Dee-Dee-Boop

If you give someone a wet willy or play any other kind of prank on someone - and then you get blamed for that prank - just say, "A Dee-Dee-Boop did it."
This statement automatically gets you out of trouble. Who can get mad at a Dee-Dee-Boop? They are small, tennis ball size creatures that are fluffy, with little Shrek-like horns and blue hair that sticks up on their head. Of course, your Dee-Dee-Boop may look different.
Paul is the first one to discover the Dee-Dee-Boop. Abbie is the first to find out what little joksters the Dee-Dee-Boops are.

Abbie: blank & blank

Every few weeks, Abbie's class reads a different book and does a project at the end. A few weeks ago, they finished Stone Fox, and she had to create a diorama of her favorice scene from the book and write a report on the main ideas of the book. I never had to do a diorama in school so this was fun. Parents are not supposed to help with the projects, and it is really hard to sit back and keep my mouth shut, but I'm doing it!

Now she is reading Sarah, Plain and Tall. For this project, she has to create a descriptive paragraph about herself, draw a picture of herself and give her paragraph a title similar to "Sarah, Plain and Tall."

I joked with her and said she should be Abbie, Hungry and Cute. She decided she is going with Abbie, Honest and [blank]. She can't decide on what the last word should be yet. Another mom told me that her son , who is also in Abbie's class, came up with descriptions for everyone in the class. For Abbie, he came up with Abbie, Quiet and Funny.

She has a week to finish the project and I am excited to see what she will choose for her paragraph title and how she will describe herself.

Dreams

I've noticed something that I think is kind of unusual. I dream about Paul's family WAY more than I dream about my own. Lots of times, Paul's brothers and sister are in my dreams. I couldn't tell you the last time I dreamed about my own brothers and sister. It doesn't happen very often, I can tell you that.

The other day, I dreamed that we were all in some sort of sunny locale. There was sand, boats, a boardwalk, etc. It's like we were on vacation together, and Louisa brings a lion! Turns out that she's just pet sitting for someone so she brings the lion on the trip too. But the interesting part is that the lion is not tame! It roars at people while she is walking it, and it lunges at people - straining against it's leash.

Being the animal lover that I am, I offer to help out and walk the lion too. But every time I walk it, it tries to put my face in it's mouth - it just wants a little snack...with warm blood!

So I'm not looking for dream interpretation here, but I wonder why I don't dream about my own brothers and sister - I do kind of like them :)

Conversations with Abbie ---- a new, hopefully, regular addition to my blog posts ----

While eating a piece of 7-Layer Chocolate Cake, Abbie said, "I bet there's 7-Layer Chocolate Cake in Heaven."

Reading Out Loud

I've been reading to Abbie since she was a little baby. She was always and still is very attentive. Her school is very "reading oriented." We have to keep a daily reading log of what we read and how long we read. Every year, the amount of minutes expected is increased. Here's the thing: Paul and Baby (the cat) really enjoy listening to me read as much as Abbie does. I'm not bragging here. I'm just not really sure what is so special.
The other day, Abbie and I were alone in bed. I was reading and we were snuggled up together although there was about 4-5 inches between us. When Baby hears me reading, she comes running and she made her way into those few inches and plopped down. While I read, she usually looks up at me - adoringly (my interpretation of her look)! Even though this happens regularly, I just got a kick out of Baby worming her way into a tight spot just to make sure she wasn't left out of the snuggling.
I think I blog as much about the cat as I do about Abbie!

Balmy Weather & Sink Holes

I think East Tennessee is becoming the new Florida. Our weather has become so balmy and mild in the winter that it is rather pleasant most of the time. Sure, it snowed last week, and at times, it is downright cold, blustery, and bone-chilling. But most of the time, it is pleasant in the winter. I've heard a lot of people are relocating here purely to avoid all the hurricane scares in Florida. Whatever the case, Paul, Abbie and I would just like more snow!

On another note, Abbie has a question that she asks me most every day. There is a sink hole near her school, and it is right-smack-dab-in-the-middle of a shopping center parking lot. One little business, a frame shop that has since closed and moved, is perched right on the rim of the sink hole! I'm not sure if someone was just stupid enough to build something that close to the sink hole or if the sink hole has gradually enlarged over the years. Everyday, as we drive by, Abbie asks me if that store is going to fall into the hole. She is quite worried about it. I have given her an honest answer everyday, and I have varied my answer somewhat in order to find a way to satisfy her, but she asks anyway. I need to take a picture because Abbie has a right to be concerned. The ground underneath the very edge of the back of the building has started to cave in and droop downwards. So far, the building is staying put.

Actually, after passing this sinkhole everyday and Abbie always drawing attention to it, I have started wondering if the sink hole might extend under the road. Will someone just be driving their car down the road one day when - whoosh - a hole opens up and the car goes down into a deep cave? I don't share this thought with Abbie though - that would cause her too much worry.