News from the Valley

So we have spring break this week. It has been fairly uneventful with lots of housecleaning and lounging. Guy and I have both had a case of the crud. Mabry has recovered from strep throat. Of course, no vacation would be complete without Destructo boy going to the doctor.
Yesterday, I came downstairs to find Gabe howling. When I looked at his finger, it looked like he had stuck it in the gas heater and gotten a huge white blister on the end. After appropriately freaking out, I realized it was impossible to burn the tip of the ring finger without burning other fingers too. We took Gabe to the local doc who used lidocane (spelling?) and a pair of weirdly shaped tweezers to pull out a HUGE splinter that had gotten halfway down the nailbed. Needless to say, Gabe still has a swollen, red finger but is as happy as a clam.
Mabry, Gabe, Amanda, and I went to the Memphis Zoo Thursday. The weather was a little cool, but the zoo was awesome. One of the pandas is pregnant, as is an elephant. We saw a tiny giraffe. Gabe spent a lot of the time talking seriously to the animals who seemed to be listening. Mabry and Amanda were in their own world the whole day. Isn't it nice when friends don't bicker at all?
New milestones:
1. Mabry is being further tested for gifted. We'll see how this goes. She also gets a report card Friday.
2. Gabe says new words. He says "Go" He also points his finger at someone and tells them no while shaking his head. He also has been calling Mabry's name for a month now, but no one recognized it until the other day. He pronounces Mabry's name--get ready--"Baby" Mabry is less than thrilled since she doesn't want the nickname to stick.