A burglar.

This morning I was startled awake when Shane told me goodbye, as he was leaving for work. I was sleeping so good that I didn't even hear his alarm clock go off. Since I was kind of (A LOT) scared to go back to sleep, I put Dexter in bed next to me, and turned on the TV. Did you guys know that on Nickelodeon, Rugrats is on at 7:00 in the morning? That was my favorite show when I was a kid. Finally after watching some classic Rugrats, I fell back asleep until about 9:00. Dexter was still sleeping soundly so I got up to get ready. As I was trying to find a pair of jeans in the dark I heard a loud "THUD" coming from my kitchen. Naturally I thought "OMG.. someone is trying to break in!" That can't really be the case because I don't have very many neighbors, and I highly doubt anyone would want to break into my house, when they see my car in the drive way, and when it's mid morning. So I put on my brave face and investigate. I look around the living room, nothing disturbed there, I look at the doors, everything is locked up tight, when I go into the kitchen that is when I notice the window, its smudged, as I get closer I notice that the "smudge" is actually feathers. I panic, thinking that one of my beloved woodland creatures has perished. I see no bird on the ground, and later that day all the birds kept coming to my window feeder, so it must not have been that bad, but poor thing. I felt horrible, horrible enough to take a picture of the crime scene. :-)

Harriet. She is cool. I have no clue how she got up there. Little rascal.

Oklahoma.

I figured I would tell everyone about our trip to Oklahoma. We arrived on Feb. 4th because of the snow. We were supposed to arrive on the 3rd but because of all the snow we were delayed. Dexter did really well on the plane, he slept most of the way except for about 10 minutes of each flight when he would wake up and play, then sleep while we landed. On the first flight, I sat by this Japanese lady, who spoke about as much English as I speak Japanese, (which isn't much), and so she is talking to me through her broken "Engrish", needless to say Dexter was horrified. He cried and looked at her like she was so weird, and she kept saying "Ohh bebe."

Once we got there, Tulsa looked like New York, I thought the plane from Chicago took us back home. It was so crazy how much snow Oklahoma had gotten. It was the most snow I have ever seen. Dexter and I got to visit will everyone from our PD friends, to a few of my high school friends. He had a blast, and I can't wait to come back for another visit.

Oh the way back home, I had kind of a hard time. I flew from Tulsa to Chicago O'hare, from O'hare to Laguardia, Laguardia to Syracuse. The maps of the airport terminal in the back of the "skymall" magazine look alot closer than they actually are. It looked like my gate to my next O'hare flight was right around the corner, which it was, and down 2 levels, and through the waredrobe, past Narnia and back to Oz. I had to run. I arrived right to my gate as Dexter was screaming for lunch and as they were boarding "Final Call for flight 366 to Laguardia." It was intense.
Once on the plane, everyone I passed was thinking "DON'T SIT NEXT TO ME!!" But the man that we did sit by was impressed with how well Dex was on the flight. We had to share a tray table because Dex was sleep in my lap and the table would have squished him. I'm not a fan of sharing a tray table with a stranger. I felt as if he would poision my drink, and of course my writers mind started working, and I kept thinking of how he would poision me and steal my baby. I kept thinking "Dingo took my baby!!" Anyways.... We sat right by the engine too. Which was cool, until I thought "Oh God, what if the engine flies off it rips open my side of the aircraft, and I almost get sucked out of the plane?" But then I quickly decieded that Dr. Poision my drink would be a gonner before I was because my ninja skills would kick in and I would leap seats.
After my anxiety subsided, we began to decend into NYC. Mom told me to look for the Statue of Liberty while landing, which I thought would be cool to see so I was looking. Then I saw her and all her beauty, there was even a boat circling the island doing a tour, as our plane came closer and closer to the ground, I realized my "Lady Liberty" was nothing but a green booey, blocking the "No Wake" zone.
Laguardia is a scary place. It looks like you are landing on water until the wheels hit the ground. Then if you switch airlines you have to take a shuttle to the different terminal building, go through security again, and all that jazz. Thank God my flight was delayed and didnt actually arrive until 6:40, (it was supposed to leave at 6:00 and I would have missed it.)
Finally we made it home, and now I am sitting here blogging while Shane is wanting to watch a movie. HAHA, I guess I'll go and watch a movie since I did pick it and all.
I enjoyed my visit, and now I am happy to be home. All is well in NY!!!

