Before I forget...

There were a couple of priceless stories in the the last week or two that I need to record.  No pics of the moments, just the story.

1. At the zoo on Monday, we were looking at several species of birds, one of which, with a huge toucan-like bill (can't recall the name) was right about the twins's size and height.  It had been pacing the glass on one side of the exhibit, and Joy was standing on the other side, nose to glass, looking into the bird's habitat.  Poor thing, she didn't even see the bird coming, and suddenly an animal her own size walked right in front of her eyes, about three inches away, just on the other side of the glass.

You can imagine her reaction.

She absolutely flipped out and just started howling.  I scooped her up and said, "Oh, Joy, he surprised you, didn't he?"

Joy: "HEEE SUURRRPRRRISSSEED MEEEEEEEEEE!" over and over, so very loudly, amidst sobs.

Then she adds, "HEEE SHOULD SAAAY EXCUUUUUSE MEEEEEEE!"

And I believe it was my subsequent explosion of maybe equally loud laughter that quenched her tears and let us move on with our morning.

2. Blythe.  Oh sweet Blythe.  Blythe, honey, I'm sorry to tell this story on the internet, but should I ever get Alzheimer's, I want a record of this. I will also go ahead and say this is not a slight on your intellect in the least.  It's just a little quirk you have.

Well, friends, Miss Blythe has this habit of asking for something desperately, adamantly, only for us to remind her it's in her hand.  Her standard response is a very sweet and quiet, "Oh."

One day last week, she was saying, "I need a fork! I need a fork! I need a fork!!!!" I told her it was in her hand.

Bless her soul, she looked at the empty hand.  But she didn't just look at it.  She stretched out her fingers, peered between them, turned her hand around.  You could not pantomime looking for something on your hand any better than she did if you tried.  This went on for at least 15 seconds.

I was telling her, "Look in your other hand!" the whole time, but she would not give up her examination of the empty hand.

Then Abby Jane, who was getting every bit the kick out this that I was, grabbed the wrist of the hand holding this much-sought-after fork, and shook it back and forth, saying "It's this one!"

Blythe's response when she saw it: "Oh."