Mouse in the House

Last week we had a mouse in the house. One morning we found a half-eaten piece of chocolate. I dismissed it thinking it must have been Nathan being a sneak. The second morning I found the same thing. I thought this strange. Thinking a little more, and looking over at Nathan eating dinner at that moment, I thought it was much too clever for even him. He's not a neat eater and when he wants something he makes it known. No evidence on him? Yeah right. Leo tried to convince me, though, that it must be Nathan! I gave in but I was not completely convinced. We decided to put another piece of chocolate out but on a higher shelf in the pantry - one Nathan definitely could not reach. The next morning - another piece of my dove dark chocolate destroyed. Game on.

We set a trap that night and went to bed. The next morning. Empty trap. I was secretly happy to not find a dead mouse first thing in the morning but also pissed this stupid rodent was still out there - somewhere! The next night we moved the trap. The first time we left it on the shelf where the scene of the crime took place. It was so much work to get back up there apparently. So we set it right at the foot of the pantry to make it nice and easy. We added peanut butter AND chocolate for good measure. Again, we set the trap and went to bed.

I had drifted off to sleep but Leo woke me only 30 minutes after we went to bed and said he heard a distinct snap. We got up to discover a little tail sticking out of the trap. GOTCHA! Gross. Yippee. But gross. We disposed of the little . . . uh hem . . . rodent. And so I was feeling much better.

Apparently the popular opinion is that if there is one there are several . . .

Tonight I was in the bedroom watching TV and Leo was in the Living Room watching football (don't you love our togetherness around here?) and Leo called to me. He would not call to me across the house and risk waking Nathan for no reason. I came in to see his standing on the couch. Haha.This makes me laugh knowing why now. He said he saw a mouse. Alarmed and no longer sleepy I put on some pants to deal with the situation. Using Nathan's little flashlight I looked where Leo saw #2 and there he was, under the table. He managed to get into the underside of the table and into the drawer. Leo opened the drawer and actually saw him inside. I was on top of the table and Leo was to the side and we tried to scare him out (colander in hand to catch the little . . . uh hem . . . rodent). He ran. We ran. We missed him. Ggrrr . . . Like I was going to get any sleep!

Leo was tentatively standing behind the couch scanning the area. And spotted him. #2 ran behind the TV towards the fireplace. There is a space under the gas fireplace (that will soon be covered up) that he was able to run into. A light didn't find him and we have no idea if this could possibly be a real egress or just a hiding space. We set the trap and put it in front of the fireplace. I had said to put it near the pantry again. But Leo logically said "but this is a different mouse". So obviously he has different motives!

While standing around, with the light off to encourage him, while sitting here blogging actually, we heard the snap. Gotcha #2! He found his way in and we had to listen to his little feet kick before he finally died. Oh god that was awful. And kinda funny. We're surprised he came out with so much activity going on instead of waiting until after it was dark and quiet in the living room. But I figure he must have been hungry.

So now I feel a little bit better - there was no way I was sleeping well if #2 was running around. But now I'm curious about his friends. I have people coming over for an Uppercase Living Open House tomorrow evening. I'm hoping there aren't more hungry ones waiting in the wings. I don't think I'll sell much with a mouse running under the feet of my guests.

End of Summer

Summer seems to be coming to an end and I'm not sad at all. When you're a kid of course it's sad - back to school and all. But as an adult it means other things. Like nicer weather. Being in NC this cooler weather and break in humidity may be a temporary event, but I will take it either way. It allows me to enjoy the outdoors waaaaay more and I feel more productive. Just this weekend I power-washed the house and spent time in the yard doing things I put off for the last two months. Nathan and I took a walk this morning to a nearby neighborhood park too - something we also haven't done in a while due to the instant melting factor. 

End of summer also means closer to the holidays which means Autumn decorations. I know this is a super geeky thing to be excited for but think about this - I have a new house to decorate! Yipee! I have more stuff than I care to admit and now I think I have place to put it all. I can't wait! 

Soon, we will also get to wear new clothes. Well, Nathan will. We have several outfits he's never worn and have had since his birth. We also did a little shopping up in NY so he's well stocked - I think - as the coolness settles over us and we need long-sleeves, pants and sneakers. I'm in the market for new flip flops personally. You really can wear them eight months out of the year down here!

End of summer this year also means it's closer to meeting the new little Kepler. Baby Kepler is due to arrive towards the end of October and we can't wait! We will most likely be making a care\ trip up there to meet her when the time is right. I can't wait to hold my little nice in my arms and see one of my little brothers be a daddy. A most spectacular event - don't you think? There are so many things to look forward to as we leave summer behind us and move into the Fall. 

