Cat vs mouse. The season finale

cat and mouse.  Me against him. 

I have a mouse problem.  I’ve had it for weeks.  He’s little, mousy brown and gray, with a little white spot just above his right ear.  We’ve been arguing for weeks.  He lives in my van.

I first noticed when my horseradish was chewed on in my glove compartment.  Just a nibble out of each package.  But enough that I would never use them. 

Then there was a roll of nested toilet paper.  That was gross to clean up.  I wondered how he got in, but mice are bad this year, and I live on a farm.  He probably crawled in my warm engine after I pulled up home sometime, and fell in love with it. 

So I clean up the van.  I found a few remnants, and no mouse.  As I finished, he ran in front of me, I shrieked, and he jumped on the ground.  I assumed this meant the game was over, set, match.  This was my first good look at him, and he was kind of cute.  And fat. 

The next day, the remnants of a hamburger from the day before …. Chewed on.  The mouse is still around.  I set a trap with peanut butter on it, and it’s undisturbed, but there is a paper chewed right next to it. 

I set the trap, he leaves a mark that he was there, but he isn’t going to be caught.  Me and this guy have been going the rounds for ages.  The packages of peanuts in my glove compartment chewed open and took forever to clean out.  A slight nibble on a seatbelt.  The drawer under the passenger seat carries an emergency supply of sugar for me, and my caramels all had one little corner missing from them, in mouse sized nibbles. 

This was war.  Cleaning the van doesn’t work.  Because …. Well, I have three kids, I am not a clean vehicle person to begin with, and I live in the van practically. 

If it’s left there, he chews on it, and he’s driving me nuts.  Megan drops her bottle, its’ too late to go back for it, and the next day the nipples chewed through. 

I leave garbage bags there to clean out the van during my break, and there is a hole nibbled in them before I get back to the van. 

I pull up to Winco and the stupid thing jumps out of MY door when I open it, and stares and me, then scurries under the van.  Its’ the same creature, I know it.  He didn’t leave!  And it’s not a new one, it’s the same thing. 

Obviously he is getting back in.  If I was smart, I would have gotten back in the van, and pulled out right there.  But I didn’t and he stays. 

Today I get in the van, and a smell assaults my nostrils.  The mouse died in there yesterday.  And it reeks!  So I was thinking, and the win is bittersweet.  I didn’t catch it with a trap, although I’ve tried.  It just… died, probably of heat yesterday.  So my opponent fell to the ground, and I caught the snitch. 

So I won, or did I?  Now I get to clean the van, and search for the dead mouse, at which time I get to dispose of him.  I think in dying, he got the last word, game set, match, I lose.  

I have been replaced, by a caffeinated drink!  

Ben is working today!  Yeah!  [Insert lots of applause and joy.]  and I'm working, so we have to insert the dreaded event .... the babysitter.  Last semester the kids were just fine with Leatha, and had no problem.  Now they've had mom or dad for weeks, and so they are getting clingier .....

Today I went to drop off Brandon and megan.  (Jacob is dropped off at the bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can go to preschool.).  Brandon was crying and saying "mommy stay, mommy stay!"  

Leatha, knowing my children as well as she does, picked up my crying boy and soothed Him "Brandon, if you let mommy go to work, I'll share a mountain dew with you."  He smiled, and waved, "bye mommy!  Have fun at work!"  

Great!  He's ok with me leaving if we give him a dew?  Oh well, it worked.  Guess it's my fault, I have an addiction to dew, and I have been known to give sips to my children at times.  (It doesn't hyper them up, it seems to calm them down.)  

We really have to hide them with megan, because if she sees a mountain dew, she will settle for nothing else.  Not even juice!  I think she's an addict in the making.  

So I got to work, Ben got to work, and Brandon got his dew (and I suspect megan did too).  Good thing the kids are with somebody who knows them well!  :-)  Life's good.  

Morning all!

We're going to do a quick pictureless update, because it was brought to my attention that I have neglected to do that!  

Jacob: Yeah, Jacob is  doing much better!  (unlike my spelling, which is atrocious today).  For his wednesday appt, he'd gained a full pound, and actually walked in under his own power.  He's still a little grouchy, but he's nearly himself again, and we're out of the water.  The school year is almost over, which we are not so happy about, because he adores preschool, even though he only goes two days a week.  He's a typical older brother, and likes to be in charge of all the games, but he's very loving and adores spending time with his brother and sister.

Brandon, doing great!  He's two and a half, active, happy, and always willing to try to help.  He loves unloading the dishwasher, into the sink, and trying to help his sister.  

Megan had her fifteen month apointment yesterday, which was of course, a lot of fun, she really hates shots.  She's cruising, but not walking yet.  She is giggly, although she doesn't talk yet.  We've learned from experience that she will NOT sign "more" if an adult is trying to get her to sign, but if one of her brothers is coaching her, it's perfectly acceptable.

Ben is sort of working, there's not as many hours as we'd like right now, the economy tends to effect cabinetmakers.  But he was still able to turn out a gorgeous dresser for emily's wedding.  (of course, i am not biased.)

As for me, i'm still working for ISU, my hours haven't been cut, thankfully.  I have next week off for finals, but summer semester starts the next week and then life will return to normal.  Well, normal being relative, Emily is up visiting from Provo this weekend, and Andrea is up from Ohio this week!  so I intend to spend as much time as possible enjoying my sisters!  

And that's all folks!