– This picture has nothing to do with this post. It’s just cute.

– I had a head cold on Friday that turned into some unholy type of stomach flu/food poisoning on Saturday. Lived to tell about it, thanks to Wes and my parents, who drove up from Texas to watch the girls when he had to go to work on Sunday. Can now eat small portions without hurling. Hallelujah! (As soon as I felt better, Emma told me, “Get back to work, Mommy.” Yes, ma’am.)

– Discovered that Charlie will submit to the “older dogs” in the house but not the “pups” when I left the kitchen to help Emma in her room and heard Ana scream, “CHARLIE IS EATING MY PIZZA!” Yes, he jumped on the table and snatched the pizza in my absence, yet managed to looked properly repentant, even with sauce all over his nose, when I returned. Have to remind myself that he is still, at just six months old, a puppy, even though he weighs twice as much as each of my children. (And eats ten times faster than them, as evidenced by the pizza gulping.) He’s paid for his transgressions this morning by lying perfectly still while Emma throws herself on him and shouts, “I want to PET you, Chah-lee!” He’s a pizza-eating saint of a dog.

– We’re ready for the fall weather to return because if it doesn’t, I’ll have to start donating platelets and plasma to cover the cost of our electric bills. (Oh, I exaggerate there, so don’t worry about us and start sending checks. Unless, of course, you want to, then who am I to stop you?) Is it just me or has this summer been hotter than normal? And does it mean, as I suspect it might, that our winter will be colder than normal? I have an eerie feeling that this is where we’re heading. I guess we’ll see soon enough, won’t we?

– We passed the six month mark on our Disney vacation this past weekend, so Wes called and made all of our dining reservations. The girls seem to remember only one “restaurant” from our last vacation and keep telling me that they’re eating donuts and chocolate milk at Main Street Bakery. (Not technically a restaurant and certainly not one with a waiting list that requires advance reservations.) All of those fancy meals with all kinds of characters and food, and all they care about is getting those donuts and chocolate milk. Come to think of it, though, that does sound pretty good.

– I finished up my Christmas shopping for the girls yesterday. I had a great coupon, coupled with some great sales and free shipping, so we just went for it. If you want to save money on Christmas shopping, making it a year-long project is the only way to go. A little here, a little there, and you’re done before prices (and crowds!) are insane. Hiding the gifts until December, however, will prove more challenging since Ana has figured out which closet is the gift closet. Hmm…

– You may remember that Emma, while potty trained, isn’t so great at telling us when she needs to go. She’s just held it until we’ve suggested that she goes. (Which is quite admirable but very inconvenient for her.) She put one of the princess stools in front of the potty last week so she could climb up on her own, and all of a sudden, I don’t have to remind her to go at all. She just stops playing, loudly announces to everyone what she needs to do, and takes care of her business all by herself. Of course, this is not without some drama, as she also believes that she should change underwear with every bathroom visit. I didn’t realize this was happening until the underwear drawer ran dry — no pun intended — and I saw her running to her room with buns bared after a potty visit. I think we’ve corrected that problem now and are rejoicing in bathroom independence!

Okay, and now Emma is trying to put one of Wes’s shirts on Charlie. I better intervene. Happy Tuesday!