The Look

See "the look"

We like to teach Nathan all sorts of tricks and my favorite so far is "the look". You know, the look someone gives you, like "Whatchoo talkin bout Willis?" Nathan has mastered it and it's hilarious. He puts his chin down and looks up with arched brows and makes a serious face. Priceless.

Tonight we were hanging out before bedtime and he just turned around and fake sneezed at me. As in, opened his mouth, made the sound and even covered his mouth! He did this several times and thought he was most amusing, especially when I almost fell off the couch laughing. This was as good as the time he turned around and gave me a thumbs up/ gun with his fingers as he imitated Steve Colbert on TV. It came out of nowhere and was never seen again but I swear he did it perfectly and with intention.

We have been teaching Nathan to "play" instruments too. He knows air guitar (at least part of the way), air drums and almost air piano. We better get this kid some real instruments soon - there could be real talent at the end of those fingertips.

He is getting a little better everyday at repeating words and getting the right sounds. He's got a way to go on this of course but sometimes he will surprise us. Just tonight I said "animals" and he tried to copy me without prompting. He got "ani-" down pat but the sounds falls into a garbled puddle (next to the milk he intentionally likes to spill out all over the place).

The kid is a crack up and makes us giggle most of the day. He's such a big boy. And he soaks it all up like a sponge. You better watch what you say and do, or else you may get "the look".

Flurries

Our last few weeks have been a flurry of activity. You know, I wouldn't mind a flurry outside. One cold winter day of snow right in the middle of this disgusting heat would be perfect . . .

But the weather rarely behaves when you want it to. Like when we went to the beach. I think I last mentioned we were going to Myrtle. Well we did. And it was fun. But MAN was it HOT! The first day we were there we walked around on the boardwalk a bit but it felt cruel. Poor Nathan's little red face said it all. We took a quick dip in the water - just our feet - to get a feel for it. Nathan was so excited he would have run right in if we let him. We were excited to go the next day. That night we went to Broadway by the Beach, a really big complex of restaurants, shops and entertainment. I had a fantastic steak and we tried some craft beers - Leo always seeks these places out. As long as I get a steak it's cool. We had fun walking around and wearing Nathan out big time. The next morning we were exited to get up early and hit the sand before it got excruciating again. No such luck. It was raining!!! The cool break did feel good and we were able to make the most of it anyway (we went to an IMAX movie that Nathan slept through), but it was disappointing that the weather was being stubborn.

We stopped at a few other places to see more of Myrtle but soon we were back in the Wilmington area to see Nonni and Poppi for a day. We decided we would take a chance and see how the next day worked out weather wise and we finally hit the jack pot. It was a little overcast, the water was a nice temperature and we had a great spot (in the parking lot and the beach) to enjoy the company for a few hours.  We had a nice visit as always.

The following week Truck and Babci came down from NY bearing many gifts. A few stems of Casablanca lilies (that lasted for a week and a half), cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes, all from the garden. Bagels and bread overflowed the counter tops as well as some other goodies from the bakery. Ah - NY Treats! We had some people over that night for a little poker game. The rest of the time was passed enjoying Nathan run around and show off his tricks. The Kokers came up for a day too so the little boys could play with the new toys Grandpa Truck spoiled them with. (It was supposed to be a pool day but of course the rains came!) We made a trip downtown to Marbles for the kiddies as well. I think everyone enjoys watching, and even acting, like a little kid once in a while.

Even when company left, we were still shuffling back and forth to people's houses for a dinner here, a brunch there and, most recently, a bowling night just for the grown ups. Our neighbors made the plans and it turned out all 14 of us are on the same street. Leo and I had no idea there was a large cluster of fun people right down the road. We ended up there after bowling to play flip cup. Another game I'm not that good at and probably shouldn't have played. I at least should have had a proper meal. Beer on an empty stomach is not smart and I wasted the next day being sick. Thankfully Nathan spent the night with Gigi and Grandpa Ed so I could sheepishly deal with being hungover. Oh well, who can complain about a good time, discovering new friends and having a night off from being mommy.

Now we are back to the just us three enjoying life. Someone's birthday is around the corner as well as the annual "bonanza" to celebrate the old fart. I also have a trip coming up for NY - just me and Nathan again. I wonder how we will do on the plane this time as he is bigger and more curious everyday. My mom said he sat still for an hour in church. Perhaps I should bring along some gospel on the plane.

