The Run Aways

Two weeks ago I had my first experience with my children "running away". Let me tell you, it was SO funny!

It all started one day after school. I was on the laptop doing some online banking and was just about to get off as Benson needed to be fed. Marshall came up to me and asked if he could watch some basketball on the laptop (something him and Irish do on a regular basis...usually at breakfast time). I told him that I didn't have time to set it up for him, that I needed to feed Benson...AND that he hadn't earned it. Well apparently that was just the 'end of the world'. He got all pouty and whined "I hate this word" (I'm assuming the word he wasn't liking was 'No')

I replied saying "I'm sorry hunny, but you haven't earned it & I need to feed Benson" He stomps his foot, has his arms folded, and with a scowled look on his face and says "I'm so mad, I'm going to run away"
Me: Run away!? Where are you going to go?
Marshall: I don't know, I need a bag

So he goes around the house looking for a bag to 'pack' some items. He comes back into the living room and starts putting some toys into it.

I continue to ask him questions that will hopefully get him thinking and maybe realize that running away isn't the answer

Me: Marshall where are you going to sleep?
Marshall: By myself
Me: Who is going to feed you?
Marshall: I don't know, I'm just going to run away

He goes up stairs and comes back down with a stack of P.J's an puts them into his bag. Meanwhile Paisley is beside herself. In tears, crying "I don't want Marshall to leave". I'm trying to console her, and let her know that he's not actually going to leave...and then all of a sudden a switch flips and She's going with him! So now she's looking for a bag. I ask the kids if I should give away their bunkbed, toys & other clothes...you know...since their running away. Marshall told me no, because they weren't going to run away forever!

As Marshall is getting his coat on he tells me "I have some of my toys, pajamas & my boots in case it snows"
I ask him "Hunny, where are you going to go? How are you going to keep warm? Who is going to feed you? Who will tuck you in tonight? Who is going to sing to you at Bedtime" He pauses for a minute and then tells me that they are going to run away to Mary-Pats (Our Grandma friend & neighbor who lives kitty corner to us).

Since they said they were going to go somewhere in particular I decided I would let them 'go' and hopefully get this whole running away thing out of their system.

I watched them go over to her house. Marshall knocked on the door, no answer, knocked again, no answer....put his bag down and knocked on the door a couple more times. They then walked down her side walk and around the side of her house, at this point I could no longer see them. I thought to my self 'oh I hope they aren't going to just sit there and wait for her to come home'!

After a couple of minutes they come walking back around the side of the house and look like they are heading home...when who comes driving down the road!? Yep, Mary-Pat! Great timing! They see her and turn around running back to her driveway.

I start laughing to myself just thinking of what Marshall is going to tell her, how he'll say it and what her reaction will be! I give them a couple of minutes to go inside and then give Mary-Pat a call. Luckily she's laughing at the whole situation as well!

Apparently Marshall told her that they were coming to live with her!! Told her what days he goes to school, when he needs to be there and when he needs to be picked up! I tell her that I'm just in the middle of feeding Benson and I'll be over as soon as he's done!

Not too much later I see Marshall running back to our house. He bursts in the door and says "I forgot my backpack...and I need to get Paisley's coat" At this moment I am trying so hard NOT to laugh! How cute & funny is it that he came back to get his backpack!? And with that he was gone back over to Mary-Pat's!

Once Benson is finished We get our coats on and head on over to Mary-Pat's. When Marshall sees me come in the door he just groans.

"Mooooom, what are you doing here? I told you that we are running away for two sleeps and then we will come back home"

I told him "I came to talk with Mary-Pat and then we are all going home" He wasn't to pleased with the fact that I said we were all going home. I think he honestly thought they were just going to live there for two 'sleeps' and then come back home. As if Mary-Pat could just drop all her plans for the next two days and take care of them.

When we finally did go home we all had a nice chat about how we don't run away from our problems. Instead we need to talk about them, because running away wasn't going to fix anything.

Not that I can 'blame' this whole thing on a book...but I am! I blame a book on putting the idea of running away in his head. Not too long before this whole incident we read "Just So Mad" (one of the Little Critter books) throughout the whole book the critter wants to do certain things and he keeps being told 'No' by different people. So in the end he says he's going to run away. He packs some snacks and I think some toys and is about to run away when his friends show up and ask him to play. After reading that book to the kids I specifically mentioned how it was so silly that the Critter was going to run away just because he was upset...apparently Marshall didn't get the Memo!

All in all everyone involved (except the kids) had a good chuckle over it! They haven't mentioned running away again...yet!

