Go go Gadget Nose!

For not having much planned this weekend, it sure was busy. Papa came home Friday night unexpectedly and invited us to go with him to St. Louis to his new apartment to wait for the cable guys Saturday. (He came home to finish and send his taxes before the deadline) So Saturday, we all pile in the car early and drive out to Kirkwood. Papa has a neat apartment. You can tell it is not the newest of places to live, but the rooms are big and it has a nice private feel. He has covered parking, which is nice because it was raining. His building has a laundromat, weight room/exercise room, sauna, and a heated indoor pool and whirltub. All without having to go outside. We brought the swim gear and I took the kids down for a swim while Papa waited for the cable guys, who gave us the window of 12 to 5. Long time to wait.

It is almost like living in a hotel because you just take the elevator downstairs and there is the pool and everything. Abby had a great time. She so loves swimming. Nathan used to like swimming, but I walked into the water and he was literally shaking the closer he got to the water. He whined a little but then just clung to me like a starfish. He barely moved a muscle. We stayed in there a bit so I could play with Abby somewhat, but then I took him to the hot tub to see if maybe he would think of it as a big bath if the water were hotter. He didn't much care for that either. So, he and I got out and wrapped in a towel and I think he fell asleep on me while Abby did some more laps. She has a Dora learn-to-swim suit with built in floats, so she really can't sink unless someone pulls her under, and it was all ours for awhile there.

The cable guys finally show up close to 4 and get papa hooked up, so we pack up and head out for dinner. We take a bit of a tour of some houses near Huntleigh. Houses doesn't really describe it. These are bigger houses than any 10 families living together would ever need. I swear our old house in Steedman would fit inside one of these mansions at least 8 times. We're talking 4-5 car garages. East and West wings. Seriously massive. I don't know what sort of occupation these people have, but it is hard to believe that sort of money is come by honestly.

Today we played outside in the sandbox. For a moment, we had both kids in there at the same time, and I was trying to show Nathan how to use a shovel. He got the idea and dipped the shovel in the sand and then into the bucket (he didn't get any sand, but he had the motion). The very NEXT time he dips his shovel, bypasses the bucket and had he the dexterity to keep sand on the shovel, Abby would have had a sand shower. He put it square in the middle of the top of her head. That must be a boy thing. Forget this bucket, I want to pester Abby.

So I've been nursing this cold all weekend, too. Here's how my colds usually go. One day I will wake up with a raw, firey, hurts-to-swallow sore throat. The next day, it will move down into my chest and I will cough hard enough to make my ribs hurt. Then, I may get a drippy nose, pluggy ears. Saturday, my throat was scratchy. I must have gone thru 2 gallons of liquid just to keep it wet. Well, tonight, we went out for supper before Papa drives back to STL for work tomorrow. There is a new barbecue place in Jeff City we try out. At one point, I took Abby to the bathroom and while we were in there, I grabbed some TP to blow my nose. It had the most delicious smoky meat smell. I don't know what surprised me more...that the TP had absorbed that smell from the air, that I actually liked smelling meat on TP, or that I still have the ability to smell with this cold.