Sometimes Your Only Choice is to Laugh

I had an experience the other day that if I hadn't laughed I probably would have just cried, or worse yet, lost my temper with one of my sweet little ones.

There are a few phrases (and strange sounds) that every mother knows she doesn't ever want to hear emanating from the bathroom. I learned a new one the other day. I guess what made the whole incident so funny was the conversation he had with himself before he alerted me to the problem. This is what I heard:

Josh: "What?! Are you kidding me! That is just great, now I have to change my pajamas!"
(Strange mumblings and shuffling; I am all ears)
Josh: "Um, Mom? Could you come help me? I had a wee accident."
(Wee? are we Scottish now?)

Well if he meant wee as in small he was sadly mistaken. Perhaps he meant the other wee?

What I found: a very large puddle all over my newly mopped floor, a very confused little boy and soaking wet clothing. Did I also mention I had just finished putting away the last of the laundry and was actually all caught up?

Not to worry we mom's are pretty ingenious at finding laundry where you previously may have thought there was none. We cleaned everything and everybody up, started a new load of laundry, then I found Lance and had a really good laugh.

Poor Josh, he was one very surprised little boy, and I'm glad I was able to laugh it off, keep my cool and help him when he needed it. He is a good boy and I love him more than freshly mopped floors, but I am glad this little surprise is not the norm.

How Time Flies!

The birthday boy

We happily celebrated Benjamin's third birthday this past week. It is very hard to believe that my youngest could possibly have gotten so big. He came charging into our bedroom at 6:30 in the morning and announced, "Today is my birthday!" After birthday greetings by all the siblings the festivities began. Well, at least a little bit, we still had older sisters to get off to school.
We started with one present; a ride on motorcycle. Benjamin loved it, everyone else began to experience those good old pangs of jealousy that always accompany another's birthday.

"Where are the pedals?"


On to breakfast, Apple Jacks specially requested by the birthday boy. Then the poor kid had to wait for the rest of his celebration until after everyone else came home from school. He thought it was great to wake up from his nap and find the house decked out with streamers and balloons.

Lance was busy all day (he took the day off work) making the cake. He was so excited to try something new. He made a four layer cake, half chocolate, half vanilla. Slathered in between the layers was pudding, chocolate for the chocolate side and butterscotch for the vanilla side. It was so tall Benjamin could barely see over the top to blow out the candles.



Of course after came more presents. Lance and I always try to find gifts throughout the year for the kids. Normally not a problem but this year with the move we had a couple of vital items lost somewhere out in the garage. He and I braved the labyrinth of boxes and were able to find the missing gifts, not a task for the faint of heart. Each of the kids had made him a card and gave him a gift. He was thrilled about each one. How our little Benjamin is loved! Hugs and excitement for him all day.



Benjamin we love you so much. You have added such a flare of excitement to our family. We love your tenacity, your exuberance and the love you have for each of us. We feel blessed to have you as a part of our family. Happy Birthday my sweet little boy!!