Little Moments

Today was such a good day! It started out wonderfully as neither Irish or I had to work (in the morning) so there was no hustle and bustle. Just a taking it easy, being lazy, enjoying each others company kind of morning! (it also helps when the kids wake up at a descent time and play so well together in their room, which they did today!)

We all went and had breakfast together, when Marshall was finished we asked him to clear his dishes and then go up stairs to get dressed. He obediently cleared his dishes & went upstairs.

A few minutes later he comes down the stairs saying

"Momma, check this out!"

He then walks into the kitchen dressed like this...

...Yes you are seeing correctly...he came down wearing PAISLEY'S Skinnies!! What a character!! Irish and I just about busted a gut laughing!!

It's little moments like this that make me love this little guy so much!!! It's little moments like this that make me so happy to be a Mom to the wonderful children I have been blessed with! It's little moments like this that forewarn me of the future 'funnies' we will have together as a family!!

Observant little boy

Yesterday at Supper time, we were asking Marshall where all the different Countries were that we have taught him so far. After he finished naming & pointing to them all I asked him if he knew which Country WE lived in?!
His Response: "Umm.....Country Ninety Five Five"


....I guess he pays attention to which station I listen to while driving the van!

I think Irish was a little worried that I've "corrupted" our son...as he strongly DIS likes Country music....but I couldn't help but bust a gut laughing!!

The Hungry Store

This past Saturday we were out grocery shopping as a family. Due to the way the day played out we had to wait until Paisley finished her afternoon nap until we could go, which means we weren't able to leave until about 4pm.
 We went to Superstore first and then headed over to Wal-Mart. As we were getting out of the van, and walking into the store Marshall asks me
"Mom, can we go to the hungry store?"
puzzled I ask "the hungry store??"
"Yeah, the hungry store" he says again with a little bit of a "duh, don't you know what the hungry store is?!" tone in his voice.
I ask him "what is the hungry store?" He then points to the big M (for MacDonalds) on the outside of the Wal-Mart building!
I had a good little chuckle over this and told him that we were going home shortly and we would make some supper there. To which I'm pretty sure he replied "Aww darn it!"

Stripper time

Tonight I had a chuckle.

We finished bath time and I was getting Paisley all lotion-ed and into her P.J's. Irish was told by Marshall that "You need go downstairs, I put my jammas on by myself". SO with that Marshall was left in his room to put his P.J.'s on all by his big-boy-self. Paisley and I waited downstairs on the couch for him, and Irish went back to cleaning up the basement.

Quite surprisingly Marshall came down to the living room not too much longer after Paisley and I. He was indeed in is 'jammas' and as an added bonus they were on right side out and forwards.

I told Marshall to go and tell Dad that it was Scripture time.

So obediently he goes to the stairs and yells down to Irish "DAAAAD, IT'S STRIPPER TIME"

Big M - Our Lil GQ

Marshall cracks me up sometimes...okay so it's the majority of the time. Half of the time I don't know where he gets this stuff!

A couple of Sunday's ago I was taking pictures of Marshall and Irish all dressed up for church.



I just wanted one more of him, a close up. But he kept moving. So I asked him to go and stand in front of the wall so I could take one more picture of him...and this is what he did...all on his own!




Once I realized what he was doing, I started laughing so hard, I could barely stop!! I just keep wondering, where did he see this or where did he get it from!!

I love this little boy so much!!

"Owie"

So a couple of weekends ago Marshall and I went to High River for the weekend. Irish's sister Niki and her husband Sean were visiting from Victoria. We all had a great time! The Monday after being in High River, (while at the Gym) Marshall asked for a kleenex, his nose was running so I handed him one and he wiped it. Then about 10 min later I look over, only to see him sitting on a stool watching a movie with the kleenex pressed up to his chin. I go over and ask him "Marshall are you okay?" and he looks at me and says "Owie"...so I look at him with a puzzled look and ask "You have an owie?" Thinking that he might have been hit by one of the kids, I check his chin out...and it was just fine. Throughout the day every time he used a kleenex he would always hold it to his chin. This continued onto Tuesday as well. I could not figure out where this was coming from. Tuesday afternoon Irish is asking me why Marshall keeps holding a kleenex to his chin. I tell him I have NO clue....and then it hits me!! While we were visiting in High River, Marshall walked in on Grandpa shaving...which resulted in Grandpa cutting himself...and needing a kleenex for his "owie"....Marshall wanted to be just like his Grandpa...we had a good chuckle over this!!