Sugar...we love it!

Evidently if I had introduced Skittles earlier, Luke would have crawled sooner...

Lament that you do not have Skittles...

Appropriate Skittles...

Eat Skittles...

Yesterday, we went to what amounts to the DMV to start the licensing process. We were supposed to get a passport-like pic taken, but no smiles, and have someone sign a sheet who is from here and has known us for 2 years...What the what? So, you can drive on a foreign license for a year, then you have to get the UK license. At what point does one year translate to 2? So, with more research, Josh found out that we could personally go to this office, the guy could take one look at us and sign it himself. We still have to send our passports to get the "provisional license," which then enables us to sign up for and take our theory test, which then enables us to take our practical test. We have still been studying for the test. The road signs are crazy! Tons to memorize...

Anywho- this was the view across from the "DMV" office...

Loved this view of the 2 kids. It took longer to load the kids in the stroller than to get this process done, so since we had already parked (someone was nice enough to leave a paid parking sticker on the machine I would have gotten one from, so we used that) and walked a bit to get here (to find that they had free, convenient parking), we decided to stroll through the mall- i.e. get a cookie, or 3 cookies. :)

This morning, Rebekah and I made pizza dough and sugar cookies for some guests we had for dinner. She saw my hands with flour on them, and begged to help. Who am I to say no? :) So, I measured 2 different amounts of flour for the 2 items and of course mixed them up! It all worked out, though.

Sweet one rolled balls of dough, placed them on the pan, and somehow managed to know that we needed to put 9 balls on there. She was very intent on her task, but also happy to munch on dough...

We did discuss hygiene and how you can't lick the fingers you're using to make balls. Bless her.

Pumpkin wanted to wear her hair like Mommy's (when it's long). Such a big girl! Her pants/trousers are getting pretty short, so we flipped them for capris. And, yes, we were expecting rain.

Luke is mastering crawling and it is just delightful! I can't tell you how many people hate it when their kids start moving, "because it's so much more work." They obviously have not had an immobile 14-month-old they've been carrying around for over a year! I LOVE it when they crawl! In fact, I had forgotten how much! I love seeing those little chubby arms and legs all working together and his little giggles as he gets to something he has never been able to get to before! I love how pelased he is with himself and how he feels a wee bit more relaxed about letting me out of his sight...in fact, much improvement in that area. I had forgotten just how much of "toddler" person I am and how relieved I am when babydom is behind us. I think this is just a great time!

Rebekah did ask, "When I get bigger, when I get older, when I can reach the sky, when I am an adult, will Lukey still pull my hair?" (she has always equated being big with being able to reach high)

Big day

This precious boy is crawling! At one day shy of 14 months, Luke Timothy Malone made a mad dash for a ball and several "ca-cas" (crackers) on all fours! Regardless of how old he is, I am so proud and so tickled for him, though not as proud or tickled as Luke is!

Rebekah forces Luke into "her tunnel," which was actually part of his bday gift...poor lad.

Rebekah randomly took this pic...well done!

4 am the other morning. That is light.

Rebekah has reverted to being a baby rather than a mommy. This was her dream come true- sit in the high chair and watch a movie during snack time. I was cleaning and all for it.

UK driving test

So, Josh and I have to get our UK driver's license within a year of moving here. That means by 8/9/09 (that translates to the 8th of Sept b/c the put the day first).

So, the test is broken into 2 parts: theory and practical.

Theory:

A) Pass a written, multiple-choice test. (which we are currently studying for)

This test is very specific to the UK. Types of pedestrian crossings (there are 4: zebra, pelican, puffin, and toucan), the color of lights a vehicle has (such as a blood transfusion vehicle (blue), a slow-moving vehicle (amber), or a doctor on call (green)), the documents you need to have (registration, MOT, SORN for a vehicle you're not driving, a tax disc- none of which are called the same thing in the US), your attitude about driving, because, don't we all know that good driving is more a result of the right attitude than the right aptitude (That's a quote)?.......etc.....

B) Pass a computer-scored hazard perception test

In this test, you are presented with a scene as if you are driving. You click the mouse every time you see something hazardous or that would affect your own driving (a pedestrian, a cyclist, something falling off a truck, etc.) There is a 5-second window for the click and you get more points the faster you click and fewer points the longer is takes you to perceive the hazard. Supposedly, the computer can detect and invalidate your score (thus failing you) for random clicks. There is a series of these scenes and supposedly practice makes perfect.

