Mostly Because I'm in Love with Him....

Yeah, because also I'm in LOVE with Him:

Miss Cally's Sweet Voice

Weekends are for sleeping in and maybe letting the kids watch a little of the boob tube so you stay in your holy t-shirt and equally religious underwear and climb back into bed to cuddle with your dog. Or husband. Or partner. Or whomever. Or whatever.

I lerve weekends.

Especially now that I'm a working girl.

Especially since I LOATH waking up my children on school days.

Especially since I'm inherently lazy and love lounging.

Especially, well you get my drift.

So last Sunday morning I got a chance to lounge and then lounge some more, and then maybe I lounged a little more. But no one saw me, so no one can hold it against me. I was able to lounge because my kids weren't here. They were, like, over there. Across the valley, and over the river and through woods, sleeping in rooms separate from our house. In rooms attached to Katy and John's house, separate from our house.

It was delightful. Paul Bunyan and me (yea, we) actually got to go on a date. Like, a real one. It included VERY good beer, and delicious chili, a complete conversation, live music, some dancing, and we also got to uncover some long lost eye contact and forgotten laughter. And since Paul Bunyan was at the mercy of me, I forced him to watch me inhale Nectar's famous gravy fries on our half hour drive home. I'm sure it was quite attractive.

And then if it wasn't for the dogs wanting breakfast. And if it wasn't for Mike's call at 8 telling Paul Bunyan that daylight was burning. And if it wasn't for the fact that they made a plan to go look at some "logs" that early in the morning, which made Paul Bunyan actually leave our "lying in" morning all to myself. And if it wasn't for the fact that little Ruthie called to see if Claire could play at 8. And if it wasn't for the cat who continues to use my toilet as his watering hole. And if it wasn't for my damn dog who loves to bark at the air...my lounge session would have been perfect. But then again, nothing ever is perfect in my critical mind.

Well, John and Katy got to have their night out this weekend. I know the swap wasn't fair. But shhh, they haven't said anything. We got their EXTREMELY easy and super worldly cute 15 month old. They got our high energy, sometimes violent, headstrong threesome. Supposedly, they don't mind.

Cally came, she conquered our hearts, ate us out of the house, and then left (with a new pink potty, new tricycle, the cutest little orange pea coat that Claire used to wear, and of course, a ski helmet).

I heard Cally at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning cry out. I realized that she probably would fall back asleep in the dark of the early dusk, but I pulled out the comforter and cuddled up on our guest bed right next to her (our old) Pack n' Play. She rolled and grumbled and farted but didn't really rouse until 6.

And then she said this:





And all the world seemed right. Because I don't care whose kid this is, if they sound like this you can bring them over to spend the night any night. And they can wake me on a Saturday at 6 a.m. whenever they want. I guess maybe it would get old after awhile. But jeez, I couldn't get enough. She's so flippin' cute. And I think, although he might not admit it, that it almost made Paul Bunyan consider reversing his vasectomy.

hmm.

Beautiful People

I realize that this is a really crappy photo of Paul Bunyan's tattoo. My camera battery died when I was finally able to pin him down long enough to rip his shirt off. I had to resort to the old point and shoot.



But I was able to find his original sketch that he sent me from the dark state of Alaska, where he designed and paid for and then received his painful body art.





This is the Hopi Sun symbol. Paul Bunyan grew up going to this boy's summer camp and while up in the northern, bug infested woods of Minnesota, he was immersed in Native American lore. When I asked him last night how he came up with this symbol, for the very thing he wanted to paint permanently on the center of his back, he said "I dunno". Seriously, you don't know? You simply don't have some really deep reason that you chose this symbol over all the crazy Hopi symbols (like the Symbol of the Plumed Serpent, or the Corn Maiden Kachina, or the Hopi eagle, or the Spider Woman's house). Well, "I dunno" wasn't good enough for me. So, I've made up my own answer:

I chose the Hopi Sun symbol because I believe that I was once a Sun God in another life and that in the broad valleys where my people had their agricultural lands, 600 feet below their villages on the mesa, they planted widely spaced hills of corn, beans and melons and peppers. I was paramount in their lives and helped their peach and apricot trees bear excellent fruit, and all were able to flourish because of me.

Doesn't that sound better? Anyway, I think Paul Bunyan may have had something to do with the sun shining on us all yesterday. It was supposed to be raining with thunderstorms. And we had planned an evening of eating, and drinking and playing, which isn't very fun to do indoors, especially when the newly mowed green grass beckons like a fresh baked cookie.

We were lucky enough to be joined by beautiful people.


Including this beautiful person, whom we have yet to meet; although we are very excited for its arrival in the next few weeks. We're waiting with baited breath beautiful person!!





And there was this beautiful person, whom Mud birthed almost 5 (!!) years ago.



Oh, and this isn't so beautiful. We could do without these. Any guesses?



Look at those eyes...



And then we have these beautiful people...yay girls! Girls!!




And this beautiful person (the woman, not the baby just quite yet) is my friend Jen.



Here is Jen RSVPing to our barb-a-que

090524_001 - Jen B.




Oh, and now let's meet this beautiful person.



This is Cally...short for McCalister Jane


Yea, I know...she's beautiful.



This is Cally's beautiful mother.




Are you kidding me?? Seriously?



And this is Cally's beautiful Daddy.



There aren't many things more beautiful than a father and his daughter.




Don't hate him when you're 13, Ms. Cally Jane.




Oh, and then there are all these beautiful people too. They're crazy beautiful.

Thank you Sun God for showering us with sun (and the crazy beautiful people you helped me create).