Here We Go...

Three weeks ago we thought someone was breaking into our house at ten o'clock at night. Turns out it was a dog begging (clawing, scratching, crying...) to get into the house. Have I mentioned I'm not a pet person? Even our pet beta croaked last month. We did not feed this poor dog because we knew, of course, that if we fed her, she would never go away.

She stayed on the front porch all night. At 2:00 a.m. my husband tried to chase her away. She was still there the next morning and obviously had no plans to go anywhere. My pet-loving friend came over and helped me get the dog to the County Animal Shelter. And when I say "helped me" I pretty much mean she did it all herself. I signed the paper.

However, through the process we began to notice what a nice dog she was. She was gentle with kids, technically still a puppy, but way past the obnoxious stage, and very timid. We began thinking the unthinkable...should we adopt her? We have one son who is scared to death of dogs, and one who loves them so much he has no common sense around them. They both wanted to keep her.

The Shelter had to hold her for three business days, which landed on a Wednesday. We called to check on her and they said she had been a good dog and was adoptable. We were going to be gone for the entire weekend, so we decided to wait and see if she was still there on Monday when we got back. Plenty of time for a nice family to come along and give her a good home.

Monday came and it soon appeared like we were going to be that nice family. The boys were elated, and I was a bit skeptical. The first three days were great. She would come to us, let us pet her, put her collar on her, and take her for walks. We thought we had adopted the best pet in the entire world. Then she turned into a teenager.

Overnight it seemed as if she decided to love kids and hate adults. She is still great with the boys, but runs from us. Even when we offer her food, she'll stretch waaayyyy out to grab it, and then run. She's not a big self-esteem booster.

Then on day six she ran away. Apparently we have a couple of loose fence boards - or she created a couple of loose fence boards - we're not exactly sure which. We had a few tragic hours at our house, but in the evening she came back. At least she knows not to bite the hand that feeds her. Run -- yes. Bite -- no.

And so the saga continues. Love the kids, snub the nose at the adults and make us feel like idiots. Our only consolation...we should be well prepared for adolescence.

PARANOID

Last month I had to have a CT scan. They told me not to eat or drink anything after midnight and I was to report in at 10:00 a.m. That sounded simple enough to me. I got up the morning of the CT scan, showered, got ready, woke up my boys, started making breakfast, took a bite of peaches and a drink of.....AGH!! I was amazed at how I completely spaced out the fact that I was not supposed to eat or drink anything before my scan!

Yesterday was my gallbladder surgery. and it hit me Thursday night that I could NOT eat or drink anything when I woke up in the morning. You would think that would not be hard to remember, especially in light of it being a SURGERY and all, but I was a bit paranoid that I would mess up. So I prepared...

...the bathroom mirror - most likely the first thing I would see after I got up.

...the kitchen faucet...

...the pantry...

...and the refrigerator...

...which backfired on me since my 6 yo decided to yell at me every time I opened a door with a NO sign on it. I quickly informed him that if he wanted any breakfast that morning or a lunch for school, it would be in his best interest to put a lid on it.

First Day of First Grade

First words I heard this morning: "Mom, I'm a little nervous."

First thing he wanted to do: Go out and play with the dog.

First day of school breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Sausage

First reaction to school clothes: "Oh man, school clothes again. But I like new shoes!"

First morning of getting ready: EASY (If only the whole year would be like this!)

First words when we drove into the parking lot: "Now I'm even nervouser."

First words when he walked out of school: "First grade is not any harder than Kindergarten."

First pictures:

Very proud of his new backpack that we got in Illinois:

So far, so good.

His very sweet teacher.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

When I was a kid, one of my favorite pages in "Highlights" magazine was the "What Is Wrong in this Picture?" page. Lately I've noticed my goofy children have created several small versions of these. Here are a few pics that have made me say, "HUH?"

All In A Day's Work

Last week I watched my sister-in-law's four kids while she went to the dentist. For two-and-a-half hours I barely saw the kids - hers or mine. All six children (ages 10, 8, 6, 5, and two 3 year olds) played together beautifully outside and in the basement. It was a fantastic morning.

So when she asked if I would watch them today so she could take their foreign exchange student shopping, I said, "Sure!". I was looking forward to getting a few things done.

Here are some highlights of the day:

*"He is being mean to me!"

*Ding Dong.

*"Kids, just open the door. It's not locked. You do not have to ring the doorbell."

*Ding Dong.

*Me: "Kids, what are you doing with those Walmart sacks?"
Them: "We are going to put them over the 3 year olds' heads."

*Ding Dong.

*"My mom knows which shoe goes on which foot."

*"I found a roly-poly!"
"Great, you can play with it on the porch."
"NO! I want to play with it inside!"

*Ding Dong.

*"Can we have a snack?"
"What do you want?"
"Those things we had last time."
"Crackers?"
"NO! Those things we had last time."
"What did you have?"
"The things we had last time!!"

It is 10:45 a.m.


**Disclaimer: Lest you think I am not a nice aunt, my kids were fully involved in this list also!!

He's Gonna Kill Me Someday....

But for now I still have the power! This is an old one, but I still love it. However, this is the reason for the tape on his thumbs in the next two pictures.


This is pure 3 yo exhaustion. My 6 yo says he must be dreaming about doing yoga on the Wii Fit.


And my personal favorite.

Memories

I love my grandma. She's 86 and still going strong. Every year of my childhood I counted down the days until I could go to Illinois and see my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Now that I'm all grown up, there are certain things I "forget" about until I arrive on the scene for another visit. It doesn't take long to remember...

You know you're at grandma's when:

*The 30 minute flower garden tour begins within 5 minutes of arriving.

*You are awakened every fifteen minutes by the chiming clock that she loves so much she won't ever turn it off.

*It is completely light outside at 5:40 a.m. Afternoon bright. We are so lucky to be on this side of the time zone.

*The phone rings at 6:30 a.m. and it's not an emergency.

*You realize you should always check what might be stored in the oven before turning it on.

*The expiration dates in the refrigerator reach back to 2004.

*You are completely secluded from anything that resembles a computer or the internet.

*The house is so clean you are afraid to let your children breathe.

*The sheets, blanket, and comforter sport three different kinds of plaid.

*There are more ceramic cardinals in the house than anyone would want to try to count.

*The towels are only slightly bigger than washcloths.

*The 30 year old Candyland game is in better shape than our 5 year old one.

*You hear 50 times how special you and your kids are. That makes it all worth it!!