicco up from school he told me he had a headache. I told him it was probably because of all the wind blowing dust and pollen and making his allergies bad.
He said, "No, I think it's math."

We were making something, I can't remember exactly what it was...dinner, snacks, something, and Nicco said, "Well at least that's ONE thing that isn't made in China."

No Mourning the Mourning Doves this Morning

This is what happened yesterday.

 

The Papa Bird was MIA.

 

The poor Mama was left with NO NEST to protect her baby all day in the crazy insane wind, did I mention, ALL DAY LONG. When the wind slowed, it started to rain. That poor Mama alternated facing into the wind and putting her back to it, ruffling her feathers. She was scrunched up against the wall as much as she could be, and the little baby was snuggled up under her bum.

 

We watched them all day yesterday, suffering and enduring. Patrice even said at one point, "There's nothing we can do, is there?" No, any human efforts would probably have frightened the Mama into abandoning her nestless baby. So we let them be.

 

This morning we peeked out...the Mama is still there. The baby is still there. I was talking on the phone to my sister and the Papa came back! He's rebuilding. See him? He has a twig in his mouth. 

He brings sticks and twigs and leaves and says something, nuzzles the Mama and the Baby, then he flies away to get more sticks and twigs.

I think I'm going to put some bread out for them.

Ever Wonder Where they Got the Term "Bird Brain?"

It's from these guys.

Mama and Baby in Survival Mode

Every year, we have a pair of mourning doves who nest in our orange tree. They make me kind of crazy, what with all the poop on the oranges in the fall, but it washes off.

 

We also have a pair who aren't quite quick enough or strong enough or smart enough to win the spot in the orange tree and they end up building their home on the pillar of our patio. I don't know the life cycle of a mourning dove and I don't know if this is the same pair every year or if they are the previous pair's retarded children each spring, but every. year. the nest on the pillar falls apart. Last year the pair lost at least one baby before it hatched. It was a yolky mess on the pool deck below.

 

This year I've done my best to protect them. I remind family and friends that we have a nesting mama and not to frighten her away. Leave her in peace as much as possible to hatch the babies. Yesterday we were playing Nintendopoly (that's the Nintendo collector's edition Monopoly) and watching the dove family. The Papa came home from hunting, I assume, said something to the Mama, she flew off and he settled on top of the nest. After a moment or two, we saw a baby pop its cute little fuzzy head up and the Papa fed it! It was adorable! Good for the dumb little bird family! They successfully nested and hatched at least one baby!

 

This morning is a whole other story. It's windy. The nest is practically gone. It's all in little bits and pieces, strewn about the patio. It wasn't that sturdy to begin with, and its precarious position on the pillar doesn't offer much protection or support. The poor Mama and Baby are all snuggled up as close to the wall as they can get while the Papa is hopping around trying to rebuild the nest. Every time he brings a twig back up, it gets blown away again. There's a reason it's wise to build a nest IN A TREE!

 

If they survive this windstorm, I'll be amazed.

Good Medicine

Quote of the Day from The Doctor:

When up against a werewolf and trapped inside a library, a member of The Doctor's party lamented that they didn't have a proper weapon.

On the contrary!

The Doctor said, "We have books! The greatest weapon in the world! Arm yourselves!"

The View from My Cruiser

I rode my bike to the gym today.  

Those trees are wreaking havoc on my sinuses.

This is Why We Read Books

Every week Nicco has a language arts assignment to be completed with a parent.
This week the lesson was on base words and the -ed and -ing verb endings.

The story that went with the lesson was called "Sad Day, Happy Day." It was about two kids who couldn't play outside because it was a rainy day. They didn't laugh, they didn't smile. They just looked out the window. Then, oh happy day, the sun SHINED on the rain. I asked Nicco, does it say "shined?" He said, "Yes...is that even a word? I think it should be shone." That set my little Grammar Police heart all aflutter, bursting with pride!

