Monkey see, Monkey Do

I just put on Toy Story 2  for Adalyn.  We're sitting here in bed

together as she's watching.

Have you ever noticed the cute little desk lamp that takes the place of the "I" in "PIXAR" introducing the start of the movie?

I've never paid much attention to it, either...

...until Adalyn stands up, starts jumping and giggling as she's watching the TV.

I look over at the TV, and see Cute Little Desk Lamp jumping in place making the cutest little bouncing noises. 

When Little Desk Lamp is done jumping, so is Adalyn. She plunges back down into her spot covering up to watch the movie. 

Love notes

Our girls have gotten pretty sweet about writing us little notes and leaving them for either me or Louis.  Last night, Louis was gone with a church member and as we were getting into bed, Abigail wrote him a note, "For you Dad", and another one, "I love you" and left it next to a big glass of sweet tea for him.  She turned on the porch light for him, left the door unlocked, and I turned out the main kitchen light (we always leave on the low stove light).
She pleaded we leave it on, "So Daddy can find his tea when he gets home". 

This morning, Anna has this waiting for me:

Oats, butter, cinnamon, and later we added the brown sugar to the countertop mix, which was new and wasn't where we normally keep it so she couldn't find it to set it out.  Do you see the little sticky note attached to the oatmeal container?  It says, "Please Mommy".

Doesn't her face and folded hands look like a convincing request is being made?

So then she asked that I sit down on the couch, as she got everything started (I could get used to this).  I showed her how to figure out which burner to turn on, and it's getting ready as I type! 

On Valentine's Day, Louis wrote me a note with dry erase marker
on our bathroom mirror. 

It was sweeter than chocolate.

I'm loving these love notes. 

Dead battery

Well, another thing Louis would do is jump off a car battery.  The Lord is teaching me to be more independent, I just KNOW it!  The propane guy came to haul away the tank today, and asked me to move the blue van so he could get his truck in there.  Sure!  I go out to start it, and nothing.  DEAD!

So I think, "When's the last time I drove it?"

Oh. it was last Friday...

...when I moved it from the driveway to the water hose so we could wash both vehicles.  I parked it back on the driveway just in time for it to get rained on.

So I am the last one who used it...and I probably didn't get the door closed all the way.  Just another one of my contributions to making Louis feel like he's needed.  See, I did it for him.  

In my defense, my brain probably wasn't functioning completely at the time I didn't get the door sealed shut.  Afterall, Louis reminds me that while pregnant, my brain shrinks 3-5%.  That's love.  He's really just reminding me that it's not all my fault. 

Now this:

it's what happened while I was caring for our patient the DAY BEFORE we washed the vehicles. 
Yes, our little zebra used a big, fat, permanent marker. 

So in my mad dash to park the vans back, before the rain came, and to BE SURE no one was getting into mischief while I was doing so...I didn't seal the door completely.

 Now see- that changes everything, doesn't it?

There's this guy...

...who does a lot more around here than I realize, like: 

• mowing the lawn.
• taking out the trash.
• hauling off the garbage to the dump.
• making sure all the lights are always turned off in rooms we aren't in.
• going around and checking all the doors to be sure they are locked before bedtime.
• killing a spider crawling on the ceiling.
• catching a toddler from falling off the barstool, and then lifting her back up to sit again.
• getting glue traps disposed of when they have 2 salamanders stuck to them in the basement (I have allowed a mouse to have free reign because I can't even bring myself to set out a glue trap to catch the crazy thing.  WHO WOULD THROW THAT LIVE SQUIRMY MOUSE STUCK TO A GLUE TRAP AWAY?  "Not I", said the scaredy cat. 
• tickling, and letting the girls climb all over him right before bedtime, which always seems to make sleep come sooner!
• making his own bowls of cereal and getting his own drinks.  You'll never believe how many times I've checked on this poor guy and offered to fix him something then got distracted by one of the girls needing something, and forgot all about what I was supposed to do for our patient. 
• unloading all the groceries from the car.    
• filling up the gas tank.  I guess I'm just spoiled, but Louis ALWAYS pumps the gas.
• driving out to pick up whatever is needed if I'm in my pjs (which is 75% of the time).
• driving out to get dinner if there's a hankering for something specific (like the cheeseburgers tonight).
• running downstairs to check on crying (sister mediation v. an accident). 
• just being an extra set of hands, feet, eyes, muscles, etc.

These are just things I've discovered in the past 5 days!

To those who don't know, Louis had back surgery Wednesday.  He can't drive, do steps, reach too high, twist his back, lift more than a gallon of milk, and can't really get in and out of bed on his own without feeling pain.  Most importantly though, he can't bend down to pick up a glue trap to throw it out for me. 

We really need you around here, Louis...despite what you may think.  I couldn't run this household without you.  I know that now.