A car, a dog, Maddie making mischeif, and a lot of hope

We've had a crazy two weeks.

Ben's beloved/oft-hated 1993 Camry with 203,000+ miles on it, which hasn't had air conditioning for the past three years (would cost beyond what the car is worth to repair, we looked into it), and a hole in the oil tank (which led to frequent Jiffy Lube visits for a"top off"), and that we thought just might live forever (it smelled like an artifact from the Smithsonian, because water some how would leak in when it rained and led to a mild growth of mildew), died in its valiant effort to take Ben to work. It gave out suddenly in a center lane of the busy Dulles Toll Road during rush hour.

We've been aware that a need for a new car was on the horizon. We've been contemplating it for the past 28,000 air-conditioning-less miles. But, too many odds were defied by that car that Ben insisted he just stick it out driving his ghetto-mobile with two missing hub-caps. The hub caps both disappeared during two separate visits to a local repair shop. The second time it happened, the repairman mentions to Ben that he has a cousin who is actually in the hub cap replacement business. Hmmmm... convenient and fishy.... Anyway, I never had considered a car dying in the center lane of a busy road where cars buzz by you at up to 80 miles an hour would be a blessing. It turns out it was. That, and those darn crazy blizzards we had the past few months. Well, those things and that insane Toyota recall.

So, Ben spent multiple days last week searching and researching and calling car dealerships and pitting dealer against dealer. Toyota is offering 0% interest for 60 months to qualified buyers until March 31. The recalls and the snow storms have really hurt business at a lot of local Toyota dealerships. Ben told the dealers what he wanted, then he fielded call after call from five dealerships as they each kept lowering their price and sweetening their deals. Ultimately, Ben ended up getting a 2010 Camry SE with leather seats and JBL premium sound. The dealer that won his business went down $5000 from the MSRP, and to beat the next most attractive offer, they threw in a navigation system and 6-disc changer. As a loyal Toyota customer (which anyone who had previously been driving a 203,000 mile Toyota with no a/c should without a doubt be considered), Ben qualified for a two year complimentary maintenance plan, which means Toyota will pay for his oil changes, etc for the first two years. He also scored the 0% for 60 months. Ben has been like a little kid with a new toy this whole week. I don't blame him. He ended up with a better monthly payment than he would have had three months ago for a 2009 corolla with cloth seats.

When Zack saw the car, the first thing he said was "How did the car fixer make Dad's car look so good?" That's when I realized he thought it was Ben's old camry all fixed up. Now, that would have been some magic.

Andrew has allowed Ben the privilege of driving him to school each day. Previously, Andrew would throw a fit and insist Ben drive him in the minivan to school, because he was positive that Ben's old camry was making him sick.

Zack also wanted to know if we could keep the new car, because it was "cool and exciting and the old one was boring."

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There are many challenges that can be filed under the title "Raising Zack." Wednesday was a day of a new set of challenges.

Zack had too much energy. We've had nice weather lately and that little boy just wants to run free and get into way too much trouble. I've had neighbor boys come to my door to say that Zack is picking fights. When I give him instructions to "Be nice to everyone, keep your hands to yourself, stay off of people's property, watch out for cars, and to be ready to come home nicely when I ask" so that I can let him play in the neighborhood again, I must be just talking to myself.

He usually runs like a wild dog away from me and into some sort of dangerous situation, like darting into the street between parked cars. I prefer to keep him inside with me where I know where he is and know he is reasonably safe.

Well, anyway, Wednesday I said he could ride his scooter around our block five times as long as he stayed on the sidewalk and knocked on our window each time he passed our house so I knew he was ok. The elementary school kids wouldn't be home for another hour and a half, so I hoped he would get his fill of outside time and then stay inside with me when the bigger kids started to fill the neighborhood. He put on his helmet (which is really Maddie's old purple Bratz helmet, that I covered with silver Duct tape everywhere so that the purple wouldn't show, because I'm cheap) and took off happily around the corner. Fifteen minutes pass without his return. I start to get worried. Mylie is playing inside the house and I don't want to drag her on a wild goose hunt for Zack. Then, I hear Zack running around to the house very nervous and without his scooter.

"A dog bit me!" he says in a shaken voice I haven't ever really heard out of him before. I examine his hand and there is a little bite, but nothing serious. He is quite upset by the whole situation. He said a chihuahua had been chasing him and then it bit him.

Zack likes to pet dogs and I've really tried to train him to ask permission before petting dogs. He said the owner wasn't with the dog. I tell him we need to go find his scooter. He is still very nervous. He walks me down the street around the corner and sure enough, there is his scooter. The little chihuahua comes barking and running all by itself at us. Zack is terror stricken and tries to scale a green cable box, as it is the nearest and highest thing by him.

Up the street a lady walking her dog comes into sight and the little chihuahua takes off barking at the ladies dog. I take the scooter in one hand and Zack's hand in my other and we head home. I am irritated that the little dog is free to roam and out biting little kids.

I ask Zack some questions at home about why he hadn't just been going around the block and knocking on the window like I had instructed him to do. I ask him if he ever saw the dog's owner. He said no. I asked him where he was when the dog bit him. He said he was in the common area behind that row of houses, not too far from where the neighborhood park is. Then after we've been home for about half an hour and he is still complaining of his dog bite, he admits something to me that makes my blood nearly freeze in my veins.

Quietly, he says, "I opened the door and let the dog out of its backyard."

