This and That

Last night Alex got it in his head that he was going to re-learn his Ukrainian and asked me to set up the Rosetta Stone. (Rosetta Stone has a Russian program not Ukrainian but Alex claims it's close enough.)  I happily obliged and we went through the first exercise together. I then sent him to his bath and told him he could come back and do some afterwords. He was tickled that he learned four words. Cat, Dog, Girl, Boy after completing the first exercise. Before leaving for his bath, he matter of factually informed me that when he comes back, I better come in and talk to him every five minutes so he doesn't forget his "American."

(I tried really hard not to laugh out loud.)

I needed to run Devree to a party and run a few errands. When I came back Alex was waiting for me. He decided that I should learn Russian with him and had been waiting for me. "Come on mom, let's learn Russian together."

So we sat down together and started exercise number two. I'm not a huge fan of Rosetta Stone. They tend to show you four pictures, say a word and you guess what picture. To me it's more like a game of memory. Just click on the picture that hasn't been chosen yet. Rylee joined us and she was doing better than Alex or I - that didn't sit well with Alex, I finally told her to just help me guess. I did get to where I could make out certain words, like the word for horse sounds like Alex's Ukraine name and the word for three sounds like our three but today I can't remember or say anything! (However, truth be told, I did better than Alex.)

I always call Alex "my baby boy". Not in a name calling way - like it might sound - but in a sweet "Oh, my baby boy" way and after going through five or six exercises we figured out how to say "My baby boy" in Russian. "Mir-a My-chink Ribiona" (But I couldn't remember it today - I had to holler to Alex and ask him again how to say it just to spell it phonetically on this blog.) 

((Sigh.))

I really do think those that speak many languages - or even just two - have a gift. A gift that I apparently forgot to put on my registry? 

Today in church Devree was asking me if her eyelashes looked long? My girls are really into long lashes and use this stuff that's suppose to make them grow. I have some too but I don't have enough time and patience to apply it. Alex upon hearing Devree ask about her eyelashes asked me, "Is my mustache long?" I looked at him puzzled. I asked "What mustache?" Then he pointed to his eyelashes. "What are those Alex?" "Oh. Not mustache. Eyebrows." "Nope." I said. "Guess again."  "Oh, eyelashes." "Yes, your eyelashes are long." And they are, any girl would love to have them. He hates them and tells me he is going to trim them with scissors.

Austin is playing McDonald's Monopoly game. He's pretty serious about it. He heard that all the Boardwalk pieces are on one side of the country and "Parkplace" on the other. He only needs a Boardwalk for a million dollars so he called my mom to get him one while she's out flying. (My mom's a flight attendant.) He promises he'll split the million with her after taxes.He also promises to take us all out to sushi. Nice.

My Grandma Lee had a nasty fall on Saturday. 

She fell down some cement stairs and hit her back and head. 

She was rushed to the hospital and after many x-rays and CT's later released with a hairline crack in her back and a small head cut. (It didn't even need stitches.)

My mom was flying, my Dad and brothers were hunting and I knew my mom would be in a panic so I rearranged my Saturday to be up at the hospital with grandma. I left my mom a couple of very calm messages on her voice mail - she was in the air - but despite my calmest delivery , she was a basket case and flew home immediately. I picked her up Saturday afternoon.

Grandma Lee is okay and staying with my mom for the next few days.

My kids had an epiphany this afternoon. Devree asked "So if grandma is your mom and she's taking care of her mom, does that mean we have to take care of you?" "YES!" I exclaimed. "You all get to take care of me." Hum...no one said much after that. 

I am watching my brothers girlfriend's dog, Dexter for the weekend.  He's a tiny Yorkie. He and Ella get along okay after they warm up to each other. But I've taken to calling Dexter, "Timmy", and Ella, "Lassie". As "Lassie" is always looking out for "Timmy". At three this morning, apparently "Timmy" used the dogie door to go out but couldn't remember how to get back in. "Lassie" was asleep on my bed -like always- and she sat up suddenly, growled and took off running and barking down the stairs and then remained downstairs barking "rescue" barks -very loudly - until I came down and let "Timmy" in the back door.

Good grief. 

Funny thing is, my kids have no idea who Timmy and Lassie are.

James is at work. The garbage disposal must know this as it decided to stop working this afternoon. Funny how the mechanical things in our home respect him so much more than they do me. Sometimes all I have to do is get him on the phone and they suddenly start working. I am hoping that the disposal will magically start working as I've already done my broom handle trick and it's yet to respond.

Well, that's all for now. 

Das-va-dona!
Which I think is good-bye in Russian?

That or something Arnold Schwarzenegger says.....