Practical:

You actually drive for 35 minutes with an instructor who looks for you to mess up. There are 4 types of mistakes (can't remember the names) and you can't have more than 16 and NO major ones. Yikes. This is the test that is tough to pass the first time.

We are planning on taking lessons due to the fact that we'd rather pay for lessons and get the ebnefit of the "tuition" and pass the first time (fingers corssed) that keep paying to fail. Plus, we have 2 very precious munchkins in the car with us and we'd like to keep them alive as long as possible. Plus, if they ask you for what classes you've taken, and you tell them none in a decidely American accent, they really have it in for you.

So, we bought some DVD instruction and practice tests/books from some friends here and are working on it a little every night. Josh is amazing at it. I still am working on common sense skills. :) We hope to take the theory asap and have the practical done by September.

Side note: each of the crossings is named for an animal that helps you remember it: (this is my version, I am still learning)

zebra: black and white stripes on the road
pelican: pedestrian with light sensor
puffin: pedestrian user friendly- the crossing can sense you're there and when you've crossed, thus slowing down traffic as minimally as possible
toucan: two can cross (pedestrians and cyclists)

Many people regularly walk, so the UK is pedestrian-friendly. There are some types of crossings where oncoming traffic must stop for any pedestrian- so as a driver, you have to be on the look-out at all times.

Did I mention we drive on the left side of the road? When we watch American movies and shows, it seems weird to see them on the right now. I actually go to the correct side of the car to drive now, too. I know that left turns are easier than right turns and know to look both ways for right turns. Roundabouts are just crazy and there are just too many of them- how expensive is it to put in a signal? Seriously.

The beach and a swim date

Beach

Yesterday was lovely enough that Josh decided that he would take an extended lunch so we could take the kids to Burger King (on the beach) and then to the sand to play! Note what they are wearing- or rather NOT wearing- coats!! Yippee! Even though the time in between the decision and the actual outing was gray and rainy, the sun came out just in time for burgers, fries, Diet Coke, and sand. Both kids had a blast...

Swim date

Today was my turn to take Rebekah on a date...being gray and dreary again, we opted for the pool and ice cream! We decided yesterday as we returned from the beach and passed our ice cream haunt. In true female form, Rebekah planned the whole outing without any feedback and knew exactly what it would look like and feel like- FUN! And it was!

First, let's check out the suit- 2 piece! In general, I am opposed as we are trying to instill a sense of modesty. However, this suit was passed down to us and showed off her abs, so we went for it. ;)

We had a FANTASTIC time! In excitement, R pulled her floaties out of the bag and so we arrived sans arm bands. Knowing we will frequent this place, I squeezed her into a Luke-sized pair that I ourchased on the spot (they probably know me as the spendy American who just buys what she needs) and will use them for him.

Since my arms were free (not holding sweet Luke, who took a 2 1/2 hour nap with Josh this morning!), R and I were able to explore a bit more than last time. We played in the water, in the wave pool, in the "lazy river," and finally, went down the "flume"- where I held her all the way down and at the last minute held her above the water as I plunged underneath the water in the splash pool. She LOVED it! However, much my child, she is scared of going under water, getting her head wet, and being out of control- we both semi-enjoyed the waves and lazy river, but the feeling of something stronger making you go somewhere is a bit overwhelming for us both. (I did realize how vital swim lessons are and will look into that. ) Rebekah CLUNG to me (no complaining, mind you, just a hangy monkey) and finally said, "I love you, Mama. I'd like to go away from here." Fair enough. Ice cream it is.

\

I let her pick out her ice cream, cone, and topping- raspberry swirl with sprinkles, all pink, of course! Oh the days of making all your choices based on "Which one is the pinkest?"

She even shared without being asked. She really is a precious girl.

We ended the day with nail-painting. I've never seen R still before, unless asleep. She was perfect. She's drying her nails here.

Luke developments

And- Luke crawled today! Never thought I'd say it, but he was on all 4's for a teeny tiny moment, but Josh and I both saw it at different times- he crawled a wee bit, then collapsed, and pushed himself around a bit after that. He is still tugging at our shirts to pull-up all the time and often pushes himself halfway-up with his bottom in the air and his hands holding him steady on the floor. It'll be interesting to see how long this process is. We both think he won't "crawl" for long.

