Little Man Needs a New Nickname

Little Man had a birthday this week and I every time I look at him I am reminded that his "little boy" stage is rapidly coming to a halt. 

Until he does something like this: 

Then I wonder if he'll ever grow up. 

Somedays I really need him to grow up because things like fighting with him over taking a shower when he smells like a wet dog just gets old.  Other days, when he looks like this: 

I wish he could stay my Little Man forever.  Then he wakes up.

Truth be told, Little Man really is an amazing creature.  He is the quintessential little boy.  He loves dirt and creatures and rocks and animals and wierd looking, stinky things and nature.  He is kind to his friends, he loves his family and he has a wicked sense of humor.  He is the kind of kid who challenges his mama with his boyish nature, and sometimes he makes me so mad I could spit.  Then the second he realizes he's crossed a line or hurt my feelings or trashed my dryer with his "rock tumbling" experiment, he will hug my neck so hard that I feel his little heart through his chest.  His remorse is so real and so heartfelt that I can't stay mad.  Because that heart is so pure and innocent and loving that to stay mad at him for being who he is?  Would ruin who he is.  So who is he?  He is an amazing gift from a loving Heavenly Father who knew that I would need someone in my life who can love me wholeheartedly, without condition, regardless of my weight, my haircut or my lack of patience with curious, active little boys. 

He is my Little Man...at least for a few more years.   

       

Splish Splash I was Takin' a Bath!

So I'm getting ready to take a shower the other day and I open the shower door to turn on the water. I notice, much to my dismay, that the shower really needs to be scrubbed and that there are shampoo bottles all over the floor. I say noticed...it was actually more like acknowledged, because I knew the state of the shower a few days prior, just chose to ignore it, hoping it would clean itself.

One of the reasons it gets so messy is because my kids prefer to use it over their own bathtub in their own bathroom! I have no idea why, they just do. And for some reason, it never occurs to them, or my husband, to toss the empty bottles in the trash can when they are done showering. Course, it did take me 2 or 3 days to actually bend over and do it myself, so I guess I shouldn't be talkin' smack about my lazy family.

Anyway...with a heavy sigh, I bent over to pick up the empty bottles and underneath one of them found this:



Sorry, I know the picture quality stinks. I told you all I have a crappy old camera, right? It's certainly not my photo taking skills. I said I NEED A NEW CAMERA! And no remarks about my housekeeping skills, either! I am working on it, people!

It's a scorpion. A big, dead scorpion. I have no idea how long our visitor had been there. I know the bottles had been on the shower floor for 2 or 3 days. What if it had been there the whole time!?!? AAUUGGHH!! How freaky! At least it was dead, but my kid had just been in there a few hours prior taking his own shower! Needless to say, no more bottles get left on the shower floor.

And yes, I did scrub the shower, so it doesn't look like that anymore. I'm workin' on it, people!