Betcha Didn't Know ...

... that I have a 5th child. I thought about him today as I reached for the Brita water pitcher from the top shelf of our refrigerator, only to find it empty - again. Hmm, surely he must have been here! Perhaps he's hiding under someone's bed or in a closet. His name is Buddy. Buddy Else to be exact. He showed up around the time Megan was two or three. She noticed him first. As a matter of fact, she has spoken to him by phone a few times. Mostly as a toddler. I don't think she converses with him much anymore - although they may be Facebook friends. (By the way, how do people collect 869.5 Facebook friends? I've never known that many people in my entire life!)

So, one day I caught little Megan chatting away on the phone.

"Who are you talking to, Megan?"

She quickly hung up. "Buddy Else."

"Buddy Who??" I asked.

"Buddy Else!" She sounded so convincing as she trotted off to play.

Okay, there really is a simple explanation. I used to (and still do) talk to my mom by phone - a lot. Whenever I happened to be on the phone, Megan, hoping to chat with her grandmother, would anxiously ask, "Is it Gramma? Is it Gramma?" If not, I would quickly explain, "No it's somebody else."

There you have it - that's how Buddy Else entered our lives.

Soon he was responsible for all sorts of things ... mud tracked on the floor, half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches stuffed under cushions, or the dog running loose. He has a cousin, Not Me, who also wreaked his fair share of havoc, but certainly not as often as Buddy Else. Not Me hung out more often with Kevin. I actually think they are Facebook buddies.

So, I'm thinking maybe Buddy Else is lurking around here again. He must have heard me whine about the water pitcher being left out on the kitchen counter the other day. At least this time he put it in the refrigerator. Guess he's becoming a little more responsible. Good job, Buddy, but next time, will you please fill it up before you put it away?