Milly’s Pierced Ears

Milly decided close to a year ago that she was going to get her ears pierced for her fifth birthday.  There was a lot going on on her actual birthday, so we took her to get it done Friday morning after bagels at Bagel Basket, a place we’ve been going to lately that she has come to really enjoy.

We went to what was formerly known as Piercing Pagoda at the mall.  I can’t remember what it’s called now, but anyway, that’s where we went.  Milly was very excited to pick out her earrings, all the way up until the first ear actually got pierced.  After that it probably took an hour and fifteen minutes or so to calm her down enough to get the second one done.

It didn’t matter what we said, we could not get her to do it.  She cried that she wanted to be brave, but she couldn’t.  She said she didn’t want to go, but she also didn’t want to get the other one done.  She wanted to pierce it some other way, one of her suggestions being a toothpick(?!?!?).  We even reasoned with her that the one she already got pierced didn’t hurt very long at all.  In the end I held her and she wrapped her arms around me and she was able to not put her arm in the way, hide her ear in her shoulder and hold still long enough to get it done.  She cried for a second, then she was all rainbows and butterflies.  Almost as soon as we stepped out of the pagoda she was twirling around and smiling.  She was very happy to have had it done.

I went to work after that and the girls did whatever they did.  I know Karen got to town at some point and Milly was taken to a Frozen party at Learning Express.  Amanda did a lot of cleaning and party prep.

My brother Adam came to town as well, although he got here a little later.  He played with Milly outside a lot, which made me smile as I was mowing the yard (with our neighbor Pete’s mower, though Phil fixed ours the next day by spraying a little ether in it).  Later in the evening I asked Adam where he liked to hang out when he lived here and used to go out, and one place he said was Blue Post, so I asked if he wanted to go there.  At first he said no, but he immediately changed his mind.  I’m glad he did.  He and I went out and had a fun time.

The first thing we did was to play three games of air hockey.  I won the first two, he won the third.  Then we found a good place to sit, hang out and chat.  I really enjoyed it and wish we had done stuff like that more when we both lived in town.

Milly’s Fifth Birthday

Milly’s birthday (and birthday party) was the next day.  I went out to pick up the balloons and a few small items and by the time I got back my sister Andra’s family was there (my nephew, Jackson, ran out to greet me) and so was Amanda’s dad, Phil.  My parents got there a few minutes later.  I’d list everyone who showed up for the party, but I’d inevitably leave someone out and I’d feel bad doing that.  In her prayers that night, Milly did pray for the friends who were out of town and couldn’t make it.

There were a couple pretty funny interactions between all the kids that day.  One was when Ashley, who was in Milly’s dance class last year, got there, and I think the first thing she said to Milly was “Milly, I’m five, too.”  Milly’s response was, “Well you could have said ‘happy birthday.'”  I’m pretty sure I laughed out loud at that.  They then proceeded to chase each other around the yard.

The other one was when Maggie heard Lauren claim to be the only five-year-old there.  Maggie mentioned this to her dad, who suggested she correct this misconception (there were at least five five-year-olds there) by saying, “You’re mistaken.  I’m five also.”  So Maggie went up to Lauren and told her, “You’re mistaken.  I’m five too.”  Lauren responded with, “You’re a liar!”  I and the parents all thought it was funny anyway.

People trailed out after a few hours.  Unlike last year we didn’t have any particular events or whatever planned- the kids all just played and talked and hung out, which was cool.  The theme was Flag Day (because Karen has done a good job of drilling into Milly that her birthday is also Flag Day), so we went red, white and blue, including some drinks Amanda made.

Milly did want to end with a dance party, and she did have it, but I wish we’d done it earlier than we did.  She and Addie and Ada danced a good bit, but that was about it.  Grant sang along to the Katy Perry songs Milly picked for her playlist, so that was also entertaining.

After everyone left and we cleaned up Amanda and I took Milly to see Trader Dragons 2 (How to Train Your Dragon 2), which she’s been wanting to see.  I never got around to seeing the first one, but I thought it was pretty good.  Afterwards we went by Brilliant Sky so Milly could buy a few of the things left over from the box of presents she’d picked out from there that hadn’t been bought yet.

My Fifth Father’s Day

The first thing I was cognizant of this morning was the sound of Milly running into our room, getting on the bed, giving me a hug and telling me “Happy Father’s Day!”  What a great way to start a Father’s Day, no?

She was very excited about it being Father’s Day.  One of her presents yesterday was a journal, and yesterday, on the first page of it, she drew a smiley face and told me it was because she was excited that tomorrow was Father’s Day.  (She drew another one next to it today because she’s excited about going to the beach tomorrow.)

I played with her for a minute, doing a princess stencil thing she got (I think with money from Bonnie that she spent at Brilliant Sky) then got ready for church.  We went there then went to The Oceanic for brunch.  It was a bit windy, but it ended up being nice out.

We got home, Amanda ran to the store then we headed off to Beulaville for Father’s Day lunch.  We had tacos, corn on the cob, chips, brownies and cobbler.  Milly got to open a few more presents from the extended family, one of which was a ukulele.

That reminds me: I got one myself for Father’s Day, though I opened it on Thursday.  Amanda and Milly went out to get me a gift that day and Milly was too excited for me to open to to let me wait.  Anyway, Milly and I now have ukuleles.  I’ve never played any instrument, but I’m looking forward to trying to learn a bit on it.  Amanda said it would be nice for me to have a hobby that doesn’t depend on the weather.

Joanne and Pierre were there.  Michael and Jenn got there after we did, but Anna, Barry and Hannah and Karen and Phil were there when we got there too.  Peggy and Earl too, of course, but it was there house.

I read a bit of The Princess Bride to Milly on the way there and on the way back until she got distracted.  She played with her ukulele, acting like she knew what she was doing and making up songs.

After we got home Milly and I were sitting outside playing with our ukuleles (I was trying to figure out how to do anything with it, we plan on letting Milly go to a camp where she gets lessons at some point in the summer) when Pete and Alisha pulled up at their house.  Milly had to go show them her new toy (she was also dressed up in a new dress she got today), so we chatted with them a bit.  Amy, Eli and Ada showed up a little after that, then Nick a little while after that.

Milly gave Amy and Eli tattoos.  Andra got her a tattoo kit for her birthday.  It’s actually pretty cool- it’s a little airgun that sprays out ink and it comes with stencils.  She gave quite a few today, actually.  In addition to her Warkentien victims, I think she also gave them to Hannah, Jenn, Joanne and Peggy.

After the kids went to bed the Warkentiens watched last week’s episode of Game of Thrones.  It got a little tense for Amy- she kept talking through it and ended up biting Nick.  Yeah, I don’t know why.  Cyra arrived a little after that was done and we watched the season four finale.

Overall it was a very nice Father’s Day.

Kidney Stone Saga Update

I haven’t passed the son of a bitch yet.  I haven’t been in pain, either though.  The last Percocet I took was Friday night before going out with Adam.  I think I had pushed myself a bit mowing the lawn and was starting to feel a good bit of soreness.  But I didn’t take one the next day or today.

It’s funny how they seem to randomly affect me.  Sometimes they make me sleepy for a little while, sometimes they make me woozy and a little loopy and sometimes I don’t really feel anything at all (except for the lack of pain, which is itself the definition of not feeling anything).  It doesn’t seem to matter whether I’ve had anything to eat before taking them or not.  It almost seems like the effects on me are totally random.

Anyway, no real news, but no pain either.

Zach Dotsey