Ready or Not

Bob and I were playing hide and seek: I count to 10 and he hides in the closet. This never gets old. For Bob.

"Where's my guy? Is he under the bed? No... Is he next to the window? No... Is he in the closet? Yes. There he is. I found him!"

"You found me. Now go count to ten again, Mama."

"...nine and ten. Where's Bob? Is he under the blanket? No... Is he behind the door? No... there he is. He's in the closet!"

"I don't want to be found right now, Mama."

"Okay. Well, I'll check back with you a little later." Five minutes passed and I returned to the closet. Bob was was laying on his stomach, head resting on his arms. "Hey, Bud. You alright?" He lifted his head and I could see he was crying. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"You never found me."

"I did. Then you told me you didn't want to be found so I came back later," I said.

"You didn't come back."

"I did. Look. I'm here right now." Bob rested his head back on the floor facing away from me. He lifted one hand into the air.

"Mom, please take this booger from me."

"Sure, Buddy."

Inspection

"Can I have my towel, Dad?"

"You done with your bath, Buddy?"

"Yeah."

"Are you all clean?"

"Yeah. Smell my parts."

"No thanks. I'll take your word for it."

"They all smell really good, Dad."

Date Night

Photo We Heart It

We were at Ava's house for dinner. Bob was so excited to be in the presence of his lovely friend that he got a a little frantic, then a little weepy and then passed out. He fell asleep on the couch and stayed there missing the meal entirely. Bob may not be the most entertaining dinner companion, but he is dramatic.

Ava collects unicorns. She has a special lamp in her bedroom that casts rainbows across the wall and onto the "sky" of her four poster bed. Her unicorns are of course, magic. She trotted out the whole herd and set them up at strategic points around Bob to protect him while he slept.

As Bob would say, they very did.

Sweet Creatures

When I was in elementary school, our family had a small statue of St. Francis placed on the fence in our backyard. Saint Francis was the patron saint of animals and ecology so I suppose a suburban backyard is as fitting a tribute location as any. The shrine by the flower beds of ivy was my introduction to Saint Francis and by all accounts he seems to have been a cool guy who loved animals and nature. Were he alive today, I'm betting he would be a vegan, listening to reggae in his yurt.

In honor of The Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, today our church celebrated The Blessing of the Animals. This is a semi-organized chaos wherein those brave enough to bring their pets, sit outside and watch the service on monitors while trying to keep their beasts of the field from humping random legs.

We brought Daisy with us to represent the Rosenberg herd. We met golden retrievers, chihuahuas, brindle-y mongrels and a 160 pound Great Dane named Lottie. There were cats in carriers and one in a cat stroller. There was a hamster and a turtle and a bear of the Teddy variety. Many creatures were loud and every one of them was blessed and we are blessed to know them.

Daisy found numerous butts to sniff and got a peanut butter sandwich out of the deal so she wasn't complaining either.

High five, Saint Francis.

Smacksy Sunday Links

Here's that brief guide to life you were looking for

and

a lovely micro movie about alone time by Tanya Davis

and

1:44 seconds of a happy dance by a little girl.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: It's a Little Dark Down There

Bob called a "special secret meeting" with Brandon under the table during dinner at Island's. The meeting would not be adjourned until the french fries arrived. Agendas.

The Opposite of Minty

"Mom? Can we have a meeting right now?

"Who?"

"You and me. I have something important for us to do talking about."

"Sure. What's up, Bob?"

"I can't like that spicy toothpaste. I need a different tasting flavor."

"Okay. We can look for a different one."

"I want cheese flavor. It's orange and tastes like a cheese."

"I don't think they have that."

"But they very should."