moving along.

Greg's horrible no good very bad rotation is over! Hurrah!
Actually it wasn't so bad this time.  We even got to go visit him at the hospital last Sunday. We walked into the hospital, following Greg through the sparkling corridors and bustling crowds, and wide-eyed Ray asked, "Daddy, this is where you work?"
It was funny.  Maybe you had to be there.
We played balloon volleyball and tag and hide and seek along the abandoned hallways and hospital rooms turned resident call rooms. It was awesome.
They ate Cheerios. It was glorious.
They discovered the cable tvs in the call rooms.
Aaaahhhhhmaaaaazzziiiiiiiiiing!!!

Jimmy's attitude is remarkable. He's all smiles and wogging around like he owns whatever place he's wogging around in. Ray has also taken him under his wing.  He swings back and forth between, "Mommy, look! I'm holding Jimmy's hand!" and "Ray! Let go of Jimmy's hand/arm/foot/head NOW!" Jimmy seems to enjoy all of the attention.

walking on the boardwalk by the house. 

Ray calls it "the bridge"

Jimmy's started to enjoy reading books all by by himself.  They keep him entertained for 10 minute clumps of time. Flap books hold his attention for even longer.
Let's just say, there's no longer any mystery to Where is Spot? and Where is Baby's Belly Button?

I had to be sneaky... 

 I didn't want to disturb his reading/book destruction time

Aunt Anna left granola at the house. We ate Cheerios at the hospital. Ray and Jimmy's multigrain breakfast naivety shows.

Me: "Here's some yummy granola with blueberries on top."
Ray: "Whaaaaaat? Mommy is this blueberry cake??"

blueberry cake ear-e-al

Me: "Who wants cereal?!"
Ray: "Me! Me! I want ear-ee-al!!!!"
Me: ... "No, Ray.  It's cereal."
Ray: "Okay. Mommy, now can I have some eareal?"
Me: lightbulb "Ray, it's called cereal."
Ray: "Ooooh, cereal! Yay!"

Reminded me of when a certain Uncle John Paul was eating Frosted Flakes.  Ray saw him and said, "Mommy, I want chips and milk too!"

Last night I cut Ray's hair. This morning I looked at him, admiring my handiwork (okay okay, more like appreciating that the missed spots were hideable). I said, "I like your hair."  He turned around, put both hands on my head and said, "I like your hair too."

who doesn't love a sock puppet?

Ray gets his prepositions and pronouns and possessive pronouns all mumble jumbled. It makes verbal directions tricky; like when he's lost a toy and I'm staring straight at it saying "It's right there! Behind the chair. In front of the table. Under the window. Ugh! Just get down on the floor and crawl that way!! You'll find it."

should I tell him he's got something on his face?

In spite of the jumbles, Ray manages to get his point across.
"I'm very love you!"