Giving Thanks for the Funny and the Family

Here I am, sitting in the office today... It's about 4:30, and I get to haul out of dodge in about 30 minutes. Pages are layed out, text and photos dropped in, edited, proofed, and on their way to the printers (well, tomorrow morning they will be, but for today and this week's issues, things are shined up and ready to go as far as the editorial department goes... The pages meet their fate with the production department this evening, and then to the printing press they go.)

As I sit here reflecting on my day at The Tablet offices, two things made me laugh out loud. And they all came through the phone from Manny, as he updated me on Gabriel's day.

I don't come up with half of these posts. Most of them are merely my reflection on the posts that center mostly around Gabe. Within a year, I should be able to hand over the reigns to him and all will be funny and hilarious in Gabe-World Blog.

Today's first "laugh out loud" moment came when Manny told me that while on their walk to school, they passed a white dog with black patches. "That dog looks like a Cow, Dad!!"

Ok, perhaps the funny doesn't transcend how I know Gabe said it through writing alone.

However, when Manny called me after picking up Gabe from school and telling me what his teacher reported Gabe said during Circle Time, does.

"How was everyone's weekends? Did you all have a nice few days off?"
As students nodded their little heads and some shared tidbits from their time away from school, Gabriel raised his Big Boy Hand.
"Yes, Gabriel?"
"I had a very nice weekend," he said. "My baby sister had a GRRRRRRRRREAT POOP IN HER DIAPER."
Apparently, his fellow classmates offered him a wonderful showing of support, as they all said "Yay!!" and told him how happy they were for his Baby Sister Anna that she had such a magnificent Number Two over their vacation.

I sometimes wonder how much Gabe has already retained over the past few months, considering he has picked up on her constipation issues (that we think we have solved - Knock On Wood), and how much he will decide to share with her future boyfriends or prom dates.

I can only imagine that life with him will be quite hilarious and I look forward to watching them grow together. Already they have begun singing together in the back seat of the car, as he recites everything from the classic "Wheels on the Bus" to the latest, Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" where he sings "My My My My My My My My POLKAH FACE!"

Anna just sort of yells along, voice carrying high and low tunes, sounding either like a cat in distress or just a baby having a lot of fun. She is happy rolling everywhere and chewing on toys and blankets, and talking and laughing with me more and more everyday (which makes my life complete, really).

On a completely different note, we are heading back to Ohio for the first time in six months, another long stint away from the ol' stopping grounds, for my Mimi and Pap Thompson's 50th wedding anniversary. There will be family in visiting that I haven't seen since high school, some even longer. It should be a wonderful celebration of their years together and I am looking forward to it immensely. I just love this photo of them, taken when they were courting... Wasn't my mimi a real fox?