NOLAN ATTACK

Last evening Tim stopped in to let me know that the water tank was empty. While he was here he called Steph to ask her not to use any more water. If the lines get emptied out I have to purge them-a job I don't cherish. Kellen answered the phone and informed his dad that mom couldn't come to the phone because she was cleaning up a Nolan attack. What a kid! He has to be in your sight constantly or he will be into something he shouldn't be. I hope Steph and Tim share some of the stories.

Got me to thinkin'. Nolan sounds a lot like someone else I know; his mother. It must be genetic. Looking back I wish we would have kept a journal of what happened at our house as the kids were growing up. What great material that would be to have now as they are raising kids. This morning I'd like to share a few things I remember about Steph aka Poohder. She was a great kid! Well, as new born she had colic real bad and cried constantly, but that was solved by giving her a drop of whisky in some water (doctors orders-we had exhuasted all other methods). It sounded like a volcanic eruption taking place as the stomach rumbled and then the explosions as the gas exited her body. Oh what peace!

Steph was always full of life; always happy; very excitable; always checking everything out. Sound a lot like Nolan? There was one notable difference between the two. Nolan is great about going to bed-he will even let you know he wants to go to bed. Not Steph. Bed time was anything but pleasurable (we think that she was afraid she would miss out on something). When we put Steph to bed, she would scream, throw her bottle, shake her bed. I still feel guilty about the the time I gave her a swat while she was throwing a fit (she probably didn't even feel it through the diaper). As I recall, bed time was much easier after that. Steph was daddy's little girl. I used to take her with me in the pick up truck, she sitting on my lap helping me drive. How irresponsible! People go to jail for that now, but back then it was not abnormal.

Steph had a playmate, about her age, while we lived in Goshen. What Steph didn't think of doing, her friend Shawn did. One day, I found them sitting in the ditch in front of our house making mud pies with the lawn mower gas. Another time, they got into a can of paint and had painted the side of the camper and the end of the house. I'll swear it couldn't have taken them more than 5 minutes to do this. What a mess, covered in paint head to toe. Strip off their clothes, as I fill the bath tub with water. Threaten there lives if they move out of the bath tub while I run back out and wash the paint off before it dries. Good kids, they were still in the tub when I came back in. Steph listened well until she got to be a teenager-by then she thought she knew more than her parents (maybe did).

Another time, Shawn and Steph were digging for treasure in the neighbors burn barrel; yuck. On another occasion wheh I was watching them, they got into the flour and made it "snow" inside the house. Everything was covered with flour. It was actually pretty funny, but I didn't see the humor at the time. They were so cute; they had covered each other with flour. Again, I threw them in the bathtub and ordered them to stay while I attempted to clean up most of the mess before Linda got home.

Those two were the busiest kids! In fact they were so busy, they didn't have time to come inside to go to the bathroom. When they needed to go they simply dropped their drawers wherever they were, went to the the bathroom and kept on playing (without putting their clothes back on). Heredity? Steph's kids love to go to the bathroom outside too. They keep their clothes on!