My Animals

I took Dyl to get his Kindergarten test this morning. He is super excited he passed. I wasn't worried for a minute, because he is such a smarty pants. When we got home, the kids and I went out to lounge on the tramp and chat. I worked the last 4 out of 5days, and needed some hoodlum time.

The kids showed me all their tricks on the tramp, which range from, a decent flip from the boys, to a "bum" from Ems. Then I made them sit, or rather cling from the edge, and watch my routine. I don't know why they aren't as impressed with my flips, obviously they know nothing about physics, or bladder control, after 4 pregnancies.

After awile they got tired of watching me jump so we decided to play a game. I would whisper the name of an animal in each kids ear, and then they would get up in front of us and act it out until we could guess which animal they were. Emma was first and I told her, "Cat." She meowed for an hour and a half straight, whether it was her turn or not. We played a couple of rounds and then I told the kids to pick their own animals, so that I could guess too. Dawson wanted to come up with some ground rules first, which is smart on his part, he has played games with me and Dyl before. The only rules were, it had to be an animal, and you had to say if it is alive today or lived in "olden days", seriously, I have no idea where he gets his terminology.

Dyl was up first, and he immediately started growling, and bucking around on the tramp, like he did for every animal, whether he chose a fish or a bird. Dawson and I spit out every animal that bucks, quite a few, when you live in our neck of the woods. Of course none of them were right, so we asked for a hint. "It starts with a Z." We finall came up with the right answer when Dyl, told us it rhymed with "seagull".....Of course, I can't imagine why we didn't get Zeagull right off the bat.

Dawson's turns took along time too, mostly because I haven't seen a lot of Animal Rescuer episodes, (Diego) it wasn't that he didn't act them out right. Dawson gave us plenty of hints, including habitat, diet, shelter, climate, first letter of the scientific genus and species, ect... I just didn't say, North American Snowy Owl, so he wouldn't give it too us.

When each kids turn was over they would come and dive bomb my lap, to snuggle me and watch the next animal. I love that, but it also made my legs a little numb for my turn. Each time I would roll a kid off me to head to the performing side of the tramp, both boys would holler, "GORILLA!" At first I would just say, "Nope. Try again." but then I asked them why they kept saying that. Dawson told me that I looked just like a Gorilla down on all fours with my hands balled up into fists. Dylan said, "It's pretty much, your face."

I told them, I wasn't going to play anymore if they kept calling me Gorilla, because it hurt my feelings. You know, a good play ground lesson. They promised they wouldn't say it anymore, and so I rolled onto all fours, to do my animal, and they both busted up laughing, then Dylan managed to squeak out, "GORILLA!" to which they both lost it, and laughed until they were teary.

I eventually got the last laugh, when I threatened them with the dreaded nap, if I heard the word Gorilla, one more time. My last turn, I did the best impression of a Gorilla, ever done in the history of the world. I gave them all the hints they needed, and enjoyed watching them squirm uncomfortably, thinking of any other animal that might like bananas, swing from trees, and rhyme with Horilla. Eventually, Dawson couldn't take it, and said Gorilla. Dylan quickly told him he shouldn't have said Gorilla, and then technically they both had said the word.

It is a lovely, lovely, quiet afternoon at my house today.