Cooper Cuteness Wednesday! (I babysit my year-old, red-haired nephew Cooper each Wednesday, The Best.) He's busy today, loving Bucky (my Bucky Badger bobblehead), mya-man (derived from Spider-Man, it now means various of Nathan's action figures), eez (I think cheese, for grilled cheese sandwich), ana (banana), and mik (milk). He emptied a few cupboards, played a little hide-n-seek, then was ready for a few books and a nap. He's now sleeping soundly in Nathan's cool, dark room. Cute does not begin to describe how he (and every baby) looks while sleeping. Why are adults so hideous asleep? Mouth hanging open, grey-skinned, puffy-eyed. I have a classic picture of a cherubic Baby Nathan, rosy-cheeked and heavily eye-lashed, adorably asleep next to an also-zonked me...looking old, exhausted, and seriously unlovely. Man, I laughed when I saw that pic, the contrast! Eeek! Need motivation to apply sunblock each morning? Place your face next to an angel-faced child and have a long look in the mirror together. Gasp! Yeah. That should do ya.

We also have both kids on Wednesday nights, and religious school gearing up soon here (my stepdaughter starts tonight), in addition to homework and school craziness. Wild Wednesdays! As a result, I usually keep Wednesday dinner pretty simple. Plus, by the time I come up with menus that both kids and John all like (my sister Stacey, who also joins us for dinner on Wednesdays, likes everything I make, bless her heart, and so far, so does Coop, but that's because they're Meyers, and Meyers rawk, we just do), the choices get, uh, a bit limited. Tonight, hot corn bread (recipe posted in comments, below) alongside tortilla soup. I'll set out chicken, avocado, cheese, scallions, and of course tortilla strips, and let everyone customize. Seems to work pretty well. (I use the same strategy for pizzas, pasta, and tacos as well.)

Can I just say that I am way over this heat? I'm just done with it. I don't want to swim anymore, I've had all the sun I could possibly want, I'm sick to death of exercising in thick, humid air (this morning totally sucked)...done! Now I'm not wishing for winter or anything, just September weather, the best Minnesota weather there is. Ahhh. I'm ready. It's technically September now. Bring it on!