Top 10

After yet another crazy thing happened since Pete's been gone, I thought I'd make a Top-10 list of "Things that happen while Pete's away that never happen at any other time of the year", just like David Letterman does every night. Here it goes...

10. Madie comes down with a rash all over her body for some inexplicable reason

9. Big thunderstorms come through, causing the power to go out for 1.2 sec, thus causing 2 children to come screaming in terror into my room at 3 o'clock in the morning, nearly giving me a heart attack. The third child is already in my bed and is now crying in fear too.

8. Having to deal with those 3 children in a queen-sized bed, until 4am when I give up and put my oldest two on my comforter on the floor, so I can get some sleep, after the terror of the 1.2 sec power outage.

7. Having the mower refuse to start, then after 30 min of trying to start it, finally getting it to start and almost immediately running out of gas. Then trying to fill it, only to realize once I get the mower back in place to start again that there's an inner cap in the gas can that I didn't remove, causing the mower to die again, so I have to take it back to the garage and start the process all over again.

6. Cat puking all over kitchen floor that I almost step in getting breakfast ready for the kids

5. A giant 5-building fire that knocks out power to the entire town for 12+ hrs

4. Coming home to find THAT that power is out with a trunk full of over $200 worth of groceries that I just bought and realizing that there's really no good place to put them in 93 degree weather.

3. Trying to help coach Noah's bball game, while having a 4 yr old running behind me at home plate while I'm catching and yelling at me to tell Madie to be nicer. This happened more than once.

2. Trying to explain to my children why I don't have chicken eggs that grow in my belly so I'm able to have children. This became an hilarious and very long conversation.

And, the top 1 thing that never happens unless Pete is away....

1. Noah ear swells up to twice the normal size and develops hard, blistery things on it and freaks him out enough that he swears his ear is going to fall off.

Ahh.. .the adventures and fun of being a parent!! Just have to laugh at the things that happen when he's away. Can only imagine what will happen over the next 10 days before he comes home. Perhaps we'll all come down with leprosy, a surfeit (yes, I looked that up) of skunks have a garden party in our backyard, and, of course, another power outage. Yes. I'm sure that's what's coming up next.