Well...Maybe Just One More Post

Although I said last night's post would probably be the last for several days, I needed to take a break from packing, so thought I’d take the opportunity to post a couple pictures from tonight.

Tyler’s gymnastics class went really well. There were 3 more boys there tonight. That seemed like a good class size. It’s really hard to get pictures without bothering the class, but I was able to get one good one tonight. The other picture is of Tyler enjoying his hot fudge sundae after class. (Thanks, Uncle Ron.)

In an effort to be prepared for the worst, I stuffed my jacket into my suitcase – right next to the umbrella. Before cramming it in there, I cleaned handfuls of stuff out of the pockets. That led me to this conclusion - You know you’re a mom if your pockets contain the following:

Wadded up napkins and tissues (used, of course)
A crumpled up letter beginning “To the parents of…”
Empty teddy grahams wrapper
Out of date preschool snack list schedule
Acorns with and without their “hats”
A pair of little white Tinkerbell panties

Smells Like Pizza

Sorry my posts have been few and far between lately. In addition to taking care of sick kids and doing mountains of laundry in an attempt to get ready for our cruise, I haven’t felt well either. Hopefully we’re all on the mend, though.

Earlier this week the kids went trick-or-treating at Uncle Ron’s house. Here’s a sneak peek for Halloween:

After going to Uncle Ron’s, the kids changed and we met Daddy for dinner. It just happened that the boys sat on one side of the table, and the girls sat on the other. The kids were, well, lively. Danielle was in trouble constantly. During one reprimand from Ron, Danielle leaned her curly blond head up against me, pointed her little finger at Ron, and interrupted him: “Boys are icky. You are a boy. You are icky. We don’t like icky boys.” Ron couldn’t finish his reprimand for fear of bursting into laughter. Now if only she’ll hold to that belief until she’s 18!

Danielle’s ballet and gymnastics classes went really well this week. They got to use the bar in ballet this time. Danielle is learning things in both classes, but I just have to say she’s so CUTE to watch in ballet!! All of the little girls are. They’re out there with their twirly leotard skirts and ballet shoes, watching themselves in the wall of mirrors, trying to maintain their balance while following their teacher. This was only her second class, but Danielle showed so much more confidence this time. Her teacher seems to enjoy her, too. It’s such a good experience. (I couldn’t find the camera this time, so sadly there aren’t any pictures.)

While I was folding yet another pile of laundry today, Tyler excitedly bounded up the steps from the playroom, just bursting with a “brilliant” idea. “Mom, I have a great idea! You should get a box that both of us can sit in, cut a hole in it for this [a bucket] so I can turn it, and I can play taxi!” I had been interrupted a gazillion times and had just sat back down in front of the clothes. Ugg. I looked at his eager face and knew if I said no this time it would be a fatal blow. Wearily I got up. We searched for a box together and found one that would barely fit both of them. I started working on the hole for the steering wheel while the two of them bounced up and down beside me. When I finally pushed the bucket through the hole, Tyler leaned back and said, “Now that’s a thing of beauty!” That was all the thanks I needed.

This will probably be my last post until the end of the month. Hopefully by that time I’ll have lots of nice pictures and good stories to share. (Please pray for our safety, sunny skies, and smooth sailing!) Until that time, here’s my last little musing to share:

Tyler and Ron were wrestling tonight in that way that only daddies and little boys can. There was a lot of giggling and rough housing. There was also some gas being passed. It was all Tyler – at least it was all blamed on Tyler. (His squinty eyes and giggle did support his ownership.) After another such incident of passing gas, Tyler stopped, sniffed the air, and said, “Ahhh! It smells like pizza.” Since we have not had pizza for quite some time, he was obviously making it up to make Daddy laugh. Is it instinctive that a little boy just knows a fart joke will make his grown father laugh?

Colds, a Giant Mouse, and a Complete Conversation!

