A month later, I reappear. Let's see, what's happened in that time?

First, we packed our boys into my mother's borrowed SUV and hied ourselves up to Yosemite for a semi-camping adventure. Semi in that there were no tents involved - we stayed at Housekeeping Camp. There was a massive wildfire nearby which rerouted us in and out of the park and cast a smokey haze most days, but all of us thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Smoke aside, we kind of hit a sweet spot, going mid-week just after school started back up. I very much want to go back again sometime.

Then we had our trio of September birthdays - Squiddle, Jazzy, and Wonderful Husband - happen, followed almost immediately by all three of them getting taken down by Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Wonderful Husband (who has skin problems already) got it bad enough that he was admitted to the hospital for three days. Not fun for anyone! Fortunately for my sanity, my parents were able to have Squiddle stay with them one night. I didn't get it. Don't know why - my mother doesn't remember me having any previous exposure. Maybe it was just the universe being kind and saying "no, the mama can't get sick too."

But now everyone is recovered. Hooray! And this afternoon I took the boys to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Since we have an annual membership, why not? That, combined with Finding Dory, and the Octonauts and Finding Dory games Squiddle has for his LeapPad, seem to be fostering an interest. As I rocked him this evening, I got told all about how octopuses and jellies have "tentatles" (yes, that is how he pronounces it) and how sea stars have eyes at the ends of their arms. ^_^

Sitting here in the office at a quarter past one in the morning on my birthday because Jazzy just. won't. go. to. sleep. (And Wonderful Husband is sick. Sick enough to be willing to consume Green Death aka NyQuil.)

Let's see. What's happened while I've been away from blogland? I took the boys and flew up to Washington to visit my sister and niecelet. I think/hope a pretty good time was had by all. Squiddle definitely thinks Niecelet is cute, and we got footage of him feeding her carrot puree. And at this stage there's still a world of difference between her and Jazzy. By the time they start school, though, their four-month experience gap will have narrowed quite a bit.

Also! I am so PROUD of Squiddle. On our last day up there (a week ago), he made his first pun/portmanteau! I had dressed Jazzy in a onesie and denim overalls and commented that he looked like a farmer. Squiddle declared him a "pacifarmer," punning on Jazzy's pacifier....

The weather here has turned unfortunately brutally hot. Wonderful Husband is taking a couple weeks off work to recharge before Jazzy's birthday. This week we're just trying to stay cool. Next week, we're going to Yosemite. Which means digging the family's camping gear from when I was a kid out of my parents' garage and testing and cleaning it. Appropriately, my mother thinks it was all probably last used when we went to Yosemite when I was a teenager. So, thirty-five years ago....