I was on the phone with Adam's mom and looked across the room at our three year old little girl.  Stopping the conversation in panic, I had to yell, "I'll call you right back!"
      Lauren Elizabeth thinks that our family cat is kind of like her baby doll.  She tries to dress her, push her in a stroller, feed her...all this while the cat constantly looks at us with the expression of, "I hate you all".  
      To make matters worse, I have been trying to convince Adam for a couple of years now that we should get a family dog.  Adam's level headed response to this each and every time is, "We have four kids already.  WHY would you want to add to the chaos in our house?"
      I talked him into having a trial run with my parent's dog temporarily.  Their dog is wonderful and everything has been pretty good so far - but our cat and their dog REALLY don't like each other.  If the dog walks into a room the cat quickly gets up and leaves.  Our cat then finds a place to sit and watch the dog, usually with the same expression of, "I hate you, too".  We have to make sure to watch them in fear that the dog might attack.  
    The bigger problem though, is that Lauren Elizabeth wants them to be "friends".  It bothers her that they don't like each other, so she tries to give them play dates.
      This is what was about to happen when I was talking with Adam's mom.  Lauren held our big cat in her little arms like a baby and said, "Here kitty!  Here's your fwend!"
      As I lunged across the room to stop her, the cat started to make a growing/howling sound from somewhere deep inside, then twisted towards the dog with a huge KHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.  The hiss made the dog lunge at her and bark in full attack mode.  Little Lauren froze in horror as I ran to her.  With the dog still barking, the cat flipped up and out of Lauren's arms, using her body like a tree to climb up and jump over.
    As I reached down to scoop Lauren up, her little eyes began to water until she exploded into tears.  "Why don't they wike each other?"
      Trying to console her while explaining that cats and dogs don't usually get along, I remembered that my mother-in-law still had no idea why I hung the phone up so quickly.
      I called her back and began to explain - while keeping an eye on Lauren, the cat and the dog all at the same time. 
      In the end, I know that Adam is right about getting a sweet family puppy.  It would definitely add more chaos and wildness in our home.  
    But ohhhhhh how fun the "play dates" might be.

    When you were a kid, did you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach when the time came for "Parent/Teacher Conferences?"  I would always worry about what the teacher would say, with the main concern being..."Will she tell my parents that I talk too much?...Of course she's going to tell them that I talk too much..."
    It surprised me then - when I became equally as nervous today as our son's preschool teacher called us in for his Parent/Teacher conference.  "What will she say about him?  Will she tell us that he talks too much?  Of course she's going to tell us that he talks too much..."
    As his teacher began, she showed us Preston's work from the beginning of the year, compared to his recent work.  Everything looked good so far.  I felt my nervousness fade just a little, until it became time to discuss his behavior.  
    She began with, "Preston is a hard worker.  He does a good job staying on focus and getting his projects done.  He really sticks to it." 
    I don't want to say that my jaw almost hit the floor but I truly had to concentrate on not making any facial expressions or reactions of shock and disbelief.  (PRESTON?!  OUR Preston?!)  This is the kid who couldn't concentrate long enough to spit his toothpaste out while brushing his teeth.  
    Being overwhelmed with the desire to get out of the conference before they figured out the "real" Preston, we smiled and thankfully made our exit.
    On the way home, Preston sat in his car seat behind me as I drove.  I went on and on about how proud we were of him.  He kept laughing saying, "Mommy, I'm a Mummy!...Mommy, LOOK I'm a MUMMY!"  I focused on the road saying, "Okay buddy, you're a Mummy."  He became frustrated and said, "No, LOOK at me MOMMY!  I'm a MUMMY!" 
    Tilting my rear-view mirror to see him, I almost ran off the road.  He found the gum from my pocketbook, chewed it, then wrapped it around his head about a hundred times.  His face, hair, neck...all wrapped in gum.  "PRESTON!"  
    "But MOMMY, I'm a MUMMY!  Get it?!"  
    Needless to say, I have scrubbed his head and neck, but ended up having to cut his hair.  There's still some gum stuck to him that I'll have to explain to his teacher tomorrow.  
    She was right though, he really does do a good job at staying on focus and getting his projects done.  He really...and truly...sticks to it.

