Yesterday we spent the entirety of the day cleaning rooms and the house in general. It was a big job considering I’ve been pretty apathetic for the last few months. We did take a break in the late afternoon to go see a movie, but when it was over we returned to the task at hand. When they got home from school today, we finished up with unloading old toys and clothes.
It was a little sentimental going through stuff that they had hung on to for years, and were now ready to get rid of. There was the Pirates of the Caribbean Lego Ship that they spent hours pretending to be Captain Jack Sparrow or William Turner battling the Kracken, the fly pen that was better in idea than in practice, the beginner kids cameras, and the talking robots (although Roo chose to keep his, as his is a miniature and is really pretty awesome. And let’s not forget the many Bakugon that I can now dust easily where they used to sit. But their favorite part was going through clothes that they’ve now outgrown (dripping sarcasm here).
“Why can’t we just donate them without trying them on?” Asks Roo. He hates trying on clothes, but I’ve done this before and I’m not budging. Last time I let him make the choices, we got rid of clothes that I replaced with the same size. So I make him try everything on. He’s annoyed, but he gets happier when we move to the shirts and I tell him anything in a children’s size can be tossed into the give away pile, since he started wearing men’s smalls last fall. He started throwing with reckless abandon, while Buzzard took photos.
When we finished his closet I was whipped, so I called break. Bugs asked if he could wash the car, so I agreed!
Buzzard accompanied him outside to continue the photo expedition. He’s enjoyed taking photo’s before, but he really like using my big camera. When they finished, Bugs came in and asked if he could go to the pond for an hour. I didn’t know Buzzard was sneaking off with him, my camera in tow. When they came back, they showed me the pictures, which started innocently enough. Aw, what cute ducks!
Then…
Of course, no boys outing is complete without the following:
I’m fine with a lot of wildlife. But maybe you’ll remember my post about bugs. Well, snakes are a million notches worse than bugs. When I gasped, Bugs said (not to be confused with the insect),
“Mom,” complete with eye rolling, “He was only four inches long.”
I look at the picture again. “He looks a lot bigger.”
“I zoomed in,” Buzzard says with a smile. Clearly he is thrilled with his photo expedition. What an amazing end to the day. Nobody is slugging anyone, and they shared an adventure together without anyone drowning, getting bitten, or otherwise maimed. What could warm a mother’s heart more? Just one more photo, this one from Bugs…
I love turtles.
AllThingsBoys Blog 
If only I could get my boys outside–I tell them, “Play outside! It’s not a punishment!” So, count your blessings for that. 🙂 You do appear to live in some beautiful surroundings–what part of the world are you in?
Mine have always loved being outdoors, although we have had times where I would have to boot them outside, video games seeming far more appealing. We live in The mid Atlantic-VA. Four seasons, fairly mild winters. They like to go outside no matter what it’s doing weather wise. I am grateful for that, too. It’s the only time I can get the house picked up! 🙂
Virginia is gorgeous! Fine weather, fine countryside, and a fair share of wildlife, too, so it seems 🙂
Lots of wildlife! Growing up in CA where you only saw a gazillion rattlesnakes, I’m continually amazed at the different animals I see and where they are. We had a small lost black bear wander into town near a shopping area one year! Makes it all the more fun!
That reminds me of the opening scene of “Northern Exposure,” where a moose is wandering through the town.
Exactly…