What Michele Needs....

We have finally gotten over the ickies here at our house. The kids were all sick for Valentine's Day (what is it about my kids and holidays???) and the poison has slowly worked its way through the rest of us as well. I'm happy to report however that we are all back on our feet and will now resume life as previously scheduled.

My good friend Corrine posted this list on her blog and I thought it would be a fun way to get back into my blogging. To generate the list, go to Google Search and type in your name followed by the word "needs". Here, according to Google, are my top ten needs:

1. Michele needs to hire a goon. (only if they clean houses)
2. Michele needs to create names for her imaginary friends.
(it appears my sanity may be in question - no surprise there!)
3. Michele needs to regain custody of her son. (or maybe just control)
4. Michele needs to learn to be more careful with her Voodoo.
5. Michele needs the following info for your demand to count.
(and please come forward in an orderly fashion)
6. Michele needs a family that will be patient, consistent, kind, and loving (Amen!)
7. Michele needs attention.
(just not from her children - she gets enough of that right now)
8. Michele needs to take photography and graphics classes. (or something)
9. Michele needs your prayers. (always)
10. Michele needs a new hairstylist. (again, AMEN!)

Cedar Fever

It's cedar season around here - and it has really hit my husband hard this year - so there's been a lot more sneezing going on than usual. That's the only explanation I have for Peter's latest bizarre behavior...

A new pet?

We were sitting around the table eating dinner the other day when Leah started yelling "A rat, a rat, Mommy!" Luckily, she was pointing outside so we all went to look out onto the back porch. I really wouldn't have been surprised to see a rat since there are tree rats that live in the ravine a couple of houses down. However, we were very glad to see this little creature instead...

Anyone want a baby opossum? They are rather cute in a skeletal kind of way... Brent actually met someone this summer who was keeping one as a pet, but I think I'll pass. Luckily, we were able to find a rehabilitation clinic where we could drop it off for return to the wild since this one wasn't quite big enough to make it on it's own just yet. It was a fun adventure for the kids and satisfied any yearnings I may have been having for a pet (which weren't many)

Misleading

You know you've been entirely too vague when even your husband asks you if there is something he should know. So, just to stop all rumors before they get too far out of hand... no, I am not expecting. But they sure do make you consider it, don't they??

I think it's a conspiracy against the sanity of parents everywhere.

Toddlers

I think my favorite age so far has been between 12 and 18 months. Kids that age are just so dang cute and they don't yet have the attitude that just gets right under my skin. Usually they're walking and they pretty much understand most of what you say to them, so they aren't quite so high maintenance. This is the time when my kids start engaging in conversation as well - mimicking our inflections and the sounds we make. Peter likes to just babble at us and is pretty content just to have us acknowledge that he's talking, even if we have no idea what he's saying.


Peter has also discovered books and will spend long stretches of time just sitting and looking at the stories that we read him at night. His favorites so far are the Sandra Boynton books. The other day he found one that he hadn't seen before because it was on a different bookshelf and he came running to show it to me so we could read it.



I'm sure their cuteness factor at this point is a huge part of the reason so many siblings are about two years apart. They just make you want to have another one....