Things I don't want to talk about

Things I don't want to discuss publicly:

We're stopping at three.  Kids, that is.  This has been confirmed and, well, acted upon.  So that's it.  Sigh.  And also, Not Sigh.  It's complicated.  Feelings.  Blah.

Our faithful, awesome, wonderful dog Sam is no longer with us.  We had to have him put to sleep this summer and I really, really miss him.  I miss him every day.
 
Whew.  Glad that's over.
 
Other Stuff:
 
One time, a few weeks ago, I came home and there were three messages on my answering machine.  All three ended with "Love you!" and none of them were family.  I can't stop thinking about how lucky we are.
 
I finally got the tattoo I've wanted for so long, the kids' names.  I LOVE IT.  And I have to say, completely honestly, after the wedding ring tattoos Mike and I got, this didn't hurt a bit.  I was chatting and smiling through it, no big deal.  I was prepared for the same kind of hurt that the rings hurt, and it was nothing like that.
 
I made pita bread for the first time today.  They puffed up all round and beautiful.  I cut one open to check out the hollow middle and...it was just bread, all the way through.  The pita didn't pocket.  I was more puzzled than I needed to be, maybe, and I just kept staring at it and poking it.  It was still bread, even after I poked it.  Back to the drawing board.
 
Jo says 'anything' instead of 'nothing.'  So you hear a crash and a bang, and you go: "Jo, what are you doing?"  "Anything!"
 
We were walking from the library to the car this evening, and it was dark.  Gage was running ahead, but then all of a sudden he was back at my side.  "This is really silly," he began, kind of out of breath.  "It's silly, but sometimes. When I'm outside and I get far away from my family, and it's dark, I feel a little scared."  Me: "That's not silly!  There are bushes all over the place.  If we lived in another state there could be coyotes in there.  You never know.  Sometimes it's smart to be scared."  Gage: Smiles at me gratefully, ducks his head. 
 
Lila is taking ballet, and loves it.  Her teacher told me that she has very strong toes.  I smiled modestly like I had anything to do with it.
 
We have these real kind of things in the horizon, in a long-term way.  It's because I spend a disproportionate amount of time planning ahead while simultaneously ignoring what needs to be done now ("You're out of clean socks?  Maybe mine will fit you.")  So we're going to Colorado in August of next year.  I have never been west and I'm very excited.  We will be visiting with some of Mike's family.  It will be my kids' first time in a plane, and my...second.
 
I burned my wrist making veggie lasagna today.  It was worth it.