Sunday, August 21, 2011

Today the plan was simple:

It looked like this-
Wake up around 7am. Go to church around 8:30. Lunch at Guesthouse to welcome our tutors/teachers with all the Heartline peeps at 1pm. Head home and relax by 3pm.

It went more like this:
7:30 wake up and see that Beth started texting at 2am about a birth happening.
Decide not to go to birth.
Realize Phoebe cannot leave house without much hair work.
Start working on that. Work on that for a looong time.
8:55 leave for church 20 minutes late.
Lydie sits in front of church refusing to listen acting like terror-child. She army crawls across front of church. I pick her up gently. She makes a scene and pretends that I abused her and screams that her arm hurts. For her own safety I send her outside to be with Aaron and Heather.
At church get text from Beth that says "need help, this lady has inverted nipples".
At church get a text from Heather that says "Lydie needs to poop, this sick bathroom is flooded. Now what?!"
At church get a text from Paige that says, "Ma, I don't think I want to go to lunch. My head hurts, plus Moses is sad today."
At church get a text from Troy that says "I love you". He is sitting next to me.
Answer texts in front row of church hoping John (preaching) doesn't notice.
Dislike myself for texting in church.
Leave a little early from church to deal with Lydie poop needs.
Go to store for Moses foods. Paige has texted again that we're out of what he needs.
Go home and finish brownies I am supposed to make for luncheon.
2pm Get all seven kids and three pans of brownies out the door.
Lunch and worship time (something PLANNED!! and it HAPPENED!!!)
Realize the team has been with us 24 hours and they've not had a chance to see much.
4:30 Take visiting Austin Stone Church team on a short little tour.
Arrived home around 6:15pm.  Jen has had a stressful day. She picked up a patient from the Comfort Ship who is sitting on couch waiting for Jen to change blood soaked bandages. Patient was operated on yesterday but due to coming hurricane but was let off the ship right after that so the ship could leave.
Kids say they are hungry. Troy makes popcorn.
Paige feeds Moses his baby food.
We feed other kids popcorn dinner.
Kids watch movie together before bed.
Heather shows up with the inverted nipple mom. Jen needs to see the baby because of some concerns Heather has. Jen finishes bloody bandage change gal in family room and comes to kitchen to see Mom and baby.

I say to kids "Go get your water and head to bed  - but there is a lady that had a baby today sitting in the kitchen so say hello to her."
Isaac says, "WHAT? A lady had a baby in our kitchen!?!?"
Put kids to bed.
Go downstairs to grab water and say goodnight/goodbye to Heather and new mom.
As Heather is leaving she calmly says, "I just saw a rat run under the steps".
I tell her she is a liar.
She says, "Wait. You don't want to know that there is a rat in your house? Okay then, I'm kidding."
We decide to believe Heather and call Geronne.
Geronne marches in the house full of vigor and moxie. Pleased to be given this assignment.
"Kote?" (where?) she asks.  Heather points.  Geronne grabs a can of bug spray.
(?) 
Geronne begins moving things under steps. The rest of us stay back in the kitchen.
The new mom chuckles at the scene.
Geronne says "M' we li" (I see it) and sprays unending amounts of Baygone bugspray at it.
Rat runs out toward all of us in kitchen.
Heather, Tara, Paige jump on table. (Screaming.)
New mom stands off to the side laughing. Jen grabs her camera.
Geronne chases rat with bug spray. Starts to try to move refrigerator.
Jen takes photos.
Rat runs out from behind refrigerator and does a few circles. Geronne tries to beat it with a broom.
Much screaming.
We jump from table to higher spot on kitchen counter.
Rat runs from refrigerator to stove.  Troy finally comes down. He has a shovel in his hand.
(He thought we were being attacked but had just finished showering and was grabbing clothing and a weapon.)
Troy informs us we woke up all the kids.
Geronne moves stove. I ask Troy if a propane explosion is possible? Isaac and Hope come to kitchen. They jump up on counter with us.
Rat cannot be found.  Lydie starts crying in bed upstairs because of screaming.
Troy gives up on finding it behind or under stove.
Geronne claims it is drunk on bug spray and will die.
Heather and new mom leave.
Kids get put back to bed.
This blog gets written.
I lie awake for hours thinking about the rat that is still in my house.