Insanity Defense

Our dog simply must be hard of hearing.

He sleeps inside at night. When he is ready to come in, we let him in through an entrance at the side of our house. When he is waiting at the back of the house, you have to make sure he sees you, then motion to him that you are going to the side of the house in order for him to meet you there and come in. Our house is not large and there are no odd angles for sound to get lost in, but if you do not take this step, you can stand screaming at the top of your lungs until they bleed, and he will not come.

I heard Storm tapping at the door, and, wanting to save myself a couple of steps, asked The Dude to motion to the dog and act like he was going to the kennel. I would go open the door at the side of the house to let Storm in. The Dude agreed and I left for the door.

I hollered and hollered... no dog.

I'm getting irritated.

I rap on the door and holler "STORM!"

Nothing.

One more time.

"Dog! I mean it!"

The dog comes from BEHIND me, from INSIDE the house, and runs OUT the door!

The Dude had let him in the back door and put him in the kennel. I never heard or saw either of them.

I thought I'd lost my mind.

You've never heard a little boy laugh harder.

Fear of the Uninformed

Overheard in my house this morning:

"Oh, yeah, well, I was trying to find gum and I couldn't! Then there was this BIG bang and...."

(nervously) "??? And then what happened???"

(voice trailing off) "Oh, I don't know..."

Nighty-nights

The Dude has been having bad dreams. Little Miss is feeling very big sister-like tonight, and has brought him a cup of water. As I wait in her room to read her bedtime story, she is giving her little brother a list of appropriate dreams that he can choose to have instead of any bad dreams.

She tells him to dream about things he likes, such as macaroni and cheese, a favorite book or something else that makes him happy. She has finally returned to her room, and is now instructing me on how to better comfort my son when he gets scared at night.

Time to listen, she's got some fascinating tips!

The Art of Compromise

Our first true snow of this 2011 - 2012 winter. Hubby has the day off and intends to watch a little football this afternoon. He told the kids they would have all morning to play the Wii, but they should take turns with it until it was his turn later.

They expressed their understanding and, as they were walking away, we heard The Dude say to his sister "Do you understand? That means you have to agree with me."

I really need to learn to negotiate like that!

2011 to Remember

Looking back on the past year, there've been a million hilarious little moments. It's hard to remember them all (hence the blog!) Here's one I find pretty unforgettable.

The Hubby and I took the kids to the Columbus Zoo. This is a favorite family trip we like to take on a near-annual basisd while on our way to visit The Hubby's family. This year, we went around Memorial Day weekend and also saw our oldest nephew graduate high school.

On our drive to Ohio, the kids watch their DVDs. This year, Looney Tunes has been a massive smash with both of them! If I ever have the chance to record Little Miss watching Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny in their "Chaaaaargee!" and "ReeeTReeeaatt!" bit, I swear I will do it. Nothing in her ten years on Earth has ever made her laugh any harder than that.

I spent moments this year on the floor of my kitchen with my back against the cupboards and hands clasped firmly over my laughing mouth, listening to her screaming "Chaaarrrggeeee!" and laughing hysterically! This has been the year for Little Misses sense of humor to finally make it's presence clearly known. Last year, she started getting dizzy when she spins herself around, this year, she found her funny.

But the funniest funny of 2011 for me came from The Dude. At the zoo that day, we were pretty well walked out and beginning to make our way to the car. Hubby was walking in front of Little Miss and me with The Dude, and a rabbit ran across the path in front of them. Hubby said "Dude, look! A rabbit!"

The Dude didn't skip a beat.

"Be vewy, vewy quiet!" He said.