He also pushed through 2 teeth yesterday- I know b/c I check every day- so #7 and #8 are officially in and he now has 4 on top and 4 on bottom. Good job, Buddy!

Lastly, he is talking all the time! It has been tempting to over-use the paci as he has been teething for years, I mean weeks, but we don't want to miss out on him talking. He now says "buh-bye" and waves, as well as "nuh-nuh" for night-night. He said Papa the other day (Josh's dad) and he says "Baba" for Bekah. Of course, he says Mama and Dada. I say "up" every time I add a block to a tower and he now says "uh uh uh" as we build and "dddd" as we knock them down. Clever boy. He also mimicks almost every noise we make, inflections included. He seems to love music and I've mentioned his fondness for TV and movies. He really, really reminds me of my brother. I think that's a good thing. ;)

The Hamburglar

You simply have to see my Hamburglar...

Yesterday Josh went to a conference. It was funny- 4 of us left-behind wives/moms all separately realized, with joy, that we didn't have to cook dinner! For my family, this meant we could and should go out! I promised Rebes the HUB (Subway inside it) and realized at 5:35 that it closed during the summer at 5:30. Oops. No car because Josh had it, so no Burger King. That left a very disappointed little girl or a bus ride to downtown for McDs. You know me. You know what I chose. Now, I have rarely ridden the bus here and never with both kids by myself- and certainly not at 5:45, where the kids' moods are anyone's guess. It was raining pretty hard and I don't have a rain cover for the easy umbrella stroller. That left the double stroller, which is cumbersome for a bus. I threw the kids in it and we strolled down the hill, peeking to see if the bus was coming. Indeed it was and I raced across the street and caught it literally in the nick of time! You need to know that controlling a wheeled item on the bus that zooms to and from stops was trickier than I imagined. I kept both kids in it, braked it, and held on for dear life. Luckily, the bus stops right at McDonalds and we had a great dinner....except where Rebekah asked me "Why does he have brown parts?" and I didn't hear her and said "What?" so she asked louder "Why does that man have brown parts?" pointing to a Nigerian man. I quietly said, "That's the way God made him" and never looked at him. Awesome. See below. She ate every bite.

We managed to do the exact same thing on the way back- catch the bus as it was pulling up! This is phenomenal, people! This time, I held Luke, not wanting to press my luck. He was a gem and a charmer. We made it there and back (and ate of course) in an hour- crazy!!

The same 4 women also all grieved that it was bath night with no husbands to help. However, I can't speak for the others, but I had THIS precious face to encourage me to do it. (Is anyone thinking how can that baby be in the 20th % for weight? Do you see him?) I seriously fall in love with my kids while looking at my own blog. They really are this cute.

You just never know when Bekah ("Baba") is going to come at you...

Still flinching. Poor baby.

Typical Aberdeen...you may think, OOh! Blue skies! But, lurking in the clouds on the left, is a rain cloud, ready to ruin any park plans you might have had...

So, we went to ASDA and these were my precious kids. Seriously, such good sports!...and looking quite sporty, I might say.

Oh- by the way, my sister-in-law started a blog for our recipes! The first entry looked delicious and easy! I added mine from a few months ago that I posted on this blog. From here on out, though, check out our recipe blog for a little inspiration!

p.s. Side note here- after the "brown parts" incident, R has been particularly attentive to her own skin color, which she evidently believes to be orange. I know this because she picked out her own socks today (yellow and orange stripes) to match her shirt (yellow) and herself (orange).

p.p.s. I burped yesterday (not very loud even) and Rebekah goes, "Wow, Mom! Was that YOU? That was pretty solid."

New stuff

Luke

So, major stuff going on- Luke is on the move!! Not full-out crawling, mind you, but a sort of army crawl/scoot/launch forward for a single snack, then push to sitting, eat aforementioned snack, try again, get frustrated that the push to sitting actually placed you farther back from the 2nd snack than you would have been had you just enjoyed the snack on your tummy and moved on from there. Oh well. We'll take what we can get- any forward progress is progress! :) Luke is also trying to pull up a lot! I cannot tell you how pleased with himself he is. New baby. Seriously. He is willing to experiment more because he can push straight to sitting quickly and not get stuck. It's great. He has been precious- LOVE watching him learn new things!!

