"Eskited" about "misking" up some "Mescican"...

Although the boys have been home almost 2 years (Yeah.  I'm not kidding.), we still have trouble with some letters and sounds.  Specifically, the letter "x".  For some reason both boys have trouble with some words that have the letter "x".  For example, mixing or excited or Mexican.  Which come out like misking, eskited and Mescican.

The whole thing started after we overheard Charlie telling Sam he was "eskited" about....well, I don't remember what...just that he was "eskited".  After eavesdropping for a few minutes on the x-challenged conversation, we tried to help him correct his pronunciation.  Funny thing is, he can say fox, six, ax and several other short x-words, but can't get the word mix to come out right...

Kenny:  "Repeat after me:  six."
Charlie:  "Six."

Kenny:  "Six."
Charlie: "Six."

Kenny: "Six."
Charlie: "Six."

Kenny: "MIX."
Charlie:  "Mix.....YAY!!  I said misk!!  Awwww..."

This conversation happened, oh, I'd say maybe 8 times, with the same exact ending every, single time.  Followed by our laughing and his frowning, begging that we do it again.  He doesn't like to not "win" and this little game of phonics was beating him. 

I personally think it's kinda cute.  Despite my big-almost-2nd-grader's lack of amusement with his x-shaped ordeal...

I'm a #4.

NOTE:  All of the following is the author's opinion and sometimes overexaggerated truth.  And meant purely for your own entertainment.  Don't be offended.  Especially if you are a Redneck.

Lately I've discovered that we don't really fit in around here.

I am not a city girl.  But I'm not exactly your typical raised-on-a-farm girl either.  And I don't think I'm a Redneck.  Not totally anyway.  I really like being outside.  I don't mind getting dirty.  I like to play in the dirt, go camping, get sweaty, play football, cut the grass, etc, etc.  But I've never done anything like birth a cow or slop a pig or sheer a sheep.  Not that I'm opposed to those things.  Just never done it.

Where we live, I'm discovering 3 categories of people.

#1  Born and raised Spencer Countians.  Which usually means they have had a little bit, if not a lot, of that farm raisin' I was talking about.  They also all root for the Kentucky Wildcats, hate the Louisville Cardinals, take offense if you assume they are from the city and can spot an outsider from a mile away.

#2  City transplants.  People from Louisville that have decided they don't really want to live in the city, but are still just city folks that now have a commute.  They may have bought a tractor or a boat to try to fit in, but that Louisville Cardinals sticker on the back of their fancy SUV gave them away.

#3  Rednecks.  Sitting on your porch in a lawn chair (or your couch), trash in your yard, yelling at your kids, truck up on blocks, stealing the neighbor's cable, cigarette smoking rednecks.  Sometimes with a touch of #1 added in.  Which means there may be a tractor parked next to that 1983 Chevy truck in your front yard that's up on blocks.  (Actually a whole other sub-category referred to as Hillbillies.  A farm-influenced Redneck.)

Yesterday, while on a visit to a nearby park with the boys, we walked down to the creek where I realized quickly we were surrounded by Rednecks.  Except these Rednecks had brought their bare-bellies and cut-off jeans to the creek to sit in their lawn chairs.  Right smack in the middle of the creek.  (I really, really wish I had a picture.)  And I'm pretty sure part of their family was also sitting at the picnic tables folding their laundry.  I'm just hoping they hadn't done it in the creek.  Either way, I gotta good laugh out of it.

Now, we typically wear enough clothes to cover all necessary skin.  And I try to keep the carport cleaned up instead of letting the toys flow into the yard.  All of our cars have tires and run fairly smoothly.  And smoking is an absolute no-no at our house.  We aren't from around here and don't have a tractor.  But due to the looks we get, I'm fairly sure that we have formed our own category in Spencer County. 

I went to the local Dairy Queen the other day and had a lady stare at me so hard I finally asked her if my fly was down or if I had spinach in my teeth.....  OK, so I didn't really.  I did stare back.  And grin really big at her.  Which made her terribly uncomfortable.  And the only reason she was studying us so, was because my kids are so stinkin' cute, people can't help but stare.

So, our own category.....

#4  Really cute, Alabama-transplanted, obviously conspicuous Ethiopians.  Some of us are from Alabama, some of us are from Ethiopia.  We are all adopted.  And we are all really cute.  And we may sometimes act like city folks.  Or maybe even Rednecks.  We don't have a tractor or a boat and we pull exclusively for the Crimson Tide.  We may look different, but we are terribly fun to be around.  Honest.

I'm proud to be a #4.  And will continue to be friends with the 1, 2 and 3's.

As long as we can all still laugh at each other.

Summer. And Sam.

So, wanna know how our summer is shaping up??

Sleep, eat, go to the pool, play outside.  Repeat.

So, you see, that's left little time for blogging.  And my laptop is still under the weather.  While that's a little annoying, it's given me no reason to waste endless hours on the computer.  A plus for all involved.

To indulge your need for an informative post, let me give you an update on our youngest.

Oh, Sam.

He keeps us rolling.  The funniest things come out of his mouth.  All the time.  And the funniest faces.  He still tends to use far more words that necessary to convey his thoughts.  As if he doesn't know which word to use, so he'll just use them all.  So, like his brother, conversations tend to last longer than they really should.

Sam's most recent antics include wanting to know what we are doing next..."Mommy, after we eat, what we doin' next?"  "We're gonna go to the library, buddy."  "Mommy, after we go to library, what we doin' next?"  "Coming back home."  "Mommy, after we come home, what we doin' next?"  "I have no idea."  "Mommy, after that......what we doin' next?  Mommy?  MOMMY??"  (usually I just wander off in order to avoid the barrage of questions)

Another line of questioning that is fairly common..."Mommy, whatcha eating?"  "It's a granola bar."  "What's a granola bar?"  "It's my breakfast."  "What's breakfast?"  "It's what we eat in the morning."  "What's the morning?"  And on and on and on we go....

He's also fairly certain he doesn't need "sunscream"....I've given up trying to explain...."I don't need sunscream.  I'm not hot yet, Mommy."  Sunscream.  Yeah.

He also doesn't like it if I'm reading a book, but he can't hear me.  Usually it's when it's a book for me, so it's not necessary for me to read out loud to myself..."You're not reading, Mommy.  I don't hear you talking."

I'll leave you with a conversation from tonight.  He had been in his room serving a little time-out due to direct disobedience.  I was going through my 30-second spill of obeying the first time Mommy says something, instead of the third and I notice he is chewing on something.  We had eaten dinner about an hour ago, so I just assumed maybe he had stowed away some leftovers back there, as gross as that might be...

"What is in your mouth?"
Without so much as a pause..."A booger."
Pause for a little throw up in my mouth..............
"Go spit it out.  Now.  And go back to your room."

I was utterly disgusted that he was literally chewing on a booger.  And my first response was to get him as far away as possible from me.  Hence the return to his room.

He's all boy.  My big 4-year-old-booger-chewing-motor-mouth-boy. 

I still love him.  How can you not when he wraps his arms around you and says, "Mommy, you look like a princess!!" while looking at my wedding picture hanging in the hall??