Had a project due by noon today (technically 2 p.m. since the time change gives me an automatic extension) so I figured I’d get an early start. About 10 minutes into the ad, Jackson shows up at the door wearing a pair of jeans over his new overalls. By way of explanation, he says that he has to have the jeans because the overalls don’t have a place to hold his tools. (His imaginary tools, I might add.)
He tells me he’s building a “goat run” for his goat named Giddy. (Also imaginary) We talk briefly about his various construction projects and he darts off to get me my very own hardhat (or makeshift hardhat. It’s actually a fireman’s hat from his Halloween costume).
I’m torn by my need to work and my desire to look at life from the perspective of a four year old. But Jenna beckons him for the long-awaited decorating of the Christmas tree and my work ethic once again kicks in.
Later, when Jenna and I are eating lunch (or some semblance thereof), we watch in horror as the Christmas tree makes a somewhat graceful descent to the floor. (I should note that her cat Tigger makes himself scarce, seeing as he accidentally knocked her tree over one year and has yet to live it down…)
She starts freaking out, especially when she notices that Jackson’s first ornament is broken. I do my best to calm her down and we commence to undecorating the tree and vacuuming pine needles with the shop vac since her oreck is on the blink.
Jackson emerged from his nap in a most foul mood. He and Jenna were in the living room and the conversation went something like this: Jenna: “Hand me that Target receipt. I need it.” Jackson: “I’m throwing this away. You don’t need it. I’m throwing it away. I’m throwing it away. You don’t need it.” Jenna: no response. Jackson: “I’m throwing this away. You don’t need it.” Jenna: no response. After about five minutes, I go in and try to lighten the mood by threatening to shoot him. A look of amusement crosses his face, but he decides he wants to stay grumpy and proceeds to hit me with the lid of the garbage can. Jenna sends him to time out.
Every few minutes he sneaks back in the room, but when Jenna tells him he has to apologize to me, he hightails it back to his room again. At some point he starts crying, very dramatically. If there was ever any doubt, which there wasn’t, he is absolutely my sister’s son. He hasn’t yet started crying more loudly every five minutes till somebody comes to fetch him, but I’m sure he will…
Tonight we started watching Law and Order at around 6:30 and finally made it to the end of the episode around 10:15. Sigh.
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