Nice Bike

Bronwen has turned into a parrot. Everything I say, she repeats, with identical inflection and emotion, but missing some of the harder consonants. It can be totally enduring, entirely annoying, and utterly embarrassing. Like when I spilled water all over Piper’s bed and shouted “Sh*t!” and Bronwen promptly chanting, “Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, mommy!” I had heard that these things happened, but it is hilarious when your cutie little baby starts cursing!

So, instead of letting her learn how to speak from listening to me, I have decided to give her a little direction and teach her some life lessons along the way. In August we drove up to New York state for a wedding and on the way we stopped at a Sheetz gas station to refuel and get some food. We decided to sit outside of the building and eat our lunch before getting back on the road. As we ate, a gang of rough looking Harley bikers pulled up in front of us. The noise was unbearable. Bronwen started to get scared and grabbed me around my neck. I sat her down on my lap to watch as the bikers parked and turned off their bikes.

“See, Bronwen, when you meet a biker, you always want to make sure that you become friends. It's not hard to do. Just tell him is “Nice Bike!” I told her.

“Nice bike!” she said to the biker that walked by us.

“Thanks, man!” he told her.

“Nice bike,” she chatted to the next biker as he strutted into Sheetz.

“Hey, thanks,” he smiled.

“See,” I told her, “they love you know. You always want bikers to be on your side!”

“Nice bike,” she replied.

For the rest of the drive to NY, every time we saw a biker on the highway she would say out of the window, “nice bike!” And to this day, if she hears a loud noise, like a bike, or sees a biker drive by, she will shout out, “nice bike!”

September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate day, so I am working with her right now to say, “Argh, scurvy dogs!” She is having some trouble with the “sc” sound, but we’ll get it. Maybe I ought to try something a little easier, like “Avast, me hearties!” or just “Ahoy!”

Shittake Kickers Reunite

Kickball season has begun again! The Shittake Kickers are back on the scene with some power kickers and sexy out-fielders this season. All games will be played at the Greensboro Lindley Park baseball fields at 6:30-8:30 every Tuesday-Thursday. Our rival teams, Ball Busters, SynerG#1 and #2, Bouvier Kelly, Can I Kick It?, Crush, Red Rockets, Just for Kicks, Hi-Gravs, and We Got Balls will cower in fear when they see us in our awesome mushroomy shirts. Be there ready to cheer us on!

The End of an Era

Every time I go to the dentist I beat my own personal best and walk out of the door having lived yet another year without developing a cavity. Today, with a little over 2 months to my 32nd birthday, the era of Ellie’s perfect teeth came crashing to a halt. Three cavities (tiny little surface cavities) were discovered this morning, lurking among the cracks in my molars.

I have to be very careful about these molars as I only have four. The average person has, including wisdom teeth, 12 teeth in the back. I was born without my wisdom teeth (yes, I am more evolutionarily advanced than the rest of you), and I was also born without the 12 year molars on the bottom. This caused the 12 year molars on the top to grow out, so they were pulled. Now I only have 4 molars, and I need these, as I love to eat, so I guess I am going to have to get my cavities filled.

I have an appointment for October 13th, the day of our first wedding anniversary. I will run right home afterwards and smooch my hubby with a numb and drooly mouth. And then crack open that delicious, one year old wedding cake. Nothing like pumpkin chocolate chip cake to keep the teeth, and Ellies, happy.