Sleepovers and Death

It's been a while since I posted a blog.  Sorry about that.

Last night Dharma and Mackenzie wanted to have a "sleepover" in Mackenzie's room.  This has not turned out well the last few times what with all the screaming, talking and fighting going on.  So I was pretty hesitant last night.  Dharma was able to convince me though.  Right before she turned the conversation to a more morbid topic: how she plans on living forever.

Here they are sound asleep.  

Nicer than a chicken nugget

Dharma thinks our new fosterdog, Aries, is nicer than a chicken nugget. I don't even know what that means.

Dharmaland: Grand Re-opening

Today I spent 4 hours getting Dharmaland set up for the season.  I layed landscape fabric and stapled it down (with Dharma's "help").  I put up the fencing, I put down the edging and put out a lot of mulch (I lost count of how many bags).  When I say "I", what I actually mean is "we" - Mackenzie helped A LOT!  She helped lug bags of mulch from the garage to the backyard and she was on dog doody clean up.

I only got the clubhouse and the main slide in there before I quit for the day due to soreness kicking in.  We still have the smaller slide, a beach (sandbox) and two picnic areas to wash off and get in there.  Dharma doesn't mind, she has already been in there playing.

We did take a half hour break to try to fly a kite.  Try.  We tried.  None of us are very good at it.  I am blaming it on the surrounding houses and NOT our disability to fly a kite.

All in all it was a good day.  The kids were well behaved and helpful.

ATTEMPT AT KITE FLYING:

DHARMALAND, DURING RENOVATIONS:

DHARMALAND, AFTER RENOVATIONS:

Look to the left side of the next two pictures.  I noticed the rainbow in both 

of them when I opened them to crop and size them.  Weird camera

angle, I'm sure...but neat none the less.

The Claw

I love the claw machine.  I think they are fantastic and for years I could not walk by one without playing it.  I have to say I was pretty good at it, too.  I remember this one time, my sister, Kendall, and I were coming back from my grandfathers funeral.  This was, gosh, 15 or 16 years ago I bet.  We stopped at the oasis for gas and a snack and I played the claw machine winning prize after prize.  Some guy came over and offered me $10 to win something for his girlfriend.

That's not the only time I have been given money by strangers to win claw machine prizes for them.  When my older daughter, Mackenzie, was about 3 or 4 she too got sucked in by the claw.  She inherited my knack for accurately placing the claw over a specific item and hitting the release button at just the right time.  One time and she was addicted.  Really.  Over the last few years we outlawed claw machines because it got to the point where Mackenzie could not walk by one without HAVING to play. 

Tonight we decided to let Dharma try her hand at the fantastic claw.  Up until tonight she has been a mere onlooker.  Cheering for us when we won and sharing in our disappointment when we didn't.  After explaining the game, and giving her some pointers, I put in the money and Dharma carefully moved the joystick to the right.  Then the left.  Back a little.  Nope, too far, forward again.  When she was confident she was located just over the toy she wanted, a monkey of course (refer to the Christmas Day blog) she got a gleam in her eye.  I knew the feeling all too well.  Excitement and hope that you win, but a lurking feeling that you know you probably won't.  She pressed the red button.  The claw seemed to take forever to reach the bottom.  It grabbed the monkey, lifted the monkey, and started to carry the monkey across the clear, plexiglass box.  While Dharma was jumping, I was secretly thinking that it was going to fall just shy of the hole and we were going to end up either putting in more money to try again, or walking away with a crying child.

Then it happened.  The claw dropped the monkey.  About 6 inches away from the hole.  Oh No!!  My heart sunk.  Rob started to say "awwww."  Then, as if she willed it to happen, the monkey rolled, just enough to fall into the hole.  She grabbed that monkey and yelled "It's just the one I wanted!"

Pink Flowers

A few minutes ago, Dharma came up to me and we had this conversation:

Dharma: "Mom, can I see your underpants?"

Me: "Why?"

Dharma: "Because I want to see if they are cooler than mine."

Me: "Are yours too hot?"

Dharma: "No, they are too cool.  They have pink flowers." At this point she lifted up her shirt and stuck her hip out at me.

Me: "Oh.  Mine don't have pink flowers.  I must not be cool."

Dharma: "If your butt was more little you could use mine."

Me: "Thanks, Dharma.  I appreciate that."

The kid always knows what to say.

I Am Dharma

It was only a matter of time...