Hey Y'all! Welcome to my corner! I hope everyone has been doing well.

You all have heard me speak of our children, Tyler and Sarah. Tyler is non-verbal. He uses a little sign language. He knows the sign for "eat" and "drink". My kids get really excited when they see that I have bought snack foods. They get especially excited when they open the pantry door and see their school lunch items.

Tyler has earned himself a nickname from everyone in our family. He acquired it at the age of 4. He is now approaching 13. It's not uncommon at my house to hear someone yell out," Mama, Tyler is Hi-jacking!" We have a child safety lock on the pantry door. The reasons are not only to reduce "drive-bys" but to also ensure that Tyler has to communicate to someone. If he's allowed to show us he's hungry or thirsty by using objects all the time then he will forget the signs for eat and drink.

Sometimes I get busy doing other things. Everyone in the family forgets to lock the pantry door from time to time. The result is what the Hallorans call a "Hi-Jacking Drive-By Incident". Let me tell you about the most recent HDI.

On Monday, somewhere between 7 and 7:13 pm there was snickering coming from the end of the hallway. I had been playing My Little Pony's with Sarah. We were in her room with the door slightly cracked. Disruptions can greatly hinder expert pony playing.

It was around the third time upon hearing the sheepish snickering that I decided I had better go and check on our resident hi-jacker. He met me in the hallway. He had a "deer in the headlights" look on his face but-he was grinning. The pink powder stuck completely around his mouth was the first giveaway. I said," Tyler, "What have you been doing?" He kept grinning. he signed, "All done." I faked a smile at him.

You see, at this point, regardless of what lies beyond the hallway, I HAVE to positively and verbally acknowledge his communication. "Good signing, Tyler!" "Thank you for telling me!" He laughs at me. I really wonder sometimes if that laugh is accompanied with him thinking to himself, Man, I've got her snowed!!"

I take a deep breath. Sarah has already gone into the kitchen to get the broom and dustpan. She is my faithful deputy. Strawberry Nesquick. The powder is sticking to my bare feet. There is a perfect pink mound of powder in the middle of his bed. The cat is perched on his bed lapping up the evidence. I wonder if she is his sidekick. After all, she is always at the scene of the crime.

Sarah reminds me of last week when it was the pancake syrup right before walking out the door to go church. Bless her heart. She's trying to cheer me up. I tell her thank you. We clean up all the powder. There's only a fourth of it left. I put a new sheet on his bed. I have to wash sheets a lot.

He has to get a shower-Again! The powder was under his fingernails, up his nose and even in his ears! An image came to my mind. Have you ever seen movies where the character is so happy with their loot that they throw it up in the air or roll around in it? I wonder if that was taking place when he was in his room snickering? Maybe that is how it got in his ears.

Tyler is very sweet. He is also very intelligent. He will hide his loot under his shirt as he is running down the hall. I'm so grateful for laminate flooring!

I'm so thankful that God gives us a sense of humor. He knew we would need it. It can help us to stay meek and humble. Sometimes I feel like our life could be a comic strip. There are a lot of mornings that I wake up to a beautiful, grinning fella standing beside my bed with a 2 liter Mt.Dew in one hand and a glass in the other.

As soon as I stand to greet him, he puckers up his little lips and raises his dimpled chin. If it doesn't have foreign, sticky matter around it then I kiss him. I could choose to get angry every time a "HDI" occurs. I could also marvel at the "marvelous and wonderfully created" blessings in my life. Tyler has a unique and loving heart. Sarah has a compassionate, gentle and loving spirit. I am truly blessed.

Well, I better go.

Okay, Sarah! "Mama, he's hi-jacking again! "Tyler, you can't drink ranch dressing!" Sigh. BIG Sigh.