Sorry for the Radio Silence

...but we've been busy lately! Doing what, I can't tell you. I just know that it seems like we've been running around hither and yon and getting very little accomplished.

Jack is getting excited for his birthday. If you ask him how old he is, he'll either say "one" or "preshents (presents)!" If you ask him what he's getting on his birthday, he'll tell you "preshents." He helped me pick out his birthday cake -- he asked for "TOM-moss (Thomas the Tank Engine)." The cake he chose has a real Thomas train on some tracks as a decoration. If you ask him about it, he'll say "TOM-moss cake!" and get very excited.

Lily is somewhat excited for his birthday, mostly for the cake and party favors, I think. She doesn't like the spotlight to stray too far from herself, so I think there may be some acting out on the actual day. I am going to take her shopping on Friday to choose a gift for Jack. I'm curious to see what she picks out. Probably Polly Pocket or some other gift that she'll enjoy!

Lily has been drawing up a storm lately and has done several wonderful pictures. One of them shows me, Jim, Lily and Jack and two other people the same size as Jack. Lily explained that the other two kids are "Jack's crew." When I asked what a crew was, Lily told me "They are the people that help you out!" She later drew a second picture, and Jack had a crew in that picture, too. In fact, Jack and his crew were wearing hats with antennae on them, according to Lily.

Now, I don't know about you, but I associate the word "crew" to mean a group of men associated with an under boss in the Mafia. That or people working on a pirate ship. Oh yeah, or gang members. But I mostly associate it with the Mafia. I asked Lily where she heard that term and she said "I don't know." I asked why Jack had a crew, and she said cryptically, "He just does." I asked why she didn't have a crew, and she said "I do! My crew is Uni and Snowflake (her unicorns), but you can't see them (they are invisible, as you may remember)."

So I am left to wonder a few things. Is Jack in the Mafia, or do the matching hats signify some kind of gang? When Lily said "he just does," was that code for "if I told you I'd have to kill you"? When did Jack find the time to go out and recruit a crew??? More importantly, will they show up at his birthday and demand gift bags like the other guests?