Eeek!

So I've heard the "cranching" in the middle of the night, in the direction of the kitchen, enough here lately to know that we have a little visitor at night. One of the small, gray, furry kind that probably only measures 3 - 4 inches from nose to rump. So why in the world does this little creature's "cranch cranch cranch" that I hear in the middle of the night scare the life out of me?? I will actually awaken from a dream thinking I hear the little thing under my bed! Or even worse - ON my bed!! My heart will race out of my chest like I'm having a flippin' heart attack! It really is quite ridiculous.

So anyway, this morning while feeding the two youngest their breakfast, I got up from my chair in the dining room to head across the kitchen floor to see the little guy scamper across the kitchen from behind the fridge to under the stove! Of course I let out a ridiculously loud scream. My blood was pumping so fast. Again - quite ridiculous. Then I turn around to see my 3-yr old daughter and 1-yr old son staring at me like "What in the world just happened to Mommy?". So I put on a smile and look at Mia and say "Well, there he goes, under the stove" "it was 'Mousey'". "He made Mommy scream because I was surprised to see him". Here comes the best part. After cracking up with laughter so that she could barely breathe (Silas actually joined in the laughter as well) she jumped up from her chair and bounded into the kitchen. She lays down on the floor with her face as close to under the stove as she can get looking for 'Mousey'! I'm dying inside! But as to not breed any fear in her that she shouldn't have I just watch her. She giggles and says, "Mousey's playing peek-a-boo with me!". I have no idea if this mouse is still under the stove and looking at her. If he is I'm a bit freaked out by it. But either way. Mia was so not scared of it but wanted to be it's friend. I wish I were that relaxed around the little creature that I know is going to be looking for my 1-yr old's fallen Cheerio's when I go to bed tonight. Ugh!

Then tonight when we put Mia to bed, hubby and I were carrying on about something and got a little loud and Mia is saying from her room "Be quiet, be quiet". I go back there thinking maybe she thought we were fussing at each other when really we were just carrying on. No. That wasn't it at all. We were being too loud for 'Mousey'. She didn't want us carrying on at such a level that would scare him. There you have it. We have to quiet down for 'Mousey'. We even had to include him in our bedtime prayers tonight. I had to pray over this creature that's looking to give me a heart attack in the middle of the night! Somebody better be saying prayers for ME!!

My Birthday

So it came around like it does every year. Another birthday. I don't want to say which one because by now I just can't believe how these numbers keep going up. I mean, I honestly say to myself, "Really?? That can't be the right number!" I shake my head in disbelief. Because when I was much younger I knew when I hit this age that I'd be, well, OLD! I don't feel old. In fact, I must say that I feel, about myself, the best I have in my life. I mean I finally feel that I'm living and doing what I want to do. Of course I wish I had more time, more money, more time, more money... but hey, we can't have it all, right? So Friday night, my actual birthday night we went to my Mom's for my annual Chicken and Dumplings dinner. That's right. Every year my mom makes me my Chicken and Dumplings dinner. Everyone in my household waits for this night all year long. Because most years this is the only time we get this for dinner. My mother keeps telling me every time she makes them that I really need to learn to make them so that "when she's gone" I'll know how to do it. Who is she kidding? For one, I'm in no hurry for her to "go" and learning to make them would be like I'm acutally expecting that to happen. And secondly - I'll never make them the way she does - ever! So I'll stick to the things I know.

So after dinner, hubby took the two older boys out to shop for me. Yeah, of course he waited until the last minute. That's what men do. What's even funnier is that him taking the two boys at the last minute is just teaching them to wait until the last minute... Anyway... he took them shopping. And they came home grinning like the Cheshire Cat they were so happy with their choices. Luke is 12 years old and feels he has it all together. Noah is 8 and doesn't care if he has it together or not as long as someone is telling him what to do and when. So they come in with their bags grinning ear to ear and exclaim how excited they are about what they are about to give me. It was a pink long-sleeved hoodie from Hollister and "comfy" draw string pants and last but not least a little button to put on, well to put on whatever, that reads "I'm with the Band". Funny, huh? I'm worrying about my age and my kids keep me young with gifts from Hollister and a pin that reads "I'm with the Band". They were incredibly satisfied with their purchases and so was I. I couldn't be happier really. I mean these two boys go out and buy "cool" gifts for mom and bubble over with excitement while presenting them to me. I couldn't help but be giddy myself. :) It was a nice time. We finished off the night with everyone bringing in their blankets and pillows into the living room for a "family friendly" movie, "Love Comes Softly". OMG - have you all seen this movie? So I cried through the whole thing and that was the end of my birthday day. Oh, VERY IMPORTANT side note. The "Love Comes Softly" DVD was a birthday gift from hubby. Guess what else?! "Sixteen Candles" and "Breakfast Club" on DVD! How cool is my hubby? How nice was that? He, of course, would not have purchased these for himself. These were definately for me. My 80's movies. He struck gold gifting these! So yes, it was a beautiful birthday all in all. Here's to another year!

Mmmm - how hard is that?

So my youngest son, Silas, turned a year old on the 5th of this month. He does his cute little baby babbles. Of course what we all wait to hear is the ever-meaningful sweet sound of "MaMa". My first three children, I drilled them - yes, shameful to admit this, but drilled them from the very beginning of their baby babbles by being in their faces smiling and saying "mamamamama". Over and over again. "mamamamamama". And to my heart's glee each of their first words were "MaMa". Chalk it up to a good teacher? No, chalk it up to this crazy woman in their face all day every day drilling the same sound over and over again. What else would they say? Each time though, I have to say, I was so proud of them (and myself!). Especially because all you hear and read about babies and their first words is that it is almost always "DaDa". Well, over my dead body! I'm up all night. I'm changing the MAJORITY of the diapers. I'm nursing until my boobs feel like they are going to fall off. These kids are gonna say MaMa - first and foremost! They all did and as stated earlier, I was incredibly proud. Welllllll, then we have the last child. My sweet fourth child. The sweet baby that because of his really nasty heart problems in the beginning of his life had me holding him 24 hours a day for the first 3 months of his life until he had corrective surgery. I was everything for this sweet little boy of mine. Everything! My sweet Silas K. Well, wouldn't ya know it... Does HE say MaMa first? Nope! Nope! He says DaDa! And very proudly! He didn't just say it first, he knew what it meant. Hubby would walk in the room and Silas would light up with "DaDa, DaDa, DaDa". Ohhh, my hubby was so pleased. What's worse is that months later, he can pronounce Noah's name - which my three-year-old daughter, Mia, JUST LEARNED to pronounce correctly, he can say bye-bye, no no, stop, uh-oh, and tries to sing e-i-e-i-o when I'm singing him Old MacDonald Had a Farm! And guess what - still no MaMa! Are you kidding me?! I try to convince myself that when he makes this babble of nananana - that he's really saying MaMa. But he isn't. He isn't. I think it's this really cruel joke. Maybe its Karma biting me in the butt for drilling my other three children with "MaMaMaMa" in their faces 'til they had no choice but repeat it to get a minute of peace. Ugh! Unbelieveable. So I wait. I'm waiting every so (in)patiently for the time when my sweet Silas will look up with that darn cute cheesy grin of his and say "MaMa".