The Goodan Gopher Dance

Napping on Lala with her new ring

all ready for her second production "Rio". Autumn was a Red Robin

So proud of our little dancer! Dom made it for half the show, trooper.

A cake from Daddy

she told a girl at the show she had a birthday cake waiting for her, I think she thinks all cake is birthday cake:)

babes play sleeping together

begging Dana for her life

Hello new week!!! A few days of last week were pretty tough. Really tough. Dominic is a screamer. There is no sugar coating it. It is a blood curdling scream that sets your nerves on fire and just when the flame goes out he lights it up with another shriek. We have tried picking him up in the middle of it, putting him in his crib, walking away, softly telling him to stop, loudly telling him to stop, a couple swats to the butt, music, books, cars, and that is just to name a few. I was worn to the core. I had no idea what to do or how to fix it or how to let him know he didn't have to scream at us. He doesn't scream 24/7 but when he is in the middle of a two or three hour fit it seems like he has been doing it for days and weeks. I would take them both to the yard thinking change of scenery would help. Usually it did for a short time. Then something would happen. A breeze would go through, an ant would fart in the next yard, or a fly would land in China and he would be upset about it. Sometimes Autumn and I just go about our business and ignore him. Other times I start to think the neighbors might think we are beating a small child so we come back in. At least the screams are somewhat filtered when we are indoors. So, I am waiting for a great idea to fix this. Or some really good ear plugs...for the town of Lewistown or at least our neighbors.
Monday, Dana played in a golf tournament in Bozeman with 4 other players. They ended up tying for first! Since Dana is not considered a "pro" he is paid in pro shop credits so we can drive to Bozeman for a shopping spree;) He stayed with some friends Sunday night and text me at 11 that watching someone else read his kids to sleep was making him miss us that much more. We missed him too. Thankfully we had a pa jammy jam with Lala. She kept us on the go in the yard and it was a great day to spend with her.
Autumn participated in another dance production on Friday night. We learned this week that a production and recital are two very different things. A recital is a series of different dances and a production is an entire show of dances that all go together or in MY terms a story told while dancing. This production was Take me to Rio, based on the little kids movie Rio. The costumes were incredible and Miss Janet is a master at her craft. She works with kids as small as Autumn (2 but nearly 3) all the way up to adults. Autumn was a Red Robin. She wore tons of make-up and had curls in her ultra fine hair and a sequin dress with a boa like trim, all in red! She was adorable!!! She did great too. She found her Lala and Grammie while she was on the stage and the look of recognition was so sweet to see. Instantly I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat when she came onto the stage. I was holding Dominic, who has been super loving since a "coming to Jesus party" on Thursday. He pointed to the dancers, rocked his body to the music, grunted and pointed for a better look and clapped when everyone else did. He did really really good for the first hour and a half. Then he subtly let us know he was DONE. It worked out perfect. I was tired of my heels and it was Danas turn to watch Autumn since the last production he was in it and only watched the video after.It was important for him to see her from the crowd. I walked across the street with our son and as soon as we got home he relaxed and started his little chatter. Almost as though he was saying "that show is too long for babies Mom." Lala, Papa Mark, Grammie and Papa Bob came over for snacks and laughs afterwards. I can't say enough how great it is to be so close to family. I want our babes to always know how much they are loved and how much their grandparents do for them. They even sit through 2 hours of dancers they don't know to watch Autumn on stage about 15 mins.
Yesterday, Dana and Dominic took off to the "big" city for a milk and meat run...party coming up you know. Autumn and I were planning on sanding and painting the patio. I would be doing the sanding and painting and Autumn would have to play in the yard next to me or on the computer in the window next to me. She has become quiet good at abcmouse.com. With a quick stop at the dealership ("that's Papas dealership Mom") to pick up sandpaper and a placenta (Grammie has been holding it since we moved here and now we need to plant it, in case you were wondering what on earth we are doing with a placenta) Grammie invited Autumn to spend the afternoon with her. I was alone. Unexpectedly all by myself and had a project to do. I turned on MY music, loaded up my coffee cup, and headed out to finish the patio. I got the first coat on the stairs. I have a lot of work to do.
