Serenity NOW!

I've said many times that almost every moment in life can be linked to an episode of "Seinfeld" or "Friends." Imagine my delight, then, when we went to Cubby's final gymnastics class and her classmate, Serenity, was being not-so-serene, causing her mom to yell repeatedly, "Serenity, come here! Serenity, NOW! Serenity, NOW!" Did she not know she sounded like George Costanza's father? Did she notice that I was snickering at her in her moment of agitation? I'll never know. But this would be one of the many reasons not to name your child Serenity (or any other positive quality, for that matter. Why tempt fate with a name like Chastity, which could turn out to be highly ironic during her teenage years?)

Cubby has been under the weather, because apparently germs don't realize that she's far too precious to be sick. Friday night, she felt warm and wanted to snuggle with Daddy instead of play; Saturday morning, she woke up with no, "Hi, Pup!" and didn't immediately start begging to watch "Dora the Explorer," so we knew something was very wrong. After a morning of laying on me with Blankie in her mouth, she got sick all over me, the couch, Blankie, and the carpet, and then asked cheerfully, "Can Mommy play with you in the playroom?" Um, no...Mommy has to clean up, Binks. She did feel pretty good after that, though, and seems fine today, so we got some cozy snuggle time in without much suffering on Cubby's part.

The saddest-yet-coziest Bear and Cub of them all: