Beware of Grandparents Bearing Gifts

Daddy and the Queen Mother arrived around 11 o'clock this morning. #1 Son met them at the back door. "Pa, I'm gonna' fight you so I can marry Grammy." This has been an on going thing for about a year. "Pa, you have to lay down on the floor 'cause it's beatin' time." I've never heard the phrase "beatin' time" in this house before. After beatin' time, Mama and Daddy headed outside to bring in the gifts they brought. I turned to see all 3 of my kids with their noses plastered to the screen door yelling, "Presents!!! Presents!!! They brought us Presents!!!" Then Baby Girl peeps in (rather breathlessly), "And Pa brought his camera! He's going to take pictures of us!"

We had a great time. Baby Girl got a princess CD player for her room. #1 Son got a Shake and Go race track and 3 cars. B.B. got the Little People pirate ship. They also got books, a movie, fabulous bracelets, and a little Larrymobile. They are in 7th heaven at the moment.

I got enough scrap book material to chronicle the next 10 years of our lives...Mama was appalled at the condition of Husband's photo albums and got him a beautiful leather book to put his pictures in (if I can get them out of the old 'sticky' albums). I've never scrap booked before and it seems a bit overwhelming at the moment...but the paper and books are so cool!!! I can't wait to start!

Mama & Daddy took Baby Girl and went to town this afternoon while B.B. was napping (they're still there). About an hour later, I let Lilly out to do her business. When she came in I realized Aurora was running loose in the woods. She's supposed to be penned up with Luke in their acre an a half pen. I stuck in a movie for the boys, grabbed the phone, my Carhart, slid on my boots, stuffed my pocket full of milk-bones, and pulled out a chain leash and bolted out the door. I caught her with no problem, but couldn't figure out how to get her back in. There's only one way into their pen and it's through the chicken/goat pen & 2 gates. I got her into the c/g pen but can't get the back gate opened. After 10 minutes of praying and yelling and fighting and wrestling with a rusty chain it finally came loose & Luke escaped. I screamed and yelled and bribed with milk-bones and threatened and cajoled all to no avail. Finally I grabbed the phone out of my coat pocket while keeping a death grip on Aurora, and called Uncle E for back up.

He showed up with reinforcements. R.L. and J. headed in the house to corral the boys, and Uncle E jumped into the c/g pen to wrangle Luke. We finally got both dogs penned up, and I walked the fence looking for an escape route. I blocked the only one I saw and headed back inside to the smell of fresh baked banana bread muffins from Uncle E & Aunt C.

They left and about 10 minutes later I heard Aurora bark at the back door again. I grabbed the phone and leash and headed back out. This time I called MIL at work and asked her to get Husband to call home (I had been calling him during the initial break out, but he wasn't answering his phone...told you he won't talk to me!). When he called and I told him what was happening, he said, "She got out before I left for work. I put her up then. Just leave her out & I'll deal with her tomorrow." UGH!!!