You lookin at me?

I have been trying to think of how to start this post. I can't come up with a clever intro, so I'll just come out with it.

Yesterday, my son was attacked by a rooster.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a rooster. We live in a densely populated suburban part of northern Virginia. But, there is a working farm/community park near our house. Evan and Grandma took a trip to the farm yesterday. It is a great experience for the kids because they can walk through the farm area to see the barn animals. They have horses, cows, sheep, chickens, roosters, bunnies and a peacock.

The animals are usually confined. But apparently one of the roosters got out yesterday and was roaming free around the farm. I guess that Evan made eye contact with the rooster. The rooster thought that the two year old was challenging him, and in turn strutted up to Evan, jumped up in the air and kicked Evan in the chest with his talons. It knocked Evan to the ground, and he started crying. Fortunately, Evan was not injured. He had enough layers of clothing on that the talons did not pierce his skin. Afterward, the rooster fluffed out his feathers and strutted around the area making all sorts of noise.

Alright Mr. Rooster, you think you're so tough because you could take down a two year old? Well, you'd better pray that you never meet his MOM alone in a dark alley.....

We have been trying to prepare Evan for some of the changes that will come his way after his sibling is born this summer. So, we have explained that I have a baby in my "tummy". He knows that when the baby comes we will have to feed the baby and change the baby's diaper, and that the baby will sleep in his room. So far, he seems to be pretty receptive to the idea.

Recently, he has started to come up to my stomach and kiss the baby. He waives goodbye to my stomach when I leave. It is really quite sweet to watch. But, this morning I think he may have taken things too far. After he brushed his own teeth, he came over to me, lifted my shirt up, and started to "brush" my stomach with his toothbrush. :)

I have a confession to make. Evan is 2 and we haven't totally baby-proofed our house. We have addressed most of the safety issues, but the kitchen cabinet doors can be opened and our toilet seats aren't on lock down. We also chose not put protective covers over the door knobs. So, Evan has access to all of the rooms in the house. In fact, this may be a good time for a quick PSA. If you come over to visit and you need to use our powder room, you should probably lock the door behind you. Evan doesn't have a good grasp of the importance of "private time" just yet...


But, I digress...


This weekend, Evan kept going into our pantry to try to eat yet another bag of Craisins. I kept telling him not to, pulling him out of the pantry, and shutting the door. I thought that my message had finally gotten through when he closed the door on his own and walked over to open the door to the powder room. (I wasn't thrilled about moving the action into the powder room, but I'm a big fan of distraction, regardless of the form it takes.) So, Evan opened the door and motioned for me to enter the powder room. As soon as I did, he shut the door, leaving me alone in the dark powder room. Nice. I opened the door, only to see Evan back in the pantry going after the Craisins.

Evan: 1
Mommy: 0

Well played, Evan. Well played...

Happy 2nd Birthday Evan!

Our Announcement

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is official! In August, our family of three will become a family of four. We are thrilled! We can't wait to meet our newest little one and start the next stage of this adventure!

You can't make this stuff up....

I have been struck recently by the level of desperation we have been seeing from job seekers. It is real-life insight into the economic challenges that Americans are facing. We ask candidates to answer a series of 5-6 pre-screening questions as they submit their resumes. The first question asks why the candidate is seeking a new position. We used to get a wide range of responses, but recently almost every candidate has been laid off. I feel for people in this situation and we really try to find a fit whenever possible.

But, I received one response this morning that I couldn't help but share.

Q: What circumstances bring you to apply for this position today?
A: The usual...unemployment, going to loose the house, can't feed the kids.

Q: Please describe your skill level with Microsoft Excel.
A: Intermediate to expert...what I don't know I teach myself as I need it. I haven't had to use pivot tables yet or write macros but it's nothing I couldn't figure out with a book, a few hours to kill and a couple of pina coladas.

Q: When are you available to start?

A: Immediately. Well, unless a drug test is required and then I need to wait to get some stuff out of my system. No just kidding, it's late and I'm tired.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.....

Happy Monday!