Life goals

Sarah, this morning:

"When I grow up, I can be a doctor or a mommy or a fire person or a baseball batter. And I can cut pizza and work on a computer."

Number of kids currently in the house?

ZERO. Hooray for dance camp!

Heard around here this morning

(While playing with dressups)

Sarah: "I want to get married too!"

Beth: "Okay, but then you can't run away."

Guess what today is?

It's FARM BOX DAY!

Pea tendrils, baby spinach, radishes and salad turnips, spring kale, bok choy, the ubiquitous lettuce, and (wait for it)...cilantro!

We're splitting the share with some neighbors this year because, frankly, it's more greenery than the four of us can safely consume in a week. And you know it's a good day when a 13-year-old boy exclaims, "Oh good, cilantro! Now I can make salsa!"

Say-ing #5

At dinner tonight: "Spinach makes me do something very bad, but I don't know what it is."

Beth's fifth birthday party, by the numbers

Balloons purchased for Beth's birthday party this morning: 12

Balloons that survived the ride home: 11 

Very excited pint-sized little girls in their fanciest tea party attire: 10

Number of adults present at said party, including Beth's dad and grandpa: 9

Number of cupcakes left over at the end of the party: 7

Percentage of those cupcakes likely to be consumed by Beth's mom before bedtime: 86

Strawberry cartons purchased last night for dipping in Hershey's syrup "fondue": 4

Teacups I borrowed late last night from a very brave friend so that each girl could drink pink lemonade from a real teacup and saucer: 4

Children who refused pink lemonade: 2 (Who are these people who can turn down chocolate cupcakes and pink lemonade? Certainly no one in my family.)

Number of fancy dresses Grandpa Wes brought in his suitcase for Beth and Sarah: 2

Number of said dresses worn by the girls to the party, although Beth did wear the dress intended for Sarah and vice versa: 2

Number of children who appeared to have jumped into the fondue along with her strawberries: 1 (Sorry, Julie -- I did try to sponge her off.)

Number of little girls in tears by the end of the party: 0 (Raging success.)

Two vignettes from today

1. It took two refrigerator magnets, a piece of string, two mangled coat hangers and three pint-sized helpers...but I did get my car key out from under the back steps.

2. The house cleaners came this morning (Scott's awesome, oh-honey-you-shouldn't-have-but-boy-I'm-glad-you-did Christmas present to me this year was bi-weekly house cleaning) and changed the sheets. Everything looked fantastic — except for a flat, empty pillowcase in the middle of Sarah's bed. I've searched in every quasi-logical place and cannot find her pillow. Sarah doesn't know where it is either.