The Way Little Boys Play

As a mother of four sons, I thought I would impart some of my hard won wisdom about the world. Boys do not play like girls (I have addressed this in an earlier post but today's antics brought the point anew to my mind).

For Christmas my 11 y/o received an airsoft gun, a bow and arrow set, a survival knife, and a guitar. The first thing that boy did was to go out into the front yard and use all the ammunition he had to shoot many tiny holes into the guitar box. Then, he took his bow and arrows outside to shoot them as well (Yes, his first few shots were at the box but then testosterone took over, warping his brain, and he shot an arrow directly above himself into the sky...and watched it coming back to earth...in his general direction. Yes, I opened the window and informed him that that was perhaps the most foolish thing I had ever seen and that if he did it again that I would be forced to confiscate the weaponry.). The knife was examined carefully, used on some branches, and now clings, proudly, to the side of his jeans. After all of this the boy finally sat down to play his guitar. He loves his guitar but he needed to get out the destructive, or protective, or whatever you call it, done with before he could sit down and be creative and quiet.

The incident that was the impetus for this post happened this morning. I had locked myself in the bathroom so that I could have a mostly uninterrupted conversation with my husband on the phone (Listen, it is the only room in the house with a lock on the door and 2 y/o will not leave me alone on the phone. He yells into the receiver the whole time about wanting to talk.). All mothers know that when you are on the phone is when the real ruckus begins. There was hooting and hollering, crashing and banging, caterwauling and wild rumpuses. In the midst of the chaos, while also listening as attentively as I could to my husband, I heard my 6 y/o yell out to my 9 y/o, "Get on the ground with your hands behind your back!" We have obviously been watching too much Cops. I told my husband who laughed the proud dad laugh. And, then I had yet another thing to add to my list of things that my sons do that I never did and never thought of doing.

Thoughts on Boys...

I would like to announce to some of the uniformed of the world that boys are not girls. While they will love on the occasional baby doll, as dear Naiah did last night (he alternated between loving it and telling it no it couldn't nurse on his mama by yelling gibberish at it and throwing it into the pack-n-play), but this does not mean they will play with that doll like a girl.

When I was a child I loved all things girl. I had no interest in the stunts these rascals come up. For example, when I climbed a tree I simply climbed up, and then later, down the tree. Lij the other day attempted some Olympic inspired tree branch switching feat (wherein he missed his mark ending up flat on his back after an eight foot fall with the air knocked out him, looking very surprised). I, as a girl child, would have seen this was foolhardy and never tried it and looked at all boys with snobbish girl disdain at their macho antics. Now, I am the mother of the macho antic doers. I write this because I now know how VERY different boys and girls are (and I would like my neighbor to quit acting like everything my boys are doing is crazy. They are not crazy...they are boys.) Boys hold a fierce wildness in their hearts that our society needs and so lacks these days. Their aggression and fearlessness need to be honed but not squashed. Their tendency to dominate is the raw material for future leadership. The very boyish way they doggedly pursue their tasks (be it trench digging for combat, fort building for later friend ambush, or trap laying for the unsuspecting burgalers they are always waiting for) is the foundation for the confident, hardworking, innovating men we all hope for our future.

In summation, celebrate their boyishness!

Mimicry

Today is a very slow, gray, drippy Saturday. Chris was hard at work on his paper for his class. I decided to distract myself with drawing in my sketch book. Without a word, all three boys assembled themselves around me with papers and markers of their own, even baby Nai (especially cute with his one arm strapped to his chest due to his broken collarbone). It just goes to demonstrate how much our little ones mimic us naturally. This brings to mind how God says we are to teach our children, as we go along the path, to teach them in all of the daily outworkings of our life. How can we do that if they are not with us? Let us be the ones they mimic.

