When I was in grade school, I participated in some summer school program. The school had a computer in the nurse’s office and we got to type on it. I remember sitting on the chair with my big toes under the front two feet of the chair and kind of rocking back and forth on them as I typed the “Fortunately…Unfortunately” statements.
This evening would have been a perfect subject for the assignment.
Fortunately, I got to come home from work today.
Unfortunately, it was after five-thirty, though I’d already spent a ten hour day at work on Monday.
Fortunately, Catherine had some great food ready.
Unfortunately, Marta spilled juice on her shirt, then intentionally on the floor.
Fortunately, I remembered there was a concert downtown tonight.
Unfortunately, Liesl dilly-dallied getting her shoes on, as usual.
Fortunately, we I have a bicycle with a trailer.
Unfortunately, my front gears don’t shift anymore.
Fortunately, I had a spare bike and we were able to take off.
Unfortunately, its rear tire needed air.
Fortunately, I had a pump at home.
Unfortunately, it’s kind of hard to pull the girls.
Fortunately, we made it there in good time.
Unfortunately, my preferred path is still closed for maintenance or something.
Fortunately, we found a nice bench to sit on.
Unfortunately, the girls didn’t want to sit down too long.
Fortunately, they wanted to dance, which consists of them spinning in circles with their arms raised.
Unfortunately, when they tired of that, they wanted to run off.
Fortunately, I got them to come to the playground.
Unfortunately, I worry they may get kidnapped or molested if I can’t see them every five to 35 seconds.
Fortunately, the bench at the top of the hill was open.
Unfortunately, Liesl started holding her pants.
Fortunately, I was able to take her to the bathroom.
Unfortunately, I had to deal with Marta and the bike (I forgot the lock at home).
Fortunately, Marta was willing to stay locked in the trailer while Liesl and I were in the WC.
Unfortunately, the person before us didn’t know how to flush solid waste down the toilet.
Fortunately, Liesl and I had handled this before, as there was no seat on the toilet either.
Unfortunately, Liesl can’t aim and I got a nice shower on my lower pant leg.
Fortunately, there was toilet paper.
Unfortunately, when I flushed, Liesl ran into the main part of the WC with her pants down for all to see.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait to use the sink.
Unfortunately, there was no soap.
Fortunately, we had baby wipes!
Unfortunately, Marta was completely stinky and that’s how I remembered the baby wipes.
Fortunately, we also had diapers.
Unfortunately, there’s no diaper changing station in the men’s room.
Fortunately, there was a bench, behind which I could change Marta.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t really wash my hands (oh, yeah! the baby wipes!).
Fortunately, my girls are pretty easy to spot with red hair.
Unfortunately, Liesl didn’t want to go home.
Fortunately, I’m bigger than her and can still strap her into seats she’s doesn’t really want to get into.
Unfortunately, the bike forgot how to shift at the foot of the big hill I needed to climb.
Fortunately, we had made it successfully most of the way home.
Unfortunately, my back tire decided it really liked to rub the frame.
Fortunately, we were most of the way home.
Unfortunately, we were still at nearer the bottom than the top of the hill.
Fortunately, I have two good feet.
Unfortunately, now I have two bikes to fix.
Fortunately, I have two bikes to fix.
Unfortunately, Liesl started holding herself again and saying, “Can you help me?”
Fortunately, she and Marta are healthy and can make their needs known.
Unfortunately, Marta felt she needed to cry.
Fortunately, she saw the mint chips, which distracted her while I helped Liesl.
Unfortunately, I have to get them to bed now.
Fortunately, the children had a great time, I think.

Unfortunately, Liesl wiped cherry juice on her nice “never crabby” shirt.

Tonight, Catherine was online when Liesl approached her before entering the kitchen and said “Don’t forget to check your blog!”
Does she know what a blog is? Does she know what the difference between a program and a website? Probably not, but she knows her mom does something alled a blog on the computer.

We took a walk to the hardware store tonight to get some superglue. When we got there, I recalled I had some at home. We also got a feather duster for the girls, which the couldn’t stop playing with. When we got home, I couldn’t find the glue.
It was a fair walk, though.

