A Silly Gabey Story and a Sad Sammy Story

Gabey:
We have a lot of cute little kids in our neighborhood.  Lately, Gabey has gotten into the habit of going outside, finding the nearest kid cluster, and insinuating himself into the group.  He is very social and friendly and usually doesn't have a hard time finding someone to play with.  However, many of these kids are a few years older and when he plays with or near the big kids, he comes home with LOTS of fascinating new information.  Today I stopped cooking dinner just to jot down a few of his comments--and then added to the list as the evening went on...
"Mommy did you know there's a girl that eats
flowers!?!
And grass!?!
And pennies!?!?!"
"Mommy, one of da girls is from CandyYand and she has a candy car and a candy house that yooks yike gingerbread!"
"Mommy, did you know dat Maffew changed his name?
And he got 'boo'd'* wif a dead wat?
And fwrow-up?"
--two hours later--
"Mommy, is der a CandyYand on dis earf?"

I sure love my little Gabey!

*Getting 'boo'd' is when someone leaves a treat on your porch with a poem and ghost picture for you to hang in your window.  After you get 'boo'd', you're supposed to 'boo' two more neighbors and share the love.  Matthew found out that we are the ones who boo'd him and let us know he does NOT like pumpkin bread.  Even though it was chock full of chocolate chips!!!  I mean really!  It's got to be more tasty than the dead rat and throw-up doesn't it?!?

Sammy:
A few weeks ago, Sammy was trying to find new ways to earn money.  Mind you, he didn't want to do anything too strenuous--like taking trash out.  No heavy lifting for this kid.
I threw out a few ideas, he shot them all down...
Finally, he came up with folding laundry.  He asked if I would pay him a nickel for each thing he folded.
Of course I immediately said "SURE!"  (Since we all know how much I H.A.T.E. folding laundry!)
Little did I know it would become a slight obsession!  He asks to fold laundry almost daily now and he's been slowly racking in the quarters, nickels, and dimes.

So yesterday, he got out his Phineas and Ferb piggy bank and BEGGED me to take him to Target.  He's been wanting to spend some of his hard earned cash on a new Lego set (for himself) and a birthday present (Lego set) for his BFF Micheil.  (Who now lives in Korea.)  Since I had to get some groceries anyway, the five of us (yes, all four boys came with) went to Target.  After a good 15 minutes spent in the toy isle with a million other little kids, Sam found the two toys he wanted to buy.
It was then he started looking for his little tin bank.

It was lost.

We checked the Lego isle.
We checked the neighboring isles.
We retraced our steps and checked the lost and found...three times.

It was gone with all 23 of his hard earned dollars.

It is STILL gone.

There were lots of tears.  And lots of hugs.
But there was no bail out from mommy.

(For one thing, I had no cash on me--I've given it all to my kids in exchange for crappily folded clothes.  Otherwise I may have caved in the face of his huge sad and teary brown eyes!  For another thing, Doug told me I wasn't allowed to bail him out.  Natural consequences and all that.  And for the last thing, I'm not the U.S. Government for cryin-in-the-night!)

BUT, you'll be happy to know all is not sadness and despair!  Yesterday, he was pretty inconsolable.  Today, he is back on the money-making horse.

He folded 14 items and got 70 cents.  He found a dollar in the laundry room and I let him keep it.  He gave me a (pitiful) back rub and I paid him a whole dollar.  (Max was outraged at the injustice of his past low paying back-rubs!  All two of them.)

Then I told Grandma Fae his sad, sad story...and she said she was going to put $10 pity money in the mail immediately!  (That cheered him right up...!)

So, with a little charity and some determination, he'll be back at Target losing more money in no time!!!
 --The End--

Just another day in the life of my boys!