the rest of the story

Sunday was Bob's birthday - he's 41. We decided to go to the church Christmas dinner, and that was nice. Then for a special birthday treat, Bob got to stay in the van with the children while I went in the commissary for milk and other WIC stuff.

Monday (he had the day off, remember) we opened up the barber shop and gave all 4 boys a haircut (and shower). William was a real trooper while having his head buzzed. He thought it tickled. But he still doesn't like baths. To make up for the trauma, he took a really long nap afterward.

After lunch we went to Bury St Edmunds. We took the back roads (we usually do) and ended up going a different way than ever before. But coming into town, I checked the van's compass and quickly figured out where we were. We got a parking space in front of the cathedral (usually overfull) and walked down to Jessops (a camera store). We stopped in a charity shop and I bought a skirt, a puzzle, and a book. Then on to Jessops, where Bob got himself a birthday (and Christmas) present - a new Nikon D700. This has a bonus of making a present for me - his old Nikon D80. :-) I tried to talk him into switching, but he's not buying it. The new one uses the same battery as the old one, and most of the same lenses. The only lens that doesn't work is Bob's favorite one. Ah, the thorn amidst the roses!

Then we went back to the car (stopping at another charity shop where I bought 2 skirts - one for me, one for Taryn - and a notebook) and headed toward Lakenheath. See, the camera bodies are cheaper in England, but accessories are cheaper in the States. So we went to the base to get a memory card for the camera (it uses a different kind than the old one does). We also got Ella a couple more presents - socks and shoes - as I'd realized that morning that she only had 3 things compared to the others' 8 things. We saw leggings on sale, so I grabbed 2 pair, and took the children to sit in the food court while Bob checked out.
When Bob came out he handed me the reciept and asked me to check if it was right. Sure enough, it wasn't. One pair of leggings (shorts, actually) rang up $6.79 and was marked $3. Yeah, I figured $3.79 was worth going back for. So I took the stuff back to customer service while Bob and the children ordered and ate dinner. Yes, it took that long. As I was waiting I realized that under the $3 price sticker was a 75% off sticker, which would have made the total price about $2.25. So when my turn came I asked the guy about it and he gave me the lower price. Sometimes AAFES people get it right in spite of store policy.
Anyway, after I ate and Bob played with his camera we headed home.

Today Bob is back to work and so am I... catching back up on laundry, dishes...
Which reminds me. For the church dinner I was asked to bring a dessert. I asked Bob if he wanted me to make a double cheesecake and take up there (his birthday cake is always choc swirl cheesecake) or make his for home and another for church. He opted for the latter. So for church I made a peanut butter-filled choc bundt cake. Except it broke when I turned it out. SO I set that aside and made a choc sheet cake. And then I made the cheesecake. And then at the dinner there were gobs of dessert and the sheet cake only had one piece taken out of it, so I brought it back home. So we have a house full of excited children and dieting adults with 3 cakes and stacks of dishes. yay.

Umm, back to my list for today: laundry, dishes, school, cooking dinner, baking cookies for Bob's airmen, cleaning bedrooms...
Which reminds me. Sunday morning Riah came out of his room dressed for church. ha. I can't believe we didn't take a picture. He had on heavy stone-washed carpenter jeans (with a rip above the knee), a tee shirt with a clip on tie, and a button-up cordoury shirt over that. hmmm. So we sent him back to change (of course) and he came out in overalls. Oh, well. In the process he dug through his drawers and closet, and all the extra clothes are now in the floor.

So anyway, I have lots of work to do and should get off the computer.