Well, wouldn’t you know it. Less than a week before we leave for our cruise and we all have colds! We’ve all been pretty healthy for months…but NOW we get sick! Ugg! Ron’s been popping the Zi-Cam cold remedy fastmelts, but they make me gag. I’ll stick to the Cold-Eeze with the funky after taste. We’re just hoping we can all work through the coughing, sneezing, and congestion by Saturday!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Kotomi’s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Danielle and Tyler were very excited about going. Danielle’s excitement was crushed when we walked in, though, and saw that we were sitting just a couple tables away from the giant animatronic mouse! Although we chose a seat with our backs to Chuck, it took her a very long time to take her hands off her eyes. She finally gained enough courage to sit up and eat some pizza when the head cheese himself came out to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday kids. She’s always had a fear of giant mascot-type animals. I think it was worse yesterday because she wasn’t feeling 100%. Once Ron took her over to play the games, though, she perked up and had a good time. I guess we know where NOT to have her birthday party next year! And we figure we should make sure Grandpa R doesn’t sign us up for the character breakfast at Disney next spring!

Tyler’s preschool is part of a larger school. They offer lots of different parent activities throughout the school year. Occasionally they offer a Parents’ Night Out. For a minimal fee per child, you can bring ALL your kids (not just the student) to the school for 4 hours. They have parent volunteers that watch the kids and plan out a night full of activities. We rarely get an evening out to ourselves, so we were so excited to take part in this. We were the kind of parents I grumbled about when I worked at the daycare: we loaded the kids up on cold medicine before dropping them off and hoped we’d make it out the door before anyone noticed their noses were running. (Honestly, the kids weren’t that miserable and really wanted to be there.) The theme last night was “Jonah”. They had a mini Bible story, made a whale with Jonah in his mouth, and watched the Veggitales Jonah movie. They also played a lot. Tyler’s little girlfriend from school was there. Tyler, Danielle, and his friend played together all evening. They had such a good time together, and there were lots of hugs (and protesting) before they left. When we picked the kids up I hesitantly asked the lady in charge how our kids behaved. She emphatically said, “Great!” She said that Tyler was the best big brother ever! He held Danielle’s hand, played with her, and included her in his play with his friend. (Before we left we had asked Tyler to look out for Danielle. He hugged her and said, “Danielle, if any big kids knock you over, I’m going to attack them for you.”) I’m glad he took his job seriously without needing to defend her honor. It was SO nice to hear a good report. Ron and I just went out for dinner and to the store. Nothing romantic, but we were able to hold a conversation without interruption! That was wonderful.

This morning we infected 12 other 2 year olds at church with our colds. The workers next week will thank us because everyone will be home sick. :) Ok, not really. We used a lot of hand sanitizer and probably picked up more germs from them than we gave to them. Anyway, my memorable moment for today comes from another little kid. During one activity today a little boy was trying to get Ron’s attention. He finally shouted out, “Hey, white boy!” We laughed so hard.

The Theology of the Egg

Tae-kwon-do update from yesterday…
Given the option of finding another tae-kwon-do class or taking gymnastics, Tyler decided he wanted to try the boys’ gymnastics class. So, we tried that out tonight. Tyler was the only little boy there, so he had his own private class! The instructor was wonderful! He laughed with Tyler and gave him high fives frequently. He was so different from the guy last night! Tyler climbed on the pummel horse, did the “pencil” hop across the trampoline, did forward and backward rolls, and ended the class with some sit-ups. He left the gym sweaty and happy. That was so much better! We signed up for the class before we left. The class size could get up to 6 kids, but so far Tyler is the only one. Hopefully there will be another little boy for Tyler to pal around with, but a small class is ok with me. Tyler was so good that we celebrated by sharing a hot fudge sundae from DQ before going home. Glad we had a happy ending!

Over our lunch of chicken nuggets and rice-a-roni (a favorite around here) Tyler asked me about The Trinity. Well, not in so many words: “Mom, at my church they say ‘Jesus’. At my school they say ‘God’?” How do I explain that to a 5 year old. Hmmm. I thought for a second and said something about them being the same person, kind of like being called Ty and Tyler, just because I couldn't think of anything that was really accurate. He seemed satisfied for the moment, though.

That got me thinking about theology and faith. When I was in college it was common for us to sit around in little clusters and discuss the hows and whys of our faith. At that time I was dating a Christian Education major, so I spent my fair share of time debating theology and listening to it being debated. I guess I filled my quota of trying to understand every thing, every aspect - Creation, The Trinity, the “eternal now” – you name it. I have been content for some time just to accept that at one point in my life I rationalized and reasoned out everything I could until it just got down to having faith. Honestly, I feel like I just don’t have the energy to invest in anything more than just relying on faith now. When Tyler asked me about God & Jesus today, I momentarily drew a blank. I haven’t thought about all the hows and whys (just the ‘becauses’) for so long that I kind of felt unprepared.

