lately

Last week the twins started a soccer class on tuesday mornings. This isn't a team, there are no games, it's just preschoolers learning some basic skills as far as I can determine. Their coach is a young man from south america somewhere, I'm guessing, and he speaks very quickly and with a thick accent, but the kids seem to understand him just fine. There are several asian parents there who can't understand anything he says, so I've become the reluctant translator.

Though it was bright and sunny, it was windy and cold as can be (for around here, in april) last week and the kids were all very cold, and I was colder as I stood and watched them. I sure was glad when class was over and we could get back into the car.

This morning it was bright and sunny and about 90 degrees by 10:30am. It was crazy hot (for around here, in april) and as hot as I was while watching them, the kids were roasting and needed frequent water breaks. I sure was glad when class was over and we could get back in the car.




More than soccer has busied us lately too. Last thursday the girls and I were at the park. They all had chips to eat and Allison, with a whole mouthfull of chewed-up chips, decided to suddenly spit them all over Kate's shirt. I took her chips and when she started screaming, I grabbed her and headed for the car. She then took off her new sunglasses and mangled them up. Back home in time out, she located Kate's new sunglasses (which I put on a shelf about 7 feet above the floor) and she mangled those up too.

So I decided that she would need to miss out on the weekend's activites I'd planned. But John thought having her miss a birthday party on sunday was enough so on saturday we all went to Picnic Day at UCDavis and had a great time. I took quite a few pictures but mysteriously, they're all missing from my camera. Bummer. The following day we realized that the birthday party was during the home playoff hockey game which John would be attending, so I couldn't leave Allison while I took Erin and Kate and she got to go to that, too.

Boy, I bet Allison sure learned her lesson.

The party was at a huge indoor bouncey-house-slides-games place that was new to us. After plenty of playtime, a meal, singing, and cake, the girls headed out to play some more. I stood near the last attraction they entered and a woman approached me.

Her: "Do you have kids playing here?"

Keep in mind I was carrying 3 cardboard Star Wars party favor masks, holding my camera at the ready, and there were 3 balloons tied to the strap of my camera bag which was hanging from my shoulder. Of course, there are other possibilites for my looking like that and being there, but I think all other possibilites would require calling the police.

Me: "Yeah, three kids."
Her: "Oh, wow. I find it hard to keep track of them here."
Me: "Luckily, mine have mostly been staying together."
(my kids arrive at the bottom of the slide, wave to me, and run off)
Me: "There they are."
Her: "Oh...wait...now....they are VERY close in age."
Me (pointing): "They are twins, she is two years older."
Her: "Huh? No! (laughing) Their hair is different colors! They can't be twins!"
Me: "Um...well...ok...fraternal twins can be different. I mean, take the case of boy and girl twins."
Her: "Oh, SURE. Boy AND girl twins! Ok..."(walks off)

You can't fix stupid.

Luckily, the sunglass company offers a lifetime guarantee, and though Kate and Allison's sunglasses can't be fixed, they can be replaced, for free.