The most interesting things about the Brownsens... What A Pity?

So my friend Heidi pointed out that something great/horrible will happen, and it is a big news for a few days, but then life goes on. If you don't happen to talk to someone (even someone you are very close with) in those few days, you may discover that you never share it with them. Heidi and I recently found out that as much as we talk about our kids, I never told her that Jane had to go in an ambulance to the hospital in August because she was having difficulty breathing. Jane is totally fine, and it ended up just being really bad croup. When I mentioned it, I couldn't believe I hadn't told Heidi.
See pictures...

So I was thinking that I would share a few interesting (though not as monumental as breathing difficulty, a 911 call, and an ambulance ride) stories with our blogging public. Get you caught-up by way of anecdotes with the Brownsens.

First, Mars: the best story about Mars right now, if the huge fence he has been building in our backyard for the past week. So Cooper officially has a 7+ foot straight leap, and he kept getting out of our yard and into the neighbors yard, so Mars is retrofitting all of our 6 foot walls with the addition of a 4 foot fence on top, and we have a lot of walls around our yard. He is kind of taking a huge joy in it, it looks beautiful, it is way too well made (I swear this fence will withstand a tornado should we ever get one in LA), and it is taking way longer than either of us thought. I will put pictures up soon, but know Mars's (and my) biggest fear is that the fence will finally be finished after much time and money, only for us to discover that Cooper actually has an 11 foot leap. In which case we will officially make him a "house dog" with a small grass patch in the den, and a tire tied around his neck.

Next, Me: Well I have discovered that over that past few weeks when I have been dealing with my gall bladder issue and now finally having it removed, that people say the most inappropriate things, even when their hearts are completely in the right place. For instance a co-worker who I love dearly said "It's no big deal. My mom had her gall bladder removed and she lived for 30 more years" Um I would like to live past my mid-sixties. My insurance agent said, "wow you are too young to have your gall bladder removed" which instantly made me think I was some how in horrible health, even though my doctors have said that I'm pretty healthy, in general. And a doctor said "I mean the worse that can happen is you will have chronic diarrhea and maybe not absorb enough fat from your food, but that is kind of how those fat-blocker medications work for weight loss, so maybe that's no so bad" Arg, a life of loose stool sounds wonderful. Now that I have taken this to a dark place... just know that 9 days post surgery, and I am doing great. I feel good, not very much pain, and everything seems to be working as it should. This time off at home would actually be relaxing if there weren't some guy in my back yard using an air compressor and a nail gun.

Okay now for the comedians in the family....

Macy: she is a super laid back baby, until you cross her. I mean she hasn't rolled over, she seems to be very excited about sitting up, but mainly is happy to have life come to her. She watches everything, she is cautious and loyal, but don't mess with that girl when she is hungry. My Grandma Pat has been visiting, and she has even said that she has never seen a child so into their milk. So if you are feeding her, and you take the bottle away to ...you know.. let some air in and release the super lock vacuum she has on it, or to shake it to make sure the formula is well mixed, or to check the nipple to see if it is blocked, she freaks out. Her face turns instantly red like she has been painful hurt, loud scream that starts as a silent wail, and frantic flailing of arms and legs until she grasps something to hold onto (like your shirt or your neck skin), and seems to pull you toward her, as if to say "Don't you f- around with my stinkin' bottle!" Also no matter how much bottle she has had, she will try this technique to convince you she is still hungry. If she has had like 9 ounces of milk already, all you can do is walk her around and make funny faces at her until she is distracted and gives up the fight. She has convinced many an unfamiliar feeder that she is starving and needs gallons of formula immediately.

And now for Jane: Jane's quintessential characteristic is still her unbelievably beyond belief vocabulary, verbal aptitude, and propensity to conversation. Recently this took the form of her acquiring a new turn of phrase "What a pity."

So she walked up to me and said, "Mama, what is, whatta pity?" and when I didn't understand she repeated it.

So I said "Do you mean, what does 'What a pity' mean?

"Yes."

"You say it when something happens that you are sorry happened, or that you regret."

Blank stare "What is a pity?"

"Pity is the emotion of feeling sorry for someone else."

Blank stare "wutta pity, wutta pity, wutta pity... what is pity made of?"

"Well Jane, I guess let me give you an example. If you were wanting to go to Manah and Patah's and you didn't get to, I would say "You didn't get to go to Manah and Patah's house, what a pity."

Jane then laughs and says "Oh, I like that. Tell me another one."

"Cooper and Molly didn't get dinner yesterday, what a pity."

"More pity, please Mama."

This continued as I gave nearly twenty examples, and she just ate it up.

"This new mattress is uncomfortable, what a pity."

"There will be no chocolate for the next year, what a pity."

"It is hot and there is no air conditioner in the Jeep, what a pity."

Later that night she turned to me, when I said I wasn't hungry for dinner, and she said, "You don't want to eat Papa's delicious dinner, what a pity."

Keep in mind here she is 2 years and 4 months old. Crack-up.