Random Pictures

Samuel's bedhead

Bella, sleepy and comfortable

Benjamin and Ellie

Lazy Dogs!

Guess who also likes the scoobs and snatches them any chance he gets??

My Mouse Story

In the summer of 1985, I attended teen camp. I had already finished my first year of college, but I went anyway, as sort of a "helper". (Truth was, I had nothing better to do as I didn't have a job and had a few weeks before school started again). The camp was Camp Life, in Bear Mountain, New York. We had attended this camp the year before, and it was hands down, the best youth camp I ever attended- and I had gone every year to many different camps. I was looking forward to going back and having a great time again.

Now, let me fill you in on this camp. Can you say rustic? We slept in cabins, where half of the wall was screening. There was one light, and no other electricity in the cabins. The bathroom was a little walk from the cabins and was an older version of porta potties. It was, uh, not nice. But honestly, we didn't care. It was a well run camp, and our church was excited to be back.

The first night, we turned out the one light, and went to bed. It was kind of nice, kind of like sleeping outside, but with a roof and walls. I lay in bed and closed my eyes and was just nodding off when I heard something that jolted me wide awake. I lay still, listening, hoping that I didn't hear what I thought I did. I heard it again, and apparently, so did anyone who wasn't asleep yet. We turned on the light and watched as several mice scurried around on the floor.

Well, we screamed (of course) and ran for the counselor. She was about 8 months pregnant at the time, sleeping on a cot and now had about 4 teenage girls on that cot with her. She patiently told us to back up so she could sit up. We calmed down a little bit and went back to bed. And heard it again and the same thing happened. We tried again and left the light on a little bit, which seemed to keep the mice away. Eventually everyone fell asleep.

That next night was a repeat of the first. I honestly don't know how I slept at all. The third night I decided to sleep on a top bunk which would be farther from the floor where the mice were. Or so I thought. As I lay in bed and desperately tried to sleep, I heard the now familiar scurrying. But this time it seemed closer. I flipped on the light and what I saw gave me nightmares for years afterward. There was a shelf around the top of the cabin, where the screening ended and the wood began. There was also this type of shelf around the middle of the cabin. On these two shelves were mice, all in a row, running from one end of the cabin to the other. Countless mice. Endless mice. Everyone else had managed to fall asleep. Not me. I sat up in bed, terrified, quoting Scripture.

Like I said, I honestly don't know if I slept at all that week. The mice parade happened the last night we were there too. And one time in the day, a squirrel got in the cabin while we were in there. It was a camp that nightmares are made of. It took me quite a while after the camp to not be skittish at noises. I remember going back to college and talking to one of my friends. She took her eyes off my face and looked at something beyond me and made kind of a surprised face. I screamed. I was like that for a few months.

And now you know why mice terrify me, why I have such an unreasonable fear of them and why I am so skittish, even over 23 years later. Why I don't even have to see them- it's enough to think I hear them.

And now you know how better to pray for me!!

Monday

I apologize for not writing more often this past week. Honestly, I haven't taken any pictures or video either. This mouse thing has me so disoriented I'm having a hard time just doing the necessary things. Traps have been set and out for a week, but he hasn't touched them. We think he is in the wall, and somehow comes and goes. I tried sleeping in my room a few times, and when the lights go out, the mouse starts scratching and chewing and I just can't take that. So I've been sleeping on the couch for the past week and it is starting to get to me. The couch is not that comfortable and I don't sleep well on it.

Benjamin has done great without a bottle in bed. It figures now that I've got him sleeping through the night again, I'm not. He's such a sweet baby and Paul and I just enjoy him so much. He still shows little to no interest in walking- he much prefers to crawl.

Samuel received some money for Christmas and he has enjoyed having his own little stash. When we have gone to Goodwill, he has found toys that he wants to buy. Our Goodwill has had their toys 50% off the past few weeks, so he's been able to get quitie a few nice things. It's so cute to watch him, as he insists on paying the cashier himself. And when he gets change, he's so excited that the lady gave him more money back!

Hopefully the mouse will be caught soon and life as we know it will get back to normal.

A Reminder to Myself

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

(The mouse is alive and well as was proven by his scurrying around at 2 this morning. AGHHH)

Updates

• Today was a much better day.
• Benjamin has done great without a bottle in bed. Makes me wonder why I didn't break this habit sooner.
• Paul, Jr., started classes today. He was very excited and has a bit of homework to do. It's weird not being his teacher anymore.
• The mouse has not been caught. Everytime I go in my room I make quite a bit of noise so if it's in there, it will hide. I've haven't seen or heard it all day. Maybe it has gone back down the basement?
• Zack got his driver's permit today. He was so happy to finally have that done with. He's driven a couple times, and other than almost taking down all the mailboxes on the road, he did good.
• I would get a cat, but I can't. Paul, Jr., is allergic to cats, and well, I would kind of like him to keep breathing. :)

Tuesday

It's been a week, just today.

I've not had a good day. It started out with Benjamin waking up twice last night. I've let him form a very bad habit of going to bed with a bottle. I know, I know. I did that with my first 2 before I realized how detrimental it is later on and I swore I wouldn't do it again. But I was tired and he was up early and he could hold his own bottle and I said it would only be that one time. That one time turned into every time, and now he wakes up 1 or 2 (or 3) times a night because he can't get back to sleep without the bottle. I feel like I have a newborn in the house! I've been so tired because I've not been sleeping well, and when I'm tired, bad days happen very frequently. (FYI, today was the first day he's gone to bed without a bottle, all day, and surprisingly, he's done real well. We'll see how the night goes.)

About 10AM, Paul Jr., decided he wanted to attend the local community college. This semester. And today was the last day for registration. Well, he actually decided that a while ago, but just got around to doing anything about it today. So, that means I spent several hours this morning putting together his transcript. I really didn't mind doing it, I mean, I am his teacher and all. But I didn't like doing it at the last minute. And because I was busy doing that this morning, laundry didn't get done. The girls schoolwork didn't get checked. The housed didn't stay picked up. The grocery shopping didn't get done. (And there was nothing in the house to eat.)

He said, offhandedly, maybe I should go with him in case there were questions he couldn't answer. So about 3, he and I headed off for the college. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who waited until the last minute. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to register him for college. Actually, it took him 3 1/2 hours. I sat and waited for 3 1/2 hours. Plenty of time to think about what was not getting done at home.

We got home around 6:30. Paul, thankfully, had supper ready. He went all out and made Paul Jr. a steak and shrimp to celebrate his admission to college. It was very nice. After supper, it was discovered that there was a mouse in my room.

A MOUSE! You can imagine what that did for my day. I didn't handle it real well. There were some tears involved and a real quick exit. And tonight, I'm sleeping on the couch. I just can't handle a mouse, even though I'm assured that it's more afraid of me than I am of him. I'm not so sure about that.

So here I sit, in the living room, while everyone else is sleeping. I'm hoping I don't hear anything tonight, but I know full well, that I'll probably hear everything.

Tomorrow's got to be better, right?

Benjamin

Check out that wild hair!

The dogs watching Benjamin intently, to see if he will open the door so they can escape.

He thinks it's all a big game.