My children looked forward to April Fools Day for weeks, if not months. For some reason, they were focusing on me instead of my husband. I think its because he doesn't squeal like a girl.

In the perfect storm, the boys had also been exposed to some Foxtrot cartoon anthologies. They love Jason, and Quincy his iguana. And the way he uses the iguana to torture his sister who squeals like a girl. See where this is going?

In a stroke of brilliance, I pre-emptively forbid any iguanas in the house. Probably unnecessary, but you never know.

A little back-story: I'm often the victim of April Fools jokes. I have no idea why ;) I remember when I was little my Dad woke me up and told me there was a giraffe in the yard. I ran to look out the window. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Years later, I told that story to my husband. Right before April Fools Day. (que the shark music) And, yes, when he yelled "There's a giraffe in the yard!" I ran to look. Again.

Admittedly, my husband is convincing. The boys? Not so much. They don't quite have it down yet. "Oh. Look. Mother. There. Is. A. Spider. Oh. Dear. Oh. Dear. What. Shall. I. Do?" That's how its been in the past. This year, they were doing a little better. Not much, but a little.

I was leaning over to unload the dishwasher when Lee dashed up to me and screamed "IGUANA" right in my ear. Oh, yes, I made some noise. Mostly mildly irrate noises (and moderate dancing around holding my ear) about the inappropriateness of screaming anything right in my ear. All baby Katherine saw was that there was definitely a reaction, and it involved a lot of wigglely dancing.

She slips up to me, points behind me, and announces "Bunny!" She looks at me expectantly. I explain that even if I were shocked by something behind me, that it had to be something scary to get a big reaction. Not a girl to be deterred, she thought for a split second and announced, firmly but with a confident smile, "Monster!"