Long Live the Geo

Every so often a friend comes into your life and etches out a spot in that special place in your heart.

You call your friend "Race Car" and "Work Truck" and believe it can do anything and go everywhere.

It is a good friend that never lets you down, and sticks with you through the tough times and the good times.

When the friend leaves a little piece of you dies.

When you sale your friend it is a very large piece of you that dies. Friends don't sell friends.

Although, Chod is holding up better than Bentley.

It's hard to be humble

Bentley was adamant about wearing his black shoes today. Even though he had on brown pants and the black shoes are a little small.

He insisted.

As a last attempt as we were walking out the door I said, "but you would be so handsome if you wore your brown shoes."

He turned around and in all seriousness said, "Look at my hair, look at my face", as he pointed to his face, "I already am handsome!"

Chip off the old block

I used to have a major aversion to celery. I thought it smelled like B.O. and refused to touch the stuff.

Somewhere along the way I've decided it isn't so bad.

Tonight, we were eating chicken noodle soup (homemade, thankyouverymuch). Bentley had three little piles next to his bowl; onions, chicken, and celery.

"Why aren't you eating that?" as I point to the celery.

"That stinks."

"What does it smell like?"

"Celerary smells like a stinky diaper."

Fair enough.

Thanks neighbor

Bentley came running up the stairs yesterday morning yelling, "There's water all over!"

The closet under our stairs that we use as our toy closet was flooded. Soggy coloring books and dripping stuffed animals were removed and either tossed or taken to the garage. Soon the carpet in the front room was starting to get wet.

Mr. Fix-it came and sawed holes in a few of our walls, but couldn't find a leaky pipe.

It was a mystery.

He went next door to see if they had water on their side too.

Mr. Fix-it came back shaking his head. What he found was a flooded bathroom, the counter top, under the sink and floor were all covered in water. The neighbor said he hadn't noticed anything leaking, and was bewildered by the water. Mr. Fix-it's hypothesis is that the kids were playing with the Halloween buckets he saw in the bathroom, dumping water on the floor and having a great time.

I can't fathom how much water there had to be to soak through the fire wall, drench our toys and sleeping bags, and still manage to creep into our front room. How did the adults not notice?

In the mean time we have holes in our walls, carpet ripped up, fans set up, and our toys are drying in the garage.

If you love me, build me a mouseproof house

Before I get started, I am not afraid of spiders. I am not afraid of snakes. All my fears are rolled into the mouse. Seriously afraid of them. Chod asked what I would do if one ran up my pant leg. I would die. My heart would give out and I would be gone. No. doubt. about. it.

I thought I saw a mouse run from our bathroom across the hall to the water heater/furnace closet last week before I saw the critter in the garage.

Chod didn't think it was likely, and I wasn't sure it really was a mouse--I just saw movement. So I talked myself down and went about my business.

And then I spotted the peanut eating monster in the garage a few days later and I instantly knew it was a mouse I had seen. I insisted Chod set a trap in there, mandated shoe wearing at all times and told Lincoln there was to be no more crawling in mouse-y areas.

The trap was found licked clean and empty the next morning.

Suddenly Chod wasn't so skeptical of a mouse being in the house. And I knew that it was building a nest in our furnace and planning on taking over the house, one baby mouse batch at a time. We keep extra paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc in the closet and I refused to open the door. Never mind that there is a large space at the bottom allowing the mouse access in and out whenever she wishes--I wasn't going to take any chances.

Then we got sick. I told Chod it was hauntavirus. Once again he didn't believe me.

So I called the only person I know, who hates mice as much as me (or maybe I learned it from her). My mom.

She recommended a hotel room until the little bugger was caught, and agreed that most likely it was hauntavirus. Finally someone who understood!

Chod wouldn't go for that.

So everyday he has heard my ranting and my pleas to move as he continued to glue bait back on the trap, only to find it gone the next morning.

