Back At It

Whew!

It's been one heck of a crazy busy week.  I've finally got some down time to write tonight.  The Decatur Celebration was going on downtown this past week and Abby spent a crazy amount of time working.  If you don't know her and I only have one car. When she works from the morning (9-11 AM) until closing time I am limited in where I can get around to during those days since I live between two very busy roads and have at least one small child trekking with me at all times.

On top of that, Abby's birthday is today.  I have an insatiable love for surprising people.  I plan meticulously and spread myself as thin as possible to ensure the recipient of my gift(s) is genuinely astonished.  My big present was to paint and decorate Elsa's room in total secrecy through the week even though my artistic talent resembles that of a snail and I've never painted a room before.

Oh. . .and Bunny physically cannot keep a secret.  Emery is a little better, but he really fancies being the "cool-in-the-know" dude so he may keep your secret for a little bit before he sneaks over to whisper it to Bunny.  When I say that Bunny cannot physically keep a secret, I mean he looks as if his insides are writhing in anxiety because he has the launch codes to start World War III when all you asked him to do was not tell Emery that I took a sip of his chocolate milk.  The truth sets Bunny free.

I'm not really complaining.  I'm glad it's not the other way around for the most part, but when you only have six hours out of the house in a week that you have to get paint, brushes, tape, decals, etc. it makes for an incredible inconvenience.  Explaining to a four year old that he can't enter a room, but not being able to say why is confusing.

  

"What is goin' on in Elsa's room?"  Bunny asked.

"Oh, nothing."

"But I hear you in there when I'm layin' down.  And something is stinky."

"Oh, you know.  Spiders."

"Spiders?"  He started to push the door open.  I quickly pulled it shut.

"Big ones.  They stink."  I said.

"We should tell my Mom."  He pointed up in the air and jumped like an overreactive detective solving a riddle.

"No, no.  We shouldn't do that.  She'll be too scared.  She needs to rest when she's home, it's a busy week this week, buddy."

"Hmm," he very clearly disapproved of my approach in dealing with imaginary, giant arachnids,"ooooh-kay."

I caught him a few times laying on the hall floor, peaking under the door, heckling the imaginary pests.  At some point he got brave and went in Elsa's room unbeknownst to me and witnessed all of what I'd been doing.  On Friday night as I put him to bed he was holding his ribs and very restless.  He needed to tell me something important.

"I told Mommy about Elsa's room."  He confessed.

"You did?"

"I'm sorry.  I was in there and I told her 'come look, Mom.'  It was an accident."

I promised I wasn't mad and kissed him good night.  At that point, I'd only accomplished getting part of one wall and some trim around the door done.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't very disappointed, but after a cup of coffee and some hard studying, I took it as a challenge.  Now I would surprise both of them.

Saturday night we had a bit of a scare.  Abby had pretty tough contractions and we went to the hospital immediately after she got off of work.  We were up there until about 4 AM.  Thankfully nothing was wrong, she was a combination of overworked and dehydrated and so we were sent home.  I told her that I knew she had already seen Elsa's room.  Unfortunately, she had not.  She said that Gunner had begged her to come in and look, but she wouldn't.  I felt like a jackass.  

Elsa's wall before.

After returning home I took her in the room and showed her.  Her tired eyes lit up and she loved it.  Part one of my mission was accomplished.

The next morning I stood in the living room and listened to Bunny sneak in.

Elsa's wall after!

"WHOA!"

He sprinted out to me, bewildered.

"Did you know that a tree grew on Elsa's wall?!"

Good night!