When the Christian Education major arrived home from Texas this afternoon, I told him about Tyler’s question. (Danielle broke into her own version of "Jesus Loves Me" at this point.) Ron mentioned the Holy Spirit and I groaned, thinking this was just going to complicate things more. Tyler piped up, “We’ve talked about that at school, too!” Really? 5 year olds are discussing the Holy Spirit? Then Tyler added, “Something about him doing some moving.” That cracked me up. Anyway, without pause, Ron turned to Tyler and said, “God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit are like an egg. An egg has 3 separate parts, right? A shell, that white stuff, and the yellow yolk. Even though it has those separate parts, it all combines to make one thing – an egg. That’s how it is with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are all separate but they combine to make one.” (I guess that major has some use after all.) I waited for Tyler to say he didn’t like eggs, but he didn’t. He processed that answer and tucked it away for later. And I tucked Ron's analogy away for later…just in case I need to be prepared.

The Confused Karate Kid

As I mentioned last night, Tyler started a Tae-kwon-do class tonight. He was SO excited and talked non-stop on the way there. I immediately felt let down, though, when I met the instructor. He didn’t look me in the eye, and shaking his hand was like grabbing a limp fish. (I don’t know about you, but I instantly form a negative opinion of someone that has a limp handshake!) Not exactly the kind of person I envisioned earning the respect of my son as he taught him the techniques and art of Tae-kwon-do.

Poor Tyler. The instructor hardly spoke to him. Instead, he put Tyler in a spot on the mat and started with class. This was supposed to be the first class for this session, but obviously all the other kids had taken classes before. The instructor told them to get in their resting stance. Everyone moved except Tyler, who just looked around at everyone else. Then he told them to get in their fighting stance. Same thing happened. Then he told them to practice jabbing (or some type of punching move). Again, Tyler looked around, obviously lost. I expected Tyler would be able to join a class at the beginning of the session and be instructed from the very basic moves & stances. I was so disappointed. The instructor did help Tyler a couple times with his punches, but it wasn’t enough. Tyler made eye contact with me once and just looked so helpless. His eyes said, “What do I do??” I felt bad for him. Tyler is usually so confident and sure of himself. I just about jumped through the viewing window when the instructor told the kids to pair up and practice attacking and defending! Tyler was the attacker first. My voice must have been ringing in his ears because he just stood there and looked at the kid. I was so thankful he didn’t lunge across the mat at him! I was also thankful Tyler didn’t have to defend himself first! The instructor finally helped Tyler a little, but again, it was not enough.

Tyler and Danielle attended a Tae-kwon-do class with their cousins a couple weeks ago. That instructor’s presence demanded respect. He kept the class in control. When he gave a command, the kids responded with “Yes sir!” He gently but firmly insisted the kids focus on him (rather than twirling around in circles or making noises). Before starting and ending classes they repeated a mantra about respect and Tae-kwon-do. They bowed to each other and the mat constantly. THAT was what we were looking for.

Since first impressions aren’t always correct, I talked to some of the other parents while Tyler was struggling to keep up. Unfortunately, they expressed the same concerns without me really asking. (Yet this is at least the second set of classes they’ve paid for!) I was so bummed.

I can’t get the same answer from Tyler twice about the class. He liked the class and everything about it, but later he didn’t like it at all. Before bed he liked it again. One thing did remain constant, though: “Mom, I really need one of those costumes!”

After talking it over with Ron tonight, we’ve decided not to send Tyler back to this class. It seems pointless to pay for a class that isn’t accomplishing anything valuable. We’re going to check on other Tae-kwon-do classes elsewhere. If we can’t find anything suitable, this place has a gymnastics class just for boys we might check out. That might be a good way for Tyler to burn some of his winter energy… assuming the instructor has a firm handshake!

