I just couldn't resist....

Katelyn has fallen in love with writing stories and illustrating them. (I think they talk about "illustrations" a lot at school.) Here is one of her stories. I found it this morning on the table. I'm not sure where she gets her knowledge of eagles. I'll have to ask her when she gets home from school.

This next one requires a little explanation. For Carter's birthday a week ago, John got him a bearded dragon:

His name is Dragon - creative, huh? He is Carter's best pal (besides Katie, of course). Dragon hangs out with us while Carter plays with his Legos, plays video games, draws, etc. However, because Carer is only 5, we've had a few incidents with Dragon. Sometimes when I tell Carter to put Dragon back in his cage downstairs he forgets. Not seeing Dragon attached to Carter's shirt like he usually is, I assume Carter has obeyed me. We have always been able to find the lizard after one of these mishaps, until last night. I was out doing my visiting teaching (yeah me!) when I got a text that Dragon was missing. I returned home two hours later and he still hadn't been found. John had been combing the house, the yard, the garden, but no Dragon. I went out with a flashlight and looked for a while, then searched the house myself. When I finally gave up, I honestly felt like crying (take note of the end of Katie's next story). I never in my life dreamed I would be that sad, if sad at all, over a lost lizard. But that guy is Carter's best buddy, and in the short time that we've had him, he's really become part of the family. Here's Katie's take on the situation:

The kids were up at 5:30 this morning, and I listened to them bemoan their lost friend, promising to look outside again when it got light. Luckily, before we started the search again we noticed Dragon on the hearth in the living room. He was behind a little stuffed pumpkin, and probably had been all night. I don't know how we missed him, or how the cats missed him. I'm just so relieved! And I'm happy to have Carter's pal back. :)

Random Stuff

• Carter (5 yo): "Mom, how did Jesus make us? How did he make our skin? Did he make bread and toast it, and then put water on it so it was all skin-y?"


• Aidan, now 2, says the cutest things in his little sweet voice. He always says thank you, and excuse me when he burps. He loves to ask me if I'm OK, and he has taken to asking if he can hold me (meaning, of course, that he wants me to hold him). His sentence structure is amazing for a 2-year-old. If only he weren't driving me crazy all day every day!


• I'm severely sleep deprived. If Aidan's not keeping me awake, it's Zach (now 9 months old). Seriously, several nights a week I am up pretty much all night. Last night I slept for 4 hours straight, and today I got a 2 hour nap. This kind of sleep is unheard of! I hope it can carry me through another long week...


• My sister is going to have a baby any minute now. She's past her due date, and going crazy, I'm sure. I feel for her. And I feel for me because it will be a few months at the least before I see her sweet baby. I'm still in mourning over her moving across the country, if you can't tell.


• I'm drowning in a sea of dirty laundry. Seriously. I can. Not. Keep. Up! I did make some great strides this weekend. There may be hope for this week if I can keep it going.


• It will help that I'm done with this:

I've now done 4 batches of salsa, almost completely from my garden, tomatoes from my garden, and pears from my sister's tree. If I have enough, I'll do another batch of tomatoes, but that's it for this year. I'm proud of it, and we love the salsa to death, but it's just about done me in. Thank goodness for a mom who will drop everything to help out a daughter who's taken on too much!

• I've also been doing this.....

....and I'm dying to do more! I have several projects in the works - all gifts for people who have had or are about to have (wink, wink) babies. But I also have some new projects going. If I can get my act together, I'll be opening an Etsy store soon. I'm really excited, and I'll be launching it with a giveaway on my blog. So stay tuned! (If you're a follower of my blog, you know that this does not mean to expect anything soon. But it will happen!)

• Last, but not least, I'm grateful to have a husband who will dig in and do some dirty work when it's needed. While I napped today, he cleaned the kitchen, including the floor. If you've ever been in a room with my 2-year-old while he's eating, you know what a gross job that is! Thanks, sweetie. I think this week is off to a much better start than last......