Dear Santa...

Daredevil G

Reader G

 http://youtu.be/rn-sg7W5tvY

That's my boy, reading!

It's rudimentary but three months ago it wasn't even a possibility.  He learns so fast and so simply.  And as I expected, when I'm given the tools to teach him, he learns it.

tentacles?

Well, isn't that interesting?  I'm an octopus personality according to the Meyers-Brigg or whatever that's called.  I don't know that I agree with it though.  I try to be interested in what other people are doing, sometimes I'm more than interested, I'm actually invested.  And I'm not any smarter than the average person, so that part is off.  I used to be independent until I became a wife and then mother.  Now I'm smothered by companionship, obligation and love.  It's rough.

6. INTJ: Octopus

INTJs are independent types, wildly intelligent and creative — but rather un-interested in what anyone else is doing. They are often considered the most independent of all the personality types, and they work best when given freedom. They are acutely aware of their own intelligence, as well as what they don’t know, and their passion often lies in conceptualizing ideas and processing complex theories.

Your Type

INTJ

Introvert(44%)  iNtuitive(25%)  Thinking(1%)  Judging(22%)

• You have moderate preference of Introversion over Extraversion (44%)
• You have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (25%)
• You have marginal or no preference of Thinking over Feeling (1%)
• You have slight preference of Judging over Perceiving (22%)

He's good at it

Bedtime stalling

There is no actual video here, it's just a black screen but you can listen to what a typical bedtime is like here.  He loves to talk and most of the time I love to listen.  Yes, it's indulgent but really we have some of my favorite conversations at this point in the day.  And who doesn't love a sweet child's voice?

I realize he's a little, uh, how do you say?  All over the place.  Scatterbrained.  It's an age appropriate type thing I tell myself.  I think he's just a little crazy like his mother.

Now if you don't mind, I have a bag to pack.  It appears I'm taking a trip tomorrow and I'm going to need my warm wool socks.

The solar system according to G

G became solar system obsessed sometime this summer.  I found an old Time Life book that I had about the solar system.  It is a technical book but it has pictures.  It's also ridiculously outdated.  But he doesn't care.  He has had every word read to him more times than I care to recall.  He doesn't just like the pictures, you see, he needs the facts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf2mqKiBT4w&feature=youtu.be

Another one of the things that I love so much about living here is that it's rare that E has to work a night shift.  There's a certain amount of nervousness that accompanies having him gone into the night but that's a rare occurrence now.  That's why I laugh when a friend complains about her husband working late.  As in 8 pm.  Ha.  Try having him go to bed for an hour and then getting called out to something at midnight that will take him 4-7 hours to complete.  Then you can carry the worry about whether he's too tired to safely drive or watch his six.  His sleep is as important as his ability to shoot a gun.  Probably even more important I'll go ahead and say!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfrRqpsSNc&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Most of the time when these two are outside it's after E has finished work (and so I'm beginning my work) and now that we're into wintertime, that means they're out in the dark.  One of them threw a snowball at the office window and I peeked out to see this going on.  Boys are so weird.  Girls don't play like this.

Oh yay, the liar liar pants on fire stage is here.

Aw, baby's first mug shot!

Me: "Hey bud, did you take one of those chocolate doughnuts while I was in the shower?"
G: "Nope."
Me: "Really? You do remember what a lie is, right?"
G: "Yep."
Me: "You remember what the difference between the truth and a lie is, right?"
G: "Yep. Telling a lie will get me in big, big trouble."
Me: "Okay, glad to clear that up. Now let me start over. Did you take and eat one of those chocolate doughnuts while I was in the shower?"
G: "Nope."
Me: "There's a reason I'm asking, you know. Do you want to think about this for a second?"
G: "No mommy I did not take one of dem."
Me: "How come there were six and now there are only five then?"
G: "I fink Siren took one."
Me: "Okay, that is plausible. But how do you explain all the chocolate all over your face?"
G: "There is nuffin' on my face."
Me: "Go in your bathroom and look in the mirror and tell me what is all over your face then."

