Catching Up (How many times can I use this as a title?)

Last Wednesday to Sunday my brother Mike, my sister in law Sharon and their sweet little 15 month old Caleb were visiting us while they were in town for a wedding. They live in Atlanta so we don't get to spend a ton of time with them so it was so nice to have a few days to catch up and for Caleb to get to know us.

It was important that he get to know us because we were going to be watching him Friday during the day and night while they went to the various Friday wedding activities, such as visiting a castle, the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner (I think another castle was involved). Caleb stayed home so Mike and Sharon could enjoy their time out especially since the next day would be a long day as well. Plus, we were really looking forward to our time with Caleb. It was fun to have a little boy in the house and I had definitely forgotten how much energy goes into having a young toddler, especially in a house that is no longer very baby proof. I think the only thing Caleb tried to eat was one of the Disney Polly Pocket type dresses.

I tried so hard not to laugh (I didn't) when Mike and Sharon pulled away and Caleb just kept turning around looking over each shoulder trying to figure out where they had gone. His sad face was just so stinking adorable. We played outside for awhile and then went for wagon rides up and down the block. Caleb held onto a little plastic rack and let it drag along the ground the whole time. I think he was still in shock that his parents were gone!

The shock eventually wore off and Caleb was his happy easy going self most of the time. Except for occasionally going over to the basement door and knocking, hoping his parents were down there! I got a ton of snuggle time with him and when he was sad he would come up and lay his head on my lap or wrap his arms around my leg.

We enjoyed our busy weekend with family - my parents were also in town for the wedding so we had a full house. Of course this was during the Spring Heat Wave that we just went through. Anyone else still in shock that we experience ninety degree temps in April?

On Monday Ella went outside to play and came back in absolutely hysterical telling us she had seen a snake! Oh boy. I went out with Matt to investigate....and the verdict was....she was RIGHT! We found a gardner snake peaking out from behind a cooler that was casting a shadow - does this mean that when it gets this hot I'm more likely to see snakes? Because not only did we see it that morning, but again in our backyard while the kids were swinging. I'm assuming/hoping it was the same snake and not another one. In theory I'm not scared of snakes, but in reality I'm not too excited about them in my backyard.

Funny tidbits. When Ella was freaking out and we were asking if she was sure it was a snake she said "yes, because worms are smaller!" The whole time Catherine kept insisting that she wasn't scared of snakes and we tried to tell her that she probably would have been scared like Ella and she's all "nuh, uh". This from the child who screams bloody murder when she sees a stink bug in her room for the hundredth time!

We did get a chance to go swimming yesterday and as much as it pained me to put my still in hibernation body into a swimsuit, it was so refreshing and wonderful to see the kids having fun in the water. I wasn't sure how they would do since the water wasn't too warm and they hadn't been swimming since the fall, but I was happy that they got right back into it no problem. It was a good warm up her swim lessons which started today. She's in the submarine class and is practicing "stroke readiness". That cracks me up because her current stroke is frantic dog paddling until she sinks! While I was waiting for her in the hot humid aquatics facility I overhead some mothers talking about someone being sick and in the hospital and all I could think of was "Swine Flu, Swine Flu! Where is my antibacterial spray?!" (I jest....kind of...)

Wow, check out the topics I covered. Family, watching Caleb, the heat, snakes, swimming and a possible pandemic. That is just the way my mind flows. And now I probably should go take a Tylenol PM so I can ssssllllllllooooowwww those thoughts down!