What they say!

A few stories for the memory books......

Tate is continually being clever!  I suspect that others often think he's disrespectful, and at times, indeed he is and we do our best to nip that in the bud.  However, other times he's just like a mini version of a combo Steven/Sydnee!  Sarcastic and bossy and terribly matter of fact and opinionated!  You can quietly decide which trait comes from where! ;-)

A few weeks back, we were outside playing and he was doing something - I can't remember now but he was insistent that he was going to make it work and make it work his way.  I laughed and said ok you're being just like your crazy Daddy. To which he replied with great expression: "No I'm not! I'm being just like me! And if I'm not like me then I'm not gonna be happy so I'm just always gonna be just like me!!"

WOW! Wisdom and wit!  :-)

Dax's quietness must not be misunderstood.  He has a set of lungs and a hefty dose of "I'll do itness" like none compared to Tate!  He is also not one to be swayed or convinced or bribed.  Case in point.

We were eating lunch yesterday.  It was leftovers from the night before and they had eaten really well.  Pork chops, sweet potatoes and green peas and purple hull peas.  He was not eating.  Just drinking his lemonade. Not unusual.  I tried to coax him into eating with some fluffy words.  "Dax, you need to eat some of that lovely yummy lunch so you can have really strong big muscles."  His response casually, yet matter of fact, while ever so slightly pointing his fork at me, "I already do."   

What more could I say???  He's not the kid - well actually neither of them are - to say, if you don't eat I'm gonna eat it, or the dog will eat it or you can't have dessert.  They just look at you.  If the dog is around, they'll go ahead and feed it! Ha!!

Another picture taken by Tate

Today, we were working on straightening up the house.  The boys were doing a pretty good job at cleaning up the living room area.  With the new bunk beds they now have a place to easily park their trucks and so their closet is a bit more organized as well.  I was picking up stray items and took them to their room only to discover where all the items from the living room were! :-O   This is how the story goes:  Me:  "Boys! Can you not remember where things go back?!  This is not picked up!!"  Tate:  "Mama!  Sometimes we just like to organize!"  Me in a loud put out voice:  "Its not ORGANIZED if you can't WALK!!!"  Tate:  "Mama. You sound like that mocking bird."  Are you laughing?!!?  Because I did!
And now the rest of the story.  There are two mocking birds in the yard.  Have been since early spring. They have built a nest twice in the front sapling.  I have officially grown to hate them.  At first it was funny and I called them the pestering birds because they would mess with Chief.  Now they swoop on us!  And me.  And I am NOT a fan of that.  They sit up on the top of the tree trunk or the house and make this squawk over and over at the dogs, then swoop.  If I had a pellet gun, one would be wise to stand behind me!!! >:-|


THE LIST:  I have a very lovely list of to-do items around outside and in the house.  It is NOT only for Steven, even though he tries to play that fiddle at times.  I've said that I will help with it, but admittedly there are some things that are going to require his expertise. ;-)  That being said, the last few evenings outside we walk around or swing and chat back and forth about the disaster yard and the ridiculous landscaping and the fence.  The dogs, or rather one dog, is often a source of my squinted eyes! >:-)  We got on the subject of my list being completed and it spurred a list making assignment by Tate and Dax.  They went in, got notebooks and pencils and wrote a list.  And then shared the list and gave us all our jobs.  It went like this.
"First, pick up all the stuff.  Then sweep and then Daddy you get t' moppin.'  And then dust and then get a bath and me (Tate) you (Daddy) and Dax play games.  Two games of one game."  I eventually got included helping Daddy with the sweeping.  I had to hold the dust pan.  I dusted the house yesterday so I was pretty insistent that I wasn't doing it again today.  Then as we're sweeping and Steven and I are laughing because as we are sweeping, Dax is dust mopping, which included him dragging his mop into the areas where Tate was simultaneously mopping while we were sweeping as well as flipping it over upside down and dragging into Steven's pile of sweepings.  We were also laughing at the whole scenario in general!  Tate yells, "I don't see shine!!" Which of course causes me to practically double over with laughter!  Then he continues, "Hush! No talkin while we're workin!"  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Later, after we'd finished our list, Steven told him, that when he started kindergarten he couldn't always be in charge and that sometimes other kids would want to be and he would have to help them. Seriously!  You should have seen his face!  It was this blank expression yet filled with, "What?! Not be in charge?"
Steven commented when he was dolling out his list instructions and I was balking on dusting, that I had to participate to help encourage the leader in him.  Yeah.  I'm pretty sure that area is in no danger of being slack!  :-D