TGIF

How on earth can it be Friday already? Truth be told, I've sat down to blog at least twice this week, but I just haven't felt like there was much to say, and I haven't felt well enough to be motivated. It's Friday, though, and I'm glad for the weekend, and I'd like to think I'm feeling better, so... here I am.

Here's one of the "snakes" Grace is afraid of:

So I'm cruising down the freeway on Wednesday, on the way to take my mom to the airport, when the dome lights come on in the car, and at the same time I can hear wind, as if someone rolled a window down. I look at my control panel (Is that what it's called in cars these days?) and sure enough, it indicates that a door has come open. Which door? Grace's, of course.

Can you believe that? For the first time in my life I had to pull over on the freeway, to get out and close Grace's door! Now before everyone chimes in, yes, there is a childproof lock that I had not enabled, and you will be pleased to know that it is enabled now. I hadn't thought about it since we got this car, and seriously, Chris and Josh never even attempted such a thing. They never messed with the locks, the windows, their seatbelts, and certainly not the door handle! I was pretty darn shocked! As it is, I can't keep Grace's seatbelts on her properly. No matter how tight we make them, she frequently slips them off her arms. (She hasn't yet figured out the button to undo the one around her waist, thank the Lord.)

When we got to the airport, I explained to Grace that "Memaw" was going on an airplane back to California. She didn't really appear to get it, just cheerfully said good-bye and that was that. Then yesterday Grace asked for Memaw. I said, "She isn't here. Where's Memaw?" and she replied, "California." She says California so well, and so clearly - she used to just say Cowl (and moo), but now she says the whole word... although when she's being silly she'll say Calichicken.

I love listening to Grace talk. She's told me for a long time when she needs to be changed by saying, "I'm stinky." Now she often comes to me and says, "My butt hurts." It makes me crack up because she's so matter-of-fact. I think she's about ready to start potty training, although Chris and Josh were both 3 before they were trained. Maybe I'll start working on it next week while the kids are home (easier when you don't have to go out much) and get an idea if she's ready or not.

I was told last week that WalMart (all, not just mine) is not going to be giving out the happy face stickers any longer. I know this is shocking news, and you don't know what you're going to do without them. Neither am I. Chris and Josh used to get them (I really don't know what the attraction is) and as soon as we got home they went on their bedroom doors. THAT was a mistake! Those were the toughest stickers to scrape off when we were prepping the house to go on the market!!! No stickers at this house, except on paper! Live and learn - you think you're being a cool parent until it's time to clean it up - then you realize you're more fool than cool.

Anyway, I digress. Grace *loves* those stickers. From the moment we get out of the car and approach WalMart - any WalMart, mind you - she begins to chant: want happy face want happy face want happy face. We usually get one as we go in and she plays with it all throughout the store - sticking it on her shirt, on mine (mind you my breasts are generally where they land), dropping them on the floor, calling out longingly, "My happy face...!" until I go back and peel it off the floor... it's usually lost all of its stick by the time we get home and ends up in the trash, although one stuck to the garage floor for quite awhile before it disappeared.

I just noticed on my desk that I have a roll of Veggie Tales stickers, all the same, 200 count, of Bob the Tomato with a caption that says "God made you special." I think I should throw them in the car for our trips to WalMart. Hopefully that will get me through 4 or 5 months I think.

Finally, for your reading pleasure, I thought I'd share a couple of interesting articles I've come across this week:

• Student Sues WI School... (FoxNews.com)
• Disposing of the Disabled (ChristianPost.com)

And for my reading pleasure, I think I'll go back to Hogwarts for awhile as Grace watches Dora the Explorer. ;)