Tuesday, March 30

Pest Control

We have pests. Mice-like creatures that have entered our home and have taken over. At first, there were only a couple, but their numbers have grown.

They get into every nook and cranny, causing massive amounts of destruction along the way. They've gotten into my make-up, into my photo albums, and into every drawer in the house. They scurry across the island in the kitchen, they dance on the living room table, and even plop themselves down on the very top of the couch (where we rest our heads). Worst of all, they get into our bed in the middle of the night!

They practically camp out in the pantry. They have eaten their way through every bit of food we have in the house, knocking over bags of flour and uncooked pasta in the process. Fruit is a particular attraction for these rodents. Within seconds of taking fruit out of the grocery bags, these pests attack! We, literally, watch them fight to pick the best piece of fruit, eat most of it, and drop the remaining bits on the floor throughout our home.

At first, we used to be able to shout at them, and they would scurry back into the shadows of the house. Now, they seem immune to our shouting. They sense that we are unwilling or unable to take the necessary steps to eradicate the problem. Yes, I admit it! We have a pest control problem because we were too lazy and too exhausted to nip it in the bud. The problem has grown to a level where Dan and I are helpless.

A few evenings ago, Dan and I sat in the dark. We hoped that if we were very quiet, they would go away. Or, at least be quiet so we could pretend we didn't have a pest control problem. But it didn't work. Their destruction continued even in the darkness. I whispered to Dan that we should move, just walk out and never look back. Dan hoped that there could be another, less dramatic solution. "Isn't there someone we can call?", pleaded my husband. I looked into his sad, tired eyes and replied "No. I've already called Children's Aid. They won't take our kids!".

So, here we remain with Things 1, 2, and 3, hoping that one day they will transform into beautiful butterflies and fly away. Until then, Dan and I will keep our heads down and try to stay out of their way!

Thursday, March 25

Spring Has Sprung

Here are the kidlings playing outside in our backyard. These pictures were taken over a couple of days.


Bethie - sitting on the slide, Katie jumped in the shot!

Katie - colouring with the 3D chalk

Katie - posing for the camera

Sarah - having a little rest in front of the purple door

On our walk, pretending they were on a tight rope. Bethie in the lead, Katie, and Sarah following.



Bethie - on the other slide

Katie, Sam, and Bethie
Katie on the swing

Wednesday, March 24

Easy To Assemble

I am concerned about the structural safety of our last remaining crib. I am not sure if the manufacturer had intended to have 120 pounds (or three children) jumping up and down on the crib at all, much less at the same time. Regardless, that is what is happening to our crib. In addition, it turns out that Sarah can climb in and out of the crib by herself, sometimes more successfully than others. It's time for a big girl bed.

Here's what I had in mind:


However, we settled for the far more practical, yet still wonderful, Tinkerbell Toddler Bed. Here is one that is very similar to the one Granny purchased for wee Sarah:

The best bit about the toddler bed was it had "Easy To Assemble" written in bold across the box. Perfect.

On Sunday morning, Dan decided that he would put the bed together. He took all the pieces out of the box, carefully making sure that we had every bit. He read the instructions, and then started the task of building the bed.

The children and I were mucking about, periodically sticking our heads in the room in hopes of seeing the finished product. Every time, we were shocked to see the same pile of poles and very little progress made. Periodically, we would hear Dan mumble from the room, "Easy to assemble? If you're Hercules maybe!" or "Do they think I'm Superman?". This made us wonder exactly what Toys 'R' Us expected from my husband!

After an hour and a half, all five of us were crammed into Sarah's tiny room demanding that Dan hurry up and put this bed together. He was now royally ticked off. Apparently, his idea of bending the steel bars so that they would fit together hadn't gone well. To add to his frustration, the kids were in the way, and he found my helpful commentary (peppered with light-hearted laughter) rather irritating.

He demanded my help. I was to hold a bar in place while he used all his force to pull an attached bar in the opposite direction. Yeah, it didn't make sense to me either. I did what I was told until the bar snapped like a rubber band across my neck. At that point, we built the bed my way. Twenty minutes later, the bed was built. We were thrilled and requested that our littlest one hope into bed and act delighted. She didn't. She still hasn't. She's boycotting the bed.


Sarah (eating a plastic chicken) in her new bed. Katie wanted to be in the picture too!


Sarah with her blankie, a frog, and Uppsy Daisy in her bed.

Tuesday, March 23

The Triplet

Sarah has to do everything the older girls do. She muscles her way into all of their activities. They run, she follows. They colour, she's right in there, too. She sits in the middle while they all watch TV. We call her "the triplet".

In February, the twins got new glasses. They were very pleased as I let the pick out their own frames (to my horror, they picked out different colours!!!). Sarah was horrified that they had new glasses and she had nothing. So, she had to make do:

Sunday, March 21

Treats From Tim's

The five of us were going out for the day. I promised the girls that we could go to Tim Horton's. While driving there, I said, "I would like a coffee. What would you girls like?". Bethie told me what she wanted, and Katie shouted up her order from the far back seat. We discussed, and agreed upon, Sarah's order of 2 Timbits. For a moment, no one said anything. Everyone seemed to be happy. Then Katie shouted out, "You better get the angry bear a hot chocolate!".

Dan, having been referred to as the "angry bear", was most offended. But I did, in fact, get him a hot chocolate and he seem to forget about the offence.