"I heard it barking when I walked past and I thought that it liked me and wanted me to play with it. I let it out and it ran after me and bit me. It didn't like me. I think it thought I was a predator." (Zack just did a dinosaur unit at preschool)

I start freaking out. Nearly 40 minutes have passed with this dog loose and who knows where it is and what sort of danger it is in. I can't leave Zack and Mylie home alone while I go hunting for this expensive little dog. Zack is terrified of it and Mylie will run off in the other direction or flail in my arms as I search I'm sure. So, panic stricken I call Ben and tell him it is an emergency and he better come home. Zack's been bitten by a dog! Then I tell him he need to go search for said dog, because if it is lost or run over it is our family's fault. Ben hurries home and heads out on the search and I am nearly beside myself wondering if we're going to have a law suit on our hands. Zack is quite upset as well. I keep wondering if anyone saw Zack let the dog out. I've seen a man walk that chihuahua before. I don't know which house is his, but I do recall the man doesn't look too friendly when I see him walking the dog.

When Maddie gets home Ben is asking Zack where the dog lives. Maddie says she knows whose dog it is and shows him the house. Ben goes up to the door to ring the doorbell with Zack to explain the situation. No one comes to answer the door. However, much to Ben's relief the dog comes yapping at the window from inside the house safe and sound. Zack has had enough of this dog and high tails it back to our house.

We all learned a valuable lesson.

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On Tuesday, Maddie had activity day at church. I went to pick her up, but had just chased Zack around the neighborhood to get him into the car to come and get her and we had an unpleasant scene when I finally caught him. When we get to the church I don't want to take him or Mylie out of their seats. I send Andrew in to get Maddie.

I have done this before a few time in the past and don't think much of doing it at this point. Andrew heads in. Five minutes pass. Ten minutes pass. Fifteen minutes pass. I see other kids leaving with their parents, but no sign of my own kids. I get worried and unload my naughtiest two and head into the church to find my other pair. We go into the gym and there is Andrew shooting baskets with two of his friends. He sees me and has a deer in the headlights moment with me for a second. I can tell he's contemplating making a break for it. Zack, however, has made a break for it and is bee-lining it with one of his little friends into the chapel. I decide to take off after Zack and Mylie decides she would like to head out a door on the opposite side of the gym. The next few minutes are sort of like those cartoon sequences when everyone is going in and out of doors in a hallway but no one can catch each other. I am grateful that Zack is wearing a hooded sweatshirt, because I am able to grab his hood as he tries to slip by me. Andrew and Mylie miraculously have both reappeared in the gym as I pull Zack in. All I can find of Maddie are her shoes left in the middle of the gym. Then, moments later, she appears smiling from a hiding place as if the big jokes on me. Well, it probably was. I was not happy. We fake smile our way to the car and have a very unhappy moment when we are behind the doors of our own car. Maddie can't understand why I am upset. I suppose she thought that getting me all worried and then forcing me to take everyone into the church to get her and then chasing my kids through the building would be a great way for us all to pass my time.

I don't think she'll do that ever again.

Yesterday I busted her hurling a ROCK over the fence at some kid who was annoying her.

Somewhere I have gone terribly wrong in parenting my children.

She got busted for the rock throwing, burst into tears about how kids are really mean to her and I do nothing about it, and ultimately I end up telling her she can take the evening off and skip basketball practice because the two of us are too drained.

I don't think she'll ever throw another rock either.

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I took Mylie to have her speech evaluated to see if she qualifies for county assistance like Zack does. Following Zack and all his issues, she seems light years ahead of where he was at her age. Still, her preschool teacher last year said we should have her tested and her teacher this year also expressed concern. So, I scheduled an appointment and took her in. Apparently, she's way behind with articulation and speech structure and the specialists she met with told me Mylie is not consistent when answering "W" questions (who, what, when, where, why). They're not sure she fully understands the meaning of the questions, because her answers don't make much sense. So, she has one more evaluation, but they seemed quite confident that she would definitely need county assistance to catch up.

While I am relieved there are people with degrees to help my kids, I am frustrated that I am not able to adequately help them myself and in all honesty, frustrated that they need any help at all.

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Zack has another appointment to retest his hearing this afternoon. I am going to insist that the doctor put tubes in Zack's ears this time, because we have had too many negative situations as a result of his impaired hearing. I am hopeful that when his hearing is restored he will be a much easier child to deal with and be much happier.

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We put Mylie to bed at 7:30pm, and again at 8pm, and again at 9pm. Then Ben locked her door at 9:15pm. Then he let her out to use the bathroom at 9:20pm. Then I lost track. In the middle of the night I wake up to "Moooooooooommmmmmm, I NEEED you to HELP me. I am STICKY."

I open my eyes, turn on the light, and Mylie is covered in a chocolate beard and melty popsicle stained hands. I look at my watch and it is 1AM. Apparently, Ben did not lock the door after Mylie used the bathroom. I wonder what else she has helped herself to in the kitchen and hope that the freezer is closed. I'm too tired to go down and check it out.

I help her and go back to sleep and hope that when I wake up I'll find out that all this stuff was just some big crazy dream.

I woke up this morning to find out that it just my real and actual true life. The only thing that had been a dream was the mysterious pregnancy that was twins where I didn't know I was even pregnant and had to find a way to explain these two new kids to everyone.

I'm sooo ok with that being a dream.