Oskar learns about lady genders.

I have no idea how this happened, but Oskar now refers to a woman's breasts as "lady genders." "Even the crack!" Oh my goodness. At least he also knows that this is a private area. That's good I suppose. On the bright side, I think he's finally through the phase of asking EVERYONE if they are pregnant. That was a fun one.

We got in the car a couple weeks ago and Oskar wanted us to do cheer type thing.
"Put your hand in!" Oskar
"I can't- I'm driving." Me
"3! 2!1!" Oskar
"Wait what are we saying?" Dan
"Blast off." Oskar
"3!2!1! Blast off!" All.
"Now we are all super heroes!" Oskar
"What kind are you?" Dan
"Batmans!" Elena
"Pikachu!" Oskar
"Mommy is wonder woman!" Elena
Silence.
"Daddy, you're squirtle." Oskar.
I hope you found this as amusing as I did. If not, my apologies.

I'm happy to report that I passed another test yesterday- Construction and Evaluation. That leaves 2 tests (project management and practice management) and 25 hours of experience in construction and evaluation left. My reward for passing this test was a Carmelicious from Scooter's, watching 2 movies and doing a blog post without feeling guilty about spending time on this. You're welcome. I'm worried I'm getting a little overconfident with these tests though. Hopefully it doesn't lead to karmic failure.

The thing about taking 6 tests at a testing center is that you become familiar with the employees at the center. It's kind of nice. I got to talking with one of the women there yesterday and it came out that I was married to a pastor and she knew I lived in Brandon because of all the security procedures we go through to test and she goes, "Wait, what church is he at?" I answered. "Do you have little red heads running around?" Are you freaking kidding me?!? "Yes, I have two spirited children, one of whom has red hair." "And your husband has red hair?" "Yes..." "My in-laws are .....!" (Reminder: I don't use other people names on the blog.) THIS COMMUNITY IS TOO SMALL. Don't get me wrong, she was delightful and I enjoyed chatting with her, but I'm a person who enjoys some anonymity. Although knowing that someone could identify me as "that pastor's wife" does keep my behavior in check sometimes. Sometimes. And I gotta be honest, in all the imaginings of how my life would go, it did not included recognition by the general population for being a pastor's wife. Me at 18: "This is my life plan!" God: "Hold my beer."

Part of me getting through my architecture exams has been telling myself to study now and then I can read for fun after I get through them all. It didn't work completely, but I held off on a lot of books so I have a queue on my desk that is about 15" high. I delved into the pile the other day and started reading Mischling. It is about Mengele's zoo in Auschwitz, so obviously it is disturbing, but the writing is so surprisingly poetic, especially considering the dark subject matter. And I mean good poetic, not like poetry, which I hate. I haven't finished it yet, but so far I recommend it. One nice surprise is that it looks like a fairly long book, but it's a quick read. Usually I don't like quick reads, but when trying to get through a pile it is acceptable. Next up is Roots. I doubt that will be a quick read. Physical fitness has also been on hold until I get through these tests. Unlike reading for fun, I have had no such issue with not going to the gym.

Oskar has decided he would no longer like to take dance class. He still loves to dance, but does not like doing a routine. We knew this long ago- full of spirit but doesn't like being told what to do. I wonder where he gets that from? Both of us. He gets it from both of us. I asked him if he was sure he didn't want to dance anymore and he said, "I can dance at home!" Oskar would like to take ninja class this school year and Elena would like to do 'nastics' too. I think I found a place where they can take class at the same time, which I'm super excited about, but I don't really want to spend the money on classes for 2 kids, but that is parenthood.

Dan is on a mission trip with the church kids this week, so obviously this is the week ALL the bugs have decided to move inside. No giant spiders yet, but pretty much everything else. The vacuum has become a permanent fixture in my living room. Meanwhile, we're skipping church today and chilling at home. My children are both painting peacefully at the table and singing along to their VBS CD. I don't know what is happening, but it's magical. Just the calm before the storm...