Bye Bye Birdie

Last night the kids and I didn't get home until about 7:30.  I took the dog out, slapped together something to eat (because it wasn't really dinner), and played cards with the kids.  I sat down in Grace's bed to read with the kids around 8:30.  Logan got up just a couple pages in to get something from the kitchen. He announced that Molly had peed on the floor in the living room.  Apparently she needed to go out again and wasn't interested in waiting.  So I left Grace reading her book and let Molly out.  While she was doing her business I went to clean up the pee.  By the time I came back to let her in I couldn't find her.  Assuming she'd gone around the side of the house and to the front door I closed the back door and went to the front door.

I pulled it open and was greeted with birds flapping their wings right outside my front door.  For a minute, I was very confused, since it was nighttime and shouldn't they be asleep?  I quickly got over that and tried to shut the door again.  One bird flew back in to the night, and the other flew into my house.

In to my house.

Are you kidding me?!  The area above our front door is kind of tall so it flapped around there for a minute before coming back to the floor, in the corner behind the door by a small chest of drawers.  And there it sat.  Which admittedly is much better than it flying around the house.

At this point the kids are completely freaked out (I must admit this wasn't my most calm moment either).  Logan has gone into his room and locked the door (I'm still not sure why locking it helped, the bird couldn't open a door as far as I know).  Gracie is standing in her doorway crying, because that's what she does when she's scared.  And I'm standing completely helpless, wondering what the heck I'm supposed to do, and vaguely remembering that I still haven't found the dog (although I figure dog trying to eat bird would probably make this situation much worse).

Since the bird is sitting still I go to the back door again to see if Molly has reappeared.  She hasn't.  Crap.  I go back to the front door to check on our birdie friend.  The kids inform me that the bird flew toward the front door.  Relieved, I look around, don't see the bird, and praise the Lord that it's gone.  I close the front door and turn my attention to the missing dog.  I grab a flashlight, turn on all outside lights, and head out front with the kids pretty well attached to me, since they're both still kind of freaked out (admittedly, so was I).

Still no dog.

Crap.

Back through the house to the backyard and finally I spot Molly wandering around up by the hill behind our house.  I think she is paying me back for not taking her out sooner by ignoring the many times I've called her.  I leave the kids by the back door and wrangle Molly.  We're no sooner in the door than Grace informs me that she just saw the bird flying around.

WHAT?!

Yup, birdie is still chilling inside my house.  I didn't see it earlier because I didn't look up.  Which is where it is, on the chain thing holding the light.

The bird probably thinks we're crazy (which we probably are).  Logan points out that we've been walking underneath the bird. Yes, many times.  Thank God it didn't poop on us.

So now I'm faced with how the heck do I get it out of my house?  I go outside through the garage and open the front door (because I don't want to walk under the bird to open the door from the inside).  Back inside the kids and I stare at the bird willing it to fly out the wide open front door right in front of it.  I'm scared to try to shoo it out with a broom or something because I don't want it to get excited and fly further in to the house.  So far it's stayed right by the front door and I'd like to keep it that way.

Finally, finally, it flies out.  I slam the front door and breathe a sigh of relief.

Except now I've got to clean bird poop off the wall.

*No birds (or people) (or dogs) were harmed in the making of this post. 

Four Eyes

Today Grace visited the eye doctor for the first time.  When she had her annual checkup a few weeks ago (we're late, don't judge me) she had a little trouble with her left eye so they said we should think about taking her to the eye doctor.  I decided to put it off a bit since Joey's in Kentucky and all.  However, I feel like she pulls the book up close to her face when we read at night.  Since I had to call to cancel an appointment for Joey, I figured I'd go ahead and make one for Grace, but expected we wouldn't be able to get in until October or November.  Surprisingly, they had an appointment for 9 a.m. today (because of a cancellation), so I grabbed it.

It turns out, her vision is really good, just a slight astigmatism in her left eye.  However, he found that there is a small (teeny, tiny) speck of metal in her right eye and it has a ring of rust around it.  That's right - she has rusting metal hanging out in her right cornea.  We get to go back on Monday, he'll numb her eye, and try to remove the metal.  If she can't handle him poking in her eye while it's numb, we'll get to go back again and he'll "put her under" so he can get it out.

