really cool things

Sam helped his grandparents on the weekend at their yard sale and while there a lady stopped by looking for 5th graders becoming 6th graders to go to a marketing thingie (what are the odds... he is 5th going into 6th!) anyway he had to watch a movie trailer and give feedback on it then they paid him $100! with which he bought video games for his new birthday xbox :) he was delighted with his crisp hundred dollar bill (what 10 year old wouldn't be?!)

gave away our lcd tv which didn't turn on anymore on craigs list, and i couldn't figure out for the life of me why anyone would want it... especially two sharp dressed men in a Lincoln Navigator :) anyway they were realtors needing it for staging a home! duh!!!! makes total sense!!

Aaron saw an old man drop a wad of cash and caught up with him to give it back. i love good, good people who do the right thing! especially ones i am lucky enough to be married to :) (he still gives me that butterfly feeling after 15 years :)

we have entirely quit diet coke - i didn't think this was even possible in a month of sundays:| last week we shared one and the overwhelming fizz and strangely bitter taste were so unappealing. who are we - we don't like diet coke anymore???!

made chocolate chip cookie dough brownies for our dinner guests last night - they were ridiculously sugary and heavy and wonderful :) the kids played for hours, didn't bicker at all, and we got to visit with the grown-ups till 9 o'clock!! it was heaven! also: Danny fell out of a tree and despite bleeding from a hole in the back of his head (i had to clench my teeth and pull my hair just to be able to look at it), didn't require stitches, just an ice pack, a large well-timed brownie, and lots of band aids (it was a very good night!)

all the kids loooved this toy which Danny got as a reward for swallowing whole tablets last week (what a week it was.... he's all better, minus the multiple band aids and head wound...)

found the Brookstone boogie board on amazon on sale! Sam is (shhhhh, not a word...) getting this from his English Grandma on his birthday :)

speaking of... there is a chance, that she might come to visit in the fall!! and maybe even with my sister and her little boy who we haven't seen since he was in a pram (and now he's 4 feet tall!) if they come, we are soooo renting the Mandalay beach house again!!!

Sam is sitting by the door today to take delivery of his brand new xbox (gawd love amazon and it's overnight free shipping) his birthday is next weekend but we will be in a beach house with no TV (arrgh) so he can play with it for the week before :)

got my new camera yesterday - it's sooooo wonderful and intuitive. and what's even more wonderful - with my amazon points it was only $360 :| (we buy EVERYTHING at amazon - even cat food!)

my sweet little pretend baby is walking at last! and he is coming back in a month, to ease the loss of both my boys being in full time school :(

having a kindy playdate today - i have missed the nice mommies and kids so much :)

this time next week we will be in Big Sur! only my most favorite (northerly) place on earth!!

and the next day hurtling down the Seward slides in San Francisco!! and continuing our highway one adventure all the way to Mendocino - my second most favorite (northerly) place on earth!

off to our playdate - back later with pics from the "new camera" :)