They actually listen. Well, at least sometimes.

Listening is a skill it takes many years to learn.  In fact, even as an adult, I don't think I'm the best listener, mediocre at best.  So it doesn't surprise me that we are constantly telling the boys they need to listen to us.  In fact, every time we talk to Michael in time out and ask him why he is there, his automatic response is "because I didn't listen."  Although he's right about 80% of the time with that answer, somehow he forgets to listen better because the very next time he is sent back to "the chair", it is usually for the exact same offense. 

So I've given in to the idea that magically some day the switch would click and they'd become automatic excellent listeners and realized that a work in progress is success too.  What I didn't realize, is that they actually do listen to you, even when you really don't want them to.

My case in point.... Yesterday, we started the long process of taking down the Christmas decorations.  I've said it before and I admit it, I love Christmas.  Some may say, including my husband, that I have a few too many decorations and that it shouldn't take the better part of 2 full days to take them down.  But it does, and I like it, so each and every year we dig them out of the attic and then just a month later, we pack them all back up and put them up there until next November. 

For those who have been to our house and know we have a three stall garage, you've seen that we too have fallen into the trap so many Arizonans without basements do.  It isn't that we have three cars, it is that we have so much crap (oops maybe I should say wonderful possessions)  that we can't fit it all in our house and so our garage becomes our storage place. 

So yesterday, while Jarrett was helping to take down the outside lights, I was attempting to tidy up the 3rd stall while the boys entertained themselves with their bikes in the driveway. The 3rd stall was so messy that I tripped on "stuff" countless times, until I became so frustrated and obsessed with the mess, I blurted out... "Jarrett we have so much crap.  It stresses me out to have the garage such a mess. It is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!"  Being that the boys were riding their bikes, I thought they were pretty preoccupied and didn't seem to notice my outburst. 

Jarrett quickly came to my rescue, by getting down from the ladder that was 15 feet in the air, walked over to me and said, "Well, if we didn't have 25 boxes (literally) of Christmas decorations, 3 Christmas trees, and 7 wreaths, we wouldn't have so much stuff."  Yea, I didn't really have a come back to that, but I guess my stressed out look was enough to convince him to help me.

So today after Church we set up the ladder and up I climbed into the attic to make the majority of the mess disappear.  One by one he handed me up the boxes and I carefully placed them on the support beams, as to not put more weight than what it can stand on one beam.  Since we've moved in, we've noticed a crack appear in the ceiling of our garage, above our Christmas decorations.  I choose to ignore it, Jarrett chooses to remind me about it every time we perform the Christmas routine.

About 45 minutes later I climbed back down the ladder and looked pleasingly over at the third stall which was now 1/2 clear of boxes.  Just then Gabriel came biking into the garage, realizing that we had finished with putting the boxes into the attic.  He looked at Jarrett, then at me, and then drove his bike straight into another pile of boxes that has been waiting to be unloaded since we moved in to this house back in 2007.  Displeased he shouted... "Dad, what are we going to do with these boxes!?!?!?!  This is CRAZING ME OUT!"

As I burst into laughter, Jarrett looked over at me and said, "hum Mom, where did he hear that?"

Until next time,
Angie