Smart Cookie

That Nathan is a smart cookie. I don't know when it is that kids really start to pay attention but never underestimate how much they know and what they are taking in. I think they absorb it all. A few weeks ago I marveled at how Nathan went to put his sippy cup on the table and automatically put it on a coaster, just like we do. He will grab Daddy's deodorant, take the top off and attempt to put it in his pits. He gets his side at best, and all over his clothes - but hey, he smells good and he's learning about hygiene. Yesterday he wanted to look at Leo's watch so he took it and slipped it over his left hand to his wrist. No, he wasn't able to report the time. We asked but we're only up to one; two on a good day. Nathan liked to help me clean so he often takes the broom or duster from me and goes on his merry way through the house "cleaning". He takes one utensil at a time out of the dishwasher and hands it to me to put it away. He's trying to put his shoes on now. He likes to click the clips together on his highchair, car seat or store carts. He likes to brush his teeth. He takes a pen and finds a piece of paper to write on (Let's hope he keeps believing pens simply don't work on other surfaces like the walls). He will throw things in the garbage by himself - even if we're in an unfamiliar setting; he finds it. The goal of course is to get him to do all this at some point but it's always amazing to see him figure it out for himself. We just can't get over that Nathan really is a smart cookie.

Summer is Here

Summer has begun. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, summer arrived a little early and brought with it extreme heat. The heat broke for about a week and it was fantastic. We were even able to open the windows for a little while to get some fresh breezes. But by Sunday the heat returned and we are looking at another couple days of 100 degrees. Ick. At least we made the most of it while it was decent out.

I spent time in the front yard pulling weeds and making the front nice. It wasn't really the plan but I got a $20 coupon for plants so I figured why let it go to waste? (Yes, $20. We keep getting "Welcome to the neighborhood" deals in the mail. Yipee!) So I pulled some ugly old things and replaced them with blooming yellow laternas. Yeah, I never heard of 'em either but they are nice. Nathan was clearly happy to be outside too. He played with a kickball, his car, buckets, sidewalk chalk and whatever else he could to entertain himself for a long time until I had to bribe him with a popsicle to get just a few more minutes out of him. He loves the "pops".

Over the weekend, my godparents, Kate & Larry were in town. We joined them with Mom and Ed to see some fireworks in Butner. You know, Butner - where Madoff is in prison. That's the only reason people have heard of this town. That's because there isn't much there but at least they put in on a good fireworks show. We sat on the grass in front of a lake, had a picnic dinner and chased Nathan around for hours. The chasing part was exhausting but this is the norm. He likes to explore everything around him, especially the people. He will just walk into a group of people and be part of their little circle like he knows them. Of course he is always welcome. Smiles and hellos are given in return for his forwardness and curiosity. By nightfall I hoped he would settle a bit but he wanted to keep running, even if he couldn't see a thing. When the fireworks started he was in awe. For about a minute. He enjoyed them like we knew he would but the kid doesn't slow down. At least he sleeps well at the end of the day.

Saturday we had out first big shindig at our new place. It was a great turnout. I gave the tour a million times and my favorite part is seeing the reaction to the "blue room". Our bonus room is really something and everyone's jaw drops when they see it. "This is enormous!" I know!

Food was good. Company was good. We used every part of the house. We threw the big kids upstairs, we used the deck, the front yard and even the very back yard. Leo wanted to have a little bon fire where the old owners clearly had their own fire going. It's a perfectly cleared spot for a swing set or a fire pit. The fire pit option wins for now. The fire was a success that we shared with the few friends that lingered and Nathan fell asleep on my lap - something he hasn't done in a long time.

Sunday was another day of partying as we were invited to our neighbors in the afternoon. There were tons of little kids. I'm so glad Nathan gets to play more regularly with kids his age. There is an abundance of them around here!

Yesterday we had another visit to the pool (we also went last week when Kerri, Rob and Logan joined us) and visited with some other kids as well. And today is a day of packing. We are off to Wilmington/ Myrtle Beach for a few days. We will stop at Nonni & Poppi's for a night, Myrtle the next, then back at Nonni's again. They are at a great stopping over point! And it looks like super hot weather here which means perfect beach days by the water. I would say we are off to a great start of summer!

Non-Stop Fun

A quick update while I have a minute. Not much going on here - just the day to day stuff. Seems boring on the outside. But if you take a step back and see what has changed it adds up to big progress - Nathan particularly. Everyday he seems to master a new word or task. He knows and says "cookie", he can point to most major body parts and he loves to wake up Leo with a daily "Dada!" and friendly tap about the head. Tonight he did thumbs up! It was priceless! And his kisses are perfected. Not as many open-mouthed wet ones. He's even got "mwah!" down. And when he sees a phone (or any item really) he will put it to his ear as if to talk. But ask him to say hi to whomever is on the other end and he will wave. The kid is non-stop fun.

On the home front, I am slowly pulling the yucky bushes and weeds in the back yard. The heat has settled here (to stay I'm afraid?!) and so only a little at a time gets done. But by the end of summer we will be looking at a fresh new canvas for autumn/ spring planting. And the inside (b/c you know I can't just do one thing at a time) I painted half the hallway and have a new and exciting project underway for the entry. When creativity hits me just try to get in the way!