Animal observation

I had a lovely dinner with the Bible study girls at Merry's house last Thursday. A miracle was announced. Then, as I'm sure happened after many a miraculous announcement in the days of the early church, a possum appeared in Merry's driveway. Merry, it should be noted, had been getting up at various intervals during dinner to pound on the walls (looking a more than a little Crazed About the Eyes). There were Mysterious Scurryings coming from the attic. The Mysterious Scurryings had momentarily abated, so Merry opened her back door and saw a box on the driveway. A box that MOVED. And had a long pink tail. Brenda, the intrepid one amongst us, casually strolled outside and put a cinder block on top of the box while we all contemplated scenarios that would ensure Merry did not have a boxed possum behind her car when she needed to leave for work the next morning. I shared all of my recently acquired possum knowledge. Lori called her husband Matt, who, in addition to having a real job is also an aspiring Cattle Baron AND amateur animal trapper. Brenda, yet again, decided to take matters into her own hands. Merry closed the crack where Mr. Possum had been gaining entry to her attic, then Brenda marched out (in her high heels) and calmly took off the cinder block AND the box, and our marsupial interloper dashed into the next door neighbors' backyard. He was LARGE. Or pregnant. Hopefully, just large. Though pregnant would dovetail nicely with the previously mentioned miraculous announcement. (Dear Mother, It is not me. I have promised you that, should I be pregnant, you will not find out through a blog post. Love, Patti.)

We went to the Zoo Boo yesterday. The kids wore costumes because I thought it might make up for the missed party. Though we got there and realized that the festivities only happen on the weekends. I just can't get it right. Ah, well. They had fun anyway. The battery was out in the new camera, so this was the best I could do:
We got to watch the elephants getting their baths, then were delighted to watch baby Baylor the elephant go directly from his bath into the swimming pond in the new elephant habitat. Baby Baylor pooped right in the water, which, naturally, pleased the kids very much. He also practiced his trumpeting, which was pretty adorable.

Harper got the idea (from one of the Magic Treehouse books) to have a little notebook in which she jots down Animal Observations. Here are some from the zoo trip:

1. Chinmpansee Behavior: eats flies
2. ElephAnt Behavior: Aftr Bath SWiMs (and) (poops) (and) (trumpets)
3. Baby Shark Behavior: Swims at TOP of WATER
4. TurTLE Behavior: Swims Around Tank
5. Eels ArE COOL i've seen THiM AT The Zoo
6. Tomorrow i'm Going To GANDMOTHer
7. I'm Bringing 100 Thins

Those last two were more like journal entries. She did ask for help with some of the spelling, which explains why it's a trifle more decipherable than her independent attempts.

I will be taking a brief blog hiatus while we spend a few days with the grandparents. We've been packing all day and as soon as Sasha sees the suitcases come out, she begins to PANIC. She is either following me around right at my heels (I almost stepped on her numerous times today) OR she is curled up with her entire body touching the suitcase, one eye left open, as she warily surveys the activity. The kids are incredibly excited, as always, and are packing their own small bags with a regrettable lack of forethought. I see, for example, that Hudson has filled his entire bag with his football helmet. No football, however. Harper has, no doubt, chosen one THOUSAND small items which will inevitably end up strewn everywhere, and there will be great turmoil trying to find it all when it's time to come home. By the way, if you are a burglar who just happens to enjoy this blog, there are three very good reasons you should NOT see this as a golden opportunity:
1. The husband will be here.
2. The husband is an extensive Collector of Firearms (22, 45, 357--those numbers mean anything to you??)
and
3. Our electronics (and other belongings, now that I think about it) will likely be a huge disappointment to you. Unless you want a cheap t.v. from Sears.