Rebekah

As for other new things, I have a meeting next week for Rebekah's "nursery." I will review our situation: Rebekah will be 3 next month. At that age, Scotland offers a free position at a "nursery"- a public preschool. (At age 4, she is entitled to a free position.) I applied for the 3 yr old position, hoping she wouldn't get it so I wouldn't have to decide. You see, it's 1) public, 2) 5 days a week, 3) in place of a nap, 4) free, 5) unknown. I am not opposed to public school at all- honestly. I am just unsure of how the system works here (hence the meeting I suppose) and this city/country is very liberal in morality...not sure how much that permeates a 3 tear old class room.

The good news is that the class is play-based, which Josh and I are proponents of (for a good read, try "Power of Play" and "Einstein didn't use flash cards." As the titles suggest, these books argue for a play-based learning context, rather than pushing school too early. They cite Europe who does play-based, versus the UK who doesn't in general, and the results are that Euopean kids are more prepared for school and do better than UK kids. I guess it's the idea of making muffins and talking about ingredients (chemistry) and connecting that 3 muffins in this direction and 3 muffins in that direction are 6 muffins (math), etc. So, you don't skip lessons, you just contextualize them, which as a former language teacher, I resonate with).

Anyway, every time I think about it, my stomach feels sick. NO WAY am I sending my 3 year old away for 5 days. So, I will do 3 max and see what they have to say about that. It is instead of a nap (12:45-3:15), so that's good and bad. Good because I don't lose my little buddy during "our time", bad because she often needs a nap. I didn't even ask for morning b/c they're hard to get and because I didn't want her gone all morning and then asleep in the afternoon. This is also tricky because I will have to coordinate getting her there and back (a 5 minute walk from our new flat) around Luke's afternoon nap. I am confident he will be snoozing twice a day for a while, which I'm fine with. :) However, that complicate timing, etc. Such is life.

Okay- so here's the deal...I NEVER imagined that I would become so smitten with my kids that I would be this kind of mom. The kind that wants to delay school and spend as much time as possible with them. I seriously am shocked. Their childhoods are fleeting as it is, I am jealous of their time. I rarely ask Josh to take them anywhere without me because I don't want to miss out. I love them. With every part of me.

So, what's my problem? They have to go to school someday...granted not now and not for a while for little Luke. Will I be better equipped to release them later? Am I scared of what they'll be exposed to or what they'll become? Honestly, I can tell you now that I am terrified of having them out of my sight. I have left my kids with friends and family (never a hired babysitter). I have left them at church nursery (while I was still in the building), and I have left Rebekah at a creche outside my back window. I guess I have never left them with "strangers" in a strange land with strange views on things.

Here's what makes me cry (even as i type): Josh aside, no one will love my little girl the way I do. No one knows what's she's thinking as she's thinking it. No one thinks her every move is precious the way I do. No one will defend her with their lives the way I would. No one would run back in a burning building for her the way I would. No one will nurture her mind, heart, and sould the way I try.

I was a teacher- I loved my job, my subject, my school, and my students. However, I did not go home and tediously think of how to do better by them. They were students, not my children. Rebekah will be one of _______ students and she will not be special to anyone but me. I know that's normal and healthy even, but my mama bear side is uncomforatble with that.

(Before you even suggest it, I homeschooling is not an option for us. Don't even try. This is my blog and I can say good luck and thank you. :))


As for little one- Rebekah is ecstatic at the idea of school. She knows her school by name as we drive by it occasionally. She has remarked that Daddy must already be 3 since he goes to school. Also, she truly is sharp and think a classroom experience and any instruction there could only benefit her. She has LOVED her big girl Sunday school class and is excited for church every Sunday now. I suppose we can factor in her excitement level. :)

So, will you pray for us as figure out what to do?

Great weekend

So, I really just wanted to post what a great weekend it has been. The week started out great with Josh finishing his exams and us pretty much getting our flat for next year worked out. Then Tuesday took a turn for the worse and the week turned into something a little crazy and I did not blog because I didn't have much nice to say. :)

Long and short of it- I just ended up re-doing quite a bit of work due to some personal mistakes, as well as changed expectations from my boss and her people. I felt really stressed out about it, as well as discouraged that maybe I didn't do a very good job and they paid me for nothing (and maybe would not want me for the future jobs coming). Plus, the kids had some rough days this week. Nothing specific, just some funks and bad moods- yes, both of them! I just felt kind of down, but knew it would pass.

