Hodgepodge and Handguns

It's cicada weather around here these days. For those of you northerners who have never experienced this exceptionally noisy insect, here is a picture.

The noise they make I cannot imitate, although my boys often try.
They are a fairly tame bug, and very easy to catch as James found out at church yesterday. He insisted on bringing one home. It kept crawling all over him in the car and trying to get onto Seb, who was screaming in terror. When we got home, Steve told James to let it go free. He was trying to put it on a tree when it suddenly took flight. The boys were all excited watching it go, when out of nowhere a robin swooped down and snatched it right out of the air. A bit traumatic, but hey, that's nature for you.

Saturday was spent installing this new item on the boys wall. Steve found it at one of the properties he was working on. It was covered with old marker streaks and masking tape with kids names on it(I assume it once belonged in a school) but it cleaned up really nicely and I am loving it. I can always use more cubby holes!

Can you tell what is wrong with this picture?

I am not sure which of my boys needed to make sure that the baby was doubly pacified, but I thought it was pretty funny.

James to Etienne the other day.
"I am sorry Etienne, but pirates cannot have deedees."(ie security blankets)

Have I mentioned that sometimes I feel like I have a lot of boys?

No wonder I drool over those little pink baby girl shoes with flowers on them. Brown sandals get monotonous.

Still wondering about the word handguns in the title? First of all mom, don't worry, we are all fine and I don't want you losing sleep over this. I have only lost a little bit myself.
Saturday afternoon I was sitting in the living room with the boys when I heard the front gate flung open (I forgot to lock it) and hurried footsteps. The next thing I knew, two rather large men were trying to come through my front door, so I did the first thing that popped into my mind and yelled for Steve. Thankfully he was home and came running. The men turned quickly around when he asked them what they wanted, mumbling something about getting the wrong house. I thought it was weird, but seeing as they walked away, I put it out of my mind (after locking the gate again). I went back to doing laundry when I heard Steve talking to someone on the phone that sounded suspiciously like the police. I looked at him questioningly and he pointed out the window. There in the dirt of my side yard were lying two rather large handguns. They were not toys.
It took me a while to register what I was seeing, but by then Steve was outside talking to three cops who apparently had been looking for the guys. I put a movie on for the boys in my bedroom and shut the door, so they wouldn't need to wonder why there were several policemen in our yard unloading guns and examining bullets. They ended up catching the guys, but couldn't arrest them because they had no proof that the tossed sidearms were theirs. As far as I know there was no shooting involved, but it was pretty scary nonetheless. All in all, I am thankful that nothing worse happened and that God was looking out for us. Even so, we are letting the dog off of his chain and Steve is never leaving the house again, right honey?