Little surprises

I had fun last night. After Carlos fixed dinner (he is amazing at grilling!), he suggested that I run to the store to return the DVDs we had rented while he played with the kids. So I got in some shopping. Since the kidlets need some long-sleeved shirts and I heard that Kohl's had some good sales, I stopped by and found exactly what I wanted. That is a pretty rare thing when shopping (miraculous if the shopping is for bras, jeans or swimsuits), so I was happy.

Ariana loves bling. If it is glittery, sparkly, shiny and bright, she loves it. Joel, being so close to her, has been influenced by this. It's funny to me that throughout history in many cultures (not to mention the animal kingdom), guys get the glamourous duds. I don't know why it has recently changed so that in some circles that is seen as less masculine. Anyway, I found a robot shirt for Beeps that is definitely masculine but also covered with shiny gold accents. He was thrilled! He even slept in it. :) (Since Joel would prefer to go naked, except for his Spidey jacket, it is always a good sign if the clothes stay on more than a few minutes). Ariana loved her new shirt, too.

Even better, from their perspective, were the little glow-slates that I picked up. They were a little over a dollar each, but the kids consider them a treasure. You remember the little cardboard tablets with a film over them? You press with the plastic "pencil" on them and it writes, and to erase you just lift the film? The kids have been drawing and writing so much that I thought these would save paper (and be safe for any environment). Ariana drew a remarkable mouse with hers--it made me sad that they erased so easily. It was far better than I would have drawn.

At bedtime we all had a giggle-fest as Carlos told his famous Ipis and Upis stories. Joel would interject "Kiki's house" anytime a destination was mentioned, until everyone was laughing. I have no idea who or what Kiki is, or even why it seemed so funny at the moment. One of those you-had-to-be-there-things, I guess.

The kids slept in this morning, so I built them a pillow pile with all the couch cushions, pillows and extraneous comforters in the house. I'm already smiling as I picture their excitement. They love jumping in the pillow pile! Little surprises make the whole day better, don't they?