Danielle's New Adventure

Danielle started a ballet & gymnastics class today. She's never done anything like this by herself before. She's always always in Tyler's shadow! Well today it was her turn to shine. She did pretty good, too! She was a little nervous and looked back at me a lot more than the other girls did, but she stayed out there and did everything her teacher asked. (My pictures turned out terrible because I was trying not to disturb the class by using the flash and had to take pictures through the glass at times.)

For the first 20 minutes after warming up, they work on actual ballet movements. I was a little concerned the class might just be some pretty music that the girls ran around to. It wasn't, though. The teacher worked with them on some beginning movements. As Tyler put it, "That doesn't really look like dancing", but they're just getting started. I didn't realize she needed actual ballet shoes, so someone loaned her a pair of slippers. Danielle is the youngest in the class, but she was also the only one who knew which foot was her right foot! Here are a couple pictures from ballet:

For the second half of the class, they shed their shoes and head to the mats for gymnastics. Today they jumped on the springboard, hung on the overhead bars, walked on the balance beam, and bunny hopped across the long trampoline. She really seemed to enjoy herself! I was so proud of her. When they started on the gymnastics portion, Tyler looked at me and said, "She's really going to hurt herself here." He had a hard time watching her do everything. I don't think it was because he wanted to be doing it instead. I think it was because he wanted to do it with her. Here is a picture from gymnastics:

After class was over, her teacher walked out and told me that Danielle had done a really good job. As she said that I realized that I never once worried that Danielle was running wildly across the gym or making loud noises while the instructor was talking. I didn't feel anxious the entire time we were there. Tyler starts taekwondo tomorrow, and I'm already anxious. It's amazing how different two kids can be. Danielle really enjoyed herself and talked about her class the rest of the day. She practiced twirling on her toes with her arms over her head and talked about getting some ballet shoes. It was all I could do to get her out of her leotard! I can't wait until next week's class.

As far as picking taekwondo for Tyler, I was hoping someone else would have better luck at disciplining this kid than I'm having. (Just kidding...kind of.) :)

Fireman Tyler

Tyler decided he wants to be a fireman for Halloween this year. Sigh...gone are the cute, cuddly costumes. I had my eye on a very nice one that looked just like a real uniform, but I couldn’t find it for less than $40 (on Ebay - most other places were closer to $60!) So, I swallowed my pride and purchased one of those cheap plastic costumes at Walmart for just under $10. There were only 2 left so I figured I should grab one before Tyler was left with nothing. Ron was almost giddy because it was so cheap. Honestly, that didn’t make me feel any better. After school today I hesitantly showed it to Tyler. He LOVED it. He insisted on trying it on. The vinyl jacket is a little big, but he’ll be able to wear his winter coat under it if needed and won’t have to hide his costume at all. (A pet peeve of mine, right Mom?) He loved the plastic helmet with the flip down face shield. But most of all, he loved the “yak”. You know – the tool firemen use to chop down doors or other obstacles during the course of a fire. So, this year we will have a cuddly koala bear (repeat of last year) and fireman with a yak. Bring on the candy.

On Saturday we had Tyler’s final 5th birthday celebration. It had been postponed. It was very nice to share our home and our day with our family. Although Ron spent most of the time taking pictures of himself with everyone, we did manage to get a couple other pictures:


On Sunday we went to the zoo again after church. It was SO busy. It was a beautiful day to be outside, though. By this time of the year, I know these types of days are limited and almost feel an obligation to be outside enjoying them. It’s a good obligation, though.

I'm Glad I was Wrong

When we got to school today, Tyler looked through the window before walking in and noticed his teacher was back. He walked through the door and shouted out, "Mrs. M**! I'm glad you're feeling better!" She looked genuinely touched and thanked him. She jokingly said "I bet you were praying for me, weren't you." I'm not sure why she said it, but Tyler and I were happy to tell her we had indeed been praying for her. Again she looked genuinely touched and thanked him. I thought of my mother-in-law's blog from a couple weeks ago where someone told her he had been praying for her. Just knowing that someone else was lifting her up in prayer encouraged and uplifted her. I had the impression we had done the same thing for Tyler's teacher. (Tyler also got his encouragement for the day. As I left I heard his friend yell "Tyler! Hug!")

