A Cold One

I performed a very unscientific experiment today. I took a can of Coke Zero that started at room temperature with me to Rapid City. The temperature outside was around -10 degrees F. Wind chills around-20 degrees F. I left Sturgis for Rapid at 1:50 p.m. I drove for 25 minutes. I stopped at five stores for a total of 2 hours 15 minutes. The other 30 minutes was spent driving to get to the stores. By the time I left Rapid at 5:00 to come home, my Coke Zero was more than sufficiently chilled.

By the way, the wind chills will top out at -50 degrees F tonight.

Kaleidescope

I very frequently admire the way God brought together two children and two adults that are so similar. I am amazed at all the ways the children we adopted are so like us. But today, I abruptly realized, there is no way I could pass them off as mine. You see, when I play with Play-Doh, all the colors have to be kept separate. Or at least, I have to be able to separate them back out and put them back in the right cans. My kids immediately mash multiple colors together in what I like to call the hue, "Mud Confetti." It used to drive me nuts. Now I just divide the big lump into smaller lumps, and put it back in all the cans marked, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Black. I guess I'm mellowing out.

Disturbing Words from the Backseat

We are driving home from Spearfish. Both of the girls are buckled in their carseats:

1. J says, "Mom, let's play hide-and-seek! You count, I'll hide!" Then she makes me count out loud. To her credit, she hides under a blanket.

2. We were all singing a fun chorus of "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands!" After the first round we always make up new things to do if you're happy. E suggested, "If you're happy and you know it burn yourself!"

To both of my children I say, "Uh, WHAT?!"

Kiddo Quotes

E pretend reading a book, "In a far away land, that wasn't very far away..."

E was pretending to watch J's baby. J said as she was picking her up, "E, thanks for sitting my baby!"