Mystery Smell

Sometime during the course of the morning I started to smell something suspicious. Now it's not what you think. The odor wasn't bad... it was overwhelming alright, but overwhelming in a, "Wow, who bathed in cologne?" kind-of way. I finally tracked the source to a spot on the sofa. Something definitely spilled there but I have no idea what or when. I do have an idea of WHO... and his name is Reese or Drew! My mission this afternoon is to figure what exactly was dumped on the couch. Of course it will only serve to satisfy my curiosity since, whatever it is, it's apparently here to stay. It will be interesting when Tom gets home. He has the nose of a bloodhound and can tell when there's a poopy diaper within a 1 mile radius of our house. I'm sure the overwhelming scent will drive him crazy, or at the very least, give him a headache like it's done to me!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

It's been one of those mornings. You know, when you question how any parent survives raising kids and maintaining their sanity. The boys have had a rough day, and it's only 10 am. Reese started the day by screaming and giving me attitude about almost everything. He got mad at me and dumped his glass of milk on the floor on purpose. Despite the wise old saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk," I almost did. As I sat Reese down and talked to him about how what's in his heart is what should come out of his mouth and hands, and if Jesus is in his heart, that means kind and loving things should come from him... he blankly stared at me and asked, "Will there be food in heaven?" It IS hard to stay mad at them for too long. :)

Last night I slipped on some ice, bit it, and banged my knee up pretty bad. Drew kept hitting me on my sore leg so I explained what happened and asked him to please not touch my leg. He asked, "Mom, did you break the ice?"

"No Honey, I didn't break the ice."

He replies, "I can't believe the ice didn't break when you fell." Isn't it amazing that a comment like that from anyone else could offend but, coming from an innocent child, you just have to laugh.

Underwear

Reese sometimes gets so excited that he has a hard time getting words out. This happened just this morning:

The boys' favorite underwear just happens to glow in the dark. I am used to Reese asking, "Mom, I want to wear my dark in the glow underwear." I've tried correcting him but in his brain, this is what they're called. Well, I've been behind with the laundry for a few days so their clean underwear pickings have been slim. This morning, as Reese was pulling on a clean pair, fresh from the dryer, he realized they were his beloved glow in the dark undies! He was so excited all he could manage to get out was, "Mom, Mom, it's my dark in the underwear glow!!!"

Post... errr "Poke" Office

I had to stop off at the Post Office today to buy some stamps. Reese and Claire came in with me. Once we entered the lobby Reese got really quiet and started to cry... big crocodile tears. I had no idea what was wrong. "Mom, I don't want a poke," he said sad enough to break my heart. I had no idea why he thought he was going to get a poke. "Oh, Honey, you're not going to get a poke (shot). This isn't a doctor's office, it's the Post Office." He looked behind the counter at the lady working and asked, "Is that the doctor? Mom, please I don't want a poke!" By this time he was attracting attention from the other people waiting in line. It took several of us reassuring him that they don't give out shots/pokes at the Post Office. The lady behind the counter explained that she is not a doctor and then she gave him a sucker. Life was good again :)

Good Hygiene?

The boys were going to help me make lunch today. Before we started I asked them to go wash their hands. Drew ran off compliantly to the bathroom while Reese just stood there. "Reese, you need to go wash your hands please." Reese's response was, "That's okay, Mommy. I washed my hands yesterday."

Once we were all seated and eating lunch Drew drank his water quickly and wanted a refill. We have the handy water dispenser in the door of the fridge so the boys usually help themselves. I guess Drew didn't feel like getting up. "Mom, would you please get me some more water? You're doing everything today anyway." He stated matter-of-factly. Finally, he noticed!!

First Snow

It's officially snowing. The boys (including Tom) are excited. I could have waited a little longer for snow, like say... Christmas, but what else can we expect living in Michigan?

Phalangies Anyone?

Anyone who has ever met Reese learns pretty quickly that he likes to eat. I say this because he usually makes the statement, "I'm hungry" about every 10 minutes (even shortly after eating more food than a grown man). Well, yesterday Reese was eating some crackers in the car. Out of the blue he starts screaming/crying - I have NO idea what happened! I ask him if he's okay and through his tears he tells me that he ate his finger... now that's a boy who likes to eat :) Also, sorry to say, this isn't the first time that he's bitten his fingers while eating.

Is it Friday yet?!

Yes it's Thursday already but it still feels like this week is creeping by at a snail's pace. Reese was Star Student of the day on Tuesday. If only the Star Student could influence the election in some way... ALL of the conservative candidates we voted for lost their elections. And if that wasn't proof enough that Michigan continues to move "left," the two state proposals also passed. Prop 1 legalized the use of medical marijuana, Prop 2 gave provisions for stem cell research to move forward. This is definitely a reminder that we need to be praying for those in positions of influence in our country.

Yesterday I was able to help chaperon Drew's class field trip. We went to the Wharton Center on MSU's campus and watched a musical depicting stories from several children's books. It was very well done and lots of fun to attend. Tom took the afternoon off and, although we didn't get to see him much, our driveway is now sealed and ready for winter. I feel bad that Tom took time off work just to "work" here at home, though I think he is very happy with what he was able to accomplish.

Claire is still fighting off a cold but it doesn't seem to be slowing her down much. She is making up for all those months of contently sitting in one spot by crawling all over the house and getting into anything within her reach.

Drew had some lab work done so we can try to determine the extent of his allergies. The doctor called yesterday simply saying he wanted to refer us to a specialist... that didn't sound good. I spoke to the nurse and asked if everything was okay. She said Drew is allergic to LOTS of things including (but definitely not limited to): milk, egg whites, wheat, pollen, dust, etc. They just felt it would be wise to consult with a specialist... We have an appointment Dec. 5th with the Allergist and will hopefully get more details at that time.

Trick or Treat

I'm not sure what time exactly the sugar buzz began. Maybe when they got the first whiff of a pack of Smarties... or glimpse of a Kit Kat Bar. I am sure it happened before any candy actually hit their mouths. Needless to say I was dipping into the candy bowl just to help me cope with the exhaustion from dealing with kids shaking from sugar.

Drew's school had a costume parade. Reese, Claire and I went to watch.

Claire, the "little love bug" as our neighbor Erin named her.

Getting ready to go...

We met up with some neighbor friends and went around together. Grandpa and Grandma Reusser hung out at our house for awhile passing out the candy. Later on they joined us in our quest for candy.

Claire and Kira taking in their first Halloween.

BUSTED! Our gang: Jessi, Skylar, Erin, Drew, Reese and Dimitri