Reeves' New Bike

For his second birthday, I asked my parents to get him a Radio Flyer tricycle. He still can't reach the pedals. He does love climbing on it and pushing it around, but as far as transportation goes, it's a bust for at least another 6 months, depending on growth spurts. Friday, they stopped by the house and dropped off this "new to him" bicycle. We weren't home at the time and didn't return till that evening, so it wasn't until almost bedtime that Reeves even saw it. When he did, it was all he saw or wanted. His other toys meant nothing to him at that point. Of course, we had to tell him that he couldn't ride it that night, but the next day, Saturday, he could ride it all he wanted. Unfortunately, we woke up to a cold and rainy Saturday - that lasted roughly 24 hours. Poor Reeves! The bicycle was on the back porch. Everytime we absentmindedly opened the back door, there he was, running between our legs to sit on his soaking wet "new bike". We felt so bad for him because we knew there was no chance he was getting on that thing that day.

Finally, with the help of his "artwork" and a little Mary Poppins, we were able to make it through that rainy Saturday. When we got back from church and lunch on Sunday, he jumped out of the car and ran to his bicycle. It fits him perfectly. Even the pedals are within his reach. The joy this recycled toy has brought into my son's life is amazing. He still doesn't quite grasp the concept of moving his feet in forward circles to get it to go, but I know it will only take a few more practice runs, and he'll be doing laps around us. Here I am trying to get him to understand that he must transfer pressure from his bottom foot to his top foot. (Next we're working on the theory of relativity.) I might have confused him even more by using my hands instead of my feet to do this.

Thanks, Gammy and Pops, for the wonderful surprise. He loves it, and the fact that it's blue (his favorite color) makes it even that much more special.

Rainy Days and Thursdays

Reeves' school had a little (big) sewer pipe burst last week, so school was closed on Thursday. This didn't really affect us since we're MWF, but Henry needed somewhere to go. Jenny brought him by on her way to work in the morning. I know Reeves and Henry play very well together, but Thursday was a dream. Having Henry here was just the thing we needed. The whole day was cold and rainy, so there weren't going to be many (any) jaunts outside to work off some energy, and as anyone who has ever done it knows, a toddler inside a small house all day is never a good thing. Luckily, Henry was there to distract Reeves, and himself, from the fact that they had not really "done" anything all day. We did do lots of activities, though, and having Henry as a partner made each thing even more fun for Reeves, and vice versa. First, we painted. Oh how they loved that. They painted boats and horses and snowmen and dogs, as you can see. Why is it that the palette ends up looking almost better than the artwork? I'm starting to go with Gwen's practice of using coordinating colors only.
We had a picnic lunch in the den, followed by a Popcorn Picnic viewing of Mary Poppins. (I am getting just a little tired of Cars.) Finally, we made cookies. The boys loved getting all dressed up in their matching aprons. (Thank you , Caroline, for these. I was glad not to have different colors for them to fight over!) I do think it's high time I get some new cookie cutters. Star, gingerbread man, and snowman (was there a theme to the day?) are the least Christmas-sy ones I have.
Bennett made appearances throughout the day. As much as he loved sitting in the Bumbo watching them make cookies, I think his favorite was to be in the swing watching them play. Every once in a while, they would actually acknowledge his presence with a "Hi!" or a pat on the head, and this would make his face light up. I can't wait to see what these big boys will think of him when he's old enough to run around with them.

Bennett at Five Months

Benny, Benny Boy, what an angel you are. People ask me all the time if you are "always this happy". It hasn't been until recently that I am confident and comfortable in answering that yes, you are. This is not because you aren't. It has simply been because I have been so fearful of jinxing whatever angelic spell was cast on you when you were born. I kept thinking that all this happiness is just a phase, and I didn't want that phase to ever end. Well, it's been five months, so I'm finally pretty certain that I can say that you are "always this happy"(knock on wood).

In this last month, you have tackled and successfully made it through your first Christmas and New Year's. You were the Beau of the Ball at Christmas. Your unabashed cheerfulness makes you a delight to hold, and as such, there is never a lack of arms willing to take you. This suits Daddy and me just fine. We did Christmas Eve with the Bairs, and you were perfect - and gigantic compared to little 13 day old Caulder! You took everything in stride and loved watching your silly big brother and cousin run amuck in the house with all their new noise making toys. We went to church out there that night, and I did have to take you and Reeves out during the service. Although it was a children's service, you two were really the only little ones in there, and, despite how good you are, when everyone else is silent, you two are thunderous.