When he finished reading and got to the practice part of the assignment, he added all the -ed and -ing endings to the base words. He paused when he came to shine. He didn't know what to do. Should he do what the assignment says, or should he do what is grammatically correct? I told him to do what is grammatically correct.

I added a note to the paper, suggesting that his teacher point out to the children that shine is an irregular verb and shone, not shined, is the proper past tense. Then I called my mom to share the outrage. She suggested that I check my dictionary to make sure I'm right. Our language is not dead, after all. It is a living, and evolving tongue. I said yes, but the reason many improper uses become acceptable is that we have illiterates teaching illiteracy!

I checked the dictionary anyway.

It said:
Shine: v. shone or esp. for vt. 2, shined, shining. 1. to emit or reflect light 2. to stand out; excel 3. to exhibit itself clearly.

I had to look in the guide to the dictionary to find out what the "esp. for vt." designation meant before I could allow Nicco to turn in his assignment. It said, "Where three forms of the verb are given, the first represents the past tense, the second the past participle, and the third the present participle."

I win!

The moral of the story is, of course, to read books. Reading books enables one to intuitively know when something is wrong in a sentence. It makes you smart. And you win.

Easter, April Fools, and the Doctor

Nicco colored eggs on Saturday night. He left them in the dye all through the whole movie "A Night in Casablanca." (The kid LOVES Mr. Bean. We thought it would be a good time to introduce him to the Marx Brothers too.) They were the brightest eggs I've ever seen!

On Sunday morning, he hunted all the hard-boiled eggs but not the plastic ones. He was saving those to hunt with our friends when they came over after church to share our Easter feast. I was proud of him for being so generous!

The pool was up to 80 degrees so the kids played the afternoon away in the water while the grown-ups ate snacks. I made deviled eggs. Somehow, that seems a little blasphemous for an Easter treat.

We had a delightful day with our friends, we watched the conclusion of The Bible which happily focused on the Crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and we went to bed feeling content.

Except that I may have spent some uneasy moments in fitful sleep, wondering what kind of prank the Daddy would come up with for April Fool's Day. He can be tricky, and a little mean. At pick up time in front of the school yesterday afternoon, some of the moms were talking about silly pranks. I told them about how my husband can tease me. They agreed, his last prank was mean. Nicco and I decided that we would call the Daddy on the way home from school and tell him that Nicco was climbing a tree in front of the school, fell out and broke his arm. We were on the way to the hospital. The other moms said, Oh, that's really mean. I reminded them who I was up against! We practiced in the car, with the kid crying hysterically in the back seat. Sadly, my phone dropped my calls! Curse you, AT&T! I didn't get revenge.

Nicco, apparently, had a trick up his sleeve. He told me so. Every few hours throughout the day he reminded me that he had a trick to play on me. Every time he said it, I told him he better not trick his mother! Then, just before bed, he said it one more time. I said, "You're running out of time!" He said, "HA! There is NO trick! I tricked you all day thinking there was a trick!" Ha ha.

And, we've been watching Doctor Who. My most recent favorite quote from the Doctor came in an episode in which a man was alive who was not supposed to be. Rose said to the doctor that he hardly matters. It's not like he starts World War 3 or anything. The Doctor responds, "An ordinary man, that's the most important thing in creation! The whole world is different because he's alive." I love the idea that ordinary people, as individuals, are the most important creation and that each one of us makes a difference in the world just by being alive.

Nicco thought Doctor Who was awesome. He wanted to watch one more episode before bed. There was plenty of time so we did it. It was Creepy. With a capital C. There was a little kid looking for his mommy, calling and asking in a sing-song voice, "Mommy...mommy...Are you my mommy?" And the people's faces turned into gas masks. That's the stuff of nightmares right there. I fully expected Nicco to come into my room at some point in the night. He didn't. 

The sun went down and the moon came up and our holiday weekend came to a close.