Go green, a messy scene, and getting clean

It was a busy weekend, but a good one! Perhaps to atone for the recent gloomy weather we've been having, the sun came out and temps warmed up. It was absolutely gorgeous both days, we opened all our windows and enjoyed the fresh air. Mount Rainier graced us with its commanding presence... I don't know if we'll ever get used to the sight. Wow! Speaking of Mount Rainier, I have decided that I want to climb to the summit one day. A personal goal for my bucket list, if you'll excuse my use of that annoying term. So far, the farthest I've hiked is one mile (once), and I'm concerned about the lack of hotels on the ascent, so I have a bit of training and preparation to do. But wouldn't that be totally badass? Totally badass. Totally.

So the weekend. To start the fun, I gave Bean some spaghetti, stood back, and let the sauce splatter. And oh boy, did it ever. Even the dog had spaghetti in her coat after it was over. Luckily she was nearby to lick it off the floor and walls, though. As you can see, Bean was pretty pleased with his handiwork.

Then, of course, it was bath time. I tossed both kids in together, and this time had the camera ready to snap. You can see how thrilled the pooch is. Why is it so satisfying to mess with her? Oh yeah, I know. Because she shreds all the kleenex in the garbage and spreads it throughout the house. Revenge is a bitch, pooch.

Saturday was the Final Four game in the men's NCAA basketball tournament, I'm sure you were all watching Michigan State pull out the amazing victory over UConn. We had plans to watch the game at DH's friend's condo on the other side of the city. A half hour before we were supposed to leave, DH took one dog -- our dog -- for a walk, but came back with two. While they were out, he had come across a black mutt that had a collar but no tag. Unsure of what to do, he left Evey with me and walked around the neighborhood to look for the owner and ask people if they knew where he belonged. No one recognized Charlie (he really looked like a Charlie). DH then took him to our vet to see if he had a microchip. No dice. The vet explained that we could either care for the dog ourselves and post fliers -- not really a safe, smart move with a one year old at home -- or they would take the dog and turn him over to the county animal shelter. Heartbroken, DH knew this was the only option. And had we not intervened at all, even though it's possible Charlie would find his way home, it is equally possible that he would get hit by a car, and we just couldn't risk that. The shelter will keep him for two weeks, and if unclaimed, they will put him up for adoption. It is a no-kill shelter, and the dogs are well taken care of, so we hear. We have been thinking about Charlie ever since... I pray that his owners find him. He is such a super sweet friendly dog! Someone mentioned the possibility that his owners couldn't afford him any longer and let him go. If that's the case, hopefully another family will adopt him and love him.

That situation finally being handled, we left for the game, albeit a little late. Bean proudly wore his Spartan sweatsuit. He was a big hit at the small gathering of 20-somethings with no kids, well behaved as usual. And he didn't break anything! (I had my checkbook with me, just in case.)

Sunday we went to the mall so that Bean could meet the Easter Bunny. As I predicted, he could have done without the introduction. Not a fan! I will post the picture another day. We enjoyed lunch at the food court and hit Old Navy for some jeans and shorts for the little guy. At home, the four of us took a long walk, posting fliers throughout our neighborhood and along the main roads with a picture of Charlie and contact information for finding him. (Please oh please, I hope the owners see them!)

Then, after Bean went down for the night, we were going to watch a movie. DH was struck by the sudden urge to fly his Transformers radio controlled jet plane, and he wanted just "five minutes" in the backyard as night began to fall. I got caught up on Google Reader while he indulged his inner child. I heard him call, "CJ, come look at this!" I joined him outside, and he excitedly pointed to the neighbor's roof. One flight had gone so high and far that the plane had gotten stuck up there. I took this picture this morning for reference, if you look closely you can see where I tried to use a red circle and arrow to indicate where it was lodged.

DH asked me what he should do. It was 8 o'clock and rapidly growing dark. I told him, "Well, you don't have many options. Ring their doorbell and ask if you can get it down, or we can see if it eventually falls down and then bury it in a ceremony in our backyard. It's getting late, so if you plan to go over there, do it right now." DH was very embarrassed (I can't imagine why!), so I suggested that he say it was Bean's doing. But he took a deep breath, rang the doorbell, and explained that he had gotten his remote control airplane stuck on their roof. The man's response was, "How are you going to get it down?" Good question! First attempt: throwing one of Bean's balls at it, hoping to knock it down. (We were going for total humiliation here, obviously.) Worth a try, but not successful. Second attempt: DH hauled out our ginormous ladder and leaned it against their house. Because of the sheer height and the unfortunate proximity of a tree, he had trouble getting near the downed jet. He took the long handled tree trimmer up with him, and although I could hardly see now in the darkness, I tried to guide him to it. Eventually, the plane was freed and crashed to the ground (hopefully the pilot ejected). DH and I took what was left of our dignity back home, decided it had been a long weekend already, and turned in early.

But the excitement doesn't stop there... tonight DH is picking up pizza on his way home from work (and these amazing brown-sugar cheese bread thingies that are sinfully delicious, I've gained three pounds already just thinking about them) and we will watch MSU become national basketball champs. Go Green! Go White!