Our cat really did have the life once.  We got her when she was a little fur ball of a kitten back in the late 1990's.  Her days consisted of napping, lying in the sun, eating and then a little more napping.  When our first baby was born in 2003, the cat would mosey around to check him out.  A little purr let us know that she thought the new baby was welcome and a part of the family.  This acceptance drastically changed however when our baby began to crawl and pull on everything he could reach.  There was no toy half as interesting to him as our cat.  He even began to take his first steps and walk in full pursuit of his helpless four legged friend.  It was as though the cat's tail was the ultimate goal and her ears were made of candy.  Our cat's life only got worse as we continued to have three more children.  Time and time again she was pounced on, pulled on and chased around the house.  "Here Kitty, Kitty!" has frequently been heard echoing through our house as the cat attempts to run for an unreachable hiding place with pure panic in her eyes. 
    As the kids and the cat have gotten older, they seem to be finding a mutual respect.  The cat doesn't seem to hate the four kids as much and has reduced her hissing to a minimum while the kids don't try to ride her like a horse anymore.  Why just last night, I even found our four year old lying on the cat, both as happy as can be wanting to fall asleep together.  We can only hope that the kids will learn to love and take care of animals from lessons learned from their beloved childhood cat.  We can also hope that the cat hasn't used up over half of her nine lives in the process.

What goes through the mind of a little boy?  Do they think before they do something or do they just do it?  I ask myself this question daily.  I wonder if they have the concept of cause and effect or actions and reactions.  If it's something they have to learn then please God tell me, WHEN do they learn it?  Take our couch for instance.  Our son was about four or five when my Mom was teaching him how to sew...yes, sew.  I figure it's important for a boy to grow up to be a man who can sew, cook, clean, etc.  They should be able to take care of themselves and be independent.  What they SHOULDN'T do is cut a big hole in the couch cushion so they can practice sewing it back together.  When we found him as proud as he could be sitting on the couch holding a pair of scissors - we almost screamed our heads off.  He was actually confused at our reaction and kept saying, "But Grammie and I can fix it together!  You'll see!  I'm good at sewing!"
  This is the same child who is now a six year old boy and got a note home from his first grade teacher yesterday.  It read, "Ethan was putting so much soap on the sensor of the faucet in the bathroom sink that the water constantly ran."  As we read the note and looked at Ethan with "that" look, he shrugged his shoulders.  "Mom!" he said, "I kept TRYING to wash my hands, and every time I was ready to rinse the soap off, the water quit running.  It was driving me crazy so figured out how to keep it going and THAT'S why I put the soap there!"
  I'll have to admit - in a million years I wouldn't have thought of that.
  I guess there's my answer.  THAT'S what goes on in the mind of a little boy.  They do think before they do something AND they just do it...regardless if it makes any sense to the rest of us.   

Our son's birthday is coming up fast.  It's during Spring Break this year so we had his class party early in case his friends from school were on vacation.  When planning a birthday party for a six year old boy, about to turn seven, you never really know what type of theme they'll want.  We brace ourselves for anything from an outer space alien party with slime, to a jungle party with tigers and big snakes.  This year it was bowling.  Lego bowling to be exact (whatever that is) but we went with bowling...seemed simple enough.  If you've ever had around 15 kids armed with bowling balls with about four lanes between them you would beg to differ.  The kids all did a really great job and got along well.  No fingers were pinched, no balls dropped on little toes.  It took a minute though until I felt settled and calm while these cute little ones ran around in their "cool" bowling shoes.  All of their parents were there which was wonderful.  It ended up being as much fun for us as it was for the kids I think.  When the bowling was over, we were guided into a "party room" where pizza and cake were gobbled down.  Our son said that he had the "Best time EVER!" which warms any parent's heart to hear.  It's hard to believe how fast each birthday comes and goes now, but I'm glad he had such a great time for his seven year old party.  Even though there was no alien green slime involved...there's always next year.
 

Well, being from Ohio, my heart was pulling for the Buckeyes in the final four.  A few weeks ago I was explaining how I often refer to our house as the "Testosterone Dome."  This weekend was no exception.  Adam and the boys were jumping and yelling like madmen.  There was no school the next day and they were determined to stay up until the end.  It all began well.  The "OH YEA's!!!" and "THAT'S what I'm TALKIN' ABOUT's" were heard throughout the house.  When things got quiet though I wondered if the younger ones had fallen asleep.  Not in this house.  It turned out that Ohio State had fallen short in the end.  I found all four 'boys' sitting on the couch in their pajamas, feeling dejected and defeated. 
    This morning our second son was already asking when the championship game happens between Kentucky and Kansas.  I'm all but waiting for him to start looking up the stats for each team.  As this season comes to an end I can only wonder what the next will bring.  These four will be ready to go though...with their popcorn and high fives... and their footy pajamas.

My husband and I teach a 2-3 year old Sunday School class at church.  Our daughter is in our class so it's nice to get to watch her play and learn with her friends each week.  She has become pretty close with one sweet little girl in particular and they usually spend the hour together. The girls make pretend breakfast in the little kitchen, push their dolls around in strollers and eat their snack together.  My husband often laughs at the two girls because he knows my best friend from home and swears it's like watching us when we were young.  Today they even got in trouble together.  When the music teacher came in to have the little ones sing, my daughter and her BFF wanted to have a tea party instead.  They giggled and laughed while having the best time.  The music teacher finally asked them to politely be more quiet or join in the songs.  My husband dropped his jaw and looked straight at me.  He whispered, "How bad is it when our three year old is already getting in trouble for talking?  She is YOUR child you know." 
    It looks like we're going to have our hands full with this one.  She's very different from her brothers in this respect so it's a whole new ball game for us.  On a good note though, I still get to talk with my best friend after all these years, even though we're states apart and worlds away.  My life wouldn't be the same without her. Even though we met when we were so young that I don't remember - I wouldn't be surprised if it all started with a tea party too.