Bad news. I just saw a mouse in the living room. It looks like we need to step up the fight, which we had actually abandoned once we came home from the trip and were left with SEVEN unsnapped, yet completely peanut butter-free traps. I have never seen any evidence of mice - no mouse poop, no chewed open food packages - in the house (except for the actual mouse I saw) so I sort of didn't worry about who ate all the peanut butter off the traps and let myself believe the mice were gone. So much for that.

Since Emma started school and is slowly becoming a little more worldly, there have been a few times when I've been unsure of what is the right thing to do in a certain situation. Today she went to a party that was actually a birthday party for her friend's little sister. Her friend wanted to invite Emma so she'd be able to play with someone her own age. The plan was for me to drop her off at Tunnel Voyage, then later go pick her up at her friend's grandparents' house, where they were going afterward for dinner and cake. The friend's parents didn't get a birthday party package at Tunnel Voyage, but they were going to pay Emma's way in. So, when I dropped her off, I couldn't decide if I should send her in with any money. I felt like by sending her in with no money, I was just counting on the other parents to pay for anything she might need, which I didn't want to do. On the other hand, all I had was a ten dollar bill, and sending a (barely) five year old in alone with ten dollars seemed like a mistake as well. I can just see her at the snack bar, ordering a huge soda and every piece of candy she can possibly purchase with ten dollars. I thought about giving the other parents the money, but they likely wouldn't have accepted it. In the end, I didn't give her the money. Was that the right decision?Last thing - I have a tip for anyone who might be reading this. If you've never purchased a pineapple, you really need to. You won't be sorry. I love fresh pineapple, but I've never bought one before because they always looked sort of intimidating. A couple weeks ago, Emma convinced me to buy one, and it turns out they are really no trouble to cut up and SO delicious. The kids and I have been devouring almost a pineapple a day lately. So yeah, if you see some weirdo at Costco buying five pineapples, that's me. Ahem.

We spent the last few days skiing with my family, which was great fun, as always. Emma skied for the first time this year, and honestly, I was a little apprehensive about it beforehand. When I learned to ski I was a couple years older than her, and I remember lying in the snow before I had actually even started skiing, crying because my feet hurt and begging to just skip the whole thing. Luckily, she wasn't that lame and she totally rocked! She took a lesson in the morning, then went out with us in the afternoon and then again at night. By the end of the day, she was a little speed demon. I was so impressed with her. I didn't get to ski as much as I would have liked because Allie has developed a little case of separation anxiety, but there is always next year.We drove back today, and after eight hours in the car with the kiddos, I am beat. We saw some bald eagles on the drive home, as well as on the way there. Steve was willing to stop and wait while I took a picture, but not willing to wait for me to change my lens so I could actually get a good picture.The mouse eradication is not going well. We set two traps in the kitchen before we left, and several more in the garage, all with big globs of peanut butter. We came home to find the traps in the kitchen still unsnapped, but there was no peanut butter left on them. Not a trace. We must have some very stealthy mice. I don't know yet if we caught anything in the garage - I'm afraid to look.

Awhile back we noticed that a bag of birdseed in our garage had been torn into and strewn around the workbench. We figured there might be a mouse or two living out there, but we said they were probably just trying to get in from the cold so we let it go. Two times after that, I actually saw a mouse in the garage, and briefly searched online for humane mouse trap options. Really though, we don't much care if there is a mouse or two in the garage, so I forgot about catching them and setting them free somewhere else, and we left them alone.

This morning I was changing Allie's diaper in the living room and as I glanced over to the kitchen, I happened to see a mouse run along the length of the wall and then disappear behind the refrigerator. Oh. No. Mice in the garage is one thing, but mice in my kitchen is another thing entirely and I am NOT cool with that. We tried to be nice and let them be, but now they have overstepped their boundaries.

Right after I saw the mouse, we left to take Emma to school, and then came back here just so I could run inside and grab enough diapers to last us through the day. We left again, and since the thought of hanging out in a house with mice totally creeps me out, we didn't come back home until about 8:30 tonight. We bounced from one place to another all day and did whatever we could find to do just to avoid coming home. One of the things we did was buy mouse traps - the killing kind. I am feeling very bad about this. Still, I do need to go in my kitchen at some point, so I'm just trying not to think about it. Steve is going to take care of all the mouse trapping duties so I can continue to not think about it. Except that I obviously am.

I have not ever taken a picture of a mouse so I searched Google images to try to find a picture of a mouse for this post. I didn't want to get anything gross, so I searched for "mouse cute", which was clearly a mistake. What is wrong with me, wanting to kill those sweet, cute, innocent looking little furballs? You'll notice that there is no picture in this post because I can't put up a darling picture of a wittle bitty mouse and then come here and announce that I'm going to kill one (or more) without seeming like some kind of ogre.

And by the way, I am so thirsty right now. I am positively dying from thirst, but I can't make myself go in the kitchen and get a stupid drink. I've got issues.

Noah pretty much always tells me when he needs his diaper changed, so I figured it might be time to start the whole potty learning process. I brought the old potty chair up from the basement, and gave Noah a little crash course on what he was supposed to do. He seemed to get it, and actually acted pretty excited about the whole thing. We've tried it several times now, and here's how it always goes down.

1. He sits on the potty.
2. About 2.4 seconds later, he gets up to look inside and see if there is any pee there. "Pee?"
3. He appears surprised that the potty is empty, then shrugs and wanders off.
4. About 3.7 seconds later, he pees on the floor somewhere.
5. Immediately after that, he runs to find me and show me the puddle, all the while clapping, pointing excitedly, and exclaiming, "Pee!"

I guess he hasn't really got it yet.

My mom and grandma came to visit last weekend and we had a little pre-birthday celebration for Emma while they were here. I made and decorated her a cake, under her watchful eye and strict instructions. She dictated the colors, the shape, and told me exactly what she wanted it to look like. She wanted to do the sprinkles herself, so I handed them over and let her have at it. She worked very meticulously on those sprinkles for a good twenty minutes. While she was working so diligently, I heard her say to herself, "This just might be the best cake ever." I think she might be right.The other night I made her this birthday crown out of wool felt. I bought enough materials to make one for Noah and Allie too, and my hope is that they will each wear theirs every year on their birthday. Steve said he also wants one, so maybe I'll make one for him too. Emma seems to like hers so I'd say so far the birthday crown idea is a success.Even though it isn't really her birthday yet, it was a fun little celebration, and who wouldn't like an extra birthday party? And I, for one, am always up for extra cake.