Christmas day was with the Phillipps/Anderson clan. How to describe your behavior this day? Basically, ditto. Except that you also went down without a peep for your nap and slept all through dinner - pretty much the best present you could have given Daddy and me. Oh yeah, and you and Reeves looked precious in your matching Christmas outfits. The same outfits, by the way, that Davis and Guerin sported last year. You are now the fourth child to use that one. Jodie, you got your money's worth on that! Thanks for letting us borrow them again!

Speaking of Superman and his brother, we spent NYE with them. You stayed up way past your bedtime, not that it altered your mood in the least. And you didn't even wake up when Daddy and I came and got in bed. Please keep being a heavy sleeper - at least until you're out of our house.

On the milestone front, you're kind of like 3M right now. You haven't done too much new stuff, you've just done the stuff you do do better. I might have been a bit overzealous in an earlier post when I mentioned that you had found your feet. You did, but you quickly lost interest in them. This month, they have become your favorite toys, and you like to play with both of them at once. And while it's true that you have laughed out loud before, now you cackle and giggle all the time. And you're getting louder. You are constantly reaching for everything now. Reeves has discovered this and will often dangle a toy just out of your reach. Fun for him, and fun for you for about a minute, then you want it. He sometimes gives in. You have started this new blowing bubbles and motorboating thing with your mouth. I love it because I know it means you are truly happy. There is always a grin behind that outboard. You also stick your tongue out a lot. It's the cutest little triangle of muscle I've ever seen. We are working on rolling over. Today you went from front to back, but to be honest, I think I might have happened to have positioned your arms in just the right way to make it easy for you. Milestone? Maybe.

Despite my desire to have you solely nurse for, oh, a year, it looks like we will be giving you your first bit of rice cereal this week. You're still sleeping through the night, but you reach for anything we are eating. I think you might even be licking your lips a little. Maybe we should just skip the cereal and go straight for steak. Well, maybe, if you had any teeth. I have a feeling you'll take to solids much faster and better than your brother did.

You did have your first trip to The Back to sit by a fire this month. You were mesmerized. Just like your father, you would have been content to sit and stare at those flames for hours. I see many more wonderful nights spent back there.

Bennett, you make us so happy. You brighten any day, no matter how bad it's been. Thank you for being such an angel. We love you more than you'l ever know.

Bringing the Politics Home

You might not have noticed it the first time you looked (I missed it too), but that is my godson right above John McCain. Reason enough to vote for him? Not so sure, but it's still pretty neat. And yes, Miller, I would like to know why you ended up on that stage with him!

Thanksgiving 2007

What a special day that was (all those months ago). We, as usual, had the big family feast at Big Laura and Rod's. It is so special to me when we can get everyone together like this. I can't believe I'm 32 and am still able to have family meals like this, just like it was all those years ago, except, of course, with the addition of a few wonderful new family members.

Reeves and I made placecards for everyone the night before. He was a willing accomplice at heart. Unfortunately, in practice, his poor finger got more of a workout than he was probably hoping for. I felt like a burgalar, covering up my prints. I was holding his finger, dipping and dabbing. To the outside world, Reeves prints were all over these things, but he and I know otherwise. I did let him do a few by himself, but leave it to my anal retentiveness to want the turkeys to ne as neat as possible. I really must learn to let go!

Because we had the entire family there, we arranged to take a family picture. Luckily, Laura and Rod's yard provided the most perfect backdrop. We placed Grandmother and Poppa in the center and all gathered around them. After all, they really are the anchors of this family. None of us would be here were it not for them. At this point, I feel I need to note that, as difficult as it is taking pictures of multiple children, just because they're all grown up doesn't really make it that much easier. If I could have mainlined ridalin into these people, I would have. Their focus was everywhere!! Maybe it's more frustrating with adults because you have some expectation of order-following-abilities or maybe it's because this had been planned well in advance and everyone knew about it. Whatever the reason, Big Laura and I were pulling our hair out trying to get this set up. But that's the great thing about family. You don't have to be too nice to them. We just directed everyone (eventually) to their designated spot, ordered them to smile, and came out with a great picture that we will all treasure for forever. And, my how we laughed about this ordeal. Why is it that the frustrating, whacky times always seem to be the ones you look back on and laugh the most at. "Oh, remember what fun we had when we were driving you crazy? Ha-ha-ha! Good times!"

