T-R-O-U-B-L-E

I used to think that the "T" in JCT stood for Truett. That at least was our intention when we gave him his long and meaning-filled name, but now I am rethinking this. Now I think the "T" may actually stand for trouble, no, make that TROUBLE.

So, it was Wednesday, and let me give you a little rundown of the day. We got up and out of the house, dressed, ready, and teeth brushed by 8:20. We drove to the Honda dealership to get maintenance work done on our beloved Vannie. I was dreading this because here I am with three boys and pregnant. And to make it even better, Joshua's eye was black due to an incident with JCT and a sippy cup. I told Erik that I was going to wear something to hide my growing belly because I didn't want the guys at Honda to think I was completely in over my head. Erik just said, "Yeah, because it really matters what the maintenance men at Honda think." I know he is right, but still. . .

It actually went unusually well, me and my three little men hanging out in the Honda waiting room. Then, we headed to Super-Wal-Mart, and if you know me, you know the mood that trip can put me in. But, I must admit, I remained calm and handled myself quite well. Then, we went to the mall for a lunch/playdate with Deana B. and Afton. This went well, too, especially considering Elijah was forced to sacrifice his morning nap. After this it was time to go home for naps with the promise of playing outdoors later that day.

Later that day came. We played on the swingset. We took a walk to see the horses. I set up two basketball goals, and I did a multitude of other motherly things requiring strength and stamina. And, by 5 o clock I was tired, worn out, beat. And, so when my darling JCT dumped an entire package of peach puff stars on the tray of Elijah's stroller when he KNEW GOOD AND WELL THAT THIS IS A MAJOR NO NO, I felt myself getting overwhelmed and just plain over it! The reason this is a major no no is not only because it is simply, common-sense, not a good idea, but mainly because Elijah will put as many stars as he can in his mouth at one time. If there are 2 on his tray, they both go in his mouth. If there are 6 on his tray, as fast as he can shovel them in, all 6 go in his mouth. So, I walked over to the stroller and pryed Elijah's handfuls of stars open and hurridely picked up the stars before he stuffed too many in his mouth and began choking. All the while, JCT is laughing. . . hysterically. I am NOT. So, I say, "JCT, you know better. How many stars are you allowed to put on Elijah's tray at one time?" JCT answered smiling, "2." Through gritted teeth I responded, "You knew not to dump the entire package on his tray. Now go inside and sit in time out. I'll be inside in a minute to talk to you."

He went inside, and I began gathering our things, etc. getting ready to head indoors for the evening. Joshua was a bit ahead of me and ran to the door. And, guess what he yelled back to me. . .

"Mommy, JCT locked the door! We can't get inside!"

So, here I am, Elijah on my hip, standing in shock thinking, "Are you serious? This is just like him! Little rascal!" And, to make matters even more interesting, Erik hired two young boys from our church to do yard work this week, so they are enjoying the entire scene. They tried really hard not to laugh, but I know they wanted to, very badly.

I walked over to the door to check and see that it was indeed locked. It was. And, through the window, I could see my very obedient JCT sitting in time-out. . . smiling, SMILING! I motioned for him to come to the door. He came with his silly smile getting bigger!! I asked him to unbolt the door. He tried, but just couldn't seem to do it. Then, Joshua tried to help him, and the young boys in between laughter, tried to talk him through it. Somehow he just wasn't strong enough to unlock it, but he sure could lock it. Funny, isn't it?

After 20 or so minutes, I told the young boys to go on home that Erik would be home soon, etc. Really, I just wanted them to leave. After they left I really tried hard to get JCT to open the lock. Several times he disappeard, and I couldn't see where in the house he was. Erik still had patients to see, so I was stuck. . . outside with my baby and my five year old while my three year old had the whole house to himself.

After 45 minutes or so, JCT layed down on the bench by the backdoor. He started to look bored and lonely. His silly smile had disappeared. I thought he might cry, so I asked him again to please try the bolt.

Amazingly, he opened the door, first try, without hesitation. Interesting, huh? When it was fun and he had an audience, he couldn't seem to unlock the bolt. But, when the audience left and he was bored, suddenly he could open the lock easily. Go figure?

What is even funnier is that I, too, was laughing. . . on the inside. I couldn't let JCT know that I thought it was funny. I had to make an even out of it, so that he would NEVER do it again. So, needless to say, I did discipline him. But, the whole situation made me smile because I love him. I love who he is, this little man with spunk and a mischeviously cute grin. He is a funny little man, and I am thankful to have him as my own. Life would be a lot less interesting without him!