Called to serve

15:30 hours. The doorbell sings its pretty melody. I see brown out the window. At first I shudder because I think it's the UPS guy delivering one of my many online purchases. Why shudder? Because my husband's home and I don't feel like hearing the huffing about what I bought.

No, it was NOT UPS. It was someone else in brown. Someone with a badge. I open the door to be greeted by a deputy asking "Is everything alright here?"

"Yes, why?" I ask.

"We had a 911 call."

Huh, read the end of paragraph 1. Yes, my husband is home. Why yes, he is downstairs "WATCHING" the kids. Maybe he tied them up and they're calling for help. I can hope.

Not so lucky. I call the brood to the door. The Princess immediately says Cookie Monster called. Yeah right, why do you look like you're ready to cry, little girl in pink? I have the deputy explain to them why it's not so funny to call 911. After he leaves, we talk about how they speed to get out here (remember our blog title: Crazy in the Country), how others actually could use their help at that time, how God doesn't like when we lie.....

I continue to quiz her. I even told her she doesn't lie really well. The tears start to fall. Still, the mystery remains. Who called while dad was sitting next to them on the couch?

Nighty night

This is our 4th kid and this is the first time we've ever had one fall asleep in the highchair. Guess that's what happens when you're at the end of the line and you're being ignored. If I remember right, we were dealing with a crisis involving one of the other three. Or was it the snake in the basement???

Luckily, she (the little Princess, not the snake) was rescued quickly.

Poor baby.

Happy Mother's .... wait, I'm going to beat you...Day!

Mother's Day was this past weekend. This was the first year my kids have asked if they could buy me a card. This was also the first year they've decided to tell dad how poorly he's doing as far as recognizing me for this day, or any other special day (my birthday) during the year. Kind of funny if you ask me.

We were shopping at the grocery store and I was about ready to strangle Farmer Boy and the Princess when, in a faint whisper, she came and said, "Can I get you a Mother's Day Card? I'll pick it out and put it in the cart and you just have to pay for it."

How can you resist that?

But wait, I was ready to beat them a second ago. Ah, saved by the cuteness. I agreed and let them pick out a beautiful work of art.

Much to my delight on Mother's Day, I opened up one card to hear the song, "Whooomp, there it is!" This was from Farmer Boy. The card was quite funny, but has been adopted by Cookie Monster as his personal DJ service.

The other was a beautiful shade of pink on the front, with flowers, perfume and other "girly" things. It read "For the Woman Who Shares My Life." I commented on how pretty the card was and then opened it up to read further...

"I'm a very lucky person. I married a loving, caring woman..."

By now, I was holding the card in front of my face to cover the smile and laughter.

"....Who has given me the most wonderful family I could ever dream of. There's no way I could show you how much you mean to me...but I'll always keep trying. Happy Mother's Day."

Seriously, I was trying not to pee my pants, squeezing my legs together while wiping away tears of laughter.

My husband had caught on by now and said how pretty the card was.

The Princess signed it "Love me and Love **'s sister."

These cards were followed by the homemade ones from school

Oh, and dad get me a gift.

This was honestly the best Mother's Day yet.

Twooo much....

We've finally hit the "Terrible Twos" with Cookie Monster. He was so sweet prior to turning two, I thought there would be no "terrible" attached to this year. Hah! Don't get me wrong, he is still very sweet. In fact, he makes me laugh SOOO much. It's like a light was flipped on a he found he needs to assert his independence. I don't ever remembering it happening so dramatically with the older two.
Oh, but maybe they are part of the problem. Anyhow, we went for his 2-year-check. Going to the doctor has never been a problem before. That day, though (with the other 3 kids in tow), he decided to through a fit on the way in, when he was asked to step on the scale, when he was asked to put on a gown for the exam, etc., etc., etc.
His fit was so extreme that he almost fell off the exam counter in the dr.'s office. Guess he didn't want to show some skin. Then when the dr. came in, he scowled at her.
When we returned home, I had to peel him off of his sister's jumperoo to take him up for a nap. He screamed in his bed. Normally, he just lays down. When brother and sister went to get him up from his nap, he was so made he didn't want to get out of bed. He came downstairs with a frown on his face.
That night, when it was bath time we saw yet another tantrum. Normally, he comes running, begging to take a bath. Not that day. He hid under a chair. Once I pulled him out and tricked him in to taking his socks off, the tantrum subsided a little. He did scream when I put him in the tub, though.
The Princess helped entertain him a little in the tub, so he calmed down. Once it was time to get out, yet another fit. Now, we've had a fit because he didn't want to take a bath -- another because he doesn't want to get out.
I'm sure there was another fit before we went to bed.
At least he offers PLENTY of laughs throughout the day. He makes my heart smile.
Just like the rest of my babies.