Once we got home after school today, I noticed a small "medallion" hanging around Tyler's neck once he removed his jacket. I asked him what it was but he only said, "Jesus". I looked at it a little closer and noticed it said "Justified by Grace". I asked "What do you mean 'Jesus'?" "Jesus died on a cross for us." Whoa! Curious to see what he'd say, I asked "Why did He do that?" Without missing a beat he replied, "Because He loves us so much." I was certainly satisfied with that answer! Later tonight I caught Danielle in a lie (over nothing of any importance). Tyler said, "Danielle, God hates lying! It makes Him very sad when we lie." Wow.

I can't believe how much Tyler has absorbed after being at this school for only a month now. Of course the academic learning is important, but Tyler is a smart kid and we aren't sending him to preschool just for that reason. I'm so thankful he's hearing Bible stories and God's Good News every day he's there! I guess first impressions aren't always right. I'm very thankful this is the school God directed us to.

Hidden Talents

Here are some pictures of Tyler & Danielle "putting on their faces" this morning:

While we were playing this afternoon Tyler said, "Mom! Wanna see me wink?" He gave me an almost perfect wink. I was impressed! Then he said, "Wanna see me wink in Spanish?" Huh?! He winked at me with both eyes and giggled. "I just winked at you in a different language!"

Tonight at dinner we discovered another trait I've passed down to my daughter: the ability to hang a spoon on your nose:

Prayers and Presents

Tyler started off the day by telling me that last night after we put him to bed he stood looking out his bedroom window, praying to God. “I asked God if he would bring me a big plate of sushi when I get to heaven.” I wonder if God has ever heard that request before.

Tyler’s Bible story this week is about Jacob disobeying God and then having a dream about the angels on the ladder. Although Jacob had sinned, God still promised him good things. We were talking about that story today and decided to get out the kids’ Toddler Bible. Danielle wanted me to read the whole thing to her. We started with the story of creation (which was Tyler’s Bible lesson a couple weeks ago) and worked our way through the flood to the birth of Jesus and on to Him dying for our sins. After we were done reading, Tyler asked the question that I myself have tried to fathom many times. As he put it: “How did God get made?” Thinking about it eventually makes my head hurt. It’s difficult for our limited human minds to grasp the “He just always WAS” answer. How do I explain that to my 5 year old who still struggles with abstract thought? “No one made God. He’s God. He’s just always been here.” I didn’t get much in the way of a response, so I don’t know how that fit into his little brain. Maybe he can discuss it with God over a plate of sushi some day.

His main teacher was out sick today, so I suggested we pray for her before going to bed. He agreed. He clasped his hands, bowed his head, and said the sweetest, most perfect little prayer. It’s no wonder Jesus had a soft spot for children.

It’s been storming and raining on and off tonight. While I was putting Tyler to bed, the rain suddenly started pounding on the windows and roof. Tyler cuddled closer to me and said he didn’t like the thunder. I said, “It’s not thunder, it’s just really heavy rain.” He rolled over and I heard him whisper, “God, please make it not rain heavy any more.” Within seconds the rain completely died down until we could no longer hear it at all! I paused, wondering if it was going to start back up. (Oh ye of little faith!) Finally I said, “Tyler! Do you hear the rain?” “No.” “God answered your prayer!” He realized what had just happened and got a big grin on his face. Then I heard him whisper, “God, Thank you for answering my prayer.” I seconded his thanksgiving, but not for the same reason. "Thank you God for answering his prayer... so He knows You really are there and that You care about all his concerns."


Now, tell me this story doesn’t totally back up my belief that Tyler and Danielle are going to be special friends as they grow up:

When I pick Tyler up from school, he usually comes bounding out the door. When I picked him up today, though, he very slowly walked stiff legged out the door. He had a very serious look on his face. A little concerned, I walked toward him instead of waiting at the back of the van. He stopped and reached toward the pocket on the leg of his shorts. “I have a surprise for Danielle in my pocket.” He waddled toward me again. I fished in his pocket and pulled out 2 vanilla wafers, leaving behind a pocket full of crumbs. “I brought these for Danielle!” I put them in his hand and helped him into the van. He sang out, “Danielle! I have something for you!” He held out his hand and proudly presented them to her. “Oh! Thank you so much Ty! I love these.” “I knew you did! I really knew it!” He was so pleased with himself. I buckled him in and followed car #1 out of the lot.