I guess that's why I was surprised how fun the weekend ended up being. The re-do on the work has been invigorating in that it is so much more cohesive and I feel so much more confident about sticking with it. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the solution and the chance to learn more for next time. I even learned some (read minimal and nothing to brag about, yet I am) HTML editing skills.

Plus, so much more important, we have had a wonderful time with the kids. Josh took Rebekah on their first daddy-daughter date! They rode the bus- a lot- and went to McDonalds for ketchup and french fries, in that order. I got some extra time with Buddy, which was very fun. Luke has been a RIOT! His personality is really coming out and we just love him! He is mimicking so much and giggling all the time. He totally gets when something is funny or out of context and is the first one to laugh. He is learning new things every days and seems to be getting closer to movement, which I suspect will only increase his contentment. He loves to stand and is balancing well. He pulls on my shirt a lot and tries to stand, so we're getting excited. We also are realizing just how much he loves TV! Josh firgured out he was cryign one time because the screen had gone black! So funny. Just fine when it came on. Luke also waves on demand and understands so much! We are just tickled to see him develop. His smile is truly the most precious thing ever.

The funny thing is that all this transpired because Rebekah got sick. She has been sleeping until 8am for a while now (what?!)- as Josh says, "When did our perennial early waker start sleeping in?" Oddly enough, the time when the sun peeks her head out at 3:30am! That aside, she got out of bed Saturday morning and very excitedly explained that she had spit up in her bed. That is her way of saying threw up. Yikes. Indeed she did....and evidently our sound machine was high enough that we never heard her (that has been remedied and yes, I felt awful about it). She was in good spirits and LOVED how Josh fawned all over her. He is a champ about showing compassion in these instances. He got her all curled up on a sheet on the couch, with a blanket, a pillow, and a trash can in case it came on again. It never did, but that trash can now resides in our living room as a permanent fixture just in case. ;) So, with all this, we stayed inside most of yesterday, and with both kids being so sweet, we actually loved it. Great fam time.

Since Rebekah never got sicker, we did end up going to a BBQ last night. One of Josh's professor's had over all the students from the Masters' program. I fuigured I'd be holding Luke the entire time, as that's what normally happens at these functions due to his massive mama crush, but the hostess, bless her heart, took him from me and perservered. She kept him distarcted and I was able to socialize. When I did have Luke, he was a doll. He seems to be getting over a ,lot of his evening fussiness. Praise the Lord- seriously.

This is Tom Scot- a fellow masters student. He is the only Scotsman of the bunch and decided it would benefit us all to see the full regalia. To my understanding, every family has a tartan (different kind of plaid) that they wear to special occasions, like weddings and formal gatherings. The kilt and gear are in lieu of a tux or suit. Awesome. I never liked tuxes anyway. Then, I think I heard that the men wear black kilts for funerals. It has been soooo cool to see even lads in kilts throughout the city. The most i see them is on campus at the chapel for weddings. The women wear 1940's-style hats and beautiful dresses- weddings are very formal here. I hope we gte to go to one. Yes, I will get Luke a kilt. No question.

This is Thomas. The kid was hysterical. He was out hosts' youngest boy (age 4).

No, in the midst of all this, I did not notice Luke had bogarted an entire tortilla chip. Man, that kid loves chips.

(side note: I loved seeing how much Luke enjoyed the big boys. There were 3, all as blond as my 2, and it was like seeing Luke at ages 4, 7, and 10. So fun!)

Earlier in the week- I loved that Rebekah and Ethan chose to sit together!

Rachel and I needed to go to Asda and with both of us having 2 little boys to boot, we can't all fit in the car at the same time. So, we put our kids to bed (minus Rebekah who had had a great nap and was wide awake) and hit the store on a girls' errand. Rebes was full-throttle and nonstop chatting the entire ride. She also fell in love with this tent, which was nicely displayed at the front of the store. I can't tell you how many Scots considered purchasing this 40-pound product as they walked by. Great marketing.

I just thought these were lovely.

Cheers!

Scottish dream

This is the very best ice cream I have ever had. It makes my tongue crazy happy. Bluebell and even Double Dip and Heyns' (Iowa City) have been replaced in my heart.