Carolyn had made the most festive centerpiece for the table. Completely edible, I suppose you could say we had three turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner this year.I think we would fry the rice and peas if we could figure out a way to do it! Carolyn has always had incredible abilities when it comes to flower arranging, and she is now sharing her talent with more than just family and the church. She has done flowers for weddings and other events, so please keep her in mind if you ever need an event to be extra special in the floral department.

We warmed up for our meal with a out of key and off tune version of some Thanksgiving carols. (I don't really know what else to call them. I think they were hymns, but my musical knowledge only extends so far.) Gams had chosen these, and try as she might, she can lead us to the water, but she can't make us drink. We love to sing, but we're no Von Trapp family. An ear for music just doesn't run down this branch of the Anderson family tree. Luckily again, our efforts were met with laughs all around, and isn't that what being with family is all about?

Dinner was gluttonously delicious, as always. Poppa's saying was never more true than at the end of that meal. "As the cannibal said, 'I done ate a missionary and feel sanctified!" I think we all had a bit of the Spirit in us, and it wasn't just the triptophan. After some football watching and wonderful chatting, we were all ready to settle down for our long winters naps.

Reagan reminisced about having Little Baby Miller sitting on her lap. Hmmm, not so easy as it was 18 years ago.

Bennett and Miller showed off their matching haircuts.

Thank you, Laura and Rod, for hosting all of us. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Bennett's Four Month Stats

So, nearly a month ago, we took Bennett to his four month appointment. He weighed 12'13" and was 26 1/2" long. I have long since forgotten what his head circumference was, and I don't feel that I really need to go rummaging through my papers to dig it up. Let's just say it was 50th percentile. Anyway, we have all marvelled at how much bigger B is than R at this same age. This child has folds in his thighs. Reeves never had anything other than chicken legs (and even that is being generous. They were more like yardbird legs.) Apparently our accurate memory goes back only to about last week. Thanks to the blog, I was able to, amazingly, prove us all wrong. Reeves was not only heavier at his four month appointment, he was nearly two pounds heavier! He weighed 14'5". I can't believe it. Of course, Reeves was on supplemental formula at that stage, but still. Bennett is in the 15th percentile for weight. Conversely, he is in the 90th for height. Looks like B and I have adopted another one because these boys certainly didn't get those genes from us! We're holding off on starting his with food as long as we can. The thinking is twofold in this. First and selfishly foremost, it's so much easier to only deal with nursing him. I already carry around so much stuff that I'm not anxious to add to the load. Secondly, and in the interest of his health, given Reeves' allergies, it is best to wait as long as possible before introducing foods to Bennett. Siblings tend to have similar allergies, so maybe Bennett will be able to grow out of any sensitivities before we have to test them. He's still sleeping through the night, so there's no mad rush to add calories to his diet.

We go back towards the end of February. I'm interested to see where this one's weight will be then. I'm sure we will have started on some sort of food by then. Maybe he'll have moved up to 20th percentile by then!

Blog? What Blog?

Wow! I am seriously behind on posting! Let's see...New Year's, Christmas (and all the to-do surrounding it), Thanksgiving. Yes, my delinquincy goes all the way back to November. Great. Now I'll be in front of this computer for days, or at least I should be. I'm sure these boys will have other ideas. First and foremost however, I need to get on Bennett's Five Month Letter (which is today. At least I can pretend for now that I'm on schedule!). Oh yeah, and his stats from his four month appointment.

Happy Birthday, William!

I can't believe a whole year has gone by since you came barrelling into our family. You've kept up well with all this silliness, Wonka! Can't wait to see what this year brings. We love you!

