Chrips

After an intense couple of weeks at work I finally got a report out the door on Friday and was looking forward to chilling out with Ben after Dexy went down to bed. Lo and behold, Ben got called for gig in Kenosha but I was still looking forward to chilling out. Sure enough, not ten minutes after Dexter fell asleep and Ben left for his gig, one of the smoke detectors started asking for new batteries (chirp).  This noise makes My Bologna terrified so he cowered and shook under the desk for the next two hours while I tried to rectify the situation. First, I had to find batteries - this is something Daddy and Dexter do so it took a while for me to find the box in the attic that houses the extra batteries.  I was thrilled to find one new 9V battery!  Then, I had to determine which alarm was doing the chirping. I changed three alarm batteries unnecessarily before I found that it was actually the carbon monoxide detector in Dexy's room.  I was worried about waking him but he had been sleeping through the chirps for a while and was complete out while I climbed on a chair and pulled the carbon monoxide detector off the ceiling. Turns out this one needed AA's so I headed back to the battery box in the attic. I thought I had successfully pulled off changing the batteries in the dark without waking Dexter and was putting the chair I had been climbing on back in the kitchen when I heard Dexter say, "I can't fall asleep. I'm thirsty. I need you to take care of me." Luckily, it was a quick cup of water and back to sleep for Dexy.  But my evening of chilling had turned into a ridiculous two hour quest to stop the chirping. Man, did I miss Ben last night.

Ian's Toys

For the boys, one of the highlights of Eastover Seder was playing with Ian's toys. Ian got to show Dexter his new train set, bicycle, and outdoor digging toys and Dexter got to play with them! We were very proud of both boys who, as usual, got along wonderfully.

Eastover Seder

Weekend before last we finally got together with Elissa, Jason, and Ian and Kim and Dylan for a combination Passover Seder/Easter celebration. Ian started the seder by leading the story of Passover with finger puppets and plague masks and we wrapped up with an Easter Bunny cake made by Kim. Dexter and Ian even had an Easter egg hunt! All this at Elissa's house just a few days after the last of her real Passover guests had left!

The Joker

Dexter LOVES telling jokes. Lately, he's been obsessed with a joke he heard on World World. It goes like this:

Dexy: Does anybody want to hear a joke?

Mommy: (silence)

Dexy: Yoo hoo! Anybody?

Mommy: I'd love to hear a joke!

Dexy: How does a duck learn to fly?

Mommy: I don't know. How does a duck learn to fly?

Dexy: He just wings it!

Dexy & Mommy: (laughter)

This evening, Dexy started the joke-telling set up again and I played along fully expecting the duck winging it joke again but Dexy came up with a new twist for the joke:

Dexy: How does a dog learn to walk, run, and jump?

Mommy: I don't know. How does a dog learn to walk, run, and jump?

Dexy: He just walks it!

Mommy: (hysterical laughter)

Occupied

So nice that our birdhouses are consistently occupied. So nice that I was able to capture evidence of occupation in a photo.

Baking Doggie Biscuits

In preparation for our rescheduled Easter/Passover celebration, Dexter and I made doggie biscuits for My Bologna, GG, and Scout. Even though they won't all be at Ian's house tonight (except GG because she lives there), all their parents will be there so we thought it would be a nice treat. Dexter was a great measurer, mixer, and cookie-cutter cutter.

Whip It Up

Dexter really enjoyed making home-made whipped cream. We went to the store to buy the heavy cream and Dexter held the basket remarking the whole way to the check-out counter, "This cream sure is heavy!" Then we all enjoyed some strawberries and cream.

Let the Landscaping Begin

Dexter and Daddy mowed the lawn and helped Mommy dig up some grass to plant new perennials.

Making the Best of Easter Despite Disappointments

Our original Easter plans involved a visit from my parents. Dexter was so excited that Grandma and Grampy were coming to visit. Alas, they were unable to make it. Dexter was disappointed but he dealt with it very well. Another aspect of our Easter weekend involved celebrating Passover with Ian and his extended family. Unfortunately, Dexter got an awful cold the day before (I was hoping that it was a one-day event but, of course, it was a week long coughy, snotty fiasco). We had to cancel Passover plans. Dexter was dissapointed and Ian's mommy and I had to convince Dexter that we would celebrate the following week. In lieu of my parents' visit, we invited Kim and Dylan to spend Easter with us but Kim's back went out and she was unable to move. More dissappointment for Dexter. Nonetheless, we had a nice little Easter. The Easter Bunny left a basket for Dexy, we had an Easter Egg Hunt (a few, in fact - Dexter kept wanting to hunt for eggs again and again so Daddy kept hiding them), and we fired up the grill for our first grilling of the season. Dexter and Daddy ate Easter Jello Wigglers on the back porch. I was glad that the weather was nice enough to spend most of the day outdoors - it was pretty messy!

Metra

Ben and I took Dexter for a train ride to a town a few stops West to have lunch. It was a really special day for Dexer - he got to ride on the upper level coming home!

Mommy Quiet Time

I can barely contain my excitement...Ben is at a doctor's appointment and Dexter is at "school" and I am loving having two hours in the house to organize my home office!