So, Scotland, I owe you a lot- you have given me the very best scallops and now ice cream I have ever had. Plus, I now enjoy fish. Crazy. Thank you.

WARM...HOT?

It was gorgeous Friday-yesterday- barely any clouds, perfect blue skies, and high 60's or low 70's...dare I say hot? It was almost too wonderful. So magnificent that this morning's chilly wind and gray skies were devastating. All good things must end, I suppose...but I often wonder why.

So, this was what Rebekah wore to church- NO sweater or tights! She was a little thrown off. I'll spare you the pic of her backside when she pulled up her dress in church during my photo shoot of another baby's baptism. Priceless.

With her pal, Lily, who was also bare-armed.

Josh decided we should picnic for his 33rd bday on Sunday. I was delighted and we loved it. None of the shots of Luke were great b/c he was learning how easy a straw is and was devouring Rebekah's milk, which was greatly lamented. Here I just liked her little crossed legs.

Sadly, and strangely, my kids got their first sunburns yesterday. Who would have thought the Scottish sun could do that. poor Luke- he is paler than I and that is saying something (he does have the softest skin ever, tho, so it evens out). Even the natives notice. I was mortified when his chubby little arms were bright red. Poor guy has had a rough 24 hours- sun burn, puked tonight for no reason (?), and had the shower head fall on his head during the de-vomit bath. Fear not, he got many snuggles and was quickly consoled.

While on the subject of Luke, he says Bekah now! It is very consistently "Ba ba." He still adores her- even watching her jump off the couch makes him crack up- so much so that we allow Bekah to jump off the couch. Luke loves sounds and tried to mimic many we make. He could hear Josh all the way down the flat (we live in 700 sq ft, so saying all the way down isn't exactly saying much) growling at Rebekah and he (Luke) did his best growl, too. Awesome.

Yesterday, Rebekah pulled out my shirt, looked in, and goes, "OOOOH! I liiiike those! What are those called?" Really?

I asked her if she would like her vitamin (gummy like a fruit snack)- she said, "I'd LOOOVE my vitamin!"

Josh told her she did a good job trying to go tee tee. She responded, "Actually, daddy, I didn't try. I tee teed." Fair enough.

Tonight we discussed (many times) that her birthday was in July, but that it wasn't quite her birthday yet because it wasn't July, Nana and Papa weren't here, and she didn't get her princess stuff yet (purchased for her birthday, apparently not secretly as I had thought). This discussion happened every time we talked about July. We were not allowed to sing Happy Birthday either b/c it wasn't her birthday yet. Crazy girl.

She got a bad ouchie on her foot from getting rolled over- her own fault for walking under the stroller. :( "It got better, though, because God healed it and God is a good God." Her words.

In good news, our neighbor got a trampoline and a slide, which R loves! We have done a lot of jumping the past week! Luke's fave is for me to hold him in my lap as R jumps around us. He will sit in there, too. Still not crawling, but lots of bottom shuffles to get around. He seems to be trying to pull up more- definitely grabs our shirts and heaves himself up, so we're making progress. I'm still shocked he hasn't budged-literally- on this. He is so wild- loves slides, being thrown around, flinging himself around, etc, that I would have guessed he would be crawling out his crib at this point.

Speaking of the crib, he has been freed from the sleep sack due to heat (I guess tin foil on the windows attracts heat...side story: a friend of our neighbor asked if we were growing marijuana...great.)- he has loved his new freedom and plays with his feet a lot now. He also is all over the place and can be found in crazy positions upon awakening. Most of the time we hear pacis clinking before we hear him. Sometimes at 10pm (like right now). That's when I think, a room NOT off the living room would be nice, so I wouldn't know he was making mischief at bedtime. Oh well.

In other great news, we think we have a flat lined up for next year!! It is our friends' and we are so sad to see them go. However, we are super-thankful they are working so hard to get us in their place this summer! We are also blessed because they have an American (read full-sized) crib and changing table and I can actually use my bumper for Luke and his pacis will have a chance of staying in his crib...bumpers don't protect against throwing, tho. Maybe a good net...? :)

Josh took his LAST test ever! Yea! he has been told that under no circumstances is he allowed to
pursue another degree. Period. Lord, please don't make me eat my words!

Okay- exhausted, long day.