Tabitha slept over so she could babysit for us Saturday, so she also babysat for us while we watched Up on Friday night! Yay! Our first first-run movie date in more than two, perhaps three years! It was definitely a highlight of our week! (hyuk, hyuk) We saw one of my employees and Chad, one of my colleagues there. He heard my laugh and knew I was in the theater; I guess he must have gotten there before us and hadn’t seen us come in and we hadn’t seen him until he was leaving the theater. I would have liked to have hung out with him and Tifany, but we had to get home to Marta and Liesl. Oh, well. Perhaps some other time. We might even be able to plan something!
The girls did well with Tabitha and were very tired the next day, but did well with her then, too. Marta still has a runny nose; I hope she’s well soon.
Catherine just like the whole movie. I must agree. I liked how they showed the main character growing up with his wife and their attachment to each other. It showed real life happening: plans, real life tragedy, real life accidents changing plans and the old man’s commitment to their dream and both their wish and dream getting fulfilled in the end.
Additionally, the talking dogs were awesome. If dogs could really talk, I think I would want one like Dug.

Liesl watched some episode of Blue’s Clues that featured some kind of clean-up song. Liesl now cleans up. She, on occasion, looks for things that are out of place and tries to put them away. She often does quite well. This evening, she was playing with popsicle sticks and had them on the floor. It was time to go to bed, so I suggested something was out of place, as she often says before cleaning something up. She picked up the popsicle sticks without complaint and put them on the table.

Marta didn’t want me to dress her after her nap today. She wouldn’t hear of it and didn’t want to come to dinner, either. She finally came in to the kitchen with her shirt on right and her socks on!
Marta can dress herself, somewhat. She needed help from Catherine with her pants, but she was pleased to have been able to get her shirt and socks on by herself. I wonder if this will mean that she’ll insist on dressing herself, as she likes to insist on walking and not riding in the stroller.

Marta likes walking and Liesl prefers riding in the stroller. Sometimes Liesl likes to stand on the seat facing backwards, sometimes sitting sideways on the footrest, sometimes other positions.
Marta, generally likes to be walking or running and doesn’t want to ride, though the other day she wanted to be carried, then consented to ride the stroller.
Oh, yeah, and sometimes Liesl wants to be carried.

I put up two tents tonight. The one I had found-no fly, no stakes and a pole that will break sometime. It’s intentionally bent, but it was bent too far once and will surely eventually give. That’s not such a big deal, as I’m pretty sure new bendy poles could be used in its and its mate’s place.
There are two small corner seam tears or bursts, which I hope could be fixed. Even if they can’t be fixed, the bottom would make a good tarp. The floor is around 7′ x 10′

We took a short walk this evening (not to see Phat Daddy and the Phat Horn Doctors, as it was raining when we should have left). As we walked, we neared (and waited at a light with) a family that spoke the Queen’s English. Or at least that had accents from Great Britain. The mom was telling the daughter she had so finish her big assignment in the morning and it sounded like they were homeschooling her. As we neared the train tracks and turned around to see the family still coming, I realized they probably are homeschooling her…because they’re in the circus!
The circus train did not have any animals we could see, but Liesl was still excited. There were around 30 train cars and perhaps 10 or 15 support vehicles from trucks to vans to regular sedans parked by the train tracks.
The girls played in the park and had a great time. It was actually Marta who said she wanted to get out of the stroller and play in the park, where an Asian girl photographed Liesl on the merry-go-round.

Tonight we walked up to a local ice cream shop. The girls got twist cones and loved them and Catherine and I shared a brownie delight. I wonder if walking three miles while pushing an 80 pound stroller burned all that off? Probably not, huh?
The other day, Catherine suggested that wearing my sunglasses alters my mood or mien. I don’t think it does, as I was wearing them on our 8 mile hike and Catherine remarked then that she liked me when I’m on vacation. I’m more relaxed or fun or something.

We walked the long way up to the restaurant row tonight. Three of the places we eyed were closed, either out of business or closed at 3 PM! We settled on Red Top, which lives up to its local reputation of having huge burgers that are tasty. Catherine couldn’t finish her taco salad (which was more taco meat and guacamole than lettuce and tomato). Liesl didn’t eat much of her half cheeseburger and Marta didn’t touch her chicken sticks, so Catherine has lots of fries and meat for tomorrow.

