What's Mine is---Mine!

You know those Christmas letters some people send out that make everyone in their family sound like Nobel Prize and Heisman Trophy-winning geniuses?

It occurs to me that when I've posted about Everett (our four-year-old), it's usually to say how cute and adorable he is and how he's so excited to become a big brother. I don't want this blog to turn into one of those syrupy Christmas cards. So here's the rest of the story....

For the past couple of months Everett and I have been playing a game I like to call, "The Little Sister Bedroom Sweep." Here's how we play:

Step one: Mommy (that's me), being all practical and trying to outfit little sister's room with hand-me-downs that she doesn't have to buy rummages through Everett's room and collects old baby toys that Everett hasn't played with in years and out-grown clothes. She then places the clothes in little sister's nearly empty chest of drawers and sets the toys into little sister's nearly empty toy bins.

Step two: Everett discovers the toys and the clothes in little sister's room, steals them back, and dumps them on his bedroom floor.

Step three: Mommy tries to reason with Everett
"Honey, you haven't played with those toys for years. Don't you think it would be nice to let your little sister have them?"
"They're mine. I like them."
"That pajama top doesn't even fit you anymore. It's a size three (show him the "3T" on the tag). You're a big boy now (appealing to his 'big boy' status is usually an excellent tactic), you wear a size five (show him the "5t" on his shirt)."
"It does still fit. I like it." (see the picture--Everett demonstrating how "well" the size 3T pajama top fits)

Step four: Mommy pretends to give in. A week or so later, when she's sure Everett has forgotten about the toys and the clothes, Mommy sweeps through Everett's room, repeating --

Step one.

Everett, who never forgets anything, sweeps back through little sister's room, repeating--

Step two.

And so the game continues.

So, clearly it's not all syrup and bliss in the Taupe household. We don't even have Everett's little sister home yet. And already he won't share. I think we're in trouble. :-)