Quirks

My wonderful friend, Heather in Iowa (who I miss very much), tagged me to write a post about six of my quirks. Like her, I thought you would get more enjoyment out of me listing six of the boys' quirks. They can be pretty quirky boys, so I did my best to narrow it down to just six.

1. The most famous quirk in the Workman household is Caleb's obsession with his little brother's ears. We have decided that the constant ear tugs are just tokens of affection. Seth hardly even bats an eye anymore when Caleb latches on to an ear. He has either become so accustomed to the practice that he just accepts it or he has lost sensation in his ears and does not even feel it anymore. We aren't sure which.

2. Seth has the uncanny knack to find any cup in the house that contains liquid and then spill it everywhere. It does not matter how high the cup is placed or how well hidden it is, Sethie will use his Super Spidey senses, find it and then spill it. He does the same thing with water bottles.

3. Speaking of Super Spidey senses, Caleb has got the best nose of any person or blood hound around. He can sniff out anything, especially if it is edible. The other night I was making mashed potatoes and had just added the pepper. Caleb walked into the kitchen, hadn't even gotten past the doorway, and said, "Did you put pepper on the mashed potatoes because I smell it?" When Eric and I try to sneak a treat in our mouths without the boys seeing, Caleb will sniff us out right away. His little nose will go to work and he will say, "Hey, I smell chocolate." Or cake. Or strawberry. Or gum. Caught you! His nose has been pretty helpful, too, as Caleb is usually the first to announce when Seth has a poopy diaper.

4. Seth likes order, that is for sure. I guess living amid chaos, arranging things helps give him a little sense of control. He likes to set things in nice rows or make sure they are standing upright (except water glasses, of course). This was illustrated so beautifully to me the other day when he was pushing the little coup car down the hill in front of our house. He had his sippy cup in the back of the car and each time he would send the car flying, the cup fell over. However, he refused to begin pushing the car down the hill again unless the cup was upright. I got scolded by him when I actually suggested laying the cup down, since it kept falling over anyway. My unsolicited advice was neither appreciated nor heeded.

5. Caleb is a BACKSEAT DRIVER! Already. At the age of four. He often tells me, "Mom you have too much speed," when he feels a jolt of acceleration. Or he will shout out, "Slow down, Mommy!" Now, I have been known to have a lead foot in the past, but I rarely go hot-rodding around in the mini-van with the kiddos in the back. Also, anytime I put on the brakes with the slightest bit of abruptness, I will hear from the backseat, "What was that Mommy?" or "You need to not drive so fast." I guess after I ran over his tricycle and that whole hitting the carport post incident, he has lost some confidence in my driving.

6. Seth loves the challenge of a good wrapper. Anytime he is munching on a granola bar, breakfast bar, or a piece of wrapped cheese, he refuses to let me help him pull down the paper to make it easier to eat. He will struggle with trying to eat around the paper, for what seems like forever, but will not take the easy way out of simply shedding the paper altogether. Eventually, he either conquers the wrapper or I find the half-eaten treat laying around, indicating surrender. Maybe he just likes the taste of a good wrapper or paper. After all, he would get that honestly, since his Papaw Larry has been known to snack on a little paper from time to time.


So, if any other blogging friends would like to post a similar quirky post, consider yourself tagged.