The Creepy Tooth Fairy

This story got such a chuckle from a friend of mine that I decided I had better share it with all of you.  Caleb lost a tooth the other day.  That night, after we had written a note to the tooth fairy begging her to not take his tooth, we had a conversation.  Caleb said, “Roman said that his mom is the tooth fairy.”  “Oh?” I said, “What do you think about that?”  “I don’t think she is, mom.  I mean… how could she get into our house and leave money under my pillow?  That just sounds creepy.”  That response got a big smile out of me.

 

 

Kangaroo Whistle

 

 

     As Chad and I were cleaning out his closet the other day, I was reminded of an experience we had when Anderson was little.

 

     It was around this time of year.  Anderson, then 3 years old, and I were shopping for Chad's Christmas present. I wanted to buy Chad a tie rack, but I knew that Anderson was not old enough to keep it a secret from his dad. So, I told Anderson that it was a kangaroo whistle. I showed him how you should blow on the end of it to create a really high sound that humans couldn't hear, but that kangaroos could. I told him that if any kangaroos were around that they would come to us. I then emphasized the importance of keeping this awesome gift a secret from dad. We wrapped it and put it under the tree.

      Sure enough, that night I overheard Anderson, in his cute little three-year old voice, telling Chad all about the kangaroo whistle we were giving him for Christmas. Chad could never figure out what the gift really was until Christmas morning.

      As Chad and I organized his closet, we both had a chuckle when I asked him if he needed another kangaroo whistle.

 

Anderson and Caleb- Christmas 2007

  

Haircuts: Required; Handcuffs: Optional

 

Anderson used some of his allowance to buy handcuffs.  I thought it was hilarious the other day when he used them to shackle himself to the chair while I was giving him a haircut.  I didn’t tell him those handcuffs could have been very useful for a few of his haircuts in years past.

 

Anderson has started a wrestling club.  I am surprised that Caleb isn’t interested in wrestling.  After the first practice, Caleb shrugged his shoulders and said, “You pay money to get hurt.  It all seems so pointless.”  That’s a wise 6 year old I’ve got.  Caleb’s just a lover, not a fighter.  =)  

Update: Caleb came home with a girl's phone number today.  Isn't he a little young for this?  I had to help him dial her phone number so he could talk to her.
 

I suffer

I just want to give you all a visual of what I deal with here at home:

 

And yes... he can open that drawer and the toilet lid by himself.  Good times!

Chickens

I am not an animal lover.  I've accepted this about myself, and I'm okay with it.  When the boys ask for a dog, I now tell them no;  It's no longer 'maybe' or 'some day.'  I know you are shaking your head with disappointment, but it's okay... I am not a bad person. 

This is why I surprised even myself when I wanted to get chickens.  But, chickens aren't pets.... right?  They earn their keep.  They're functional.  At least that was the plan. 

My vision of four chickens roaming in our yard and producing eggs for us hasn't worked out so well.  What has happened is I have chicken poop on my porch, I have to shoo them out of the house when the boys leave the door open, and I'm only getting one egg a day. 

We have now built a chicken run to enclose them during the day.  While I was clearing out vegetation for the chicken run, I discovered what I have suspected for a long time:

I'm pretty sure there is another mound of eggs behind the wood pile, and I think one of our chickens escapes under the fence behind the shed to lay her eggs in the neighbors yard.  Hopefully our new enclosure will encourage our chickens to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes we have so lovingly prepared for them.

There is one member of our family who will be very disappointed with this new arrangement.  Clark loves to crawl into the chicken poop, er... I mean coop, and dump out all the food.  He's going to be pretty ticked off.

Backpacking Trip

Chad took Anderson and Caleb on their first backpacking trip.  As you can tell from the photos, they had a great time.  I can't wait until Clark is old enough for us all to go.  I must confess, though, that my ninja moves aren't quite up to speed.  And, as you can see from the photos, this seems to be a requirement for the trip.  This may turn into a 'boys only' tradition.

Caleb's New Business Venture

Caleb approached me today with a money making plan: "Mom, I know how to trick the tooth fairy.  You just put fake teeth under you pillow."

"Oh," I replied.  "How much money do you think you will make?"

"Probably about twenty dollars," he said.