Weekend Activities

Vaccinations: I have been so slack about my children's health this year (it's easy to be when they're so healthy) that I procrastinated too long in getting them immunized. So Tuesday St. Peter the Apostle sent home a letter saying that if I didn't update Lawson's chicken pox vaccine, he couldn't return to school. So off to the doctor's office we went. Lawson hasn't seen the pediatrician since he was, say, four. So Dr. Jones took the opportunity to give Lawson a complete physical. I had told Lawson he only had to have one shot. Instead, he had to have his finger pricked, give a urine sample, do push ups and perform duck walks across the room. Then Dr. Jones announced that in addition to the chicken pox update, Lawson was also due for his meningitis vaccine, his updated tetanus shot, a Guardisil vaccine and a flue vaccine. As the doctor listed each immunization, Lawson's face grew paler and paler. Let's just say he was not pleased with Dr. Jones or me when the ordeal was over. So when we finally made it back to the car, Lawson reported, "I want some balloons."

My reply?

"No problem."

What else could I say?

So off we went to my now favorite store, The Dollar Tree.

I had no idea the ways Lawson would be able to amuse himself with a $1 package of balloons. First, he fastened them to the dart board and set them up for target practice. But he tired of that really fast. Besides, the darts kept sticking into the garage wall. So he took his new targets outside. Because the wind kept blowing the balloons away, he hooked them onto a fishing line. Then he swapped out the darts for garden trowels (and a bat and a shovel). Those were some strong balloons. Several times he hit his target but didn't pop it. The videos below reveal his progress (and a little frustration). He had fun and simultaneously vented his hostility toward that mean old syringe-bearing doctor.







A New Money-Making Venture: This afternoon, Lawson graciously accompanied me to see The Social Network, an excellent movie, I must say. While I enjoyed it, though, Lawson found it rather hard to follow, with its frequent flashbacks. On the way home, though, we discussed how lucrative Facebook became, once the company found investors. Lawson was unimpressed by Mark Zuckerberg's success, though. He had a better idea: To paint my car like a dip cone and advertise for Dairy Queen.

According to Lawson, "A car painted like a dip cone will get attention wherever it goes." The boy's got a point, though I think accomplishing the curlicue on the end will be a challenge. I think right now he's looking up the number to Dairy Queen's corporate headquarters.