Naturally

Our evenings are always so short. But it was a nice one tonight. We had dinner, then went downstairs to play. Ended up running around the basement in circles. Then, when we grew too dizzy, we travelled around like various animals--we hopped like a bunny and a frog, slithered like a snake, lumbered and trumpeted like an elephant, scampered like a bear. Auden joined in, too, though I was really worried he was going to smack his little head into the toy or book shelves. He took a breather and then cut a rug to a tune on his keyboard. Usually, he does a little rhythmic squat and head bob, shaking his head "yes," his fluffy hair bobbing right along as well. Lately, though, he's started a new move--the open-armed spin. You know he's really into the music when he's spinning and bobbing his head.

Bedtime has been an ongoing challenge with Logan these days. He's in bed. He's out. He's in. He's out. And it's always such an interesting question, comment, or request that has drawn him from bed. He wants water. He needs to be covered up again. He wants to check on what we're doing.

Tonight, I put the boys to bed solo since Eric is out playing poker with some friends. I guess I was off my game. Logan and I put a puzzle together and read two stories after the boys had taken their bath and I had put Auden to bed. I commenced my nightly ritual of tidying up and was preparing to grade yet another stack of essays when I heard Logan get out of his bedroom.

"Mom! My teeth are already brown! You forgot to brush my teeth!" This proclamation was followed by a sigh of frustration and a frowny faced shoulder slump. See, one night Logan refused to let me brush his teeth, or to brush his own teeth, so I told him his teeth were brown and only brushing them would make them white again. The threat of pain and holes in his teeth didn't work, but brown teeth did, apparently...Is the lesson we take away from this that three-year-olds are just as vain as adults?

So we went to the bathroom, started to brush his teeth, when he started to complain about the toothpaste. He didn't want his, he wanted daddy's paste. And of course he had to spit every two seconds.

"Do you try to be annoying, or does it just come naturally?!" I spouted off in frustration.

Logan's matter-of-fact response: "It just comes naturally."