    A few weeks ago, my husband and I were at the airport.  We don't fly very often, but when we do, it's a strong reminder of how he and I couldn't be more opposite.  
    Adam was born and raised in the military and has a regimen for almost everything.  Every 't' is crossed, every 'i' dotted...where I on the other hand...well, I guess you could say I'm more free spirited.  I usually have the "Don't worry - everything will be fine" attitude. 
    So, there we were - at the airport.  Adam was checking our boarding passes, looking up our flight information, making sure our luggage was safe and secure, while I was pretty much just wandering along beside him, smiling at people as we passed by.
    When we got to the security check point and started to take our shoes off, we somehow became separated.  I stood up to look for him but instead found myself face to face with a sweet and kind elderly man.  He must have been in his 80's and seemed very stressed and confused.
    I work as a therapist and am primarily with geriatric patients so my mind began to spin with what to do.  Was he lost?  Did he have Dementia, Alzheimer's, Short Term Memory loss?  How could I help him get where he needed to go?  
    As I smiled and began to ask if I could take him somewhere, he instead looked over my shoulder and softly said, "I'm with her..."
    Turning around, I realized that I was standing between this dear man and the love of his life.  His beautiful silver haired wife was standing there waiting patiently as he hurried himself trying to get past me. 
     Apologizing, I shifted myself backwards in my bare feet as he shuffled his way towards her.  They both smiled at each other in relief, making their way through the security line together. 
    Realizing that I still didn't know where Adam was, I looked back and saw him trying to make his way through people saying, "I am so sorry, excuse me, sorry...I'm trying to get to her."  
     With a lump building in my throat, I threw myself around him in the biggest hug, making him drop his carry-on.  "What in the world?"  He had no idea what I was doing, but it didn't matter.  I realized that he would always be the same...and so would I.  
    Life is what you make of it.  No matter what your personality is, when it's all said and done, who you are - and who you love is really what it's all about.  
    Whether you're exactly alike or completely different from that person...it's nice to be standing in line together in the end.

    "MOMMY!  The potty is raining!"  
    "WHAT?!"
    "The potty is RAINING!!!"
     From behind a closed bathroom door, our three year old little girl stood inside screeching.  By the time I got there, water had started to come out from beneath the door.  
    Flinging it open, a rush of water came pouring from inside with Lauren Elizabeth jumping over me to get out.  "WHAT HAPPENED?!"  I screamed as I tried to get the toilet to stop.  "I don't know..." I heard her little voice scream in horror as she ran away.  She had been in there forever and I suddenly realized...she "really" had to go.  Not only was the toilet pouring water out in abundance...you can use your imagination to figure out what else was coming with it.  
    Trying to stop myself from gagging, I reached around to the back of the commode to find the silver knobby thingy to shut the water supply off.  I was covered.  My feet, sweat pants, t-shirt...everything was soaked in poopy water.  Even though I stopped the water at the source, it was still pouring over and covering the floor.  The bathroom was flooded and the hall outside of the bathroom was beginning to flood too.  I jumped up, pulled my pants up over my knees and hopped to the closet to get some old towels.  Bringing them back, I was able to assess the situation in full.  It was everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.      
    Throwing the towels down to try and stop it from spreading, I ran to get some more.  Eventually, everything was soaked up.  I squatted down and completely lost it.  I cried and went to put my face in my hands but then cried some more because they were covered in poopy water.   
    I got myself up, found a whole bottle of antibacterial floor cleaner and poured it on every square inch.  I didn't dilute it...just poured it straight on the hard wood floor.  At that point, I didn't even care.  Getting new towels and wetting the floor down to clean everything up...it was about as good as it was going to get.  
    Gravity must have kicked in because the water went down in the toilet, so a few hours later, I was able to plunge everything out.  Disgusting.
    When all was said and done, I asked Lauren Elizabeth to show me how much toilet paper she had used.  She began to wrap it around her little fist so much so, that it looked like she had a boxing glove on.  "You can't do that, okay baby girl?"  "Okay Mommy."  
    At the end of the day, when Adam came home from work, he walked in and said, "Wow...the house smells really good...it smells like lemons!  What is that?"  I shook my head and said, "You don't even want to know.  How was your day?"  He walked into the kitchen, tossing his keys on the counter and said, "Kind of crappy...how about yours?"
    It surprises me to this day that he still gets confused when sometimes I can't stop laughing.

