Rules of Etiquette?

Perhaps I didn't pay enough attention to Blogging for Dummies--I have no idea whether or not any rules of etiquette apply as to the length of blog entries. I looked at the last entry I posted and whoa! Am I verbose or what?! That's a rhetorical question, actually. I may not be the most self-aware person on the planet, but I do know that I won't stop at five words when I can use fifty!

Well, to wrap up the thumbnail sketches of the other half of my offspring . . . on to Princess Peyton. She would love to know that I just described her that way. She is a pink- and purple-lovin', tea party givin', hoppin', skippin', whirlin' twirlin' ballerina/fairy princess! She is just the most charming little six-year-old you'd ever want to meet (ack! She's now closer to seven than to six, and she's just about as tall as Darcy--boo hoo!) and she has a real knack for making people feel special, kids and adults alike. But she is a self-proclaimed CHATTERBOX! (Hmmm, wonder where she gets that?) She makes my ears tired sometimes. Perhaps her most unique trait is that she actually LOVES to clean (unlike some others in this household who shall remain nameless) and it never fails--when I try to assign a chore to her as a"consequence," she will invariably say, "Ooh, I have to dust the bookshelves? May I wash the windows too?!" Right now I am having a difficult time tying up this paragraph because she is standing next to me, blithely chattering away! She is so like her dad--she can talk to a post and have a stimulating conversation! Let's move on, shall we?

And then there's Sawyer. Where do I even begin? He is, quite simply, the funniest kid on the planet! Not a day goes by that we don't laugh hysterically at the things he says or does. His personality is ten times as big as he is! Interestingly enough, casual bystanders would doubtless think I am exaggerating because he can be quite docile and serene in public, but behind closed doors he is a clown! (To be honest, he's a clown at church, too. Both of his Bible class teachers characterize him as a "hoot.")


Here's a better picture of him in full dinosaur mode. This photo was taken at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, IN and I will most likely recount that experience in a future entry. Suffice it to say, this particular family vacation probably tops any that we have taken thus far (though the kids still beg to go back and rent a house in Hocking Hills).

Sawyer had an amazing surge in verbal ability right around the time we got back from this trip. I felt he was already fairly articulate (even if his conversations mostly involved "Dinosaur T-Rexes" or "bulldozers, backhoes, graders, cement mixers, loaders"--he can name them all!) but right around the new year he began talking in paragraphs! He is also a remarkably grateful child, and I've got an example where his gratitude and verbal ability intersect: For days after we got back from our trip to Indy Sawyer would, at random times throughout the day, say to me, "Mommy, thank you so much for taking us to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis." A couple of weeks into the new year we went to COSI for a member screening of Mystery of the Nile (a FANTASTIC IMAX film if any of you get the chance to see it) so I heard, "Mommy, thank you for taking us to COSI to see Mystery of the Nile" a few dozen times. To me, that just seems like a lot of words for a three-year-old (and a young three, at that!).

His ever-increasing vocabulary is often the source of our laughter, as it was just the other night. Here is an actual conversation that took place:

Me: "Here's your supper, Sawyer." (For the record, fish, green beans and okra, and NOT from Captain D's!)
Sawyer: "I don't want green beans."
Me: "Oh, you love green beans. Just eat them."
Sawyer: "But I don't want them."
Me: "Sawyer, you need to eat a balanced meal. Eat the green beans."
Sawyer, crossing his arms: "Well, I am just not going to tolerate this."
Me: "Yeah, I think you will."
And he did.