Tyler continued: I didn’t tell my teacher. I thought she would be mad at me. I ate all of mine and then I asked for more. When the teacher gave me more, I hid some in my pocket for Danielle before I ate the rest.
Thank you so much Ty. I really like these.
I knew you would, Danielle. I was afraid they were going to fall out of my pocket. I felt something rolling down my leg, but it was just my backpack strap. Danielle, I’ll always bring you food. What don’t you like?
Pizza.
What else?
Pizza.
But what else? Mom, what doesn’t Danielle like? If my school ever has French fries I’ll definitely put some of those in my pocket for Danielle.

The two of them continued this conversation the entire way home. It was very clear that Tyler had specifically thought of Danielle while he was having snack and went out of his way to make sure she could enjoy some of what he was having…even if it meant he might get in trouble trying to do it. What a pal.

Best Buddies at the Zoo

When I was growing up, my brother and I fought like normal kids. When we were young, we would roll around on the floor and attack each other. No matter who started it or who did what to whom, I was always the one to get in trouble. (I imagine his version is slightly different.) But no matter how much we fought, I also remember we were always friends. This was especially true whenever we went to visit a “weird” relative. (None of my relatives that read this fall into this category - at least back then you didn’t ;) - so don’t be offended.) We could have been fighting right up to the second we pulled into the driveway, but as soon as Mom or Dad hopped out of the car to get us out, we’d turn to each other and quietly ask “Friends?” We had a truce until the moment the car pulled back out of the drive.

As we got older, my little brother became more than just a buddy at Aunt Opal’s house (just an off the wall example I’m throwing out here) ;) Being the oldest, I always felt protective of him...and still do, although it’s harder to throw bullies off the porch now. I’d like to think that as his big sister he looked up to me a bit, too. As brother and sister we shared a prospective of our family life that no one else could share. We hung out together at church, school, and home. By the time we were in high school, he was more than just my brother, he was also one of my best friends.

Obviously that relationship was important to me, and I’d like to see my children form that same kind of friendship. Ron thinks I’m living in a fantasy world. When one of the kids is especially kind to the other, Ron thinks I’m reading too much into it in order to fulfill my “best buddies” fantasy. I disagree though. I know Tyler and Danielle are young, and they do go at it pretty good sometimes, but I think they really do have a special bond already. That special bond is what will keep them close until they really understand the concept of being friends in addition to siblings. Tyler is already protective of his little sister, and she has looked up to him since the moment she could hold her head up (well, close to that time anyway).

Today was one of those “best buddies” days. It was very enjoyable. We went to the zoo to take advantage of the beautiful weather. After we were done looking at the animals and riding the rides, the kids wanted to play in the large play area. In the play area Tyler always plays in the “big kid” area, while Danielle sticks to the “4 and under” side. She’s always been too afraid to climb up in the other section. After playing on their respective sides for awhile, Danielle decided she wanted to play on the big kids’ side, too. I stressed to her that I could not go up and rescue her if she got stuck or afraid. Tyler came running down around that time, so I explained to him that Danielle wanted to go up but I couldn’t help her. He excitedly offered to help her climb up. The two of them ran off, hand in hand, toward the tunnel with the steps.

I watched from down below as he helped her through the tunnel. I listened as he coached her through the “wiggly parts”. I saw him put his arms around her middle and boost her up to the next level as they climbed higher. He held her hand and patted her on the shoulder. He stayed by her side. And when they got to a part that was just too wiggly for her to cross, he comforted her and found another way for her to cross. He even got her to go down the giant caterpillar slide! (That's a huge smile on her face, in case you can't tell.)

After a couple trips down the slide, the two of them plopped down next to me on the bench. Their little faces were red and their hair was all sweaty. “That was a lot of fun.” “Yea, Ty! Ty helped me go up.” “Yea. I really liked playing with Danielle. That was fun.” “Yea, Ty!” They rested for a minute and continued to enjoy each other’s company. (These pictures were not posed!)

