Beheaded

I didn't realize how much we needed to add Friend to our little family. Every one of us, including Robby who is a professed cat person, has developed a special bond with Friend. I find it interesting to watch Friend morph into the version of the pup preferred by whoever is with him at the moment. He wants to please and, with one glaring exception, he is the perfect puppy.

I researched extensively, but somehow I failed to appreciate the hunting instinct of the spaniel. Friend is a quiet little cuddle pup inside the house, but as soon as he steps into the fresh air he turns into a monster killer. He pulls on his leash so aggressively that I upgraded for fear that it would snap. He leaps at the base of trees in an attempt to snatch a squirrel. Bugs, frogs and snakes have all become victim to my little killer.

Yesterday I was walking Friend in the early evening, trying to enjoy some quiet time before the chaos of packing commenced. Usually he meanders, but this time Friend walked out of the woods and straight to the front door when he was done. He forgot about his treat and walked directly to my bedroom.

I didn't think much of it at the time and proceeded to clean up the kitchen. After about 20 minutes I walked to the bedroom and I saw Friend in the middle of the floor. He was sitting over something red, yellow and green. It took me a few seconds to connect what I was seeing. When the connections were made, I froze and screamed at the top of my lungs. (Freezing, screaming and peeing my pants seems to be my fight or flight response.)

It was a frog. Specifically, it was a headless frog. A juicy, bloody headless frog. 

I began to wretch as Robby discarded the carcass. I had trouble looking into Friend's eyes for the rest of the night.

Planning

The boys leave in two days!  With the level of excitement in this house I'm not sure if anybody will be able to sleep until they take off. I'm going to miss them, but I know that Robby and Scott will be having the time of their lives. I can't wait to hear about their adventures. In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate on making some memories with Hamlet.

I am going to take advantage of the solo time with Timmy by curating activities specifically for him. He will have my undivided attention and, even though he won't be in Europe, I hope he will have as much fun. My mind has been in vacation planning overdrive as I have tried to organize the trip for the boys while planning adventures for Hammy.

Another day of planning has begun.

Gamers

While all the boys are enjoying their summertime schedule, I feel like it is kicking me in the rear. In order to get all my work done and have time to play during the afternoon I have been waking up early. By the time they roll out of bed at 10 I have already logged nearly 5 hours. Hopefully my body will adjust quickly. I'm exhausted!

Today we are going to have rain throughout the day. I woke up early to play through the afternoon but I don't see that happening today. I have a feeling that the boys will have to be content with indoor activities, which usually means computers and copious amounts of snacks. 

Slowly over the years our bedroom sitting room has been transformed into a computer lab. Scott, Robby and now Timmy have designated desks with their assigned computers. With three desktops humming and mouses clicking, I don't spend a lot of time in the room anymore. Three desktop computers make a lot of heat and a lot of noise.

Yesterday all of the boys were busy playing their respective games when Timmy suddenly became upset. (He wasn't in a full-blown gaming rage, it was more sad and disappointed.) It took a few moments to get him calmed down, but I finally learned what happened. He was playing a burger restaurant game because he enjoys creating new menu items. Somebody came into his restaurant and ordered a burger with 10 boxes of cheese. (Apparently that was an important detail.) As he was unwrapping the cheese and putting it on the burger, this character took all of his cash.

Upon hearing about the incident, Robby quickly logged off his game and hopped onto Timmy's game.  Within a minute Robby had the assailant identified and isolated. He logged into the same game server on his own computer and, working with Timmy, they managed to recover everything within 90 seconds. I have a feeling that Robby will always be Timmy's protector.

Hamlet Time

As predicted, our weekend was spent on European prep. The excitement feels tangible. Even Hamlet, who is not going on the trip, is getting into the action by creating goodbye cards and planning his "welcome home" sign. After years of planning on my own and six months of talking about the trip in the open, they will be on the sand of Normandy this time next week. 

It fills my heart to know that Robby will be living one of his dreams in just a few days. I wish I could be there with him, but I know it wouldn't be fair to Timmy to leave him for nearly 2 weeks. While Robby is making memories with Scott, I'll be laughing with Timmy during his week of fun.

I've decided to take the alone time with Hamlet as an opportunity to create solo adventures. I'm not sure what we are going to be doing everyday, but I have some plans already starting to form. After we drop the boys off at the airport, he is heading to Philadelphia with me, my niece and my sister. Timmy will be thrilled with staying overnight in a hotel, but I know he will be flabbergasted by Saturday's activity. 

After a leisurely breakfast, we will head to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Timmy loves Van Gogh's paintings. He has Starry Night hanging in his bedroom and he often brings me in to admire it. I have not been to the Immersive Experience, but I have heard rave reviews. I'm looking forward to seeing it and sharing the experience with Timmy.