Liesl and Marta behaved very well in the restaurant–no fidgeting, running around spilling things or being bothersome. Nice job, girls!
In fact, Liesl drew a picture of herself and her two monsters, then a picture of Marta and her bear at Catherine’s request.
Of course, I messed it up a bit when I remarked that it looked like Liesl wasn’t wearing any pants, as she then scribbled over it to say she was wearing pants, and socks, too!

Last night, we took a walk. I prefer walking when I have some kind of destination in mind, rather than just exercise. We started off and I decided we should walk to a Red Box to see if there were any cool movies we wanted to rent. Marta, unfortunately, correctly pointed out McDonald’s, though we don’t watch television, so she doesn’t really see commercials.
We were almost to the Red Box, when I found a caterpillar. I had been carrying Marta, who didn’t want to hold hands while crossing the street, when I saw it on the sidewalk. I bent over and picked it up for Marta, who squealed with delight. She loved watching it wriggle and she held out her hand. She held it and was delighted for a while, then threw it away. Catherine found it and put it on the tray in the stroller in front of Liesl, who loved watching it.
The girls squealed time and again as we looked at movies we could rent. We left and Liesl lost the caterpillar and was so sad that she cried. Catherine found it, or another. Then I found one on Liesl’s pant leg, then I found another on my sleeve. The girls were delighted with them all the way home, and for quite a while after we got home.
Then, I set up the tent, with Liesl’s help and we slept in the tent. Liesl was great and dropped off to sleep. Marta…not so much. She wandered around the tent, sang and laid herself down on the floor of the tent, never in her sleeping bag.
This morning, we were up kind of early. I aired out the sleeping bags, took the tent down it fit in the original bag! Yay! I did it right!
In the morning, we went shopping. Catherine & Liesl to the grocery and Marta & I to the thrift store. Marta was miserable until I let her down, whereupon she was happy, but broke a glass. When we got home, we did all sorts of stuff. I washed the pans, some buckets, and got the sewing machine out to make a bag to hold the big tent stakes we got. Then I modified another bag and Catherine did her sewing, too!

Liesl’s been pretending to be so tired she can’t stand up around bed time. She’ll lie on the bathroom floor and make me set her on the toilet, then carry her into bed. Marta, from what I understand, can get out of bed by herself. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and wanted to stay asleep in the car.
Today I finally finished making another franken-lamp. Friday, Liesl broke the five-armed lamp I found. Pulled each of the five arms off, so its arms are still good and the base and pole are still good, but it’s broken and can’t be in the house. Liesl was so sad, she cried and ran to hide when I got home and when Catherine called me so I could reassure Liesl I still loved her. I took the arms off the lamp and put them into a three-armed lamp whose arms didn’t work. It was difficult, because the wiring box was closed and when I got it open, I couldn’t then get it back onto the base pole.
Today, we let the girls play at Michael/Maddy’s house and they had a great time. We went shopping at the outlet stores and got some sweet socks, a new tent and a couple other things. I fixed the pole for the rain fly, made a strap for the water bottle holder Catherine made me out of a moccasin kit, took a quick walk with Marta, and drove us safely home in a lightening/hailstorm. I had the feeling, before we got to it, that I should turn off the freeway and sit in a town, but alas, disregarded it. We were thankfully kept safe and I did pull off the road once, but felt okay about driving on, albeit at a slower pace and with the wipers full blast. We had a pile of hail slush on our hood.
While we were doing a bit of service this morning, the name Adele Louisa came to me. Still no boy’s names…

I was at work almost 11 hours Friday. Why?
We upgraded the printing system on Friday. I was instructed by our contact, on Thursday night at 7:30 PM, to upgrade the individual print stations myself before the upgrade. Internet’s slow at home, so I couldn’t really remote in and do it from home, so I went in early at 6 AM to beat some of the other upgrades that were to go on. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time troubleshooting why the upgraded service failed and couldn’t get ‘em all done. Did the upgrade with the guy and it went all right in spite of a few hiccups.
Unfortunately, two of three printers on one station showed as offline, though we’re not sure if that’s the new system’s fault or something else. Anyway, I was customizing a few other things and about ready to go home at 4, when I had to go help a professor…
It was after 5 by the time I got out.

