Country Mouse Didn't Last Long as a City Mouse

Okay,

so the Man of the House,

informed me Friday,

when he returned home from work,

that the varmint was no rat,

but rather a mouse.

In my defense,

I said

that it was still the biggest mouse

I had ever seen.

He agreed.

That was a mighty big mouse!

And before you all start thinking

that we must have a zoo of a yard,

you need to realize that we do live

just across the street from a farm.

I'm sure all these creatures just came over

for a friendly little visit.

Note to Varmints:

Visiting Hours are Over!

The Greatest Pet We Never Had

The kids had just left for school this morning, a fiasco to be for sure, and I went into the kitchen to calm my nerves before having to start on my daily duties. I was standing there enjoying a fresh nectarine, when a long tail caught my eye. At the base of our far brick wall, there was a varmint chasing all the birds away. Now, normally I don't mind things that chase birds away (they eat fresh sprouting plants you know - not that we have any planted - and I myself used to have to chase the birds at my parents' home. It was our job as kids to open up the sliding glass door really fast, and send the birds scurrying out of our yard and into someone else's.) Anyhow, this thing looked like a rat.

I don't like rats, though there is one in the family as a pet to my nieces in nephews. I was raised to hate rats, and I do. I scare my kids with stories of rats, so that they won't leave food out, or hide it under their beds. Obviously my scare tactics haven't worked . . . either that or I disrupted the natural food chain when I killed our dear King Snake "Slither" the other day. Oh right, I didn't mention that. Sorry, I've been a little upset over it - seriously! So the day after we caught Slither, I took it outside and let the kids hold it (well, Rebekah, Joseph and I at least - the others kept their distance). It was cool to feel it wrap around our hands, and slither up our arm. It was SO happy being outside - too cold really for it inside - so I decided to leave it outside for the night (in it's aquarium of course). It was happy and active. The only problem, was that I forgot to bring it in the next day, and well, it sort of, well, it . . . it baked. When I remembered it that afternoon, it was coiled up and stiff as a board. I am still feeling such guilt over it, something that my kids like to chide me about. I killed my first pet snake too; it was a garden snake that Alison and I caught when we were young. We put it inside a flower box that was actually an old tire, figuring that it would be happy there, and safe from my mother. Well, it couldn't get out, and a bird ate it. Sigh.

So, back to the dilemma at hand. I ran outside looking for the varmint - hoping that I would find it so I could dispose of it, but also hoping that I wouldn't really find it. I found it! It was tangled up in a net in the corner of the garden, one that I should have folded up and put away a long time ago. Thank goodness for the tender mercies of the Lord! It was all tangled up, and I was able to pick it up by the tail and drop it into the [now] empty aquarium. (By the way, Joseph, that was the best $3 you've ever spent on anything. That aquarium has come in quite handy.) I made that sound so nonchalant, but really it was an ordeal to get it in the aquarium. Jalen Andrew was hanging onto to me for dear life, while emitting a very worried whine, and then the dang net kept getting in the way, and my tools kept getting tangled in it. There were a couple of times when the varmint started for a near by bush, and I thought it was going to take off. Finally I got the varmint and the net sufficiently in the tank, with the lid on it. On the outside I cut away the net, so that the poor thing could drop down in. Everything was going well, and I was getting kind of excited that I was going to have a new "pet" to show the kids - not that I was planning on keeping it for more than a day. The varmint was moving around as I cut it loose, until I got to the last strand, and as I cut it, I realized that the varmint had gotten really still. Yep, you guessed it, the last strand just happened to be the one wrapped around it's neck, and it was hung to death.

Dejection! The kids will be so disappointed. I am so disappointed!

And yet, relieved too. Killing it on purpose wasn't a fun idea either.

The thing is about 6 1/2 inches long, with a tail about 5 inches long. It's brownish/grayish, with a lighter under belly. It was caught near a shrub by our citrus trees. I think it might be a roof rat, but am not quite sure. Oh, and did I mention that it has sharp, yellow teeth?!

So, now I'm officially horrified by the thing. Adrenaline was carrying me through the experience of catching it, but now that I've researched it a bit on the internet, and am reminded at just how foul, uncouth, disease infested, and nasty (not to mention how often they create litters) I am officially grossed out. I think it's fair to say that we will be doing yard work tomorrow, cleaning up quite a bit, and setting some sizable traps.

To quote the woman who taught me to hate rats and mice, "Ewwwww."

Pizza Party Pizza

No my kids aren't sheltered (too much).

Yes, we do get out of the house (sometimes).

Of course, we do some really fun things together as a family

(museums, goofy golf, movies, play places, parks, etc.)

However, I guess we haven't taken our kids to Peter Piper Pizza

(or as James calls it Pizza Party Pizza ) in a very LONG time.

James was invited to a birthday party there tonight.

Since it had been half day, and I haven't spoiled the kids lately,

I decided to use a coupon and buy pizza for dinner -

we all went, not as much for the pizza, but as for the need to watch

James in a crazy place like that.

Oh my goodness! I wish that I had had my camera with me!

James was - at best - a MANIAC!

No, really, I'm not kidding.

