Happy Birthday Month Cupcake Claire and IRM

Yesterday we went to park day because we realllly needed to get out of the house. It was super fun, Maddy and Claire came so Lex and I got to hang out with them! It was cold so we just kept walking around and around the park discussing several random things such as the fact that Blue from Blue's Clues, previously a girl, has now disturbingly become a guy... And Joe is a poor replacement for awesome college bound Steve. The fact that it was so cold, Alaska, my birthday party and considering doing something with the teen group a thing the Abshiers have done with their cousins already. A music video, "Homeschool Musical". They came up with several hilarious homeschool stereotypes and acted them out in the video, all the girls wore funny dresses and the guys high water pants and nerdy T shirts. It was truly hilarious and I think it would be a great thing for us to try. At the park there were a couple guys over in the field pitching and hitting about a million and one softballs they'd brought. "We should make our own park, like, right over there," I said, gesturing towards the field. "It would be like: 'Our park vs. their park,' and ours would be way awesomer!!" We then commenced thinking over what we would have in our park that would be so much cooler, one thing, probably the most rediculous and said the most laughingly and wryly in our situation were seat warmers for the benches and outside heaters. "But," I said, contradicting myself playfully, "I suppose that WOULD sort of defeat the purpose of a park?" Eventually we left, my mom, Lex, Katie and Abbie heading over to Winco where I bought two Snickers bars and what I now fondly refer to as one of my favorite kinds if gum. Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream gum!! Zach and Brenten were horrified at the mere mention, I don't know if I actually gave Zach any, but Brenten's face alone after I mentioned it was enough for me to know my offer would be rejected. Then again, if I didn't give Zach any to try it serves him right for all the times he's refused gum to us less fortunate in braces ;)). Then after Winco my mom wanted to stop by her friend Erin's. "Because," she explained, smiling, "Life is short and you need to seize the chances you get." So we went and she and the younger two girls went in while Lexie and I sat in the car in the driveway and sang Weird Al. Yes, I do realize I am obsessed with Weird Al, but if you think that now wait until you finish the post (if you can ;). They emerged with several boxes of cereal and a bag of clothes. An altogether interesting and unnexpected visit. We stopped by the bank and then finally my mom drove me to the Dahms' so I could babysit. We ate dinner, which was some kind of spaghetti with lots of zucchini in it and some broccoli. Becca made up a game to play with Bryan to get him to eat his broccoli. They had a flashing ladybug that lit up a certain amount of spots every time you pressed the button on it that belonged to a game they own. So Becca pushed it and the number of lights it lit was the number of veggies Bryan ate. Of course when Bryan finished his vegetables he expected to get his fair turn telling Rebecca how many vegetables to eat every time he pressed the button... Afterwards we played Sorry and then with clay and I read Bryan a few Blue's Clues books before it was time for him to get ready for bed. We put him on the couch with Air 1 playing softly and went into a nearby room where we could still watch him, but he was kind of alone and I taught Simon and Becca how to play Nuts. It was confusing but they started to get the hang of it so I think we'll be playing it a bit after this. Once Bryan was safely asleep we put away the cards and entered the living room and turned on the Wii Family Game Night 3. They got ready for bed and I loaded the dish washer and then Simon, Becca and I played Clue on the Wii. It made us play with a computer character, but the computer character had yellow hair, a yellow jumpsuit and waved at everyone oddly and played stupid moves so we had many a laugh at the character, John's, expense. In case anyone cares it was Mrs. White in the Movie Theater with the Candlestick... Then we played Life. It was very interesting. This, too, made us play with a computer character similar to the first, John. This one was named JOHNNY. Who are they kidding? So I ended up married to an african american, living in a blue house with four kids... And my careers (I had three of them over the course of the game) only went downhill... Simon ended up married to this lady who we all agreed looked quite a bit like the murderer from Clue, Mrs. White, he had maybe one kid and was a Veterinarian. Becca was married to a "relative of John's," she had three kids, was a doctor and lived in a Victorian House. But we had to end the game early and they went to bed. Sitting alone on the Dahms' couch after picking things up a bit was kind of dull. I pulled out my notebook but mostly just stared at it. I recieved a few texts from Maddi, one saying "Z wants to know when you'll be there." I replied, agitated. "Tell Z to hold his stinking horses and I'll be there soon enough." "K" she replied simply, and I could hear either the annoyance or the amusement in the single consenant. Anyways Mr. and Mrs. Dahm arrived home and Mr. Dahm took me over to the O'Neills' house. When we arrived he said "I'll just stay here until you get in the door and make sure you aren't abducted or anything..." I grinned, hoisting my 'babysitting bag' over my shoulder and thanking him then running to the door. Immediately after ringing the doorbell my hand to my face, What if Jeni's alseep? What if their dad's asleep! It's late! You idiot! I stood for a few minutes on the porch before I saw a sihouette in the window jump up and run to the door. Zach answered the door, grinning, "Welcome to chaos," he greeted. I went back to Em's room where I caught the two, Emily and Leixe, in the act of giving each other rediculous makeovers. "Wow," I said honestly, "Wow..." They kicked Zach out until they'd changed into normal things and then we all sat around talking kidding, Zach in the corner on the laptop and SOME OF US enduring evil toturous tickling. They switched out on the computer, but I never got on. We played Speed, mostly Zach and I, we hung out, laughed and I was tickled a LOT. Zach has, apparently been hanging out with some public schoolers so hardly a word we said could go without at least a surprised, low chuckle. "SHUT UP ZACH!" Emily at one point shouted. Probably more than one point. Zach left at about 1 AM. I read Em everything in my notebook from the Trials of Six at her insistent request and plus it got me out of being tickled. At about 2 AM Em discovered I was also ticklish in my elbow... But that one, unlike many other ticklish places she's found, you have to tickle right or it doesn't work. About 3 AM she got on the top bunk, Lex was passed out on the bed and I was half asleep on the bean bag chair. We turned out the lights and went to bed.