Love,

Kak, B, Reeves, and Bennett

There's a Special Place For People Like Me

I took the boys yesterday to meet Daddy for lunch. We went to the playground behind his office. It is this massive complex with soccer fields, baseball fields, two playgrounds, walking trails, and a picnic area. It must cover about 20 acres. Because we arrived before Daddy (go figure), I drove all around to see everything. There were maybe three other cars there. All were occupied by people sitting in the driver's seats, eating their lunches. There were so few people there that when I got back to the first playground, I decided to park in the handicapped space right next to the entrance to the playground. I figured I would be there a while by myself with the boys, and I would probably have to go back to the car for something, and since the only regular spots were a good distance away, and I wouldn't leave Reeves on the playground if I went that far, and no one was there, I would be OK to park there. Even though we were so obviously alone, I still had a little twinge of guilt, but I was able to convince myself that I was justified in my decision, given the remoteness and solitude of the playground and the fact that I was manageing two children by myself.
No sooner had we settled in to heavy playground play than a big blue van pulled into the parking lot. At first I was a nervous due to the aforementioned remoteness and solitude, but it was quickly apparent that this was a van full of disabled people. Relief...no wait! They had been brought to the park to eat lunch at the nearby picnic area. I felt terrible! Of all days to have taken a handicapped spot! Then I saw that there was still a spot even closer to where they were going, so my guilt diminished a bit. They probably wouldn't have chosen the spot I had taken anyway. I had caused no undue stress on them or required any extra effort. Then...the second van pulled in. This one had to park on the other side of my car. Granted, it was only an extra ten feet or so, but I was crushed. What are the odds?
I have always been appalled by people who pull out a handicapped tag and hang it on their mirror in order to take the spots at the stores and then don't even have the care to at least limp to the door. I really think that is so inconsiderate and rude. Yet here I was, assuming that because I was the only person there and likely to remain so, that the handicap spots would not be used. I'm still pretty shocked that the only other vehicles that came to the park were two handicapped vans, but, I'll never take a spot agan.

Zat You, Santy Claus?

Just one of the thousands of outtakes, but I like to imagine the boys saw old Saint Nick himself standing behind me a time or two. (It was actually Aunt Julie with a big ole sucker!) Getting that perfect Christmas card picture is truly an exercise in patient parenting and bribery... and thoughts of seriously getting Photoshop and "making" a picture of the two of them.

Reeves at 30 Months

Ree-Ree, I can't believe you are already 2 and a half years old. By the way, "Ree-Ree" has come directly from you; it was never a nickname we gave you. You refer to yourself as Ree-Ree all the time. When I say, "Reeves, you're a monkey", you say, "No. I Ree-Ree!" It is too cute. I have been meaning to write this post for some time (obviously). I don't think you have gotten a "letter" since Bennett was born, and I wanted to be sure to make note of this special age in your life.

You are a wonderful big brother to Bennett. You call him Bubba, but I'm just chalking this up to your speech delay, and reassuring myself that in time, this will pass. Bennett is already enough of a bruiser. I don't think we need to go ahead and prejudice people by calling him Bubba. Your father and I generally tend to refer to things with whatever misnomer you have given them, but we are standing firm on this one. You'll just have to come up with something else to call him. But, you are so sweet with him. You have already gotten pretty protective of him and don't always like it when we let people you don't know hold him. Of course, thanks to your recently discovered deathly fear of dogs, you were more than happy to sacrifice your brother to Lolly's miniature daschund, Henry. The dog is about as big as my foot, but there you were, up on your toy box saying, "Puppy eat Ree-Ree!", while Henry did laps around and over Bennett.

I have no idea where this fear of dogs has come from. You used to adore them and always loved to pet them. Now, you won't even be in the same room or yard with one. While I think it is good to have a healthy fear of dogs, what you are sporting is a crippling, paralyzing phobia. There is a happy medium, and I know you will find it, but I must say, it is a real pain, waiting for you to work it out. For our part, we are not keeping you from dogs and are encouraging you to pet them when we are around friends' dogs. It seems to be working in spurts. While at D's house overnight, your fear of Gracie, the dog who is so old and sweet, she is little more than a 3-D area rug, did diminish after a few hours of hard work. So maybe there's hope. I guess this means no more marathon viewings of Kujo.

