Hiatus

So. It's looking like Adam might be coming onboard. Not totally decided. But thanks for the input thus far. We shall see.

As for me... why the two week hiatus, you ask? Hmm. Where do we begin?

It certainly wasn't for a lack of craziness happening at the Ashley homestead. Oh no. We had the normal level of activity for the first week, but I think the March 10th entry I made while Ellie experimented with the Altoid up her nose was enough to keep me away from the computer - just in case she tried a repeat performance. THEN... last week I went to blog and low and behold, my computer had been turned off. After several attempts to turn it back on, a sickeningly blank blue screen was all I got - every time. If my panic level at Ellie's nose incident was this ***, it went to about a !@*^$T*&#^*@&^$* (not in a profane sense, of course) at realizing the contents of my computer were possibly forever unaccessible.

Long story short, they were. When my assigned Apple Genius uncrossed his fingers post-attempts to revive my third child and shook his head, I braced myself for the next words out of his mouth: We're going to have to erase everything. The only way I was able to take another breath was by thinking: Good thing I asked Santa for that external hard drive this year. (And good thing I was a good girl and that I got one and that I used it.) I'm pretty sure I successfully backed up my 5000+ photos, most movies and downloaded music. Nothing else, however. Oops.

What did my Genius say when I asked how this (some sort of cross-system locking) might have happened? "When you get too many commands happening at the same time, it can lock up." Me, interpreting: "So, um, like if my two young children "type" (bang) on the keyboard, that could have done it?" "Very possible." Nice.

So, not only did I lose many irreplaceable programs, pictures and documents etc etc, I lost the running list of quotes by the girls since the last QFTD entry. So sad. I do have the last couple of days' worth, however. And they are:

QFTD

Me: "Ellie, give Daddy a kiss good-night" "I can't. I'm too old"

Ellie, holding up her L-shaped toast: "Look, Mom! An L for Ellie!" "You do have an L in your name! Good job. What letter does your name start with?" "L. L-E."

Ellie: "I am too sick (forced cough cough) to be in time out."

Abby: "I am seriously."

Me: "Girls, has anyone seen my camera?" Abby: "No. But you can use mine." Ellie: "Mom, you're a genius! You can use Abby's!"

The first thing Ellie said this morning: "Mom, Abby doesn't want to play knock knock." "Oh. I think she's just waking up. Maybe later. I'll play with you - Knock knock!" E: "Who's there?" "Banana" "Who's banana?"

I caught Abby with a finger nearing her nostril. "Abby, get a tissue. That's gross." "Mom, I just have to get these boogers or else no one will be able to see my pretty face."

On the way home from church I reminded Abby that she had to give a talk in Primary next Sunday. "I don't want to give a talk." "Well, you got a paper saying that it's your turn to give the talk." "But, I thought my teacher said 'Who wants to get the chalk?' Not 'give a talk.'"