Midnight Madness

I really thought I would be in bed before midnight tonight. I've gotten into a bad habit of staying up late. Maybe it's the Chamness in me or that I don't like to face the reality of going to bed alone. Anyway, I've made it to bed before midnight only a handful of times since Keith's left. Ironically, he's been going to bed before 9pm. Yea, he misses me too.

So tonight as I'm turning the lights off, stepping over toys, and making two trips up the stairs carrying dogs (they are spoiled little farm dogs) I realize the cat is still outside. Back down I go. I open the door and call her and what do you know.... she just sits there! Acting like a total cat! I have to step outside and pick her up. Then I get a glimpse of what she's so unwilling to leave:

A FROG!

Now, a mother of girls would step right over this thing and head up to bed. Not me. This is way to important in the life of my sons. At midnight, I make a MAD DASH up the stairs calling for Cole. I can't wake him up fast enough. I scoop him out of bed and we run downstairs. After he realized what I was trying to tell him, he lights up! It's like we've seen the GREAT PUMPKIN.

Do you know this kid has been wanting to find a frog since spring rolled around. We had a frog last summer in our backyard, but he didn't make it through Cole's training camp. (circle of life, circle of life...) He was very upset when we told him that the frog was gone and would not be coming back. As soon as we got back from Texas, do you know he would march in my room every morning MAD at me that I did not wake him up to go frog hunting with his new flashlights. Yea right. He and Brad spent no less than 6 hours outside today looking for bugs. I think the grand total was 4 rolly pollies. It's crushing. I've even considered "planting" some night crawlers in our dry, unrich dirt for the boys to stumble upon. So you can see the importance in tonight's discovery.

So there he is, so excited and totally worth waking him up. I bet they spend 10 hours outside trying to find him tomorrow (see.... mom's not that dumb after all!) Do you know that sweet kid wanted to make sure his brother got to see it too. That's why I brought out the camera. I'm not crazy enough to wake up the whole house! Besides, Brad's a little more cranky when it comes to his sleep. He gets if from his Dad.

He looks pretty small, so we let him go back to his mommy. That's what I tell the boys with every critter they find. It's nicer than catch and release... and it keeps them OUTSIDE. Hey Keith, do you think this one hopped all the way from the duck pond to our backyard again? I miss you funny daddy. Tonight just earned myself mommy of the year. I'm out - MOTY