I have NEVER seen him so hyper before,

not even when he's been in the same room with Jonathon, Ashley & Jacob

(and that's saying A LOT!!!!)

Tonight he was jumping everywhere he went - the poor kid could hardly even walk.

And then, he was physically shaking - shaking with euphorium and excitement

and anticipation and exhiliration. It was the craziest thing I ever saw.

AND - he doesn't particularly love pizza, especially pepperoni pizza (he likes the

mildness of cheese), but he was wolfing the pizza, as if his Mom had not fed him

any breakfast or lunch (which I happen to know for a fact that she did - oatmeal

for breakfast, tuna fish sandwich, mini Pringles, an apple, and applesauce for lunch.)

Shaking - I'm not kidding - he looked like he was coming off some drug induced something -

he was shaking so much.

But that's not all . . .

OH NO! That's not the half of it -

Jalen Andrew - mild mannered, timid little, quiet Jalen Andrew had a blast!

I don't know how many times he rode the carousel - dozens atleast.

And then there were the car video machines, you know the ones that little kids

like to sit at, because they can grab the steering wheel and pretend that they're

driving even though their parents are too cheap to put in a token.

I think that Jalen Andrew was under the impression that he was really driving,

he was weaving his head - no his whole body - back and forth as he yanked that

steering wheel around, all the while his legs were kicking full force, and he was

screaming. When the pseudo race would end, and the computer screen would

flash "Insert another token" Jalen Andrew would sail backward into his seat, and

yell, "Oh! I mished (missed)!!!" He was a crack up to watch!

To steal a phrase from one of my favorite books Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin

Henkes . . . "Wow! That's just about all [I] could say. Wow!"

This is What a Winner Looks Like

Last week was volleyball open gym and tryouts.

Rebekah did both.

She doesn't like being like her sister,

and was a little apprehensive about following in her footsteps,

but she persevered anyway, and tried out for the team.

On the first day of tryouts,

she didn't get cut - she was beaming.

The next day, however,

she and two other girls were cut from the team.

Yep, she was a little disappointed,

didn't really want to talk about it very much,

and wasn't so sure that she would take the volleyball manager

position that was offered to the 3 of them,

but . . .

she decided to be manager anyway,

so she could practice with the team,

and improve her skills.

Many of the girls had been on club teams,

and it was amazing to us, that Rebekah was able to compete fairly well with them.

She needs to work on her overhand serves,

she recognizes that in herself,

and she'll work towards it.

On Monday, she showed up for practice

as the manager, and neither of the other 2 girls came -

they quit.

I'm so proud of you, Rebekah!

For not being a quiter,

for trying something hard (when failure was an option),

for sticking with it,

and having a good attitude,

for deciding to show humility, and teachability

rather than indignant pride with an unwillingness to learn more.

The season hasn't even officially started . . .

and already, Rebekah, . . .

You've Won!

Congratulations! We're all proud of you!

We Love You - Hope You Know It

"You become a family not because you share the same genes,

but because you share love for each other." -John McNamara - Adoptive Parent

We feel that way about each of our children

- but that expression extends farther than that-

we love our extended adopted family, as well.

We love you!

We're so lucky to have so much family!

Mine.

His.

Theirs.

And ours.

Cousin buddies - Ethan & Jalen Andrew

California King

California King!

Nope, I'm not talking about the size of a bed, I'm talking about what I just about stepped on this morning as I was watering the backyard.

I saw it's cute little head on the 10th, the evening of the first day of school. It was emerging from a space between the cement and the house, just below our water faucet in the backyard, and it was flicking it's long tongue at me. I yelled to the kids, and they came running in time to see it before it disappeared below. Since we really only saw it's head, we weren't quite sure what type it was, but we thought it was a California King.

We've been looking for it ever since, but haven't seen a trace of it . . . until this morning as I went to turn off the bubblers, and there it was all coiled up next to the sprinkler knobs and a garden box full of water. With the brave help of Rebekah, Joseph and James, we were able to catch the snake in Joseph's old fish aquarium. It's a beautiful black and white striped snake, and is about 24 inches long.

We're pretty sure that it is a California King, and the boys and I are so excited! It's been fun watching it this morning. The next step will be tell their Dad what we caught, and see if we can keep it as a pet.

Dash it All!

On Friday I was running up the stairs, but then turned to look behind me at Jalen Andrew. I hit the top of my foot on the edge of the stair, fell too putting all my weight on it, and then limped around for a couple of days. My foot had turned blue, and had gotten all swollen, but I really didn't think that I had broken it. I'd always heard that when you break a bone it hurts so bad that you can't even touch it, and I was touching my foot just fine. But then again, I like to push bruises (some weird thing I started doing as a little kid), and my foot right now is one beautiful, big bruise!

I hobbled through the weekend, and when Monday morning came, my foot hurt more than ever - so much so that I could hardly even walk. It was still swollen and bluish too. I decided that I better go get it checked out, so in true stubborn fashion I went to the grocery store first, got a few groceries so I wouldn't have to get them later with a cast on my foot, came home, took a nice soak in the tub, so that I wouldn't have dirty feet at the doctor's office, and then finally called.

