paying with kisses.

I'm not going to lie to you, peeps. S got spoiled for her birthday. We have to make her friend party a no-gift affair because she gets so much from our family. We bought her a Leapster because of her newfound love of "drawing" on the computer and on my phone's sketchpad. She got an enormous amount of vintage Barbie clothes from my SIL. My parents got her a Happy Birthday Barbie that actually brought her to tears, plus a new coat for her Bitty Baby doll, and a new book. Then Sunday she got a Peyton Manning jersey that caused her to literally squeal with delight, a ton of Disney Princess figurines, and a Barbie vet toy. It's so, so much stuff, but she has played non-stop since she got all of it. She has spent hours on the sofa, dressing and undressing and redressing Barbies. She and her friend A played with the toy figurines for two-and-a-half hours yesterday with no squabbles. I finally had to make them take a break to have a snack. And the vet toy? Let's just say that I've had trouble getting the laundry done today because of the constant requests to play "Barbie and Dr. Alice the veterinarian."

Here's how the Barbie game goes...one of us is Barbie, who owns the sick puppy Emily. The other is Dr. Alice the veterinarian. I'll give you the script for when S is Barbie.

Dr. Alice sits in the blue kids' chair. Barbie, holding the puppy, rings the pretend doorbell.

Dr. Alice: Come in, please.

Barbie: Hello.

Dr. Alice: Good morning, I'm Dr. Alice.

Barbie: I'm Barbie.

We shake hands.

Dr. Alice: Who is this? (pointing to puppy)

Barbie: This is my puppy, Emily. She puked last night, and I want to know what's wrong with her.

Dr. Alice: taking puppy Well, let's take a look.

Dr. Alice then uses the stethoscope to listen to the puppy, then she must look at the puppy's ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.

Dr. Alice: It looks like the puppy is a little sick. I think she'll need a shot.

Barbie: Okay, Dr. Alice. I'll pet her to keep her calm while she gets her shot.

Dr. Alice: That's a good idea.

Dr. Alice hands the puppy back to Barbie, and Barbie pets her ears.

Barbie: It's okay, Emily, it will only sting for a second.

Dr. Alice gives the puppy a shot and a pretend princess band-aid.

Dr. Alice: All done. Here's a treat and some milk for her. You should take her home and let her rest for the day.

Barbie: Thank you, Dr. Alice.

Dr. Alice: You're welcome. That will be eight dollars.

Barbie looks concerned, then she gives Dr. Alice a bunch of kisses and walks away.

There is literally almost no variation in this little script. Occasionally, the puppy has the flu. Sometimes it's the "puke bug." But every single time S plays the pet's owner, this is how it goes, and if I say something wrong like, "I don't think Emily will need a shot today," S corrects me.

So, if you have a sick puppy, it would appear you should send it to our house because we're the cheapest vet around...especially when you consider you don't actually have to pay money. You can just pay us with kisses. We're a cheap date apparently.

Hope you're all having as much fun today as we are, but please come finish my laundry if you're bored.