Long time, no blog

• So Dan's on his fishing trip until tomorrow afternoon. He has been gone since Thursday. Caleb is really not on his best behavior since he's been gone. Usually Madeline is the one that shows us how much sttitude she can have, but she has been great. Caleb on the other hand was throwing things from the cart yesterday at Walmart including a package of cheese slices which busted open and send cheese flying. He came to my bed twice on Saturday night which he has never done before.
• Madeline stopped sucking her thumb, so she earned her trip to Chuck E. Cheese on Friday. They had a great time there and were very well behaved. Spend $50 and walk away with two plastic bugs, one plastic dinosaur, a Chuck E. Cheeses tattoo and two ponytail holders. What a deal.
• Saturday I helped give a shower in the neighborhood for a friend who is having a girl in October. It was really cute, but that was five hours away from Madeline that she was not happy about. Since she started school, she has been even worse about me going anywhere. We went to the pool after that and had dinner there. They have really come a long way this summer with their swimming. Caleb hops in his float and goes wherever or swims around in his lifejacket. Madeline is pretty much a little fish without any help now. Putting her face under to swim had been something she was resisting, but once she started that, she's been great in the water.
• Yesterday the kids had a party at JumpZone in the afternoon. Caleb usually loves that place, but he was bery clingy and wanted me to do everything with him. After that was the great time mentioned earlier at Walmart.
• Today is laundry day and we have a playdate at 10:00. I am glad Caleb has those with his little buddies. I think he is really missing Madeline since she started school.
• Speaking of school, she is loving it. Not loving her 6:30 wake up time, but she is handling that better than I thought she would. We got her an alarm clock, and we have her clothes picked out for the week on Sunday night. That makes her pretty independent. We had planned to take her to school and pick her up, but she came home the first day crying that all her friends in the neighborhood were riding the bus and would it be okay if she changed her mind. They sit them on the bus by grade level, so she stays with the kids her age. I guess it really makes things easier, I just hadn't planned on it.
• We were really lucky that one of her friends on the next street is in her class, Abigail. There are 11 kindergartens, so chances weren't good she'd have someone she knows in there. Only one child from her preschool class goes to her school. So it worked out.
• It has been so hot, they haven't been able to go outside to play except for one day. The air quality is so bad that the county put a hold on all outdoor activities for a while. I think she will like it even better when she can get on the playground.
• In other big news, Madeline got her cut REALLY cut. She had been saying she wanted to, but I wasn't sure if she would do it. She loves it! She looked in the mirror a lot at first. I know you'd love a picture, and I thought I had one, but it is not on the computer yet. Big surprise.
• Caleb is of course, still a Cars fanatic. Now he has taken to repeating everything the movie says. Cute at two, annoying when he is older. hopefully it passes.
• This pitiful post without pictures will have to do for today because I need to get in the shower and switch laundry.