A Mishap or Two . . .

Finally a moment to breathe, and reflect on the chaos that claimed our first week of summer. On the children's first afternoon of freedom, Aden and her friend took the guinea pig outside in the backyard to make a film of Nibbles in nature. Nibbles enjoyed the free world so much that he made a dash for the underside of the porch, where he spent the next five hours, immune to Aden's coaxing and avoiding the carrots twined to the top of a long wooden pole. He narrowly escaped spending a stormy night with the rabbits, but Aden did manage to partially dive under the wooden beams and catch him just before dark. We all slept better knowing that he was safe and warm inside, though Aden was a tiny bit sad that we now have to wait to get a cat.

In the hullabaloo that ensued when we first attempted to locate and catch Nibbles, William lost a good portion of his birthday money to a gust of wind, and I had to move from the guinea pig search to the hunt for greenbacks. Finally the last $20 was located under a shrub and I got a chance to take the boys to Target, where I spent far more than I intended and purchased items as diverse as a butterfly net, chocolate - covered bananas, and a new doormat. One summer resolution: stay out of Target!

My last mishap was last night when William handed me his new season pass to Elitch Gardens for safekeeping. I told the whole family, "Watch where I put this card, now, because the last time I hid something it was William's ski pass, which has been lost since September."  So they all watched me dive into the junk drawer and reach for my perfect hiding spot. Unfortunately it was occupied . . . by the missing ski pass. Rob burst out laughing and the kids just looked confused by their mothers' craziness. I searched the entire house in January looking for the ski pass and could not find it - how did I come to put my fingers directly on it last night?  Not sure if I was crazier then or now. In any case, we're unlikely to forget the location of William's new season pass. Summer's started with a bang!