Thousand(s!) Word Thursday

The middle kid. The forgotten Jan Brady of the bunch...yeah right! Forgotten my Aunt Fanny!

This kid is hilarious. He plays with the little kids, stays cool with his peers, and digs family game night with the old folks. And by old folks I mean us and the aunts & uncles.

He's hard to beat with the comebacks & one liners...his timing is impeccable, expressions fabulous, and delivers it dry as a bone.

But I'm not biased or anything.

Girls: 1 / Boys: 4

That would be the ratio of estrogen to testosterone in my household. The boys are totally in the lead. Even if you count the 2 female calico cats, I'm outnumbered. It'd be useless anyhow cause they are only on my team when I'm the one opening the can of kitty chow.

Anyways. Thought I'd share this with those of you raising daughters...if you are finding yourself bewildered at the amount of flip flops, toe rings, or bottles of nail polish that they 'must have', or if you have ever entertained the idea that boys are less expensive, check out what boys prefer on (under) their feet:

Beast skateboards, yo. (OMG, who was that?)

These colorful slats of wood all belong to just one of my boys.

AJ....my sweet little Apple Jack. (He's almost 15, so cross your heart promise not to tell him I called him that, k?)

To you and I they appear to be abused and worn out skateboards. To him, those scuff marks reveal his passion. Including, maybe even especially, the one without trucks & wheels. Not just any will do, you know. (Perhaps its similar to preferring hand dyed merino wool to RHSS? Just trying to relate here...)

A couple are cheap, a couple are expensive, all get equal time. And he's getting another one next week. I'm not sure if he is working his way up to a board for each day of the week, trying to match outfits (the skater wardrobe is a conversation for another time) - but as long as he is happy and engaged in something healthy, then who am I (buyer of yarn for no reason) to argue?

The One Where The Boys Get On My Nerves

I actually have a menagerie of things I want to share...but no time to really put it all down in one post, so one at a time - even if that means multiple posts in a day, k?

(BTW, I totally stole how FRIENDS used to name their episodes. But they didn't copyright it so they can't sue me, ha!)

Ok, so my oldest son is off in California visiting my mom and grandparents...leaving my middle son to step into the role of Head Annoyer, a role he takes immense pride in. Oh yes.

Lately? He is answering everything my youngest son says with "Your Mom". Which is giving the little guy severe angst. Because "Your Mom" is "Your Mom TOO!".

Max: It's my turn to play (the video game).
AJ: Your Mom is playing the game.
Max: What?
AJ: Your Mom's what?
Max: My mom is your mom too.
AJ: Go away son. (He also calls all male-types "son" for reasons I have yet to figure out.)

Max: AJ Guess what! I did an ollie on my skateboard.
AJ: Your Mom did an ollie.
Max: Mom can do an ollie?

Max: Mom, can you do an ollie?
Me: What's an ollie?
Max: You know, on the skateboard.
Me: Uh, no.

Max: AJ, you're a liar!
AJ: Your Mom's a liar.
Max: No she's not!

Max: Mom, AJ called you a liar.
Me: Takes one to know one. (Cause' I'm all for behaving like a kid to a kid.)
Max: What?
Me: Nothing honey, ignore AJ.

Max: Mom said she's ignoring you. (Clearly putting his own spin on my words.)
AJ: Your Mom's ignoring you.
Max: She's YOUR MOM too!
AJ: I can't hear you son.
Max. SHE'S. YOUR. MOM. TOO.
AJ: You don't have to yell, I'm right here.
Max: Your Moms right here.
(Oh snap! He finally picked up on it!)

Hooyah Cadet Jones

Well...
...the kid is off to MROTC bootcamp. Not G-Bunny™ - but Jan Brady, my AJ. Ok, maybe its not real bootcamp, and he will be returning to my arms in one short (really long) week. I'm going to miss his snarky, one liner's and mud puddle eyes. I pray he is safe, happy, and has the time of his life! (Que Greenday)
ALSO?
My boys are totally bringing CHiPs back!
I giveth you Ponch...

















And Jon...









Are you thinking what I'm thinking? YuP! Halloween costumes...fo' sho'.

Jan Brady Lives Here

Yeah....

When it comes to Mom of the Year? I am totally Susan Lucci.

Why this time?

Because I have blabbered on and on (and on and on and on) about G-Bunny™. I have flashed pics of my youngest Max striking poses in a sleeping mask. I have shared about my baby girl Kaitlyn. But have I told you about my super-uber-cool middle son Jan, I mean AJ?

I love all my kids equally, but in different ways, if that makes any kind of sense at all. They are different people with different dispositions - and while each one came from my womb, I am pretty sure each one redecorated to suit their own fancy while they were. I'm just saying.

Gunnar is my firstborn, charged with meeting and exceeding all of my irrationally HIGH expections (and doing well at it).

Kaitlyn is my angel, watching over us from her fluffy cloud in Heaven, and waiting patiently for us to arrive when our times come.

Max is my wild child, the "baby" who has been catered to every day of his life - he followed Kaitlyn and so you can imagine how he has been doted upon. He flashes his toothy grin and gets away with murder.

But up there between Gunnar and Kaitlyn is my kid AJ, my rock, my comedian - faster than a speeding bullet with the snappy comebacks, just call him Superman. He's got the hairline curl to prove it too! He has also been called my favorite by a certain older brother, but I don't play favorites.

Probably its that he too has gotten away with way more than he should have - and I would say blame it on those big brown eyes. He's the only one of my boys with dark pools of chocolate for eyeballs - all puppy dog and innocent looking.

AJ and I mesh, he can read my moods and finish my sentences. He's 14 and he still likes me. What more can a mom ask for?

Next week he is headed to Parris Island, South Carolina for a summer bootcamp thing for kids in ROTC. He's totally stoked and I am totally scared!

Here I was, cruising along thinking how cool is this that he is going to participate in a summer camp thing because he loves his Marines Junior ROTC thing - and then I YouTube'd it. HELLO! Some short chick in camo with her bun pulled too tight was SCREAMING at the poor kids! Did I say screaming? She. Was. Screaming. Somebody hand that woman a tall, cold glass of shut-up-juice!

Mostly it looks like hard work - but when I showed him he was all smiles and ready to rock n' roll. This is where the boy and I part ways in opinion - cause uh, NOT ME! I went to regular summer camp where it was all basket weaving and Kumbaya singing and I thought the day hikes were hard labor of the chain gang variety!

Honestly? I think there's a big sweetness factor playing out here. The fact that he is going to a "real" bootcamp facility - although he is doing the kid thing - before his big brother goes off to Air Force bootcamp in San Antonio score's him some major "I did it first" points.

Sibling rivalry is a beast, yo. ;)

Anytime a little brother can one-up a big brother it becomes story fodder for generations to come.

So here he is, my Jan Brady...