And finally last night, a successful catch. Chod refused to autopsy it to see if it had recently given birth, was pregnant, or if it was even a she. He is also avoiding my requests to check the furnace, just in case. I suppose it will be a few more days until we find out if this mouse was flying solo, or if there's a whole family hiding out in our toilet paper.

Oh, and two cheese eating friends were caught in the garage, the doctor thinks it was H1N1 and not hauntavirus, and Lincoln started walking.

Yo-ho-ho

The little pirates have hit some rough water. The boys went to the doctor this morning, I was fully expecting Lincoln to come home with few prescriptions and to be told Bentley had a virus and there was nothing for him.

Instead, Lincoln came home with nothing, and Bentley got the nebulizer and 3 prescriptions just in case it is the beginning of pneumonia.

We are hoping to be back to our plundering soon, this lying around all day stuff is starting to get old.

Sick pirates

While the Parish clan travels to the other side of the world for the last of the wedding festivities today, we will be home wiping noses and kissing fevers.

Three out of four of us are under the weather. Luckily, the littlest is still feeling fine.

We should have saved our day of pirating until now.

Mouseketeer

I flipped the light on in the garage and headed over to get a tomato or two for dinner, the last of our garden produce, and heard some scratching behind me. I turned in time to see a little, hairy, gray varmit scurrying out of a box.

I flipped. Some may say it was over-reacting. But it was a mouse. Just the thought makes me crawl. Growing up we had an awesome old cash register in our play house. Years after it had last been played with I opened it up to find a nest of squirmy, pink, hairless baby mice. I've never been the same since.

Chod told me to calm down, it was just a mouse and went to investigate.

I retreated to higher ground inside and Bentley asked, "Are mouses mean?"

"No they are just dirty. And nasty."

Chod entered the room and interjected, "Mice are more afraid of you than you are of them."

"I doubt it."

It's a little something I inherited from my mom.

We are the pirates....

Is it possible for a mom to really not do anything for a whole day? I think that's what Chod was asking when he quizzed "Do you really plan on doing nothing all day?". Or maybe he was just afraid it would become a regular occurrence.

And while I kept things to a minimum there are certain things that must still be taken care of.

Like stinky diapers.

And dirty clothes.

And food for the scalawags.

And messy floors.

And the dishes.

And bath time.

And church callings.

And Family Home Evening.

But the boys. They were pretty good at being pirates who don't do anything.They napped and ate and played and watched TV and climbed all over Ty and were in bed by 7:15.

I'm calling it a success.

Argh Matey

To recover from this time change thing + a great (but exhausting) weekend of wedding festivities, I am declaring Monday "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Day".

We are the pirates who don't do anything, we just stay home and lie around.

It should be a great day.

How old am I?

My baby Tameka is getting married.

Today.

It's your birthday

Happy birthday to my cookie eating, Apple loving, car fixing, marathon running, Donny singing, football watching, bedtime story telling, waffle making, potato digging, moon explaining man.

Make the world a better place

One day while singing "No one likes a frowny face, change it for a smile..." Bentley changed it to "No one likes a mom".

I thought he was rather nervy.

And then today he took it as far as "No one likes a mom, change it for a dad".

I've decided not to be offended. He is just trying to make his dad feel good.

Right?

Sunday sneezes

As a precautionary measure, our stake has asked that if you are sick to stay home. Our ward has gone as far to say that even if it is just a cold--stay home. Assignments and classes will be covered, just please stay home. Handshaking has been limited and hand sanitizer is readily available in the building.

So who are we to disobey? Chod and the boys stayed home sick today. (Chod-sore throat, Bentley-cough + runny nose, Lincoln-why would I take him if Chod was staying home?) Bentley did miss giving his first Primary talk today, and Chod left the bishopric high and dry without a financial clerk on Fast Sunday.

I went to church by myself, which meant I could actually pay attention, stay in class, and not have to hand out Cheerios during meetings.

When I got home Chod said he had taken a nap, Bentley had just woken up, and Lincoln was still asleep.

Plus he had dinner started.

I think we could make a habit of these kind of Sundays. Never has a request from the bishop been so easy.