I can't, at this point in you life, write a letter without mentioning your talking. I will admit, I have been more than a little worried about you. Despite the reassurance of friends and family, I have been concerned that you may have been suffering from a speech delay that would involve more therapy than your father and I alone could give you. We asked Dr. G about it at your 2 year appointment this summer. She said that, while behind others your age, she was not worried about it. She did say that, if by Christmas, we were still concerned, to call her, and we would reevaluate it. Of course, there have been days when I have convinceed myself that it was a big problem, and you were not progressing like you should. I would think about calling a speech therapist, but honestly, I was afraid of what we might find. I remember reading somewhere that if you go looking for a problem, you're certain to find one. This was how I felt about your talking. You were slow, but I knew you would start to get better. Then it was like a shell cracked, and you started saying intelligible words. Then you started piecing phrases together, then sentences. Suddenly, where once you were saying, "Bose's!" over and over, you were then saying, "Bose's house!" You have now graduated to full blown sentences. "Go Bose's house!" You ask all the time about D and Jodie and of course, D's big boat, which sounds more like "beer boat", but I have managed to ascertain that you also use "beer" when referring to dinosaurs, yellow diggers, cakes, and boobs, so I'm pretty sure you mean big. You have learned that high tide is when the water is in the marsh, and low tide is when you can see the mud. You also know that Daddy wears bow ties. You still say plenty of gobbledygook, but you're beginning to make more sense now. You are constantly pointing out things when we're in the car, and you love to sing songs. Every once in a while, I find myself longing for you to be quiet, but then I immediately stop myself because the only way you're going to learn to put all these sounds together is to keep doing what you're doing. I'm so proud of how far your talk has come these past 6 months. Although, if possible, I think I may praise you just a little too much because now, whenever you say a correct word, you beat me to the "Yay, Ree-Ree!" yourself.

I would be too vain to think that your speech progressions are due solely to the fact that we have been working on it so hard. There is, of course, the fact that you have started "school" this year. You go MWF, and you love it. You have made so many new friends and done so many fun things. You adore your teachers, although their names are still a little to much for you to say. I hope that you'll be able to by the end of the year. You don't always want get in the car to go to school, but by the time we are pulling in, you point to the little sign and say, "Ree-Ree school." It makes me so happy to see you enjoy this. While I do love the quiet time Bennett and I have while you are at school, the highlight of each of those days is when you come running across the playground to me, usually showing me whichever digger you're playing with. You tell all your friends goodbye, then we run off to the car, and you babble to me all about your day.

Reeves, there are so many other things to tell you, so many amazing things you do that I wish I would document so that I can share them with you when you grow up. Thank goodness for this blog because although I don't get everything down that I wish I would, this certainly helps. I want you to know that you are a sweet, wonderful little boy. You make your father and me very happy. There are days that, when you go running up to him when he gets home from work, I have seen tears come to his eyes. He tells me all the time how good it makes him feel when he scoops you up to your cries of, "Daddy! Daddy!" We love you so much, Boo. God couldn't have blessed us anymore than when He gave us you and Bennett to raise. You are growing up too fast, but we love watching every day and every minute of it.

Bennett at Four Months

Bennett Boy, Julie and Troy gave you just about the best 4 month old present ever. Your little cousin, Caulder, was born today, on your 4 month birthday. And, as if that weren't enough for you, you got a new little Buggy Buddy too. Amy and Jody brought Tradd into this world today as well. What a happy day. I hope you appreciate all the work on my part that went in to ensuring that these two little ones came on your 4 month birthday. I really had the hardest job. I'm sure people will think that it is actually the birthing mothers who have it roughest, but, as Gams says, "It's harder to think and remember that something needs to be done than to actually do it." (Or something along those lines. Although, she was usually referring to taking out the trash on Sunday nights and not the miracle of giving birth, but I think you'll agree the principle is the same.)

I must say, you showed off quite a bit today. You were a perfect angel as I dragged you from hospital to hospital. You did nothing but sit quietly and smile the whole time. You have made a lifelong friend in Darren with your flirtatious little smiles and coos. You won his heart immediately, and he must have won yours as well, since you saw fit to mark his shirt as your territory. Thank heavens he already has a couple of children himself, or he might not have taken it so kindly.

I can't believe how big you look next to these new babies. It seems like just yesterday (BTW, you'll be seeing that phrase a lot in this blog or any mommy blog, I imagine) that Jenny came by the hospital to see you. She had Cullen, who was only 2 months old at the time, in his carrier. He looked huge compared to you with all of 22 hours under your belt. Now, here you are, the elder statesman. How did it happen?

