Play Sets and Pink Socks

Today was a really challenging day for a whole host of reasons not worth mentioning.   It was the sort of day when you want to take the Tupperware that cascades out of the pantry when you open it and hurtle it into outer space.  Yeah, one of those days.

On the upside, it was a day packed full of "normal problems," and I am well aware that normal problems are a blessing in themselves.  That's the truth.

However, they do have a tendency to make a person feel disproportionately angry at Tupperware - but I digress.

   As I was standing in the kitchen making dinner and feeling sufficiently defeated for the day, I looked out the window and something caught my eye.

Can you see it?  The little pink spot outside to the left of the water bottle? 

Try to see past all of the stacked up dishes, and cups, and medicine, and happy 40th candles, and whatever other randomness has taken over my windowsill.

Beyond all of the undone...

Pink socks.

My baby girl's pink socks.

And beyond them, 

my children playing, 

and bickering, 

but playing - even the ones who don't feel very good. 

It's a good day.

I'm still mad as heck at that Tupperware and about 27 other unrelated things.

But it's a good day.

Teeth Brush!

Ever since the big kids had their six-month check-up at the dentist last fall, Bubby has been asking and asking when he gets to go "get a teeth brush" too.  In fact, for about a solid month after the last appointment, he asked me every - single - day.

Our dentist doesn't start cleanings until the age of 3, so Bubs was just a little too little last time.

I'm really not sure what the fascination was or is, but, at last, his moment arrived!

  

   He decided he might be nervous, for a minute.  But Brother cheered him out of that pretty quickly.

Into the chair!

He was such a good boy and followed every instruction he was given just exactly.

Meanwhile, Baby Sis was out in the hallway treating the event like the true spectator sport it apparently was and cramming a cheese sandwich in her mouth like it was her job.

Say, "ahhh!"

There was no shortage of moral support.

And moral support apparently comes in many shapes and sizes.

Back in the hall, Baby Sis was fraternizing with the office dog and soaking up lots of kisses, which I'm sure had nothing to do with the cheese sandwich.

Almost done!

Just one more check by the dentist himself,

and the long-awaited "teeth brush" was a wrap!

As I was gathering our things -- which let me tell you when you have six scheduled dentist appointments, it takes a while, and there are a lot of things -- Bubby scampered out of the room to choose a prize from the prize box.

It wasn't long before I heard him exclaim from the hallway,

"Mommy!  I found the farts!" 

Oh, yes, what better prize could there be?!

We thanked the dentist, tried to leave as little evidence of our visit as possible, and headed out into the corridor which leads back to the parking lot.

 I should note - it's a very long corridor with intense echo capability.

And it has a bench, what luck!

Of course, Bubby had to try out his prize.  Because the only thing funnier than farts are echoing farts.

And they just get funnier every time!

By the time we got to the car, he was completely unhinged.  

In fact, I had to pull over on a side street to take this picture because the whole way home he was laughing one of those laughs that you can't hear without laughing too.

It's the little things I guess.

But I have to say, his first trip to the dentist was all-around a rip-roaring success!

Childhood

You know it was a successful weekend when...

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..."

Princess A was having a terrible time holding out for the next dose of pain medication for her ear infection.  

But apparently, swimming like a mermaid in the bathtub in a bathing suit is all you really need to feel better when you're 6!

Compliments to the Chef

What's the one thing every mother longs to hear after serving up homemade, from scratch, chicken noodle soup that took 5 hours to make?

"This smells horrible!"

Awesome.

On the bright side, it wasn't all a loss.

A spoon that clearly isn't getting used for anything else is good for all kinds of stall-worthy entertainment!

(right side up - upside down - right side up - upside down - tongue in - tongue out)

It really is pretty impressive how long a 3-year-old can delay the inevitable.

He did eventually eat his dinner.

 And just in case anyone was wondering,

 it was not horrible.

:)