You Get It . . . No, YOU Get It!

Last night I had one of those experiences that every parent really ought to go through before earning their REAL parental badges of honor . . . I mean, there should be a special club we get to join after doing what I had to do. Here's the set-up:

Sawyer was getting ready for bed and when he came in the bathroom to use the potty, I noticed that he was holding one of his little Matchbox cars. I have warned him in the past of the dangers of holding a toy over the toilet while using the potty and 99.9% of the time (seriously!) he is SO good to put his toys down before "doing his business." (You can see where this is going, can't you?)

When I noticed that he was still holding on to his police car (after he had started peeing, unfortunately), it was as though you could still see the words of warning from my mouth hanging in the air as the police car slipped out of Sawyer's hands and into the toilet. Yuck! And then the whole thing became one big joke:

Me: "Ewww! I'm not fishing that thing out!"
Sawyer, eyeing the yellow water: "You get it, Mommy!"
Me: "I am not getting it! That's gross! You get it!"
Sawyer: "No, you get it!"
Randy (who was sick and listening to this exchange from bed): "Do NOT flush that thing down the toilet!"

Randy couldn't believe I was being such a wimp about reaching down into a toilet full of urine to retrieve a cheap toy car--oh sure, when you put it that way, why should anybody mind???--but I'm sorry, that's just disgusting! I wish you could have seen me trying to coax Sawyer into fishing it out (he was, after all, the one who dropped it in the first place!) but he was not buying it. He would act like he was going to take the plunge and then his reflexes would kick in and his arm would jerk back just as his hand reached the water. So naturally I, being the devoted mother that I am, finally bit the bullet and rescued Sawyer's beloved police car from its watery resting place. Ugh--the things we do for our kids!

Here's a rather grainy picture of Sawyer chilling on the couch while watching TV:

Here's another installment in the latest saga called, "Tyler Todd, A.K.A. 'Mr. Bossy.'" As I mentioned earlier, Randy has been unwell for a couple of days so he missed Bible study last night. As the kids and I pulled into the driveway when we got home, Tyler said, "Everybody listen up. When we go inside Dad is probably going to be in bed asleep so you need to go in very quietly, go straight to your rooms and get ready for bed. Okay, announcement over." I couldn't help but laugh when the other three kids were rendered speechless (though Peyton did mutter under her breath, "You don't have to be so bossy about it!").

I almost began to wonder if Tyler was angling for a favor or something because he was EXTRA-EXTRA helpful last night. According to his teacher, he took the initiative and got the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed the floor in his classroom after they made a lasagna during class (sounds odd, I know, but it was an object lesson and also served as a meal for friends of ours who just had a baby) and he stayed behind and helped her put the chairs and desks back in order; AND when we got home, he snuck into Sawyer's room and laid out his pajamas and pulled his covers back on his bed. If you're wondering if I adequately praised him for being so thoughtful, the answer is "Yes, I believe I did."