Charles Pillsbury III

Last summer, during our trip home from DC, Sam got stung by a yellow-jacket/wasp at a Burger King and while he was being consoled they gave him a little toy Lisa from the Simpson’s Movie promotion that was going on at the time.  It is still floating around his toybox and apparently Grace found it as, per her mother’s report, she is running around the house this morning screaming:

“We have to save Springfield! We have to save Springfield!”

So, I hear a commotion upstairs, as I’m downstairs helping Jake with schoolwork. It takes me all of about 45 seconds to run up the stairs, find Sam crying (after Grace hit him several times and ran off with the toy she stole from him) and go in search of the little felon. Where do I find her? She had plopped herself into her time out chair in our bedroom, buckled herself in, and is grinning at me with an evil grin that says, “Don’t even *try* to punish me!”

–Alicia

Alicia and I were up at 4:30 this morning to get ready to take Grace to her appointment for Dental surgery. She was scheduled to get her two front teeth crowned. She was pretty zonked when we got in the car and headed in, and was pretty good until she had to take off HER pajamas in favor of a hospital gown.

The surgery started about 8:10 and ended up around 9:15. She was in recovery for another 45 minutes before she made it back to us. Once they got in there they discovered she needed root canals in both teeth and to prevent it from happening again they had to cut the little piece of muscle between the two front teeth as that was the source of at least part of her problem initially. She wasn’t really happy coming out of the anesthesia (though the staff were wonderful), and wasn’t particularly thrilled with the IV they had in her arm.

When we told her she could have the IV out if she drank something and kept it down for a little while she quickly started chugging a sippy cup full of apple juice like a frat boy at a kegger. She’s home now, and napping with Mom. Alicia’s not thrilled with how the crowns look, but they’re not bad (one is a smidge longer than the other and they’re a little larger than the teeth that came out), and Grace is still too cute for you anyway.

Alicia and Grace and I are getting ready to head to the hospital for her Dental surgery (the crowns on the two front teeth they couldn’t do with just the sedative because she was fighting it too much).

Last year for our anniversary Alicia and I visited a little B&B in Stone Mountain and spent some time walking through “the village” where we happened upon a store called The Cranky Princess. They have princess parties, and princess accessories, and shirts for cranky princesses young and old (and yes, we bought one for our very own cranky princess Grace). At two and a half Grace isn’t exactly fully into the “princess lifestyle”, but she does dress up in her Disney princess clothes, and is often called Princess Peach by yours-truly (Super Mario reference ‘natch!). What got me thinking about this was this piece on The Huffington Post.

Part of me, let’s be honest, is supportive of the princess concept. I’m a big believer in fairy tales, Grimm and all, with their evil queens, Black Forests, and grisly endings. I’d rather my daughter be wrapped up in Hans Christian Anderson than dedicated to the Backyardigans.

[From Pamela Paul: My First Princess Party - Living on The Huffington Post]

I can certainly say I’m not springing for the big bucks princess party for the kid, but I especially like the above point. Princess isn’t the worst thing to be obsessed with, but the Backyardigans may be.

Grace (unprovoked, from out of nowhere): “I’m a PWEschooler and you’re tod-del-er!”

Sam: “I am not a toddler, I’m still a preschooler and you’re still a toddler”

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Today at lunch (we’re all sick, so easter lunch was at Sweet Tomatoes instead of at a friend’s house. We didn’t want to share our germs with people we actually know) Jake decided to eat his Jell-o through a straw, which prompted Grace to try it with varying degrees of success. Sam didn’t want Jell-o, so he proceeded to use his straw to eat his honeydew melon (he would “core” out a little piece and then suck it up in the straw)… we’re a classy bunch.

I was going to wait until I got the picture I took of it off the camera, but…

Within 45 seconds of my walking in the door last night Sam was crying. He and Jake had been watching a DVD and Grace was messing with the little DVD player and Jake had told her to stop. So Grace was mad at Jake, but because she couldn’t get high enough she turned her head sideways and BIT the bridge of Sam’s nose, leaving bright red grooves on the sides. *sigh*

She’s sitting in her chair and, at the top of her lungs:

“TOMORROW I LOVE YA A DAY AWAY!”

Oh, and a slightly older one that Alicia sent me in e-mail one day:

Sam (playing with pegs): “That’s it Grace–put it back. Now, don’t disturb me again!”