Sam's Amazing Ability

Sam has an inate ability to find anything he isn't supposed to have. Within a 2 minute period, I took from him:

• A Soda Can
• A Book
• The bookmark holding the spot in the book
• A DVD
• The TV Remote Control (after he turned off the TV)
• The Surround Sound Remote
• The Phone
• My Fountain Pen (with the cap off and Nib-In-Mouth)

Two minutes! That is not an exageration! It boggles the mind even further, because God unleased a plague of Toys upon our family room, rendering it unfathomably colorful. It is strewn with multiple items that, when walking through and unavoidably stubbing your toe on them, will talk back saying things like, "Moo", "Beep! Beep!" or sing about letters, shapes, colors, or all of the above. Why does he do that to me?

I think that I may start a company wherein I take Sam into an expecting couple's house. Within 15 minutes he will find every potentially fatal object in the house. This happened a couple of months ago, but despite having everything possibly baricaded, outlets covered, drawers locked, and toys readily on hand no matter where he may be, he managed to get into the bathroom closet and get out my razor. It's no wonder we are so tired at the end of the week.

Erin at the Marigold Festival

I love you more than all the bunnies

Mr. Sam

Mr. Sam gnawing on an object deemed by Sam to be "worthing of hitting things and or people with".

A Little Box, Made of Tin

Yes. A couple of months ago, I bought a new wallet, and it came in a tin box. "How Great is that?" I thought to myself. Thinking back to my childhood, I would have loved to have a box such as this. I could have used it for countless purposes.
I would have put my cars in it. Or made a bet for my Astrosniks. Or Smurfs. Or, perhaps I could have used it for a boat for my Ewoks. Who knows? But the first thinkg I thought of was how much my 5 year old daughter would like it.
Being the excellent procrastinator I am, I set it to the side, where it floated through the house for several days, making appearances in the kitchen, bedroom, living room, and perhaps a bathroom. Finally Shannon waid, "Are you going to do anything with this?" I told her I was going to give it to Erin. To my surprise, she said, "No."
No? I hadn't expected that. "She has more than enough things as it is." And I knew she was right.
We built a special room just for keeping toys. But the toys don't fit in there. They didn't fit in there before Sam was born, and now we have two children's worth of toys. The toys have flowed from the room, and into every room, including the kitchen. Bedrooms. All three bathrooms.
The children don't need another single toy. That may sound mean, but it's the truth. They have so much stuff they don't know what to do with it all, and they certainly don't play with it all.
Erin gets on a kick occasionally and will play with something for weeks at a time, then forgets it. She begs for toys, then gets one, plays with it for two days, and moves on. Hmm. Sort of like me. I will wait and wait to get something then hardly do anything with it at all. But I'm getting better.
I think my biggest concern through all of this is that they won't know how to go without. They always have Things. I remember college, when I didn't have Things. I had a few, but about 90% of my possessions were gifts or hand-me-downs. These guys have no clue. How do I teach them? I will find the answer, oh yes, I will.