February 13, 2009

Friday the 13th! I'm not normally a superstitious person - but my daughter got married on Friday the 13th. And they paid for the reception hall with check number 666. How bizarre is that? They are still married. They are still doing well. They have 4 children. And that's where the problem lies. They look like like Boticelli angels most of the time - innocent and sweet (well, at least when they are sleeping - LOL). I call the youngest one (2-yr-old) "Demolition Man." There isn't anything in my house that is safe - or sacred. If I want it then I remember to keep it put up high - very high as he has learned to climb like he has suction cups attached to his limbs! Now don't get me wrong - I love him to pieces (especially when he is sleeping) - but there are times.....like the times he finds the permanent markers that I have hidden away to the point I can't even find them! Like the times he decides that there's too much water in the water cooler bottle and it would look much better on the kitchen floor. Like the times he decides to take a bath in the dog's water dish. Like the times he decides he is big enough to feed the fish without adult supervision and/or help (I'm not sure 5 small fish need an entire bottle of fish food flakes). Like the time he and his older sister took a bath at my house and dissolved an entire bar of soap under the running water - we're talking some serious, foamy bubbles. Can you say soap scum boys and girls? Ah yes, the older sister - the Princess with a capital 'P' (5-yr-old). The Princess who is totally convinced that the world revolves around her. The Princess who so graciously deigns to acknowledge the rest of us mere peasants occasionally. The Princess who knows beyond a shadow of doubt that she is always right. The Princess who is emphatically certain that the rules pertain to her brothers and sister - but not to her. The Princess who will come up to you and spontaneously give you a hug and say "I love you." And then there is the older brother (8-yr-old) - the drama king. The older brother who is a whiz-kid with the X-Box and the Wii. The older brother who as a 4-yr-old had the vocabulary of a drunken sailor when playing the X-Box. The older brother who thought he wouldn't get hurt jumping off the roof of the house onto a pile of pillows (he didn't get hurt until his mother caught him - LOL). The older brother who never makes a mess and therefore shouldn't have to help clean up. The older brother who knows the world is coming to an end if he doesn't get to have a sleepover at grandma's. The older brother who is being picked on and abused when he is given chores to do (cleaning up the back lawn after my 3 dogs is not one of his favorites - not that I blame him). The older brother who never fails to hug his grandma and say "I love you" first thing when he comes in the house. And then there is my daughter's first born - the perfect daughter. The child who could talk non-stop for 10 hours when she was 4. The child who would argue about anything - literally. The child who was always ready to help - even when you preferred she didn't. The child who thinks her world is going to end if she can't use the computer. The child whose mother just asked if I knew anyone who wanted to buy a 13-year-old virgin.