Enjoy the Silence . . . if You Dare

All parents know the Moment. You know, the Moment when you realize that you are about to walk in on something you probably don't want to see. I had one of those this morning.

I was trying to pack for our return trip to the Burgh (we are back, by the way). Alexis was "helping" me by grabbing things out of the suitcases and delivering them to various parts of the house. This had been going on for about twenty minutes when, suddenly, she didn't return to load up on more loot. I knew at that Moment that I should go exploring for the Kinnley Bear, but I waited and instead enjoyed a few moments of things actually going in the suitcases and staying there.

But then there was the sound. Or rather the lack of sound. All you parents know that total silence is never a good thing. My silence was followed by a slurping sound. At that point, curiousity got the best of me and I decided to go find out what had occupied Alexis. Fortunately, there was a camera nearby so that I could capture the moment.

Clearly, our daughter has spent way too much time around dogs. Oh, and that was was used water that she was drinking like a dog. In fact, it was Meg used water, so that's probably a special blend of water AND slobber on Alexis' face.

Where's Dora?

Dora has penetrated Indiana just as she has Pennsylvania. So far Alexis has found her at Miejer, Marsh, Wal-Mart, Target, Jo-Anns, Marshalls, and even Linens n Things. It's as if Alexis has nothing better to do than to try to find Dora everywhere we go.

It Must be Magic

Alexis has managed to do something that I have been trying to do for probably 10 years. She did it in just a few days.

Whenever we visit at Grandma's house, I have issues with the TV. For some reason, the TV in this house is broken and usually only displays really bad shows on the History Channel or pointless sporting events. Now we all know I love me some Steelers, but I see no reason to watch arena football, European League football, eighteen hours of pregame shows leading up to a preseason game, etc.

In the past I've tried asking nicely, I've tried joking, I've tried whining, and really it doesn't seem to matter. The TV stays stuck on the Torture Channel. But somehow, someway, Alexis has gained control of the remote and has it set to all Signing Time all the time. The really baffling thing is that she doesn't even have to be in the room--she maintains control over the TV from miles away. I actually witnessed six adults watching Signing Time when Alexis and I had been in a totally different room of the house for 20 minutes. Let's just hope Alexis continues to use her magical TV controlling powers for good and doesn't start working for the bad side. If Barney or the Wiggles were to suddenly pop up on the screen, I might have to start walking back home.

Here's Alexis playing in the Cage 'O Fun. You may notice that she can make Signing Time appear on that TV as well.