Day at the zoo

We went to the zoo with some friends recently. Little Sissy is still thrilled to see a dog or a bird, but Big Sissy is beginning to enjoy some of the finer animals such as the hairless moles and capybaras. It's a good thing they have the animals labeled, because Big Sissy is already starting to correct me about their names!

Apologies

I spend a lot of time apologizing, and though I'm certainly no expert I have learned some things over the years. This is what I'm thinking about today. Feel free to send other tips to add to the list. Feel free to forward it to your friends (unless they recently apologized badly--this might offend them. Then you'll have to apologize.)

• Just do it. You know when you need to apologize. Don't ignore it.
• Don't negate the apology with extra words (like "but you deserved it" or "but I had a lot on my mind"). Just apologize and stop talking.
• Don't say something like, "I'm sorry about last night." Last night is neutral. Last night doesn't need to apologize. You do. Take ownership for what you did.
• Don't say, "I'm sorry IF I hurt you." If I ran out of the room crying or stopped talking for the rest of the night, you can be fairly sure you did hurt me. Just say, "I'm sorry I hurt you."
• Don't apologize for saying I looked fat in those pants by bringing me a candy bar. Also don't apologize by bringing me a SlimFast. That's worse.
• Don't apologize for always being on the computer by sending me an email. Oh, and don't apologize by email unless absolutely necessary. There's something about e-forgiveness that just doesn't feel natural. And what if no one responds? Yeah, that's awkward.
• If you need to apologize, don't just follow me around asking me questions like, "What are you doing?" What I'm doing is trying to get away from you, but you keep following me around!
• Last but not least, always follow an apology with a hug. This seals the deal and might even make the person laugh if they're not expecting a hug. If you're not a good hugger, well...keep practicing. You'll get it. Happy relationship mending!

Sweet Big Girl

Why is this so small? I'm clearly not a techie--not sure if I can even spell it--but this is Big Sissy looking awfully cute the same day. I'll figure out how to get a bigger one soon. In the meantime, here's our little Shirley Temple.

Sweet Baby Girl

This is Little Sissy striking a pose. Kevin's grandmother died a couple of weeks ago, and we spent some time at my aunt's house while the others went to the grave site. I'm pretty sure the girls had had enough of being quiet, so we retreated for a while. In the meantime, we got some cute pics of both of them!

begin at the beginning

I've been reading blogs lately. It's a beautiful thing--like reading postcards from old friends. Since I usually share my random thoughts one email at a time, I thought I'd try to organize them this way. I think I just want to make sure I still have coherent thoughts. My two precious babies get most of my words, but I have some left at the end of the day. This is my attempt to send my own postcard. Wish you were here!