Thursday, March 13, 2008

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!

5 comments:

picturesofhisgrace said...

I am still laughing. I think this is my favorite one so far about JCT. As Deana B. will tell you, I can relate to this story. She and I got locked out by Aaron while we were outside trying to find the girls. If I remember right, she had to go to the hospital to get Kevin's keys for us to get back in. I love these moments with our kids. It's one of those memories I am sure you will share with his wife and children one day!

Deidre said...

Praise God for my hide-a-key! I've been there and I never think it's funny. Now, I have a back up plan. That JCT is a character, but he sure is a cutie!

Jackson said...

Been there, done that!Colby locked us in a bedroom (backwards door knob)on a Sunday morning. NOTE: I'm the children's minister! For 40 minutes I'm on the phone letting people know that I'm not gonna make. All the while hearing Colby laughing on the other side of the door. We finally had to crawl out the window! Those second boys.. little rascals!!

AW said...

This reminds me of a story my grandmother told me once...

My father got in trouble one day in the 1st grade. (This was back in the 40's when they spanked students.) His teacher made him go sit in the woodshop until she got there to spank him. It was really just a storage shed more than anything. But as soon as she walked in, he jumped up, closed the door behind him and yanked the deadbolt latch tight and ran back to the classroom. Mrs. Griffith stood in that woodshed for a good hour before a maintenance man heard her hollering. He found her with steam coming out of her ears!

Decades later when she was MY teacher, I never did understand why she didn't like me. I think my father traumatized her wiht our family name. LOL!

Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart said...

Oh, I laughed because my 3 year old almost did this today. Thanks for sharing such a funny story. Oh, and let me say that I'm quite impressed with all you accomplished in one morning. Hope you got a nap too!


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Hi! I live in a sweet country home overflowing with love and laughter. I have been blessed to journey these days beside a man that I love, respect, and admire. He is my soul-mate and best friend. Together we are seeking to raise our seven children to be lovers of God, to be wise and discerning, and to be all that our sweet God created them to be.



 

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