And that's today's completely weird and random Rowe family happening.

Kids These Days

The other night Logan did an impression of the guy from Toy Story (Emperor Zurg) saying "I am your father."  Yes, the guy from Toy Story, not Star Wars.  I think I need to get those movies for him, he'd probably really like them.

Growing Up

My little Logan is 9 now so he is apparently too old for a kids meal anymore.  He now insists on ordering from the adult menu.

When my mom and her husband, Pete, were here a few weeks ago we went to Fatz Cafe.  Logan wanted to order off the adult menu so he got a club sandwich with mashed potatoes.  While we were waiting he ate 3 rolls and some of my salad.  When his food got there he attacked the mashed potatoes.  After all that, he barely touched the sandwich.  Fail.

Last night at Burger King he got a Whopper Jr. combo (cause momma wouldn't let him get the full Whopper that he wanted).  He had no trouble eating that, in between all his yapping.  Boy eats slow like his momma, because he yaps, like his momma.

P.S. He still pauses to consider what toy they're offering with the kid meal, so I guess he's not completely moved on yet.  He told me last night that there just isn't enough food in the kids meal for him, though.

Spriting

You know how when your foot (or arm, or leg, or whatever) falls asleep?  Grace Clementine calls it "spriting."  I don't know why she calls it this or where it came from, but I like it.  Right now, my foot is spriting and it's driving me crazy.

Tidbits

• Logan and Grace finally came home from their summer with my family-in-law.  I missed them desperately, but immediately felt tired when they walked in the door.
• Gracie came home with the strongest southern accent ever.  Two weeks later it has finally diminished, but it took going to school to get rid of it completely.
• Miss Gracie started kindergarten.  She is generally a very outoing, confident little girl, so when she started expressing concerns a few days beforehand I was rather surprised.  However, true to form, she overcame it and has loved going to school on the big orange bus.  Waking up in the morning...not so much.
• Joey flew to KY early Sunday morning to visit his family for a few weeks.  Molly seems to be depressed without him there.
• Logan got 8 ant bites on his foot on Saturday.  His poor little foot was so swollen.  The first few days he said it hurt, then it started itching.  The swelling finally went down Monday afternoon and he seems to be on the mend.
• I left the house this morning before the kids got on the bus.  I worried about it the whole way to work and considered calling the school to make sure they arrived safely.  Then figured they'd call me if something went wrong and got on with my day.
• Cub Scouts has officially started back up after the summer break.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
• We are on the lookout for a program for Grace to get involved in. I'm thinking Girl Scouts or gymnastics. She spent yesterday morning doing front rolls on my bed.
  
  
  

Summer Break

Have you heard?  Summer break officially began (for me) this past Sunday when Joey and I came home from Kentucky.  Without the kids.  That's right, for the next month and a half or so, we're childless.  We left them back on the farm, in the holler, with Joey's family.

The day we were leaving, Sunday, Gracie woke up with a tummy ache.  She was so pitiful, going back and forth to the bathroom.  She looked at me and said, "Mommy, I wish you were going home yesterday."  I asked if she meant tomorrow, and she said yes.  Then, once breakfast was ready (we had it late), she was back to normal and ate a pretty good breakfast.  Later, as she was "helping" me load the car, Uncle Kelly came by on the riding lawn mower and asked if she wanted to go with him.  Well of course she did, but I told her she'd have to wait until later since we were leaving in a little bit.  She ran to me, gave me a kiss, said I love you, and ran off to the house to tell Joey bye.  That was it.  She was clearly heartbroken. 

Logan, on the other hand, didn't run off and gave us both big hugs and kisses when we left.  Of course, I'm pretty sure he started trying to figure out how to be reunited with his cousin Kaleb as soon as we were gone.

That evening we called to let them know we made it home and were informed that Gracie had thrown up on mawmaw's kitchen floor.  I was really sad to have missed that.  She seems to have been find since then, though.

Happy summer!