Gone, But (Hopefully) Not Forgotten!

I'm here! I'm here!

I'm sorry I haven't said anything in a while but life took some hectic turns. Most notably I returned to school which has been a huge time suck.

I promise to get crackin' again once things get under control. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of Ayize, Sophie and Madison rocking their new wheels -- not as crazy as this bad boy -- but scores some bling points nevertheless. At least the kids seem to think it's tough enough to steamroll over Ayize's Little People push-along!
Long, long ago, in a childless galaxy far away, I was a "top seller" (whatever that means) for Merial so I earned about 10,000 points. This was meaningless to me. A rep called me up and recommended I "review my catalog" and "make my selections" or I would "lose" my points. This still meant nothing to me, particularly as I had no catalog, so she told me she would send one along. She added, "You know, you have enough points for a Cadillac. Take advantage of it! I would." This sparked some interest.

However when it arrived I realized I would NOT be receiving a replacement for my Saturn any time soon. Still, the bangin' red toy Escalade two-seater complete with cup holders, digital clock, FM radio, CD player and working doors that drives 2.5 and 5 miles per hour, not to mention goes in reverse, looked pretty sweet! I ordered one and still had enough points for that insane Dora kitchen, you know, the three-foot-tall one that talks and plays music and has a little fridge, stovetop and oven?

I know what you're thinking right about now and YES you are correct. I was one of those nightmare childless aunts! The kind without kids who has no idea why my siblings would want to kill me when they've heard Dora say "Let's have some cooking fun!" for the five thousandth time. I get it now. (Sigh.) Anyway -- in my defense -- this all took place about two and a half years ago, long before Ayize was even a hint on the horizon. He's still a wee babe now so that gives them plenty of time to wreak the revenge they surely deserve!

So anyway, all this time, the Escalade has been sitting in our living room in a box, collecting cobwebs. I suppose I figured my brother Shishin would wend his way over one day with my nephew Alex and being the expert engineer that he is, snap it together in ten seconds flat. I'm sure he would have too if I had ever remembered to ask.

Anyway, we finally wheeled it out of the house and onto the porch. It took my dad and I over two hours to assemble. Madison was our assistant, locating each piece and bringing it to us. Sophie made a house out of the huge, empty cardboard box and dragged the car seats inside so she could sit and watch us warily from a safe distance. The dogs trotted about nosing into every box and bag while Ayize snoozed away upstairs under Grandma's watchful eye.

We had a blast and as you can see, Ayize was thrilled to fulfill his current steering wheel/car wheels/well, let's just say anything that turns, obsession. The girls were psyched to bounce around to the bangin' tunes. And Grandpa was just happy to get that huge box the hell out of his house!

OK, that's all the news for now. I have to finish my first paper. Arghh!! On the bright side (if I can just stay afloat), I'll finally graduate from college in December