*silence as he walks to his bathroom*
G: "Hey mommy?"
Me: "Yes son?"
G: "I'm kinda busted."
Me: "Ya think?"

A few minutes in the life of being G's mother

Me: "Okay, let's get some breakfast in you. What would you like? I can make you some eggs and toast, some scrambled eggs with cheese, scrambled eggs with cheese and some toast, some french toast, some toaster strudel, some yogurt, etc. What would you like?"
G: "Peanut butter sammich and cheetos."
Me: "You can have that for lunch. We're talking breakfast here."
G: "Oh. My stomach is only hungry for something wild."
Me: "You mean something wild and crazy like chocolate syrup on eggs?"
G: "No, like a wild animal."
Me: "Oh. Huh. Well we have deer, elk or grouse."
G: "No, my stomach is hungry for squirrel."
Me: "Hm. Okay."

I proceed to put on my snow pants, boots and grab the pellet gun.

G: "Whatcha doin'?"
Me: "I'm going to go get your breakfast."
G: "Wait, what?"
Me: "I'm going to go shoot a squirrel and fry it up for you."
G: "Huh? You are?"
Me: "You said that's all your stomach can eat so that's what I'll fix you for breakfast. But if I go to all this trouble and you don't eat it you're going to be in a world of hurt."
G: "I'll just cover it in ketchup."
Me: "Whatever, as long as you eat it."

I step out the door, put a round in and head towards the bird feeder where the squirrels like to steal food.

I hear him yell from the garage, "Okay, okay, I'll take scrambled eggs and cheese please."
Me, muttering under my breath: "Yeah you will, you little shit."

here we go again!

It's not like it's a surprise.  Snow.  Here.

G has been asking for snow for well over a month now.  So he's a happy camper.  I can't get excited for some reason.  Maybe because I know we have like 4-5 months of dark and cold now?  I never seem to appreciate summer enough while it's here.

G's a happy boy, that's what matters, right? 

His aim is getting good.  And he has no qualms about throwing snow at either of us.

Once he actually figures out how to pack a snowball it's going to start hurting.

He's a handsome little devil isn't he?  I love his features.

We had to hurry up and get our last jump of the year in since E was adamant that the trampoline was getting taken apart today now that the snow has fallen.  G absolutely loved making the snow jump.

He loves to stand just under the big trees and wait for the wind to blow the snow down on him and then he runs around screaming, "It's a blizzard!  We're trapped in a blizzard with no way out!"  If he decides to take up drama in high school I think he'll excel.

Hm, smack him for being slightly disrespectful or just be happy that he actually looked at me?  Option #2 please.

G told me he has to practice his sneak.  So he can sneak attack Daddy.  Should I warn his daddy to the winter mischief ahead?  I think not.

Does he look mad?  Yeah because I asked him what he was doing.  "Never you mind what you see.  I'm just busy over here."  Well okay then, so sorry.

He made me a snow angel.  In the middle of the road.  Which is why I was asking him what the heck he was doing.

I can't wait to break out the snowshoes, I thin he's really going to get the mechanics this year.  It'll be nice to have someone snowshoe with me even when E is working and it'll be nice to not have to worry about having to carry said person back to the car when he poops out on me halfway through our hike!

To live content...

I found this quote the other day when I was looking for a book review on Goodreads.  It is what I strive for in my life.

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, to all bravely await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.” 

― William Henry Channing

work sample

We are required every once in awhile to submit work samples to show we're on track.  G did the lesson on the Grand Canyon (literature and comprehension) with Nana a few weeks ago since she has been to the Grand Canyon.  I didn't realize this page in the workbook had to be done and G, not being a coloring or drawing type of child would just a soon skip these kinds of activities.  We went back and did this one.  Do you like his drawing of a sunset at the Grand Canyon?  A little impressionistic but it makes sense to me!  In fact see the blue down on the bottom left?  He informed me that's the Colorado River.

He went on to draw a lightning storm at the Grand Canyon, because that happens.

Then of course he had to draw what the solar system looks like if you're standing at the Grand Canyon and looking up.  Because he's solar system obsessed.

The assignment was just that first page, leave it to G to do all sorts of extra credit!