    Preston is our five year old who rarely sits still.  Every single day, he makes us understand the term "all boy" to the fullest extent.  
    When asked what he "wants to be when he grows up," he'll tell you that he's going to be Spider-Man...literally.  He practices climbing between the walls of doorways, jumping off the couch and flipping on the bed.  For all intents and purposes, he lives and breathes Spider-Man. 
    He wears a Spider-Man costume almost every single day.  We peel it off of him at night when he falls asleep to throw it in the laundry, only to have him put it right back on first thing in the morning.  The way we get him to go to school in "regular" clothes is to put a pair of Spider-Man shoes on his feet along with his Spider-Man backpack.
    With all of this being said...the boy loves Spider-Man.  Imagine then - what would happen if he actually happened to "run into" Spider-Man.
    A few days ago, we heard that Spidey was going to be at a local store.  We loaded the kids up and secretly took them in the hopes that Preston would get to meet him.  I couldn't stop from smiling as we walked into the store just thinking about how excited Preston would be.  When we were told where to go, we found a line and waited our turn from around a corner.  By the time we were able to get a little closer and manage to see Spider-Man at the front of the line...Preston went stone cold.  His eyes grew huge and his body went still.  This child that I thought would jump and scream as he climbed up the nearest display - stood as stiff as a board.
      We worried at first that he was scared but it wasn't that.  Preston's little face grew into the biggest smile and he whispered, "It's HIM!"  
      As we inched closer and closer to Spider-Man, we watched as Preston grew in disbelief.  He just couldn't get over the fact that he was there in real life.  
    By the time we finally made it, the older boys gave "high fives" and had fun saying "Hi" but Preston stood speechless.  He couldn't take his eyes off of him.  We kept laughing, saying, "Preston!  Say "Hi!"  He wouldn't do ANYTHING.  He just stared with shock and bewilderment.  
    When our time was up and we said "bye" to Spidey, we went on our way.  As we walked, it was as though a switch was turned back on in our little boy.  "WOW!!!  Did you SEE HIM?!  Did you see SPIDER-MAN?!!  It was REALLY HIM!!!"  Preston jumped and screamed so much that we could barely get him back to the car. 
    Yes...Preston is our five year old who rarely sits still.  Every single day, he makes us understand the term "all boy" to the fullest extent...and we wouldn't have it any other way.

    My mom always says, "People will forget what you say, they'll forget what you do...but they will never forget how you make them feel".      
    Think about it...think about any person you've ever known.  In almost any circumstance, you have a feeling attached to that person.
    Family members, friends, neighbors, teachers...in so many situations, you may not remember specific events or conversations with them, but - there is a feeling or emotion you get when they come to mind. 
     We can choose in life whether to create a positive or negative feeling towards others.  How you act or react determines the feelings and emotions to those around you.  
    This has been so clear in the past few weeks surrounding the election.  It would put a pit in my stomach to get on facebook and read posts from friends of both sides.  In many cases, people were stating their views and opinions which they have every right to do.  In some situations however, people got downright ugly.  
    Will others remember what they wrote word for word?...probably not.  Will people remember what feelings and memories that person has created in them?  Absolutely.  
    It's deep rooted in our minds.  We remember feelings even from our childhood that can never be erased.  Think about a teacher or coach you may have had.  You might never recall a single lesson taught in class or on the field/court, but you'll never forget how that teacher or coach made you feel.  
    When you think of them you recollect the sense of being either positive...or negative.  That emotion doesn't go away.
    It's good to remember that what we say and do really does have an effect - be it good or bad.  It's not only a lesson for our children to learn...it's one that we can stand by too.

