"Flem color chart"

Driving to school this morning Jack tells me that he "throws up into his mouth a lot". So I asked if it was throw up or mucous. He says he has no idea he usually just swallows it. So I ask him to spit it out in a napkin next time because if it is just mucous from a cold that is fine but if it really is throw up we should probably tell the doctor.

  Fast forward seven hours. We are driving back home from school. I no longer remember this morning's conversation. He says, so I made you a "flem chart. I drew some mucous on the cover so that it isn't too boring". He then unrolls a chart and begins to read, " 1st flem color-there is not enough lighting in the boys bathroom so I am not exactly sure if the color I saw was correct. 2nd and 3rd flem colors are exact.". I later saw the chart. It is by far one of my favorite things any of my children has ever created. I am keeping this one for all times sake. 
 That he took my concern so seriously and then charted it both cracks me up and impresses me. 

It  made my day. When finally I saw it and read his phonetic spelling of "egzaktly" I loved it all the more.

Allison's Birthday

Today we celebrated Allison's 5th birthday. Her "real" birthday is tomorrow. Her morning started off well when she saw that I had put new toys on her cake. She has been counting down the days for this party for the last 164....I know because she asks every morning "how many days till my birthday."  She had nine friends come to her mermaid party. It went pretty well. The kids are all super sweet and I feel so lucky that my children have such nice peers. Some of the kids  seemed so tiny. It was amazing how much pizza they all ate. Joe lead them all on a fun treasure hunt complete with a cute rhyme he wrote and I was pleased that my Mermaids in the Water version of Ring Around the Rosie was such a hit. Allison proved to be a nice little hostess as well. After the kid party....well after a two hour break...we hosted the family party. We have a lot of cousins now! My house seemed so loud with all the people here, but I really enjoy hosting these things- they somehow add life to the house. 

  I can't quite wrap my head around Allison turning five. The last five years in my life have been the most trying and ultimately the most important, and oddly the most wonderful. I always feel somewhat "off" on Allison's birthday. I usually like to retreat a bit. It was a pivotal day in my life. In any case Evelyn is sick. Poor thing got a fever at the end of the family party. I already called in to work to let them know I would be out tomorrow. I can't say that I am disappointed. I think it will be nice to have a day off to just be home, on Allison's birthday.