Going Batty

In the past few weeks, we have had 4 (yes FOUR) bats enter our home through the chimney.  The first time it happened, I was out for the evening at a book study and when I came home, Daddy, Luke and Emma had quite a story to share about their evening.  They had been sitting in the library (living room) reading when a bat slid through the vents in the top of the fireplace and presented itself on the floor!  Daddy ushered the children out of the room and closed the doors and was able to catch the bat.  Of course they kept it for me to see when I got home and then released it.

The second bat was discovered later that night.  Matt went to use the bathroom during the middle of the night … and there was a bat in the toilet.  Thank God that Matt discovered it and not me or one of the children!  We didn’t even tell the children about that one.  We were afraid it might induce insurmountable fears of using the potty!

Yesterday morning as Matt was about to leave for work, we found a bat sitting on the floor by the front door.  He apprehended it and released it and then went on to work.  I called the chimney guy about coming out to look at the mesh over our chimney top.  During the day, a second bat entered the house and swooped through the foyer into the hallway by the bathroom and laundry room.  The girls were terrified and so I just quickly shooed it into the bathroom and shut the door.  There it stayed until Daddy returned home.  Parents wear many hats.  This week, Daddy has been trying on the “Animal Control Specialist” hat!


[Click the photo to see a couple close-up shots of our uninvited visitor.]

Update: This evening, Matt mowed the lawn.  Then he got ready to take a shower upstairs.  He took off his glasses, reached down to the drain to pull out what he thought was a clump of my hair ... and then went back to find his glasses so he could retrieve what was actually a bat.  This is crazy!  And the chimney guy can't get here until Monday!!

Robyn-isms

Note: If I tried to record these conversations in full Robyn-dialect, you’d never be able to comprehend the meaning of them without translation.  I’ve included some of the best pronunciation gems and you’ll have to take my word for it that they are even more humorous in the “original”.

Robyn tends to wake up earlier in the morning than the other children.  She often finds her way downstairs to where I am working.  Because she wants something to eat and suspects that I will make her wait to have breakfast with everyone else, she’s taken to saying that she has a “tummy ache.”  The other day she said “I have three tummy ache-iz” (using the –es plural I’ve been talking to the big kids about during school time).  This afternoon after naptime, we had this conversation:

Robyn: I have ten bad tummy ache-iz and one good tummy ache.
Mama: Oh, why is it a good tummy ache?
Robyn: Because I think it will go away when I get something to eat.

This evening at bedtime, I was reminded how much I adore the literal mind of a three year old.  Robyn was listing to a CD of Bible verse songs after she had gotten in her bed.  One of the songs says “When I am afraid I will trust in you …”

Robyn: The song says “When you are afraid you will trust in me.”
Mama:  Oh, yes.  Who will you trust in when you are afraid?
Robyn: The Yord!
Mama: That’s right.
Robyn: God is ev-we-yare!
Mama: That’s right!  He is even with you right now, here in your bed!  So, if you have a bad dream in the night and you wake up scared, you can call on the Lord!
Robyn: Yea, so if I have daddy long legs in my bed [a common nightmare theme for Robyn] I can call to the Lord!
Mama: That’s right!
Robyn: Right now, the Lord is right here with me.  But some times he goes away.  And that is why you have to call him – so that he will come back.
Mama: [trying to stifle a chuckle] Well, no, actually, God never leaves.  He’s always with you.  When we say “Call on the Lord” it doesn’t mean that he has gone away and we need him to come back.  It just means that we want to talk to him so that he can comfort our hearts.
Robyn: Yes, the Lord can comfort my heart.  My heart is right here [puts hand on chest].  But not my tummy.  The Lord does not comfort my tummy.  Mama, I have three tummy ache-iz …

Seriously, I do feed my kids.  I promise.

Our Famous Uncle Joshua

Uncle Joshua will be playing the role of Horton the Elephant in the upcoming Alpha Theater production of Seussical the Musical.  This morning, he was on the news!


[Click the image above to go to the video.]

Concerning Food

Everyone else is done with breakfast and off on various tasks.  Robyn and I are left alone at the breakfast table.  This makes for interesting conversation.

Robyn: You have eggs for breakfast every morning.
Mama: Yes, I do.  That really helps me to have enough energy for the day.
Robyn: But toast is not good for you. [She is eating toast.]
Mama: Well, toast is a good thing to eat for breakfast.  It’s not the best choice for me, but it’s good for growing children.
Robyn: And eggs are good for growing mamas.

Robyn: Sometimes when Daddy stays home, we have French toast.
Mama: Yes.  Daddy is the best at making French toast.
Robyn: Yes, if you make French toast, I think it would be not very good.
Mama: Well, I think I could probably do it OK, but Daddy is much faster at it because he knows how to do it so well.
Robyn (hesitating):  Well, Daddy’s French toast is THE BEST!

In Opposition

In Emma’s schoolwork today, she had to give opposites for several words.  My favorite?

softly: hardly