How We Eat Spaghetti

Silly has been complaining about his tummy all day and hardly ate anything so I made spaghetti for him to see if he'd actually eat something. He and Bubba got new church shirts from Gummy yesterday, and even in old shirts eating spaghetti requires some adaptation. Bubba refuses to wear bibs (or drink from cups with lids) so it's off with their shirts. Works for me!

 

 













I had a funny, but maybe a little disturbing, thought Friday when Bubba once again ended up with a bloody nose (something else we have in common, although mine weren't trauma induced) and Silly was once again the only witness. According to Silly he jumped out of the rocking chair and slid across the floor. He always has a perfectly reasonable explanation. Scott was saying earlier this week that Bubba is about 20seconds behind Silly. You can watch Silly do something and Bubba is sure to copy him.

So here's the thought - I think I'm reliving my grandma's parenting experience in some ways, only I had my girl first instead of last. My dad had a little brother, and I think they have about the same age gap as my two boys. Dad and Bill were pretty much the neighborhood terrors. My grandma used to tell us all sorts of stories about the trouble they got into together, but she also said (to other moms who said her boys were out of control), "They never do anything I tell them not to do, I just never know what they'll come up with next." And lots of times, it turned out to be my dad's idea at Bill's expense. My siblings and I thought most of these stories were surely exaggerated, but when we all went out to Washington for my sister's wedding, we saw that cliff they used to jump off of, and it's really a cliff. And that hill they used to sled down really is really long and steep, and ends in a creek. They weren't naughty boys, just imaginative and adventurous; but it sure was hard on their mom sometimes, and on the little brother. Hopefully this little brother makes it through life with fewer injuries than my uncle.

And speaking of imaginative and adventurous, I had another thought sitting in the lobby with these two boys during Cakes's gymnastics class. I was wishing they would just stay in one place and not be so noisy. Then I looked around at the other kids waiting with their parents, playing their handheld video games or sitting there doing nothing, and I realized I was wishing my kids had  no imaginations. They think the lobby is thrilling. They can think of twenty different things to do with just a few little cars. They have all sorts of sound effects. I would definitely rather have that kind of kid than one that just sits.