Before I started I heard chirp chirp chirp behind some bags of lawn trash. I thought it must be a baby bird and I must protect it from Molly the fierce hunter. She had something cornered. I moved bags, looked here looked there, and low and behold a gopher. I was sure it was a gopher, when Dana got home later he said it must be a squirrel. When I moved just the right bag the little thing scampered right out of its' Molly prison and out the gate...and into our garage. Why did I have that door open? Dang. I spent a few minutes trying to find where it could be hiding but gave up so that I could get done what I was planning to do while I had an empty house. Dana pulled in a few hours later and heard the chirping when he pulled in the garage and the hunt was on. We found it in the freezer, not the food part, but the part the plug in comes out and the vent is all nice and neat and not chewed on. The plan was easy. Move the freezer, tap on it, and the thing will run out the opened garage door to freedom and her (I have started humanizing it) family. Well, she ran out and missed the door by 6 inches and went behind a pile of normal garage stuff. Shovels, solar lights, sheet rock, cardboard, ladders, dog kennels, snow blower, things that are a pain in the but to move slowly let alone jumping fast moving it and scaring this thing out.
Dana was on a mission. His first thought was to shoot it with my gun. I call it my gun because I took a gun class;) Not thinking anything of it being illegal to shoot in town I said "no, you will shoot a hole in my garage". Why do things become mine when I don't want them damaged but Danas when I want them cleaned:). I also told him he would scare our new neighbors. Danas response to that? "I'm going to call Matt and see if he has a silencer". Oh great. Thankfully, Matt had a great idea to use a BB gun. I was off to Grammie and Papas to get the gopher killer. At this time I still want it dead. I get home and out the Great White Hunter goes. Soon I see him come in the house, close the garage door ask for Molly and go towards the back with a walking stick. "It's gone to the backyard". "WHAT?! It can NOT be in my backyard DANA!" There's that my again. Off he goes with our chubby black hunter. I watch them running in the back yard, Dana in flip flops with his toes clenched so he won't lose his shoes (must not like grass on his bare feet, just like Dom) and Molly with the crazy eyes and drooling jowls. They take off! The kids and I are running inside from front windows to back windows. Here comes Daddy through the front yard! "Where is it Dana!" "THERE!" He is poking the stick under the car and Dana and the gopher are doing the tuck and weave dance. He tucks left, she ducks right under the tire. He walks around hunched over jabbing the stick here and there and she sits next to the car while the kids and I watch from the door. "There! there! It's right there Dana!" He looks back to get direction and barrels around the car, the gopher tucks and weaves, escapes his jabbing and heads right back to the yard. He and Molly take off again out of our sight. Soon, Molly is in the house panting and drooling even more. "She ran through your flower garden". Grr. Somehow, I don't know the way that it happened, Dana is in the front stabbing the stick into the dirt, I'm assuming trying to kill this thing with a dull, ROUNDED stick.
"Dana, maybe she has babies here and doesn't want to leave them. Give her a break. She has been stuck in the garage all day, chased and in Mollys mouth, she is scared and hungry and you are trying to give her a slow death. Just let her be". What? Who am I?! Just minutes ago I wanted him to shoot IT but don't loose the body I don't want nasty IT rot in the garage. Now IT is a she and probably has babies and omg have some compassion. So, she was given a chance. We left her in the begging position in the front yard to fight through the storm and hopefully find her way home...Far far away from our yard and our flowers.
It was a wonderfully funny display of how a small town boy turned city boy hunts a gopher. Somewhere in all this Dana said "If I can't get this thing we are going to have to call somebody." "Who Dana? This isn't the city we would have to call Matt, or Dave or someone we know and admit we can't catch a gopher." We, you know because I spent no time chasing her just laughing at Dana doing it:)  That is how you have a Goodan Gopher chase!