Trip to Oklahoma!!!!

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms...

Dexter and I came to Oklahoma to visit our family. We will be here until Feb. 11th, (this coming Friday). Yesterday we had a very eventful day of watching old home movies, crying, laughing until we cried, and just having a great time. However, while watching those home movies, I have come to realize something that I have sort of always knew, it was just put into perspective yesterday. I am, have always been and will always be, the middle child!!!
You may ask what that means, well let me explain. While watching 3 year old Andi back talk, play on the phone, and get in trouble, you hear me in the back ground coughing and choking on something, after I'm done coughing the camera pans to me, and my grandmother asks "Mel, whats in your mouth?" 1 year old Melanie, takes whatever substance out of her mouth, shows the camera and puts it back in her mouth, the camera back on Andi. And scene.
I have always known that I was pushed aside when I was little, because I was born 20 months after the first grand child on both sides of the family, and then when I was 5 baby sister Kristin was born, and she was such a demon child, that I was pushed to the back burner again. I am not complaining whatsoever, because it is flat out hilarious to watch now. Here are some quotes from the home movies about me.....

"YOU'RE UGLY"
"Mel stop farting, Gawd Skunk Brewer!" (as mother pushes me to the floor, while laughing of course)
"Aww her dress is dirty." (Andi says as she slaps me in the mouth)
"FART-O-RAMA"

Aside from being pushed to the back burner as a child, I came to realize something else, Dexter is EXACTLY like his Aunt Andi. He makes the same noises, he looks the same, and has the same attitude. Its so strange, because they never knew each other. I like it! I am glad she put her touch on him.

I am at WAR!!!!

*READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*
It has to be said, I am at war with nature. Not only am I fighting with a sleepy, cranky, teething 6 month old, but I am fighting with squirrels. They always get on my bird feeder and scare off my birds. I know I sound like a 60 year old woman right now but it really pisses me off. What is even worse is that I actually give them food on the ground, so they have no need to get on my feeder, its actually just one. I named her Harriet. She is the fattest squirrel I have ever seen in my entire life.
Its not really the fact that she is on my feeder either, actually what really pisses me off is when she mocks me. Yes, the squirrel MOCKS me. The other day I saw the fatty on my feeder and I knocked on the window and yelled "You son of a bitch, get off my feeder", while I beat on the window, Harriet looked at me, and proceeded to put more food into her mouth while looking at me. I was taken aback! Never have I ever felt so insulted. It was as if the squirrel was giving me the finger. I wanted to go out there and ring that little idiots neck, but I couldn't move, I just stood there and looked out the window in shock. The next day she was back on the feeder. I have no way to make it stop. When I see her on there, I knock on the window and she jumps from the feeder to the tree next to the feeder, she stretched her arms and legs out like a flying squirrel.
Dexter is scared of the birds that swoop in to the feeder right beside the kitchen window. I like to sit at the table, next to the full length window and watch the birds while Dex enjoys breakfast, but every time one comes in for food, he bursts out a horrified screech. I have tired to reassure him that they can not get into the house, and that I would NEVER let a tiny little finch hurt him, but he doesn't want to hear it. He is still scared.
So not only am I dealing with a mocking squirrel, but I am dealing with a infant scared of finches. Hopefully he will get over his finch fear, soon. Its going to be hard for him growing up with a yard full of them.
I can't believe I have gone from yelling at prisoners to yelling at squirrels....