It's like a slap in the face!

These are just a few of the sentiments that we yell at each other as we are leaving the house or getting out of the car. It is always a competition to see who can be the loudest. The best is when I am in the drop-off line at school and I yell (and I do mean yell) as they are walking up to the school, "Return With Honor!" The kids just love that one...especially my high school kids. Although, now that they drive themselves everywhere, I don't get to do this to them as often and that makes me sad.

Today as I am getting ready to walk out the door for work, Sierra is telling me to return with honor, etc...when Brooklyn yells down the stairs, 

"If you don't use the talents God gave you, it's like a slap in the face."

That's a new one!!! 

She completely threw me off, I had no idea how to respond other than to say, "Uhmm, thanks!" then turn around and leave. 

Now that I have had time to digest the words, I can't wait to throw them back at her when she doesn't want to practice her violin. Oh how she is going to regret this one. 

Muahahaha!

eeeeEEEEKKKKK!

On Monday we went over to a friends house for a barbecue and swimming. It was so hot, we came home completely exhausted. By the time we got everyone through the shower, swim clothes washed, scriptures read, and had prayers, I was ready to just lay my head on my pillow and fall into a deep sleep. The dogs had other intentions. We put them in their crates and they barked and clawed constantly to get out (not normal for them). We let them out and they would not lay down. They kept coming in and jumping on and off the bed. They would go into the family room and bark then come back and jump on the bed. Phyn kept biting and tugging on my hand. Drove me crazy and I kept yelling at him to lay down. Finally around 12:30, they laid down.

Naturally after all of this, we slept in. Tyler and Kayla even missed Seminary. I got up, got them up and got into the shower. In the meantime, everyone slowly got up and started getting ready to leave. James no sooner stepped out of the shower and Brooklyn screamed. James and I shrugged it off because she tends to scream over anything and everything, especially when she is tired. About 3 seconds later, she screamed the most blood curdling scream I have ever heard. James took off running out of our bathroom thinking that someone was trying to break in (it happened to some people in our ward last year). Then we heard Brooklyn yelling, "it's a rat, it's a RAT!" I ran into the family room telling her that it was probably just a mouse and to settle down.

The next thing I heard was, "get it!" James had given the dogs the command to go after it. Sure enough it was a huge, ugly rat. IN MY HOUSE! The dogs caught and killed it in a matter of 30 seconds. James called the exterminator and I spent the rest of the day sanitizing my house. We have no other signs of rats so the exterminator thinks it came in through the dog doors looking for food or water. I think that thing was in my house all night and the dogs were trying to tell us. We just didn't listen.

Now that I am feeling OK being in the house, I walk up to the front door and find this snake trying to find his way in. Fourth snake since we moved in at the end of February. Not how I prefer to be welcomed into the neighborhood.

I am seriously considering selling and moving away now.