" Did you know that elephants eat other elephant's poop?" Preston said casually licking peanut butter off his sandwich. I raised my eyebrows at him as a warning but taking it as interest he continued, "Yeah, they eat it cause it has nutrients that they need....I think like fiber and stuff so they have to cause it's good for them." I opened my mouth but before words could come out Eli chimed in with "I am sure glad I don't have to eat my own poop!" "Ok, guys not while we eat lunch!" I finally got out. Preston and Eli looked as me puzzled and when they saw the disgusted look on my face as I spooned a glob of smashed beans into Dallin's mouth they burst out laughing. It is interesting--being surrounded by boys, it's never boring although chaos, messiness and throwing punches is a daily part of the agenda.
Tonight is the superbowl and I sat briefly next to my husband on the sofa while his eyes were glued to the football game, Dallin was grunting to be fed more (where does all the food go? He is bottomless!) and the older boys wrestled in the corner pretending to be superheros. I looked around and said to no one in particular...."Superheros, sports and hunting--this is my life! I grinned at David and said ironically, "How did this happen?"
I mean I was never a super girly girl. The makeup and love of clothes didn't come until I was a teenager. I had never been a babydoll toting girl who liked to play about weddings and babies. I was the girl that wanted to prove I could play with the boys and spent more time playing sports with the neighborhood boys then with the barbie-loving girls. I wore pinks and purples but it didn't stop me from getting into lots of boyish trouble with my brothers--building precarious tree swings, skinny dipping in canals and playing army, cops and robbers and all other kinds of stereotypical boys games.
It's funny because so many people who know me look at me with my curly hair, makeup and high stilleto boots with three boys and a husband in tow and will say "Oh you need a girl!" and part of me would really love to have a daughter. But as I think about it now, I am really good with being a mom of boys. I don't mind the loud yells of laughter as they tease and wrestle--I find it cheering and even comforting. Thank-goodness I don't have to comb my boys hair (they like their hair cut really short!) cause I get distracted easily with other things until I am literally walking out the door. I also don't have to worry too much about what they are wearing when we go out (as long as there aren't big holes and there are not huge obvious stains on their shirts). And though they are more sensitive then people generally credit boys for, they forgive quickly and rarely hold a grudge longer than five minutes. They are so easy to please too--a chance to watch a Transformers cartoon with a cup of cocoa and they are full of loving energy stating jovially, yet sweetly "Mom, you are such a nice mom!" Maybe girls would be as easy--I don't know they are not in my deck of cards as of now and maybe never as a mother. For now though I look at myself and who I am and think how much I wouldn't trade a thing about my boy-filled family.
Who else gets to have such interesting lunch conversations about how elephants get enough fiber?
This just made my day!!!
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