The ShugaBowl: Fighting With A 5-Year-Old

Monday, February 06, 2006

Fighting With A 5-Year-Old

Fighting with a five-year-old? You're kidding, right? Don't you know that when you fight with a five-year-old, they always win? Their logic just doesn't always link together properly. Just because the Seahawks and the Steelers are playing in the superbowl, doesn't mean the Eagles can't lose it. Didn't you know that?

Needless to say, I spent some time at the Davises yesterday. I found Danielle cleaning out Derek's car when we got there and wondered what great offense she had committed to have him punish her so. She did explain it, but I just couldn't catch what she was telling me. There was some kind of agreement that she would clean out the Jeep, but I was being talked to by more than just her at the time and you know how that goes.

Kyle was the next to say hi. I found him in the kitchen drinking the world's #1 beverage. Looking extra smashing in his Sunday outfit, he sat down and invited James and I to play a game. Manda came in just then and she and I were then designated by the supreme dictator to choose the game we would play. (Manda and I got double fun out of this task as we could choose any game we wanted and force them to play at the same time.) Chutes & Ladders. Do you know how long it's been since I've played Chutes & Ladders? I didn't fall down a single chute the whole game. Nor did I climb a single ladder. We only played for about three minutes before some friends of Manda's showed up and we broke up the game. Uno then became the desired amusement. Dana filled Manda's place and before she could play her first card, something happened to take her away from the game and Danny filled the empty spot.

"Whose hand is this?"

"It's Dana's. Just deal yourself in."

"I'm dealt in. See?" She held up Dana's cards.

Uno lasted long enough for Danielle to realize that uno is the Spanish word for "one" and that's why they call the game Uno, before Kyle started cheating and we each declared ourselves the winner. This brought on another game in which we had to decide which famous person we liked best, Nicolas Cage, Tom Hanks or, gee, I can't remember the other guy. Obviously, he didn't win, whoever he was. But I remember that Spiderman won out over Batman and Superman. (Of course!)

Just in the middle of deciding between three people I'd never heard of, I was called into the family room to see some pictures. Some were of Tohar and Manda. Some were really great shots of some really amazing moves in Twister. (Derek, just because they haven't said where to put your feet, doesn't mean you have to do a handstand.) And some were of Kye horsing around in the kitchen.

Nathan suddenly decided to play "you can't catch me." I should've taken of my shoes for this game. :) Somewhere along the line, he started throwing pillows at me and I found myself tackling the little guy to the ground and tickling all kinds of giggles out of him. (I love when he laughs like that too.) He wriggled free and sent the pillows sailing again, but when one began to hit the breakables, it was time for another game. James & Derek became targets for his dive bombing practice. Up on the chair he climbed with three pillows held in front of him, when he promptly threw himself out of my reach and onto the couch and its two occupants. This game lasted for some time. Nathan would try to jump over top of James and onto Derek's lap and so avoid the tickling fingers of James. He caught him several times however, and Nathan came running back to me to collect more pillows to throw.

Quite abruptly, Nathan remember that my cell phone has a camera. He had remembered it earlier in the evening, but when he tried to take a picture, the battery started to die. "Come on. We can plug it in."

"Sure we can," I thought. He tugged me upstairs to find the charger for Derek's phone, which must be just like mine because the charger actually worked.

"I'll put it in the phone and you plug it in the wall." "It's not working." "Oh, there it is. See the battery?" "No, I can do it." "Ok, let's unplug it." "Now show me how to take a picture."

This one-sided conversation went on through the course of about two minutes, until I tried to explain (yeah, yeah, I know) to a five-year-old that it takes longer than two minutes to charge a phone battery. "Ok, then let's leave it here." And he trotted out the door and slid through the stair railing and down the stairs. I wonder if I ever moved that deftly.

So when he remembered my cellphone, I was quite adamant that he should go get it before we both forgot it again. He took a picture of James (quite blurry) and one of Derek (also quite blurry) and one of he and I (yes, quite blurry as well). Great fun until I decided not to let the battery die out again, but he seemed amazingly willing to give it up.

He began to continue his jumping game until he started throwing more than just pillows at which time I gathered up his missiles and took them to a hiding place. Finding Danielle in the pantry overloaded with pickle jars, black olive cans, sodas and such, we began to play Mrs. Incredible by juggling them between us.

Six o'clock came and with it my mom. She'd come to take us home, where James promptly began to play the piano and I promptly settled down in front of the computer to play a game. Around eight, I decided it was getting a little dull and so I stuck in the first episode of P&P and began to crochet my big white afghan, which I have no hope of ever finishing and hence, no fear in offering a photo when it's completed.

Well, so that's that.

posted by cori 2/06/2006 08:49:00 AM

5 Comments:

At 2/06/2006 7:32 PM, Anonymous said…

For everybody's info: Despite what Cori says about her afghan, it's VERY pretty. So don't let her fool you into thinking that it's just another blanket. She's tricksy that way *grin*
At 2/07/2006 8:40 AM, cori said…

No, I like it! It is a nice pattern. I just said it was taking a long time.

Cara, you remember it. It's the one I was working on however-long-ago that I taught you to crochet?
At 2/07/2006 8:32 PM, The Horn Family said…

Of course, Leslie! How could I forget?! It was so big, beautiful, and well, white. :)

On that note, you were such a wonderful teacher helping me learn how to crochet that afghan for my mom. I just need you to fly out here to teach me more crocheting! :)

~Cara
At 2/08/2006 4:58 PM, Anonymous said…

I wouldn't mind taking some lessons from you myself, Leslie. My great aunt started to teach me to crochet when I was younger, but I never got past a double stitch. Cara was supposed to help me get to her level. . . then she up and left me!!! :)
At 2/08/2006 6:08 PM, cori said…

" . . . and well, white."

It was that. :)

Dani, you and I shall have to get together on this one. I haven't seen you in an age! Crocheting is a wonderful excuse. :)