    Our alarm screamed at us to wake us up at 6:30 in the morning.  I heard doors fly open from down the hall with the sound of a hundred buffalo trampling right at us. "Mommy!  Daddy! - The TOOTH FAIRY!"
    I sat straight up.  I fell asleep last night.  I didn't "wait" until the Tooth Fairy came to make sure she made a visit.  She is always so careful to find their tooth under the pillow and replace it with a coin or a dollar.  She always writes a letter that's cut out in the shape of a tooth with sparkles all over it.  I got a sick feeling in my stomach because even though the boys say that they "hate it", they run to the mirror to check their cheek for the dusting of glitter that's there from where she kissed each of them...regardless of who lost the tooth.  That's where they were headed...to our bathroom mirror.
    I jumped out of bed to try and explain how she may have missed our house last night.  Between our nine year old and our seven year old, she could probably have a permanent residence on our roof these days.  Maybe she just got confused.
    When I got to the boys in the bathroom, they were covered.  Sparkly glitter...COVERING their faces.  (What?)  I snuck down the hall to their dresser and sure enough, there it was.  A letter cut out in the shape of...something...that had a sweet message to Ethan all about his tooth.  Her handwriting was different but her love was the same.
    Getting the biggest smile, I snuck back in our room as I heard the boys laughing and saying, "She got YOU worse than she got ME!"  I crawled back in the bed and whispered, "Thank You."  My husband still had his eyes closed but he smiled and nodded his head.  It was then that I saw that he was covered in glitter too.  
    She must have gotten him as well.

    What do you do with all of that candy?  When you have four kids, it's awesome on the night of "Trick-or-Treat" because there ends up being four times the amount of candy.  You know what's not awesome?  When it is days later...and you still have four times the amount of candy.
    We have this thing in our house.  As soon as we get home on Halloween night, the kids dump all of their goodies on the kitchen counter.  Adam and I go through it, then let the kids go to town.  It's their one free night to eat whatever they want.  Is this the healthiest thing to do...of course not.  Does it get the kids to the point where they don't want to chow down on the rest of the pile while there's any left?  Yes...yes it does. 
    This is where our dentist comes in.  Odd, I know.  Our dentist happens to be the neatest person.  He started this great thing a few years ago by putting a really cool project together.  Kids bring their candy to his office, so he can send it to our troops in the Middle East.  
    Not only does he send the candy to our men and women who defend our freedom, he then rewards the kids for bringing their candy.  They get to play in a bouncy castle, sit in a fire truck, get pizza, ice cream, have their faces painted...it goes on and on.  By the time we left the event, the kids were full of food and completely wiped out from laughing and playing.
    It's nice to see when people think outside the box to make a situation a win/win.  Our dentist takes unnecessary sugar and sweets away from the teeth of his patients, while giving a special treat to our troops who deserve that plus more than we could imagine. 
    It's fun to picture the reactions of the soldiers when they open packages of chocolate, candy and bubble gum.  I wonder if they'll know that it was collected by little ones running from door to door on a cool autumn night.  We will be thinking of our troops and praying for their safety.  It's because of them that our children are blessed to be able to play, Trick-or-Treat and just be kids, surrounded by freedom and happiness.

    Have you ever had one of those days?  You know...where your dog runs off and you back into a car?  No, really...
    Let's go back a little...(no pun intended).  I'm still trying to talk Adam into getting a family dog.  We have my mom and dad's dog, Abby for a trial run to see how it goes.  I'll have to admit, it is a lot of added work to make sure the dog is well taken care of.  She is a great dog, but the one thing about dogs...is that they evidently like to chase squirrels.  When they're chasing squirrels, they don't seem to like to come back to the house.
    When I finally got Abby again, I was in a rush to get Preston off to preschool.  Lauren and Preston jumped in the car, I opened the garage door and quickly backed out.  WhaBAM!  I hit right into our other car that I forgot was parked in our driveway.  I screamed, the kids cheered and I jumped out of the car to check the damage.  The driver's side mirror was completely busted off and the door was hit in.  The neighbors had to get a kick out of me standing in the driveway yelling, "Are you KIDDING ME?!"  
    The only thing more embarrassing than hitting your own car in your DRIVEWAY is having a three and five year old with you when it happens.  For the rest of the day, Lauren and Preston announced to everyone they came across, "My Mommy wrecked both of our cars today!" (Yes, thank you check out person at the grocery store, I'll be going now.) 
    The one good thing I will say to end this first day of November, is that a wonderful friend named Robin came over to have a Scentsy Party.  Not only did she bring yummy snacks, but she brought wonderful burners with scented wax in them that made our house smell so good you could cry.  At each ring of the doorbell, friends came in with love and laughter that made the rest of the day fade away.  
    Tomorrow is a new page and I will smile as we wake up to enjoy the warm cinnamon smell of our home.  I will then be more careful when I back out of the garage.
    Thank you to Robin and the girls for turning a crazy day into one of fun and friendship.  You will never know how much it meant to me.
    Now all I'll have to do is watch out for that sneaky squirrel...