Rugrats and Dirty Rugs

My Wish- Rascal Flatts I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow, And each road leads you where you want to go, And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window, If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile, But more than anything, more than anything, My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold, And while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this is my wish. I hope you never look back, but you never forget, All the ones who love you, in the place you left, I hope you always forgive, and you never regret, And you help somebody every chance you get, Oh, you find God's grace, in ev...

Yesterday, I went into the boys' bathroom right before dinner to spray it down for cleaning. I put some blue toilet cleaner in the toilet and decided to let it sit while we ate. We all sat down and prayed for our food. Then, I noticed Sleepy was dancing around in his seat as usual. I told him to go to the bathroom, but forgot to tell him to use a different bathroom. A minute later, we heard, "Mom! Blue and yellow make green!" Both Happy and Grumpy jumped up from the table to see, but their father told them to sit back down. What can I say? Our son is learning his colors.

Yesterday, I took the boys to the pound to look at cats. We didn't find the right cat for our family, so we ended up coming back home. I promised them that we would go to another pound tomorrow. With that promise in mind, they went about their business not forgetting for an instant about my promise. The day before, I had decided to start my exercise program again. With complete arrogance, I did the entire Tae-Bo video and congratulated myself for being able to get through it after months of ignoring it. "Wow! My heart is still going strong!" I said to myself. Twenty-four hours later, every muscle in my body was yelling at me. So, when we got back from the pound, I decided to feed the baby and then take a screaming hot bath to try to take away the aches and pains. I put the baby in his carseat next to the tub and closed myself off behind the shower curtain. Sleepy comes in and decides to talk to me and since the baby was fussing I asked him to put the pacifier i...

A conversation between father and son: "I'm confused," said Grumpy. "Boys hate girl things, and girls hate boy things, right?" "Right," said Doc. "But, someday, girls will be the most important thing in the world to you." With incredulous disgust, Grumpy exclaimed, "I'm going to like GIRL things?!" "NO! No!", cried Doc. "You will still like boy things, but girls will be very important to you. Trust me, kid, you will understand when the time comes." Screwing up his face, Grumpy said, "I'm confused."

Sleepy does not like his new kitchen chore. Each boy has a kitchen chore to do and that really helps keep messes down to a minimum especially with a mom who is sleep deprived. Sleepy's chore is to clear off the dining room table after dinner. Happy has insisted on taking over the chore of setting the table, so I had to give Sleepy something else to do. It probably seems overwhelming to him, so I've asked Grumpy to help him for a little while until he gets it right. Last night, I went downstairs to collapse on the couch and feed the baby. Unbeknownst to me, they only took the plates, forks, and cups to the sink and left behind all the food. A little while later, I was dozing on the couch while the boys were watching a holiday special on TV. As I felt myself slipping away, I felt a cold wet kiss on my nose. I jerked awake to see Happy with sour cream all over his mouth. His grumpy mother then ordered him to the bathroom to wash up. As I wipe the sour cream off my nose,...

I have never been able to think quickly. Not even when I was a fresh-faced kindergartner soaking everything up with my brain. It usually takes me a while to think about things especially when I have to think about finding something. I was the kind of child that had to be taught how to look for something I lost. I remember my dad sitting me down and telling me to go look back in my mind and think about the places where I had been. So, whenever I need to remember where I put something, I literally sit down and think about where I've been. My husband, on the other hand, is a very quick thinker. He probably thought it was odd the first time he was introduced to my way of finding things. We are both absent-minded and misplace things all the time. When we were first married, he would come to me asking where something is. I would stop what I was doing, sit down, and seem to go into a trance. He would stand there looking at me with a dumbfounded look on his face and say, "U...

The boys love their baby brother, Sneezy. They were there for his birth and he has been "our baby" ever since. There is no jealousy and they each want their turn to hold him on occasion. Sleepy and Happy will often argue about who's baby he is. I will hear them say, "My baby! No! MY baby!" The "discussion" will get so heated that I will cut in and say, "He's MY baby, so knock it off alright?" At one time, Grumpy asked, "Can I pet him, Mom?" I said, "He's not a dog, Grumpy. And yes, you can touch his hair." Yesterday, after church, Grumpy was having a snack when some friends of ours said that they were going to take Sneezy home with them. With tears welling in his eyes, he worriedly said, "You have to ask my mom first! You can't take him! He's OUR baby!" They assured him they didn't have a bed or diapers for him so they couldn't possibly take him home with them. It took a fe...

When Bashful was younger, he learned how to play chess. When he learned well enough to play the game with others, his competitive spirit was born. The kid liked to win and if he didn't, watch out. His younger brother, Grumpy, has also shown a competitive streak recently during his swimming lessons. As Doc took our sons into the locker room to change back into their clothes, Grumpy pointed to another boy and said with relish, "Do you see that kid over there? I beat him in a race!" Doc told him not to point, lower his voice, and finish getting dressed. As they were walking out the door, Grumpy couldn't take his eyes off the other boy as if reliving the ultimate victory in his mind. During Bashful's soccer season, I would often watch Grumpy on the sidelines. When we first arrive on the field, Bashful takes his position and Grumpy looks for friends to play with. I watch him as he stands there watching other siblings playing in the grass with a look of yearning on his ...