Hiding in Plain Sight

I have a confession to make: One of my favorite ways to pass the time is to eavesdrop on my kids. I know how that sounds but trust me, I mean that in a good way! I just love to listen to them when they don't realize that anyone else is around.

This afternoon I had taken my crossword puzzle into the dining room (not exactly tucked away for those of you who have been in our house--there are entrances from two directions) and it soon became apparent that Sawyer didn't realize I was there. The reason I know this is because history has shown that where I go, Sawyer goes. Yes, he loves me THAT MUCH! It's amazing that we never had "separation anxiety" issues with him when he was a baby (not that I recall, at least) and in fact, he has grown into the most gregarious of our four children. Nevertheless, when I'm in my bathroom brushing my teeth or flat-ironing my hair, Sawyer is keeping me company on my bed; when I'm in the basement doing laundry, Sawyer is at my hip; when I'm cooking dinner, Sawyer is going through the cupboards trying to find something with which to spoil his appetite. You get the idea.

Anyway, I was in the dining room engrossed in my puzzle and at some point my attention was drawn to the fact that Sawyer was singing a song that we'd sung in worship this morning (Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah for those inquiring minds out there). He was warbling in that faintly sing-song kind of way that let me know he was involved in something, so I stopped what I was doing for a moment to listen more closely. Turns out he was playing with his Bionicles and he was completely wrapped up in what he was doing, and I had the best time just sitting there listening to him move from one song to the next, and believe me, he kept moving! He was NEVER quiet! Darcy got a CD from the library called KidzWorship or something along those lines, and I picked up a few of those tunes that he was humming. He doesn't always know the words to all of the verses, but he can usually belt out the chorus! It was just neat to listen to him sounding so carefree (and honestly, what does a three-year-old have to worry about?) and so full of joy!

The little mean streak in me came to the surface after a while; I'm sure Sawyer played blissfully for a good 45 minutes to an hour and then I heard movement. It became almost comical; he never stopped singing, but I could tell he was moving with purpose and I became sure that he was looking for me. He hummed his way through the kitchen, out the door, into the backyard, down into the basement, upstairs to my room, never sounding concerned, never even calling my name, until FINALLY he poked his head around the corner and BINGO! He found what he was looking for!

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We got a really neat cookbook at the Scholastic Book Sale recently, and every recipe uses Cheerios! C'mon, who wouldn't want a cookbook like that?! Here's a photo of Darcy with her first creation--"Teds on Sleds." Basically it's chocolate pudding topped with crushed Frosted Cheerios (verdict: blech!) and a chopped Hershey bar (now you're talkin'!), with a couple of Teddy Graham crackers strategically placed on top. Voila!

 

Tyler and Peyton collaborated and basically combined two recipes into one. As you can see, it's like trail mix or "gorp," but the recipe they followed most closely was called Mixed-Up Munchies.

 

This is almost but not quite an "Eddie Haskell" smile. What a cheesy grin! In fact, he was probably saying "Cheese!" when I snapped the photo!

 

And yes, I know that Tyler and Sawyer both need haircuts--they're scheduled tomorrow!