By the time I got to the doctor's office that afternoon, I was feeling so much better. I was walking normal, and had no pain, and I felt like a fool walking into the office that way. A little waiting time and a few x-rays later, it was confirmed, however, that I had inded broken a bone in my left foot, the one leading out to my baby toe.

It was a clean break, with no dislocation, and so I'm walking around normal, with no cast, as it heals. If I can keep the kids from stepping on my foot with their shoes on, and if I can keep from falling on it again or dashing it in some other way, then 6- 8 weeks from now, my bones should be successfully fused back together again.

I've never broken a bone, until now, not even with all the daredevil flipping tricks I used to do off of the top of our swingset. I guess it's about time . . . but I'm bummed that I won't be able to use the phrase "I've never broken a bone" in any of those silly little get-to-know-you games. Bummer.

Say what?

Here are some fun little quotes that have been heard around our house lately:

From James:

Can I please go listen to your doon box? (boom box)

It's 47 o'clock

Can we please have the chuffs? (cheese puffs)

And from Joseph:

Gain weight! (gangway)

I need help getting the Chinese plates. (setting out the China for Sunday dinner).

Jalen Andrew is talking up a storm lately too. He says "No" to everything, and he says it in a very polite, sing songy way. We can coax him into saying "Yesh" (yes), but his first response to every question is still "No."

He mimicks everything we say, often repeating words or phrases he can hear us say, even though he's playing in another room.

He says his prayer at bedtime each night, repeating each word we say. For part of the prayer he says the words very reverently, but near the end he starts shouting the words. He really understands what he's saying too, and can substitute different words. For instance, when I say, "Please help me sleep in my big bed, " he says, "Please help me night night."

He sings too. He repeats phrases of songs that we have sung, and will also hum the tune to a song he's heard as he plays. He's growing too fast!

And it Starts . . .

It rained the first day of summer vacation this year; it was a lovely way to start the summer with the kids home. To go full circle, I was hoping that it would rain the first day of school too, but it ddn't. It's raining today though (4th day); we had some really spectacular thunder and lightning throughout the night, and during the early hours of the day. For now, the rain has settled, but the sky is still dark and overcast.

Erik left for Lost Canyon on Sunday night for his yearly retreat with the Flinn scholars. He returned yesterday, bushed and tired beyond belief. Before he left he gave the kids their Father's Blessings for the start of the new school year. On Monday morning Joseph confessed to me that he was a little worried about school (He had been looking forward to being in the same class with all the kids from his primary class, but at the last minute the school added a new teacher and put Joseph in her class. I believe he is the only one out of the group of 7 who got moved out of Ms Bevan's class). Anyhow, he told me that he had closed his eyes really tight during his Father's Blessing, in hopes that this school year would be a good one.

(Maybe I should have taken First Day of School pictures, but as you can see . . . Erik took the camera with him . . . and by the looks of it, had quite a good time with it!)

Monday morning went really well. All the kids woke up nice and early, and everyone was dressed and ready to leave for school by 5:30. Christine, of course, started early morning seminary this year as well as high school. Her first response about school, when I picked her up that afternoon, was, "They sure don't hesitate to give you homework on the first day!" Yep, welcome to high school! She had a good day, and has a lot of good friends already.

(This is really a picture of Jalen Andrew's ear. He got into Christine's makeup, and used the eyeshadow applicator like it was a Q-tip, and had a beautiful shade of brown all over the inside of his ear)

James looked absolutely petrified when I left in his classroom - a whole different look from when I left him last year in kindergarten. He made it through the day though, and even had a good time. He's managed to find the bathroom too, and is using it regularly. Yay! He's earned 3 stickers so far, and he held up 4 fingers as he left for school today, signifying that he's trying for 4 days of being dry.

Joseph, came home thrilled with his teacher! I can't tell you how relieved I am! I really feel that this teacher will be a better fit for him. He's dealing with a bit of a bully already (he ended last year dealing with him, and it started all over again this year); however, he stood up to him the other day, when he was making rude comments about Joseph, and told him to "knock it off" (he and I practiced saying those 3 words, not too harshly, not too weakly, but with just the right touch of annoyance). So far so good. He wore clothes that didn't match today, and I asked him to change, but he answered that he liked it, and he could handle anyone's comments about it. Okay.

Rebekah is in junior high this year, and seems to like it okay. She's made some new friends, which she is pretty excited about. She's revved up for volleyball open gym and tryouts, which starts next week. She has a good attitude about it, and is excited for the chance to try.

Jalen Andrew missed the kids terribly the first day, and kept pointing to their pictures in the hall, making me repeat their names over and over again. We're enjoying eachother's company though, and he is my right hand man, as I go about doing the daily chores. He's really good at throwing clothes into (and over) the washer! He's putting himself to sleep at nap time. He cuddles up on his blankets on the floor, opens a hymnbook, and sings himself to sleep. I transfer him to his bed after a few minutes, where he takes a very long, very restful nap. It's lovely!

I'm getting a lot of things done around the house, and reminding myself that I can't undo 2 1/2 months of summer in just one day, or even 4. There is still plenty to do, but I'm encouraged by how much I have already accomplished.