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We went for a long walk tonight; I think it was around four miles. We started out walking to the store, but then decided it would be too dark and too hilly, so we walked through a really wealthy neighborhood and it was dark when we got home. We saw lots of cool and nice houses. I guess our looking rubbed off on Liesl (who sewed a pouch by hand the other day!), who started say “I like that house very very very very much.” about most every house. The only thing that varied was the “very tally.” Sometimes it was three, sometimes, two, sometimes four.
The girls had a great time on the walk, I think.
Catherine also got us to put the fence up! Yay! We’re done! We’re totally adults now, too. Not only did we put up the fence, but I asked Liesl not to blow the dandelion seeds around. Sheesh. I’m all grown up, I suppose.

Marta was singing the ABC song before Catherine got up this morning and they were both still in bed. I went in to Marta’s room to get her so she’d stop disturbing Catherine’s rest.
“Daddy, get me out of here!” she said. “I hurt my hand. Kiss it better!”
She had a small red mark on her right index finger. I kissed her finger and she said “Get my bottle out!”
I took her bottle out of the crib.
“Get my rabbit out!” I took her rabbit from the crib and put it in my pocket.
“Get my bear out!” I took her bear and put it in my other pocket.
“Get me out!”
I have the best baby!

Liesl and I went to a concert tonight. It was Room 46 and they did all right. Liesl was kind of fidgety, but otherwise did well. Note to self: Do not feed a child watermelon and then take them to a concert.
We were so glad Marta and Catherine could join us just after intermission! Unfortunately, they had missed the rendition of Sting’s Fields of Gold, which is a song Catherine likes…then Catherine missed more of it, because Marta and Liesl both wanted a seat by their mommy, who occupied an end seat. Catherine took Marta out, then I took Liesl out, who was really fidgety. The girls went to read and watch Youtube in a lab and I went back in just in time to hear the last song, Walk Down That Lonesome Road, I think. It was some slower song I’ve heard sung by the King’s Singers, anyway.
The concert kind of made me miss singing in a small group. I even wondered if they would allow a staff member to be a member. Not that I think I’m a great singer, or even a really good singer, but I can hit the right notes and not sing solos.

I checked some CDs out from the library the other day. One of them is a Lazytown songs compilation. Liesl and Marta have seen Lazytown one or two times, though Liesl used to watch it a bit back in DC. Well, tonight, I put the CD on and Marta wanted me to swing her around and lift her up by her hands.
She called that dancing.
Liesl also wanted to dance with me, but in a more traditional way, where she holds my hands and runs around. After playing the CD once through and “dancing” with my daughters, with Marta fighting and crying every time I danced with Liesl, I went for a rest and let them dance the second time through the CD.
Liesl and Marta both tried to crawl into the washing machine (I guess that’s one of the benefits of a front-loader, beside increased water efficiency). After they were done with that, they danced a bit and Liesl started playing with the washing machine dial. As they were otherwise dancing, I told them not to play with the washing machine.
Marta came to the doorway of the living room and angrily/sternly said, “No, Daddy, we’re being ballerinas!”"

The girls and I took another two-miler tonight. Marta loved wearing my awesome driver’s cap (like the kind they wear in Italy). Unfortunately, most of the way home, I noticed she didn’t have it any more.
“Wo ist mein Hut, Marta?”
“I threw it away!”
“Liesl, weisst du wo mein Hut ist?”
“The wind took it in the tree!”
Back and forth a few more times, I turned us around to re-trace our steps, Liesl and Marta insisting the wind took it and it was in a tree.
I really like that hat! I was kind of irritated and said a prayer. After two or three blocks, we found the hat in a shadow in the middle of the sidewalk. Thankful to have found the hat, we turned and went home.

The other day, when we were at the library, Liesl did her dance. “I have to go potty!” We went to the lavatory, where Liesl proceeded to get a toilet seat cover all set up for herself.
When did she learn that? Meantime, Marta is fascinated with “washing her hands” in the library lav sink. She’ll turn both faucets on and play in the water. The sink, fortunately, has an overflow control, but it’s not enough to keep the girls from splashing water out onto the floor.