sweet nothings at bedtime

I really enjoy bedtime for the kids. Not just because it means mommy gets some much needed quiet time, but because they say the sweetest things.

The Muss always reads a blessing from one of her books. We always talk about what is up for school the next day and say our I-love-you's and I tell her how special she is and how proud I am of her. Lately she has also been practicing her lines for the Kindergarten musical. She is going to be spectacular.

Boo always says the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer and we play a little "I love you game." His latest:

M: I love you, Boo

B: I love you, momma

M: I love you more

B: I love you to the end of numbers

I thought that was very clever for a Boo of 4.

Kiki, the sweet little magical pixie that she is, lays her head on my shoulder as I carry her to bed. She giggles and smiles as I put her head on her pillow and cover her with her blankie. Then she whispers "ni, ni" in her sweet baby voice. She normally goes down without a fight, which is rare for a child I have birthed. There is always a glitch, though, isn't there? She tends to wake up around midnight with a wail. Luckily, daddy is home from work by then to take care of that.

did I mention we have pets?

Until recently, they outnumbered the 2-legged creatures in our home. We had 3 cats, 2 goldfish and 1 dog. About 2 weeks ago, we lost the youngest of our 3 cats and 1 of our 2-year-old goldfish. The 2 deaths were completely unrelated. I think that is an extraordinarily long time for a goldfish to live. I maintain it was Claire the goldfish who died, but the Muss (they were hers) says it was Constantine the goldfish. I have always liked Constantine better, but the Muss prefers Claire. She was near insistant that we name our youngest Claire, but J. nixed that. We both watched The Breakfast Club too many times when we were young and he could not get past that "Claire is a fat girl's name" line. So when she got a fish tank for her 4th birthday, she was sure to name one of them Claire.

The dog, Trooper, is molting. Ok, I know he is not a bird, but he is leaving huge chunks of fur all over the place. He is 3/4 Newfoundland and 1/4 Black Lab and just chock full o' fur. We normally get him shaved in the spring and summer, but our groomer's husband had open-heart surgery and for some reason taking care of her husband takes precedence over bathing and shaving my dog. Oh, and trimming his nails. Selfish woman.

So my point here is really the fur. Pets shed. Not the fish, but the other 3 do. I love my pets, but I hate their fur. I am not a neat-freak. I am barely able to get my house presentable for guests most days. What I wouldn't give for a bit of OCD when it comes to cleaning *sigh*

everyone else is doing it

So even though I am no longer a teen, can I still use that line?

Everyone seems to have a blog now. I have some photo blogs on which I share pictures of my 3 baby loves, but not a written blog. I've never been one to journal, but now, as I more rapidly age, I think I need this if only to remember things. Remember things so I can look fondly back on the wonderful utterings of the 3, the family vacations, times with my other half, J., mishaps, humorous stories, you know, stuff in general. Remember things so that when my children have children of their own, I can remind them how payback works *evil grin*

So most of the focus of this blog will probably be on my 3 little ones, the Muss (age 6), Boo (age 4) and Kiki (19 months). Now you are wondering how the 3 ended up being so close in age. Well, let me tell you, I am no spring chicken. We didn't start the whole procreation thing until we were 30. Now, they say that women over the age of 30 have a more difficult time getting pregnant. Not this woman. I defy all odds and can get pregnant if J. even looks at me sideways. I make him avert his eyes at all times while around me now. Kidding. I find the best things in life are unplanned and I work much better using the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. So, we have 3.

I am figuring this will go largely unread. I tend to keep my musings to myself most of the time. Plus, who would honestly be interested in my life besides me?