Number 4...Mess Maker Extraordinaire

In retrospect, I would say that I used to be one of those mothers who wanted everything scheduled, everything timely, and everyone exactly on their appropriate milestone...or early, earlier was better in my book. This isn't to say that I now I don't care about those things, I do, but rather I now care more about being with them and letting them be. There is a being that can only happen when the heart is more important than the rule. Baby Naiah is a whirlwind of mess. I can tell him one moment to get out of Daddy's desk and the next minute he is in the pantry. It is annoying. He interrupts continually. But it is ok with me now because I have finally learned to enjoy the process of childhood. Before anyone thinks that I am trying to convince anyone that I am "Mrs. Mom-the-Awesome", I'm not. I'm just a little better than I was. =)

A Christmas Carol

Here are our 3 theater stars in costume. Beginning the day after Thanksgiving and continueing on until the 20 of December they will be giving performances of the Oklahoma version of "A Christmas Carol" titled "A Territorial Christmas". Lucas even had a positive review for his portrayal of Tiny Tim in the Daily Oklahoman. After so many showings I thought they would begin to tire of it, but no, they are going strong. It is just another example of the Lord providing us with something that we can do as a family, just like we love!

Fair Entries

To our left we have Lucas' lovely rainbow necklace. He just had to have those beads. I encouraged him to get these super cute (boyish) sports or animal beads...."No, Mommy, these are beautiful...especially with these gold beads too." Lucas knows best.

Below is Abe's turtle drawing. In case I have not mentioned it before, Abe loves all things turtle. I thought he made a good use of color.

Again to our left we have Lij's Scissor-tailed fly catcher drawing (which, might I add, is the Oklahoma state bird). I really like the tail on that bird.

Below we have a blurry photo of Abe's most awesome beaded necklace. It took weeks to complete. He was very diligent.

Here is my rag rug. It is my first rug attempt...ever! I watched my friend ripping up a sheet once at park day. She did it in such a way that it was one continuous strip. She said that she was going to crochet a rug out of it.

Months later I came into a large number of girly colored sheets that were certainly not going to be used in my man-tastic household (at least not on their beds). So I gave it a try and fumbled around, crocheting and ripping things out, eventually ending up with this (as seen in the pic).

We are entering our local county fair, even Chris (who is entering some great photos). Entry time is today and the judging is on Saturday. I'll keep you updated!

O, one more thing. Luc is embracing the whole experience. =)

In Kansas....No Toto

It has been an interesting day. While Kansas may not be what comes to mind when thinking of scenic views, that certainly doesn't mean that it is boring! Let me start with road signs (gotta love them!). "Live 5 legged Steer", "World's Largest Prairie Dog", "Pet the Baby Pig", were 3 of my favorite. Then there was the emergency roadside potty break for the coolest 4 y/o I know. Lucas wanted to test how much arc he could get with his urine stream.....nearly peeing in his own face. Not to be out down, Lij and Abe had a lovely vegtable food fight in the back seat of our van (I think they have figured out with all the stuff packed into the van and our intense desire to get as far as we can each day, they can pretty much get away with most anything).

The trio can also work together for good. At a rest stop just over the Colorado border in Kansas the boys found a rabbit (we were not watching well enough...obviously). The rabbit was dead (the boys insisted that they found fang marks on the rabbit and that it had died by the vile will of a snake). The boys did what any decent person would do...they gave it a funeral. Led by Abraham in prayer, the boys buried it. Lucas said that they prayed it would come back to life (so sweet!).

In case you have missed it...we are not in Oklahoma yet. Kansas is so much bigger than I had previously surmised.

P.S. We got the boys haircuts. Lucas snuck in a faux hawk (I cannot believe he remember the name of that do). See what happens when you walk away from a boy during a haircut...the haircut gets changed! Picture his missing front teeth, naughty twinkle in his eye, and now a faux hawk!

Sleeplessness

I had four hours of sleep last night, but at least they were in a row. Benaiah woke up at about 3:30. Even after I got him to lay back down I could go back to sleep. I was in bed thinking, "Do I go ahead and get up (then 4am) or do I attempt to lay here until I fall asleep again (thus risking grogginess later)." I got up.

It was a good thing too because Benaiah was fitful and I had to pick him up and nurse him many more times through out the VERY early morning. To be honest, I feel fine, slightly spacey, but fine. I had time to pray and read. I looked up some things on the internet unpestered (like how to get the perma-stink out of cloth diapers...eww). I formulated a plan on how to improve the way my sons treat one another (always a good idea to have a plan). When the boys did eventually rise, we laid on the floor together and I sang silly songs to them very quietly. I was surprised at how mesmerized they seemed. Maybe they are too used to me being loud.

