"How do you like them apples?"

Oh, my son.  He did it again.  Viv got very sticky #2 all over the toilet seat and down her legs again today.  Henry AGAIN tried to "clean" it off with his you know what.  What is wrong with this child?  Apparently, he's plenty smart, because after I discovered unapproved gumballs in his mouth, I found a disassembled gum ball machine downstairs.  I was pretty impressed.  It was no simple job to take the thing apart, AND he managed not to shatter the glass globe on the basement floor.  Bonus!!  Most of the change was missing, but he and Vivian won't admit to any bank robbery.  I took their gum, and shook my head.  Naturally, the top screw is missing, so I can't yet restore the integrity of the machine.

Today Olivia said that when she grows up and has a car she plans to get Lopaka on her license plate.  Our friend from Robbie's med school class gave him a key chain with the Hawaiian version of Robbie on it, and it is always in our backdoor.  She made me laugh out loud.  Evelyn, my most devout Catholic of the bunch, inquired as to whether or not Adam and Eve made it to Heaven.  Hmmm, Ev.  Food for contemplation.  Will Catholicism for Dummies have that information?

We have been working hard to organize our basement this week, and I made it up to the kids by taking them to a distant pool that is on our summer pass today with water slides and various pools.  They loved it.  Henry will now ask to jump off the side in water over his head, and he'll swim around and back to the edge.  Vivian puts her face in the water and wiggles and strokes and kicks herself underwater to me again and again.  So cute!  Ev and O practiced their true strokes, and their improvement this summer is wonderful.

I went off Paleo dinner tonight and let the kids get Pizza Hut personal pans with Ev's accumulated free Book It awards.  I sent them into the restaurant to "pay" like big kids.  However, they didn't listen carefully to my instructions.  I had pre-placed the order, and it was supposed to be ready for pickup at 5:05 pm.  They were greeted with, "What can I get for you?"  Olivia told him the type and number of little pizzas, then I was waiting forever for the girls to pick up my order.  When they entered the van we figured out that they did not give the guy our last name and pizza order, they just ordered.  I went in to explain, and I left with four more little pizzas for free.  That's how my dinner plan of leftovers turned to one of warm bread, gooey cheese, and greasy meat.  The girls' lack of listening actually brought benefit to me for once.  I'll take it.  As we shared the story with Robbie I got to the part where I said, "So that's how we ended up with eight free pizzas."  Henry, with perfect comic timing, added, "How do you like them apples?!"

Olivia is off with her daddy to select an instrument to play for her first band experience as a fifth grader.  Music really clicks for her, and I'm thrilled she's eager.

Vivian just asked when we are going to Disneyland.  I explained that we just went to Disney World, and that the children are very lucky.  Many children never get to go.  Henry asked, "Lucky that you are our parents?"  I said, "Well, I hope you think you are lucky to have us as parents, but I meant lucky that you got to go to Disney World."  Henry, age five, said, "That's not the important thing.  The important thing is that you are our parents.  You are a gift from God."  AND...there you have it.  I will not end Henry for peeing on the bathroom wall twice in two days and stealing gumballs.