I enjoy my wife a lot.

Today she was home and not working at all, so I suggested that we go for a walk because my day at work was less than favorable. So we got the Alex and we went to Lowe's, because it was close to our place and we hadn't been there before, and it was something different.

So we were walking around, looking at the different kitchen sets, pointing at stuff and saying, "Look at this sink," or "Which one do you like best." Just the interaction between us were like a couple of kids, saying, "I'm gonna buy that one." We found out we had pretty similar tastes, and we had fun just being shoppers, looking at things that we couldn't afford and couldn't install in our homes (rental), and just having fun spending time with each other. Alex had fun watching the ceiling fans go round and round, even craning his neck backward with his mouth wide open.

My wife reported another new trick today - she was doing something when she realized that he was playing peek a boo with her. He'd hide behind the chair, stick his head out, and smile. He seriously has the cutest smile that's so incredibly sweet and innocent - it's just pure joy to see that smile. Something about an infant's smile that's so approving and unironic - it's just 10 times better than when a pretty girl smiles at you. 100 times maybe.

Wait, how pretty is the girl again?

Kidding.

I love my wife!

I know I promised to be positive, but there are two things I'd like to comment on that might seem... not very positive. But they are things that are happening, so there.

First of all, Peanut has been in the foremost of our minds. Just thinking a lot about Peanut, hoping for the best. My wife has been really worried about Peanut, and I think I speak for the both of us when I say that although we want very much for Peanut to be fine and healthy and well and be a beautiful baby, we have prepared ourselves otherwise. Just so much has been running through our heads. Luckily, Alex has done a mighty fine job of distracting us with his general antics. I don't know what we'd do without his cuteness. We're going to head to Seattle on Sunday and stay with my mom, who still doesn't know about it yet. Then she'll watch him the day of the ultrasound, which is helpful and works out for everyone.

The other news is that our neighbor is once again, hosting his own Smackdown party. Early this morning we were awoken by our neighbor and a lady yelling, back and forth, things being tossed and so forth. When it was all said and done, she'd flipped out and declared that the house is hers, and he'd punctured her car tire and smashed in the driver's side window. So that was it, crazy neighbors are fighting again. Whatever. But later when I called my wife, there was a sequel smackdown, this time with actual physical contact. Apparently another lady turned up, there was a catfight, people were tossed around, and the cops were called. Even a warrant was issued for the cops to search the house.

I long for boring neighbors. Like Flanders.

You know how your fingers turn a bright spot of orange when you're munching on Cheetos? Not the imitation kind that leaves an orange dusting, but the actual brand of Cheetos? You eat a few (hundred) and afterward, your finger looks like Garfield was just sitting on it. (Sorry, that's just wrong.) Somehow the cheesiness of the confectionery had mixed in with your drooling excess and grafted itself on your finger. You wash it off, but the dye is so powerful that for the rest of the day, you're caught orange-fingered.

Well, I've been eating the Flaming Hot Cheetos, which is like a bastard marriage (oxymoron?) between either American and Mexican/Asian Cuisine. You got the cheese part, and you got spicy madness of some Paprika welding fool who got promoted for coming up with this idea. Now I don't actually know if anyone buys this except non-Cauasian folks, but I've been enjoying them. So much so that a minute ago, I got tired of groping the bottom of the bag for them and just went to the bathroom, poured the remainder out into my hand (but over the sink) and shoved the rest of it in my pie hole.

Interesting postscript, when you're washing your hands after eating the spicy suckers, it looks disturbing. Bright red liquid swirl about your sink, and sometimes it looks kinda coagulated blood. So there you have it. I hope you pick up a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos and hope you're not reading this while eating your lunch.