Running Stitch

Today I dropped my younger son off with Legolas and headed to campus to get some work done. I ignored two ‘Unknown’ calls on my cell phone. How do these people get my number it is not published! I give out my Google number. I will not answer! I do not want to buy what you are selling!

I drove merrily along my way. Then I got a call from The Man. “Soooo”, he said. “The school just called me.”

Drat. Unknown Number.

Apparently our seven year old child. Seven year old child, who wears size 2 rubber boots. Apparently, well, he was in the office. It seems that after I had driven him to school, our buses were on snow routes this morning, and dropped him off, he had played on the playground then gone into his first grade classroom. Only to find, that there was something ‘squishy and furry’ in his boot.

So he took off his boot, after hanging up his coat, putting away his bag and lunch, and looked inside.

And there was a mouse. In his boot.

Yes.

Yes.

Really.

A live mouse in his boot. You may wonder how it is possible for someone to walk, with a mouse, in their boot.

I also wonder this.

The women in the School office were still laughing when I called them to ask them if he looked like had been bitten, you know by the mouse he had walked on. Because my poor wittle baby! The mouse almost ate him!

Apparently the mouse when he arrived in the School office, boot in hand, and mouse in boot. The mouse was still alive. That is actually why they had called home, to see if it was one of our pets. (ew. no. can’t do it)

After determining that no, the mouse was not a family pet, the custodian was summoned and the boy was sent back, minus one boot to his classroom.

“And then!” he said animatedly.” During reading! My boot was back! with no mouse!”

Ah. Life at the Burrow.

*Three blind Mice

The boys celebrated their birthdays jointly this weekend at the Pool where they take swimming lessons. Two hours of just playing in the water with all your friends?

Priceless.

Add sugar. And Mix.

Seymour says “best Pool party I’ve been too! See you next week when I turn One!”

Even better then a Pool Party with cupcakes and army men? A Pool Party followed immediately by sledding!

I love this picture! Neighbor Girl leading my little guy up the hill. Moo and his best bud headed up as well and Neighbor Girl’s sister, Number 4, headed up with them. (Sorry Number 4, we’ll get you a better blog name.)

As I type this the rain is pouring down, melting away the last of the snow from the last few magical days. Snow is a pretty awesome birthday gift, and the magic of a perfect day, Pool, sledding, sleeping, watching movies with family by the wood stove? Pretty good.

With the heavy rain comes the return to our normal routine, sorry kids, looks like school is back on.

*Yellow Submarine-the Beatles

Soulemama’s Friday Moment :

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

The Burrow

It’s amazing how much laundry a little snow brings. A lot of snow (falling right now) creates less laundry. Oh sure the laundry is just as wet, but there is so much less MUD when there is a lot of snow. Muddy McMudderson and his brother the Mud Master had a few baths as well. Because why stop at coating your clothes in mud, when you can also paint your face? And the dog. (She also required a bath)

Ew. Is all I have to say. Boys. I love them but they are gross.

I love snow. It is so beautiful. I don’t know why it makes me so happy. But it just does. So pretty, and useful! Those super muddy boots are all sparkling now. Maybe if we lived in a state that got a lot of snow I wouldn’t find it as wondrous. Surely a huge part of my wonder is that, I don’t have to leave The Burrow. I work from home, school is canceled, eh, hot chocolates all around. No reason to venture out. Part of it may be that I spent my formative years in Pennsylvania, snow always equaled holiday. Snow? No school. Blizzard? No school and Grandpa picks you up early in his Milk Truck, with no seatbelts or doors!

Frosty 2011. This boy of mine, named after said Grandpa, he could spend all day making snow folk. He is still a little miffed I would let him use handwarmers (not that he knows what they are, but we have some in a drawer and he reeeeeally wants to use them) he powered through somehow. He is wearing two of my jackets here because we done out of dry laundry.

The view from my desk. No school tomorrow either. Smiles all around.

*Into White-Cat Stevens

It cleared up for awhile, but then, it came down even harder, hoping for another ‘snowday tomorrow’

*Snow Day-Emma Age 8
best song ever.

Monday we had birthday celebration with friends, a President Day themed party, including Teddy Roosevelt

hat provided by Grandpa, a big fan of the 26th president himself. We colored, we ate, we watched Night at the Museum Two “because it has two presidents in it!! And the White house!” Then we had some cake.

I think Abe had a great birthday, honestly.

*Rap of the Presidents-by John Riggio & Teresa Jennings

The Birthday Dash started with a bang on Saturday morning, celebrating NUMBER SEVEN with a drip to the Donut Shop. Our favorite place to spend our birthday.

Oh the sugar rush of it all. It was a quiet birthday just Grandma and Grandpa, a special friend, and this guy.

Still not my birthday…..

It’s so hard to wait your turn, but in just a few days we’ll be back at the Donut shop turning Five! Five! But back to Seven.

Seven, was a sunny day, after sugar loading we headed to the Mall (Let’s go to the Mall!) to spend our Book money and then home for some lounging since our first sleep over proved to be a negative sleeping experience.

At 3am I found the three of them (boys plus friend) dressed and sitting at the breakfast table ready to go. They were sent to their room for the remainder of the evening where I can only imagine they slept.

We rounded off with a quiet night at home with pizza and breadsticks and Hot Milk Sponge Cake.

Seven…….A magic number I hear.

*Let’s go to the Mall-Robin Sparkles

It’s here. Birthday Season. In a few short weeks we have five birthdays of very special people two of whom are mine. One of whom is half mine, though Legolas will never admit it, Seymour is totally my baby!!!! Miiiiine!

There is a lot of secret crafting and shoving things under other things and accidentally sticking Self with pins, going on here. Starting next week there will be an influx of Family coming and going, partying and spoiling. And it all starts Friday night. With Moo’s first sleep over! His bestest bud is sleeping over and we have been warned not to scare her. I’m not sure what he thinks is going to happen, but he has been told that she may want to leave in the night, because staying over night at someone else’s house? Scary! The Man and I will be on our best behavior.

Which is pretty good for us. Then Saturday? are traditional early morning sugar binge! complete with presents at our Favorite Donut Shop. The Donut Shop we talk about all year, and want to visit and Hey! was that the Donut Shop we just passed? I’m so very hungry for donuts, my stomach is so very empty!

That is an awfully big number. Don’t you think?

*No Woman no Cry -Blues Traveler (totally awesome version by the way)

You know you live in the Pacific Northwest when you are crossing the street with your almost Five year old (Hi! I’m almost five!) and when pointing to the crosswalk you say. “What is this called”.

And your almost five year old looks at you, then the crosswalk, then you again and says,

“A puddle?”

“um, No, these lines on the road?”

“a Pond?”

It’s wet here, in case you are wondering.

*I’m only happy when it rains -Garbage

He knows the way to my heart is through Time. The time spent on these gifts are more meaningful than any fancy dinner. (Although he is great at those too).

It even came with chocolate in it.

*Moondance-Van Morrison