Once they caught their breath, we started toward the exit. The two of them held hands and giggled together as we walked. “There’s the Reptile Building, Danielle.” “Yea, Ty.” “Daddy doesn’t like snakes.” “No.” “That’s why we have a rubber snake at home, so we can scare Daddy.” Giggles: “Yea, Ty! I don’t like spiders, though.” And so it continued as we headed to the car. At this point I was just an outside observer. They were sharing a moment together that I wasn’t a direct part of. They were best buddies, at least for a little while. And that’s a pretty good start.

Hunting for Furry Giggling Monsters

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got my hands on 3 T!ck!e Me E!mos last week when they first came out. Reluctantly, I resold all 3. I really wanted to keep one for Danielle. (I marked the last one up slightly higher than the competition and hoped it wouldn’t sell, but it did.)

I was searching for an online coupon code the other day when I stumbled on a discussion thread that mentioned E!mos would be in stock in Walmarts (unadvertised) on Oct. 1. Supposedly they would be put on the shelves between 10pm & 7am. I decided I would attempt to get one for Danielle.

So, last night I drove the 20 minutes to Walmart at 12:30am. There were about 5 other people there who were also looking for those silly red toys. We were told to come back at 7am. I drove the 20 minutes back home and decided to call just to see if I would get the same story. I was told to be there at 8am. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the trek again, so I fell into bed without setting my alarm. When my internal alarm clock woke me up shortly after 6am, I decided to head out again. I staggered out of the house and again drove the 20 minutes to Walmart, this time through thick fog. I got there around 6:40 and was the third person in the informal line. Within 15 minutes there were at least 20 people waiting.

While we were all striking up conversations and trying to be friendly to each other, someone announced over the speaker that everyone waiting for E!mo should wait by the layaway department instead. People took off in a full blown run! I started off walking, thinking we would all be civil and those who had been first before would rightly be first in the new line. Not so! These people were crazy! After some woman pushed her cart in front of me (and into me) to block my advance, I decided these guys were serious! I sprinted up with the rest and took my place in line, not quite as close to the front as before. After everyone caught their breath, we started up conversation again. I smiled and nodded as everyone around me bashed those horrible Ebayers who were buying up all the toys and selling them for twice as much. As they talked, the price those evil Ebayers were charging increased - $80, $100, $200, $400! What horrible people these Ebayers were! I didn’t dare breathe a word that I had already had my hands on 3. We were a breath away from mob mentality, and I surely would have been hoisted up and tossed out.

The manager, some 20 year old who suddenly felt very important, came out and announced everyone could only have one and…there wasn't enough for everyone waiting in line. (gasp) He wouldn’t say how many there were, just that not everyone was going to get one. There were at least 25 people in line. An employee walked by & said she had heard there were only 3. Another said 4. Everyone was counting their spot in line and frowning more and more. Finally the big moment came. The manager came back out and announced they were bringing out the E!mos…all 9 of them. At least 25 people in line and only 9 E!mos. I was #7 in line. Whew.

Those of us who got the E!mos refused to make eye contact with the rest of the line. We hugged those silly giggling boxes to our chests and hustled down a different aisle (away from the rest of the line still standing in their spots, possibly in disbelief? Really? Only 9?), to the checkout, and to our cars – locking the doors behind us! By 7:15, all E!mos were gone. The people who followed orders and came back at 8 were not going to be happy!

Looking back, it was actually kind of fun being a part of something so crazy. I guess my viewpoint is probably a little different than the viewpoint of guy #10, though. So…Danielle is getting a T!ck!e Me E!mo for Christmas. Don’t tell her.



After church today we enjoyed the beautiful day by going to the zoo. We had a good time joking about goatpies and bisonpies and mooses. In the car Tyler found a piece of candy from the goody bag he received at the birthday party yesterday. It was sour, and he said it made his leg hurt(?): “Mom, this candy is making my leg hurt. My testines must be connected to my leg bone or something.”

Tonight while I was putting Tyler to bed I asked him if there was anything he already knew he wanted for Christmas. Figured I should ask now in case it was something that would be difficult to find. He said, “No. I don’t know yet. It doesn’t really matter what I ask Santa for anyway. He never brings what I ask for.” Before I could feel too horrible, he finished by adding, “He always brings me something way cooler. Much cooler. Way past 21 cooler.” That was nice to hear. No pressure or anything, though.