It’s been awhile since I last posted some family videos. I just emptied the videos off of my phone camera today and thought you guys might enjoy them.
Here is Aurora sweeping the floor for Mommy. Notice how the instant she sees the camera, she smiles and says, "Sheeeee!" Also of some interest, when she is done sweeping, she flips the broom upside down to pull the hairs out that got caught in the bristles a la Mommy. Who says kids don’t pay attention to parents?
Monday was pretty warm here (38 degrees) and our snow had definitely started to melt. So when the boys asked if they could play outside, I knew it would be their last chance (for a week or so, that is) to get in some good snow play. You can hear Aurora in the background laughing her guts out. She thought it was hilarious!
I’d like to close with my favorite overheard quote of the day.
This past Sunday was our ward’s Primary Program. Ethan was given his part a few weeks ago and has been very excited for his chance to show off his memorization skills. He was asked to say, "The blessings found in the scriptures can be mine if I am faithful. The scriptures give me a special kind of power." His part was very special because it led into the song "Scripture Power". Sometime during the last week, Ethan decided he didn’t like the way his lines sounded, so he decided to change them to, "I know the scriptures are true. The scriptures give me a special kind of power." It was okay with his teacher and I thought it was cute, so the change stuck.
During their rehearsal the day before, I practiced some sneaky video recording techniques. It’s kind of frowned on to pull out your cell phone during Sacrament Meeting and start recording people, even if it is your son and he is being totally adorable. Well, it started out good that Sunday morning. I got my phone out and navigated around the correct menus. I was sitting there with my finger on the button waiting for Ethan to go up, confident in my abilities to get it done unnoticed. Ethan stood up, I hit record, and Gideon started pulling on my arm that was holding the phone. All hopes at discretion went out the window as I tried to fend him off with the other arm and still keep from jiggling around too much. While my first born was up on the stand performing like a little star, his family sat in the congregation, wildly flailing arms around and whispering loudly things like, "Stop it!" and "Shhhhh!" and "Look at Ethan!" The things I go through just so the Grandma’s can see their grandkids!
I have a talent and I can no longer hide it from the world. I’ve kept this secret for too long and can no longer stand the burden of it. I’ve been gifted with the ability to detect bedtime! Really, it’s true! Before you toss my claims aside, allow me to provide you with proof. This evening, for example, I was feeling particularly perspicacious.
Today was a pretty good day. Ethan had a Primary Activity to go to and I took Gideon with us. On the walk home we gathered up several beautiful examples of fall leaves that were scattered around on the ground. We made some really pretty "magic" pictures by putting the leaves under plain pieces of paper and rubbing crayons across the paper. We made some cute Halloween decorations with pompons, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. We ate macaroni and cheese for lunch. Ethan and I played computer games together most of the afternoon while Gideon and Aurora made a mess of toys all over the house. All in all it was quite enjoyable.
Then came the first signals that bedtime was iminent. Aurora began carrying around a blanket and begging to be held by anyone who came near. Ethan started saying he was "cranky" and would only be able to remove this stigma through the intake of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets covered in buffalo sauce. Gideon approached us several times saying that "Ethan made me sad," or "Aurora made me mad." These first clues made my bedtime sense start tingling. Ethan was told it was time to turn off the game and I was treated to an exclusive display of "The Frown". A request was extended to the boys for the toys to be picked up so that dinner could commence. That was when I was witness to this final clue:
Did I balk in the face of adversity? I did not! I did what every good parent would do and grabbed the closest recording device to record for posterity the proof that my gift for discerning exhaustion was, in fact, real. It was definitely bedtime. So after the forced labor of cleaning up toys was completed, I lovingly tossed large handfuls of dinosaur chicken into the microwave, gave the children a few moments to inhale it, scrubbed the dirt off of their angelic countenances, and hustled them off to bed.
Why go public with this formidable talent? I’ve decided to go professional and use this ability to make a little extra spending money. As of today, I’m officially for hire as a Bedtime Detector. Not only will I use my skills at perceiving the obvious to look at the clock and determine what time it is, I will make a mental note of the many more subtle hints displayed by children, such as you saw in the above video, and compare those items with the level of noticable frustration shown by you, the parents. Through this process I will be able to confirm whether your instincts are correct and I will promptly let you know whether or not it is truly bedtime. I will be operating on a first come, first served basis and will charge a reasonable fee. Act fast so that you, too, can make use of my services!
