Happy Halloween!

Today we're taking the Bee to a farm for a hayride and corn maze, then heading back home to try some trick-or-treating. When that inevitably ends in tears, we'll retreat home to light a fire and hand out some candy. Should be a great day. Happy Haween, everyone!

All green thumbs

Today the Bumble helped her father till the earth of our side-yard in order to plant grass and build a structure for our future vegetable garden.

She was a little confused at first


And it was a bit of hard work


But once she got into it, it was really fun


And very rewarding.

Smart with me

This morning the Bumble removed her own diaper, wiped her own bum, and then put on her pants all by herself. She did these things clumsily, ineffectively, and backwards, respectively. But she was still very, very proud of herself.

In an attempt to show recognition for her achievements, I asked her if she would help me put on my socks. I specifically said, "Will you put this sock on my foot, please?" She nodded and then very gingerly placed the sock on the top of my foot, then ran away giggling to herself. Wisenheimer.

Loony

The Bumble loves the moon. When she sees the moon in the sky, night or day, she immediately rhapsodizes, "Moony, OH! Moony." It's pretty hysterical, and I am hoping to get it on video soon. Her voice is so full of love and awe.

Her favorite line in any poem, song, book, or nursery rhyme is "the cow jumped over the moon." She loves every syllable of the phrase and she will mouth the words along when I say it. She will then smile and nod her approval and then utter the sacred words herself "Oooooooo'er the moon." Then she will sigh with contentment and if the moon is in view, she will raise her face up to it and say "Moony, OH! Moony."

Health, Money, and Love

I've been firmly in the "Bless you" camp for years now. There were a couple of years after taking Spanish language classes when I toyed with "Salud", but it's been strictly "Bless you" after sneezes for most of my life. It's my culture and heritage. I don't actually believe any silly sneezing superstitions, it's just a reflex. Hear achoo, say "Bless you." That's how it goes.

Mike has always been a Gesundheit-er. He argues that it is more fun to say and he is certainly not wrong there. I could never get into it. To me, it kinda sounds like you are making fun of the way the person sneezed.

The Bumble, meanwhile, mostly ignores sneezes. At least, she did until last week. Last week, I sneezed while driving and this little tiny pipsqueak voice piped up from the backseat, "Zoon tite!" And every sneeze since then has been met with an enthusiastic "Zoon tite!" So, Mike wins this one.

Please send more arms or a mild sedative

The Bumble has not been a good sleeper for a couple of weeks now. Maybe longer. To make matters worse, for a week she's been super, super clingy. I can't take two steps away from her without her screaming "Holdy!" or "Git down!" (which means "get up") So, I've mostly been holding this 25 pound kid nonstop for days and even as I am holding her she is begging me to hold her more. What is happening here?

The costume