Beauty

This morning was much like any other Saturday--the first few hours were spent with Alexis gleefully watching Playhouse Disney. It was more than a little jarring to flip the channel and find that five Pittsburgh police officers had been shot in the line of duty. As Mr. Husband and I sat with heavy hearts watching the events unfold, Alexis was oblivious to the severity of the situation. When the news that three of the officers had died came over the airwaves, Alexis was singing Happy Birthday to one of her dolls.

Sometimes being a parent means living in two very different universes at one time. It's . . . uncomfortable.

As more details came to surface and the story of the shooter began to become a little clearer (and more disturbing), Mr. Husband and I decided it was time to go. Anywhere. We had to go find some of the beautiful in our city, so that we could forget a little of the ugly that started our day.

We wound up at the Zoo, which is certainly not my first thought when it comes to defining "beautiful" in Pittsburgh, but the Martian named Alexis really wanted to go there.

So, a few photos of Beautiful, as our hearts go out to those involved in today's tragedy.

An Interview With the Short Person

I recently sat down with Alexis and asked her a few questions, all the while feeling like I was a so-called reporter with Big Bop.

What is your favorite color: "Purple and red and yellow and pink and green and blue and purple."

What is your favorite song: "High School Musical and Boys are Back"

What is your favorite movie: "Cinderella and Snow White"

What is your favorite thing to eat: "I like marshmallows and popcorn."

What is your favorite place to go: "Clifford slide"

What is your favorite toy: "Tigger and Pooh computer, Baby Shell, Cinderella telephone"

Do you have any pets: "Um, yeah, kitties and dogs."

What is your favorite thing to do: "I love to play and I play outside."

Where do you want to live when you grow up: "Pittsburgh"

What's your favorite sport: "Be quiet! I'm watching Penguins." [She really was--I think that is why all her answers were so short.]

Who is your favorite Penguin: "Sidney Crosby"

What do you want to be when you get bigger: "I'm not gonna get bigger. I'm little."

And then I died of the cuteness.

I'm currently working on an FAQ page for this site, so if you have any questions you want me to address, now is your chance.

Oh, the Hiding We Will Do

It is one of those milestones I have been eagerly awaiting--one that will allow me to simultaneously be a Kick-Ass Awesome Parent and a Slacker Parent Who Gets Things Done. It is a milestone that I know will lead to fabulous things.

Hide-n-Seek.

I was tipped off that Alexis might just be old enough for the Greatest Game Ever at dance/gymnastics. It was the midpoint of the semester, so all us lovely parents were invited into the gym for the last portion of the class. The fun and games cultivated with a quick round of hide-n-seek. While Alexis failed miserably during the round where she was supposed to find me, she succeeded gloriously at joining her cohorts in hiding. The very moment I realized that she was staying on the bottom of the pile of Preschoolers without even a peek, I knew . . .

. . . I knew there was a chance that I could tell her to hide while I counted, but not go looking for her for several minutes.

You can chide me all you want, award me all the horrible mother awards you want, and give me all the dirty looks you want. I was excited. The potential of even just five minutes without a short person hanging on me were nothing short of a dream come true.

So, tonight the games commenced. As expected, Alexis SUCKED at hiding. Unless, of course, you consider sitting on her bed giggling louder than a freight train to be optimal hide-age. It was OK, though, because I managed to yell up to her, "Where's Alexis?" every thirty seconds for a full two minutes before she started to worry that I wouldn't find her.

With some planning and practice, I should be able to figure out how to do nothing clean the house very well in two minute chunks.

It's going to be GREAT.