Swept away and smacked down by current events

It has been a while since I've done a general report of our comings and goings. So here are the headlines and you can read whichever sounds most appealing or dismal to you:

Today we mourn the untimely death
of Neal's laptop's hard drive. While details are unclear at this time, we do know that HD was a victim of a fatal crash that occured on Monday September the 22nd in the early afternoon. HD was especially close to Neal, working side by side daily, sharing valuable information crucial to Neal's research and eventual exodus from campus life. Today during the autopsy, certified technicians were able to recover much of the information HD held onto so tightly, even in death. We are grateful for what the doctors were able to do for us but even still we grieve at our loss and hope that a replacement may be found soon to fill the void. HD is survived by Neal, Jackie, Aedan, along with all the Lappy Components family. Condolences are welcomed; contributions are encouraged.

Did he really just say that?!?
Aedan, a two-year old boy with much on his mind, has chosen to share some words of wisdom with the general public. His parents, Neal and Jackie, are thrilled to say the least, although they seek advice in interpretation. Such gems from the mouth of their babe include:

"Shake your booty" (Curtesy of a Shake Your Booty truck, a thoughtful gift from Aedan's cousin)

"Not the apple, not the cereal, not the chicken, not the cracker, not the carrot, not the yogurt, not the rice, not the water, not the noodle, ...., .... just m-n-m mommy" (Mom thinks he communicates via the process of elimination?)

"Green light! Go faster mommy!" (Notice it isn't 'daddy')

Mom said to a shopper blocking the aisle, "Excuse me."

Aedan said, "No saying 'Excuse me', just say 'Move it!'"

Clearly he is trying to get his point across and it appears said 'mommy' needs to be educated.

Battered and Bruised Me

Jackie has been a victum of several bruises as of late, some inflicted by a very young person who prefers to remain anonymous, some accidentally self-inflicted, and some mysteriously appear without any memory of how they were inflicted. The first was a result of eye meeting corner of board book, the second was a result of laboring in the kitchen with the thumb of all places receiving the wound, the last event was entirely erased from her memory and the plum purpleness of her knee remains a mystery.

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

Today Jackie hosted a mini preschool/playgroup that Aedan was lucky to have squeezed into. While the group and curriculum are pretty relaxed, the event itself is full of energy. The lesson for the day was on Oceans and the children entered the home to the sights and sounds of the Ocean as portrayed by the Finding Nemo virtual aquarium in the bonus features. The front room was transformed into a miniature "ocean" made with a blue sheet on bottom, some printed out ocean creatures on top, and a clear vinyl tablecloth on top to ripple/shine/shimmer like the water.

The children sat on towel 'boats' and played with bubbles. They also made a mosaic starfish using pasta shapes, beans, lentils, cereal, popcorn. Home-made snorkeling gear was made for each child which included a printed snorkel mask on cardstock with clear plastic stapled on to view through and flexible straws were used for breathing. The snorkel gear was for our underwater creature identifying adventure.

They enjoyed their ocean snacks which were rainbow colored goldfish crackers and blue Jell-O in a cup with gummy aqua life creatures swimming in the 'ocean'. They were also pleased to experience some choice books, Sounds of the Wild - Ocean by Maurice Pledger which came complete with pop-ups and actual recorded sounds, Somewhere in the Ocean by Jennifer Ward and T.J. Marsh for singing time and numbers, and Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood and Bruce Wood for addition/subtraction lesson.

To further stimulate their senses, the children dug in a mini sandbox for seashells and played Play-Doh with an Octopus and friends set. The class ended with free playtime and more bubbles back by popular demand. Messes were inevitable; good times were incredible!

In ways of Entertainment

Neal and Jackie have their noses in the Artemis Fowl book series, Jackie is mostly current in her Once Upon a Time series, Neal is anxiously awaiting the latest of his Sword of Truth series in paperback, and both have yet to dive into Brisingr. Aedan keeps current with anything involving trucks and cars and likes to identify pavers and mobile cranes and back hoes in his travels through town.

A long summer break of Neal and Jackie's favorite tv shows have come to an end this week as Heroes and The Office are back up and running. That will stave off the hunger slightly until Iron Man comes out next week.

Wii usage is still in full force as they all attempt to get MiiFit. Neal has discovered how to set up online Mario Kart with his brother and they have fun competing from a distance.