There's a first time for everything

What's that smell
So even at my ripe old age, I am still experiencing some firsts in my life. I thought I would share two of them with you. The first happened a few nights ago. My family was still in town and when they're in town, we stay up late. So it was nearing midnight, I am completely wiped out and am finally listening to my tired body screaming at me and heading for bed. I decided to come out of my room one last time to make sure everyone had the blankets and pillows they needed for the night... and I smell something. It kind of smelled like coffee at my end of the house. But as I neared the kitchen and the dogs yard it started to smell like coffee mixed with sulfur. I asked my family if they smelled anything just to make sure I wasn't crazy and they were smelling it as well. There were suggestions that is smelled like skunk but I thought that was preposterous. Skunks don't live in the city, right. Wrong! We had a skunk visit our home in Plano, TX and leave us a lovely parting gift. Well, leave our dog Nala a parting gift right on her face. We bring the dogs in to check, and Matt just about passes out when he gets close to Nala to give her a smell! The dogs go immediately back outside, but not before our house gets a big cloud full of the lovely smell (which is finally starting to dissipate). We look outside to see Nala rolling around in the grass trying to get the stink off of her. Poor puppy. So at 12am, we are dressing in old clothes to go outside to give our dog a bath. We washed her face 3 or 4 times and call it good. Well, it wasn't quite good as the smell was still lingering the next day. So I scheduled a professional grooming session and threw away the dog collar. With those 2 things, I am happy to say, the smell is almost gone. But you can still get a whiff every once in a while. I used to LOVE the smell of coffee. But unfortunately, when I was at Starbucks this morning to get a yummy Vivanni, smelling the coffee smell immediately made me think of skunk! Boo!

A Mommy moment

Okay, my second "first" came when watching the movie Dumbo with my elephant-loving boy Oliver yesterday. This was my first time watching the movie Dumbo since I became a mom. I'm sure you all remember the scene where Dumbo's mom Mrs. Jumbo is locked up and labeled a "Mad Elephant" because she tried to protect Dumbo from being teased. Well Dumbo misses her so his friend Timothy the mouse takes him to see her. She reaches as far as she can to get to Dumbo at the window, but the chains around her ankles keep her too far. All that can reach is her trunk. So she cuddles her baby and the song "Baby of Mine" plays. This part of the movie always made me cry as a child. So I grab my baby boy, who is getting bigger everyday (not really much of a baby anymore) and cuddle him up. And yes, I was crying! Through my tears we talk about all of the mommy animals and baby animals they are showing. I am processing deep thoughts like how much the phrase "Baby of Mine" means to me. How there was no other place in the world I wanted to be right at that moment but sitting in our playroom holding and cuddling him. Reflecting on how this scene touched me so much even as a child, but how it touches me even more seeing it as a mom. Feeling like I can't be old enough to be someone's mom, but knowing that these deep feelings I have for my kids are some of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt. All kinds of deep stuff. So I turn to Oliver (who's squirming to get out of my grasp) and say "Don't you want to cuddle with mommy some more?" He finally breaks free and looks at me and in a sad voice says "No, Daddy!" I had to laugh considering all of the sweet mother-son thoughts I'd been having. So much for my sweet moment! What a goof-ball. He does love his Daddy though. :)