This has me thinking about the gift of sleep and the gift of sleeplessness. Being a mother of a 7 month old, it is very typical to long for the blessing of sleep (long, deep, uninterrupted sleep). But, today I found the joy in odd wakefulness and I am very thankful. =)

Math is Fun!

I don't think that I ever smiled that big while doing math in "school".

THIS face, on the otherhand, is probably closer to how I felt doing math in public school.

Abraham says that he loves math, but approaches it seriously because he wants to get it done as quickly as possible. The sooner he gets his schoolwork completed, then sooner he can play or read "Hank the Cowdog" (his current series of choice....I must admit, it is pretty funny!).

Also, afters years of tears (LOL I'm a poet), Elijah is truly enjoying math this year. It is like the light bulb just went on in his head and now it all makes sense. AMEN!

Knowing When to Admit Defeat

Monday was a lovely sunny, spring-like day here in Oregon. The boys had been relatively well-behaved as they sat doing their schoolwork. They asked for a break. I agreed and of they went.

I was sitting at the table (in direct line-of-sight), when something in my gut said, "Look out the glass door." I turned my head to discover 3 shirt-less boys and a water hose. I said it was nice...but not that nice. It was only 52 degrees. I opened the door, stammering over my words the way parents do when they are attempting not to say everything they are thinking, and yelled for the ringleader to explain himself. I had him get dry clothes for everyone involved. And then I sat down, self-satisfied at my own adept handling of the situation.

HA! I looked out the door again.

Now, everyone was covered in the freshly made MUD! Mud? MUD! O, seriously, MUD? AGG.
My handsome trio were proudly displaying their newest find (an extremely long earthworm) and excitedly telling me home they had made him a MUD CASTLE. Mud Castle.....I should've known.

I didn't fuss at them at all. They had won the battle of tidiness. Bowing out of the war gracefully, I returned to my puzzle and tea.

Brotherly Love

I must say that my sons LOVE babies and treat them with such tenderness. Nai needs only to slightly fuss and if one of his brothers are in earshot, he is picked up with hugs and kisses or catered to in some other especially sweet fashion. In the photo above, Elijah answered Benaiah's call with a cuddle in his lap and a story reading.

Huntin' Contest

This is where the hunting contest was.

This is the excited, toothless Luc.

Luc won tenth place....he said it was 1st.

Here is Lij.....who is upset with 8th place.

Here is a very stoked Abe who won 3rd place and a cash prize. Lij protests Abe's win because the beagle Abe chose was always in front (she was in heat) and that makes things unfair. The contest was more based on how you used the beagle to flush out the rabbits. When you saw a rabbit you were supposed to yell, "Tally-ho!". Luc said, "Hally-ho".

Benaiah and I went thrift-storing with Aunt Cecilia during the hunt and returned for the awards.

Long Johns

My Uncle Curt is entering the boys in a rabbit hunting contest with his hunting club using hunting dogs (beagles). I thought that it might be chilly, so I searched the sale racks and picked up these super cute long johns for the boys (who, of course, wanted to wear them immediately).

Library Mom Torture

I think my sheep have it in for me. Some of you already the know that the little lambs were QUITE naughty at Winco (almost wrote wino, LOL) on Friday (slapping, pushing, punching, yelling, crying,.......general boy day-to-day living). I thought that was humiliating.

I thought wrong.

Humiliation is being in the downtown Eugene public library and being told you need to get to your children, "NOW!". Some of you may be thinking that these children were far away from me, they were not. I was bent down looking at some DVDs about 10 feet from the table in which they were supposed to be quietly looking at their knight books. HA-HA. Lambs don't listen, at least not completely. I hear the irritated voice of the library worker loudly asking my lambs if their mother was here, and I spoke in response. She snottily said that they were "having a little problem". Before I could breathe in enough air to choke down my frustration and embarrassment she said, for all the library to hear, "No, you need to be right with them."

I called them. They ignored me and kept fighting. I gathered up the lambs, finished checking out, and went to the van (admonishing them not to speak to me....for a while). After another breath in, we had a round of re-training.

I post this because it is funny and because we have (or will have) days when even if we are trying our hardest to train our children, to be patient, to be great moms, that there will still be times when our lambs are going to COMPLETELY IGNORE US and do what they want. That is sin nature.

SO, join me in a deep breath and a prayer that God keeps us sane (why, o why did I pray for patience this morning?).