Not What I Ever Expected...

...but sometimes practicality reigns supreme! You know how you move into a new house and you have all kinds of plans for how you will decorate and furnish it? Well, I always thought I would find the perfect buffet or china cabinet for my dining room wall. I never quite found what I wanted, or if I did, I didn't have the money for it. Well, a few weeks ago, I just couldn't bear to look at the mess of mail, coloring books, plastic file bins and computers that had taken over the table and dresser that I had on the dining room wall. I decided I had to do something about it. Since all our rooms are used up, I figured that this was still the best place for our office. So here is my solution:

When I told Kip I was going to order a secretary, he really thought I meant a person! I'm all on board for a full time secretary, but this kind is more in the budget right now (even though I decided one was not enough for all our stuff).

Two big file drawers... Four drawers for all the phone books, paper, markers, etc... Two big computer holes... Six cubbies for all the staplers, tape, stamps, envelopes, etc... I'm in organization heaven.

I painted the ugly green bench and sewed up some super cute cushions,

The best part ... When I'm tired of looking at all the stuff, I can promptly close them right up (insert happy dance here)!

What the Future May Hold

Aidan was asking how movies like Harry Potter are made. "How do they make it look so real?" So I launched into an explanation about the different roles of those who make movies. I then mentioned that maybe he could be a movie writer or director one day, because he has such an imagination and likes to create stories to act out. He thought about it a few seconds and then said "I think I would either like to be a movie director or a zoo keeper. A zookeeper would be an interesting job too!" I love it when my big boy says something so childlike. It makes me smile.

Milky Milky and Sleepy Pie

Owen cracks us up with his sugary sweet phrases. He comes up with these on his own. About a week ago, he started calling his milk "Owen's milky milky." "Where's Owen's milky milky?" Or in a long drawn out affectionate way "Miillky miillky." For months now, he's been saying "Owen wants to go sleepy pie" when he wants to go to bed. Apparently it rubs off because now we all call bed time sleepy pie and say things like "Lets go look for some milky milky." It would be really funny if anyone on the outside overheard Kip use these phrases...

Interview: Roller Coasters!

Mom: What did you think about your first big roller coaster "The Hulk?"

Aidan: When I first got in that car, I was like "I don't know if I should do this, I want out!" But I was in it and there was no getting out. So then we started going up the hill slowly and and then faster and I was thinking "uh oh uh oh uh oh" then we shot out the top so fast and it twisted us upside down! Thats when I didn't feel so good because I was facing toward the sidewalk! After I felt much better because it was a lot smoother. Once we were done, I felt glad I got that over with, then I felt the urge to do that again. I wanted to do it again but we were headed to Harry Potter land and mom dragged me away.

Mom: Was riding a big roller coaster what you expected?

Aidan: Yeah, I kind of expected it to be kind of like that.

Mom: So would you say riding roller coasters was your favorite part of the trip?

Aidan: Yes. That was definitely my favorite type of ride.

Mom: What was your next roller coaster? Tell me about that.

Aidan: My next roller coaster was Dragon Challenge. It was by far my favorite. In my opinion it went faster than the Hulk. It was really scary because it was all over the place and your feet were hanging down. There was this one part where you look like you were going to run into the other roller coaster and then you barely miss (he makes a motion to demonstrate how the two challenging coasters head together before turning you straight up then into an upside down loop).

Mom: Did your dad go on these roller coasters with you?

Aidan: No! He is much too scared, much too scared! I call him the "Chicken of the Roller Coasters!"

Mom: Did your dad ride anything with you?

Aidan: Yes, yes he did. He rode all the simulators with me. I got him to ride two little roller coasters. They were really little. Really little! There were no drops or anything. I also got him to ride splash mountain with me too. That had a lot of small drops and one big drop. I also call him "Chicken of the Water Rides...."

Mom: So, your mom rode all the rides with you?

Aidan: Yes. She basically rode all of them. All of them. The ones she loved the most was all the roller coasters.

Mom: Is there a downside to riding that many roller coasters in a day?

Aidan: You feel like you're going to throw up!

Mom: So you had to take a break?

Aidan: Yeah for a little while. We just went on a bunch of other rides like a carousel, simulators, stuff like that.

Mom: What was your favorite ride?

Aidan: I think we both agreed that it was Dragon Challenge, but the Hulk almost tied. I think that this trip was one of the best trips I've tooken in a long time! All those roller coasters in one day....That kinda made me want to go to the hotel and rest awhile, but I think they make some of the best roller coasters around.

Author's Note: I remember riding Space Mountain by myself when Kip and I went to Disney together (before kids). It was fun, but no fun waiting in line alone.... and sitting alone.... When we walked into Universal Studios the first day of our theme parking adventures, Aidan saw the "Hulk" (pictured below) across the water and exclaimed "I want to ride that!" I was in roller coaster heaven the rest of the trip, because Aidan had discovered the thrill of the ride and he shared it with me. I think I shall have a riding companion for life!