Guinea Pigs and 911 - what a day!

Last night, we returned from a short trip to a state fair. On our way home, we stopped by a pet store that sold small animals and bought a guinea pig. After our less-than-stellar experiences with a dog and cats, I figure an animal in a cage is more the way to go.

Her name is Almond. She is brown and white, the shade of brown being like the outside of an almond. Hence the name. Yes, we're sophisticated in our methods of picking names.

I paid WAY too much money for a RODENT. And rodent accoutrements are surprisingly expensive. I actually did a double take when he told me the total. Yikes.

We got her home, got her cage set up, and Hannah proceeded to sit near the cage with her drawing pad and pencils. She drew and drew Almond and drew her some more. (Homeschooler alert!) I think we'll make this part of her science this year.

Then, as we were readying for bed, I was in the living room, telling Ben to put on a pullup. Then I left him to check on the girls. When I came back, he wasn't there. His pjs were on the couch. I called him a few times, thinking he was upstairs doing something. No answer. I sent Hannah upstairs to tell him to come down. She said he wasn't up there.

Then the search ensued.

After looking everywhere I could think of, and checking those same places over and over, I started to be really concerned. I started calling him, "Ben, this isn't funny. If you are hiding to be funny or silly, you need to come out now. Mommy is getting worried." No Ben.

I had locked both the front and back doors before I had noticed he was gone... I thought. Did I or didn't I? Was he outside? We went out and yelled and yelled. No Ben. I checked in the van. Ben? No, no Ben.

Now, I'm starting to cry. Which made Hannah start to cry.

I called a friend and told her. I told her that I needed her, and of course, she said she was on her way. Then she said, "You need to call 911." I so didn't want to.

Calling 911 takes this to a new level, to a new place, that I didn't even want to entertain. But, call 911 I did. I talked to an operator who was very kind, and I had to repeat some things for her because my voice was hard to understand - the tears were clogging my throat.

The police were here very quickly. They asked us to leave the house so they could check for him alone. It took a few minutes, but then I heard, "We found him!"

The sweetest words known to mankind.

He was curled up in the window seat of my sewing room. Because of how close the sewing table is to the window, he was impossible to see. They found him by using their flashlights. He had been purposely hiding, smiling from ear to ear, even then.

The officer gave him a serious talking to, but it didn't phase him at all. I guess at 4, you just don't get it. Or at least my son didn't. So, he will be missing out on some fun things for the next few days. I need to find a deterrent so this never happens again!

Muscle Man!

Hannah was struggling to open a jar of Musselman's applesauce.

With a strained voice, she said, "No wonder they call it Muscle Man's applesauce. You have to be a muscle man to get into it!"

Man Naked

When we were at my folks' house, Hannah was mildly shocked that Grandpa was walking around "naked." My dad quickly corrected her.

"I'm not naked. I just don't have a shirt on."

"Grandpa, it's still naked. It's what I call Man Naked."

Kiss the Pig

Q: What do you get when you cross an affection-loving boy with his 4-yr old sense of humor?

A: The following strange scene...

While I was walking around the kitchen doing this and that, Ben attached himself to me in a few strange postures to hug me in any way he could. He just kinda walked along with me, so I asked, "Are you gonna come with me anywhere I go?" He smiled a sweet smile, simply saying, "Yes."

So I pulled some evasive maneuvers, only partially dislodging him, but it caused us both to giggle. Then he stood behind me, threw his arms around my roomy backside, and declared, "I'm gonna kiss your butt crack."

I tried getting away, but the more I did, the tighter he held on. And then came The Noise.

He began snorting like a piglet, making the sound in the back of his throat. It truly sounds like a little pig.

So then I had a little boy firmly attached to my butt, making pig noises. What is one supposed to take from this?

Why is my husband referred to as Beefcake?

The following is a repost of an old story. It explains where my hubby's title of Beefcake comes from. Aside from the fact that I find him totally sexy, of course.

Last night, our two girls (ages 5 and 4) decided to put on a play for us. This was their first time, and I knew it was likely to be comical, but it was beyond hilarious.

First, they each took a part - one took Sleeping Beauty and the other took Snow White. Snow White had her turn first. She was to sit down and scrub the steps and sing. Well, the scrubbing lasted 2.4 seconds, and then she was off singing and just kept walking until she completely left the room... and never came back. (Snow White is our 4 year old.) This frustrated Sleeping Beauty very much!

Well, then it was Sleeping Beauty's turn, and she enlisted the help of her 2 yr old brother to be the Prince who kisses her - but she insisted it be on the cheek, thank you very much. He walked over to her, looked down at her and said, "No kiss," and walked out. More frustration from Sleeping Beauty.

So Sleeping Beauty asked her daddy (who was in the audience) to be her prince. He walked over, kissed her on the cheek, and then proceeded to fall over limply next to her.

"Daddy, what are you doing? Are you dead?"

And Daddy, keeping his eyes closed says, "No, I caught it from you and now I'm Sleeping Beefcake."

Back from a small vaca

Went to my parents' for a week. It was just the breather I needed.

I think my kids ate their collective weight in ice cream. It was consumed nightly and with relish. Meaning they delighted in their treat. Not that we had relish on the side. *Shudder*

Oh, yes, and one day my mom made a cake. Several of them said, "Whose birthday is it?" That should tell you how often I bake cakes.

While I was gone, the local fencing company finished our new chainlink fence in the backyard. Hooray!!! That is another big project off the list I've made to accomplish while Beefcake is deployed. (That reminds me, I should repost the Beefcake post!) Have to admit, my favorite project is the kind where my main responsibility is writing out the checks.