Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Adventures in Parenting Evan

Our Evan
Photo by Alex Sears
All three of my children have impacted who I am, the way I think, and view the world. But this kooky little character who came along most unexpectedly in my forties, well, he is the daily twist in my life plot. Let me illustrate for you. Here’s a glimpse into just one day with my five-year old, Evan.

Morning:
This kid doesn’t just wake up. He bolts upright and out of bed like he’s been shot from a cannon. I hear his thunderous footsteps throughout the house. He is not just awake, but instantly on fire for life.

Late morning:
He’s alone in his room, lining up his stuffed animals as contestants on Wheel of Fortune. He is Pat Sajak.

Lunch:
At a restaurant, he orders a hamburger. My child has shunned all meat since he was born, never tried it, even as an infant.
“A hamburger?” I ask, “But you’ve never eaten a hamburger before. Are you sure?”
“Mommy, you told me it’s good to try new things, so today I want to try a hamburger. I LOVE hamburgers!”
So we order him one. When it comes, he takes the top bun off and says, “What’s that brown thing?”
“That’s a hamburger, honey.”
“No, I mean this round brown thing in the middle- what is it?”
“It’s hamburger meat.”
“I don’t want the brown thing, just the hamburger.”
So he takes the brown thing off and proceeds to eat his “hamburger” – two white bread buns with nothing on them.

Afterward we go to the library to drop off an overdue book, and make a quick bathroom trip. On the way out, the librarian, who knows us, asks if she can find Evan anything special today. She knows he’s a big geography buff, and usually asks for atlases, or foreign language books.
“No, thanks” he said as we walked out. But then he says he wants to go back and tell her something really important. He ran back like he had the biggest news in the world.
“Excuse me, Ma’am?” (He knows good manners always get full attention)
“Yes, Sweetie?”
He says, LOUDLY, “I just wanted to tell you we only came to the library today because my Mom had to pee.”

Outside the library, Evan stops at the wishing well. He drops his penny in with a wide-eyed look and a big smile.
“What did you wish for, Ev?”
“I wished I was made out of honey so I could lick myself!”

Afternoon:
We stop at Toy’s R Us, as I promised to buy him a toy he’d earned by getting gold stars on his “no nail biting” chart. He decided on a Power Rangers “Samuraizer”.  He was giddy to open the package in the car. As I freed the “Samuraizer” from it’s packaging he twiddles his fingers and says, “Come to Papa, Samuraizer!

Bedtime:
I read him his story, tuck him in, and turn out the light. Just as he’s dozing off, he calls me.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
Eyes still closed…”You should get pajama jeans,” he said groggily.
(muffling giggle) “Really, why’s that?”
“Because they’re so…(zzz)… comfortable, you’ll want to wear them..(yawn)  all the time.”

“Okay honey. I’ll give that some thought. Good night.”

Zzzzzzzz….

(He was even a funny baby- see pics below)

Evan started walking at 9 months, when he was barely bigger than a wine bottle. I'm not going to explain why he's walking around with a wine bottle. 
We call this pic "Sticker shock"...Only 2 bucks?? No way!

6 comments:

  1. Hollye, you had me literally laughing out loud. I know Evan is so bright eyed and curious about everything. What a doll he is. And smart as a whip, just like his mama & papa.
    Our kids and grandkids are so much fun to be around and bless them, they make us laugh. I LOVE Evan and your whole darn family, as well as your dear, dear friends who are family too.
    Kisses to you my sweet beautiful GF.
    ~Maxee

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  2. Love and kisses to you too Miss Maxee. I know darling Maggie fills your life with laughter and wonder. I can't decide who is the bigger kid, tho...her or YOU? We really do need to get Evan and Maggie together again- SOON!

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  3. This is so Evan. He is adorable.

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  4. Oh so sweeeeeet!! Evan just pops off the page and into hearts. "What a character," as Deb would say. I love when you share him with us :)
    Thanks! xo B

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  5. Great post! I look forward to meeting this young gentleman someday.

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  6. POBBA! You can't imagine how much Evan would love to meet you. You are a rock star in our house- he knows all the words to all of your songs.

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I love hearing your point of view- thank you for taking the time to comment and be part of the conversation!
love,
Hollye