You have the most infectious smile and are quite generous with it. It used to be that Reeves was the only one who could really get you to smile, but not anymore. You smile for anyone. I have a ridiculous little ditty I say to you all the time, and I think it has only failed once to coax that dimple. "Benny, Benny Boy. The Benny Boy." I don't know where it came from (the tune, not the words), and I feel a little bad saying it all the time (seriously, ALL THE TIME) because Daddy doesn't really want you to be called Benny, but I can't help it. It makes you smile, and if you only smiled when I stood on my head, then I'd stand on my head all the time too. So I guess it's up to you. Once you start hating it, I'll stop saying (singing) it.

You're a tough little boy. Between your brother and your own fingernails, it's a wonder we haven't been to the ER yet. I think God knew what he was doing when he made it so that the younger you are, the faster you heal.

You're now officially in your crib, which means, by default, Reeves is officially in his big boy bed. I mention this for two reasons. One, you are a great sleeper. Once we gave you room to move, you started sleeping like a champ. You don't roll over yet, but you completely spin yourself around everytime you go to sleep. I would love to video it one night. I often wonder how you do it. The second reason is that, in addition to your length of sleep, you are also a pretty hard sleeper. I only know this because there have been more than a few nights where Reeves has let loose, fighting his bedtime, right outside your door. Knock on wood, it hasn't awakened you. I hope it stays that way.

Grandmama and I are convinced you are teething. You are constantly drooling, and you have already started putting any and everything in your mouth to chew on it. I think this is a bit early, but really, nothing would surprise me with you. Reeves didn't get his first teeth till he was six and a half months old. Of course, you blew past 10 pounds way faster than he did, so why not beat him to the punch with your teeth. I'm really fine with this except for the fact that your still nursing, and I would like to continue nursing as long as possible. I hope the teeth don't cut short these free meals.

You continue to adore your brother. And I'm beginning to think he's pretty fond of you too. A couple of weeks ago, I took him to a birthday party while you stayed home with Daddy. As soon as we turned out of the driveway, Reeves pointed to where you normally sit and looked at me and said, "Bubba?" wondering where you were. As much as he enjoys his one on one time with me, he misses you when you're not there. I am so looking forward to watching how y'all's relationship progresses.

Bennett Boy, you're an angel. You're such a good baby that even random people comment on it, not just family and friends, who are supposed to. And, of course, there's the dimple, and I have no doubt that you'll be using that throughout your life. I just pray I can withstand its powers. As your parents, it's our job not to give in to your every fancy, so you just remember that when you go cleaning out cabinets in a couple of years and try to flash us that dimple! We love you more than you'll ever know!

Christmas Colors This Year - White and Baby Blue

Is it still inappropriate to wear seersucker after Labor Day when it's 80 degrees in December? I hope not because that is what my child has sported for the last two days. So far, the only positive thing I can find in this unseasonably warm weather is that many of Reeves' summertime clothes I thought Bennett would not be able to wear are getting a lot of playing time. And I mean it, that's the ONLY positive thing about this.

Is it making it hard for anyone else to really get into the holiday spirit when your A/C is drowning out the sound of the Christmas carols coming from your stereo? I love this weather for spring or fall, but this is getting ridiculous!

So Much To Post, But In The Meantime...

What is happening to our world? As Doro and I were driving home this afternoon, down a jam-packed, stand-still, traffic-laden Meeting Street, we got to experience something we were both glad our children weren't there to see. We were tailgating Aileen who was blazing a trail before us, marveling at how slowly things were moving. We had had a lovely morning with the girls - a decorating class at Pottery Barn and a delicious meal at Mellow Mushroom. We were in high spirits, chatting away, and, although we noticed the traffic, we weren't bothered by it because we had each other for company and were screaming-child-free. As a joke, I honked at Aileen, just to see what she'd do. Haha. No sooner had my hand released the pressure on the horn than a man in a car heading the other direction on Meeting (ergo, we obviously weren't honking at him) leaned across his wife, who was driving (probably because he was still lit from the night before), and shouted, "What the F---!?!" Excuse me!? I politely let him know that this was my friend ahead of us and was about to leave it at that, but then I thought of my children. Doro and I had just been having a discussion about how horribly inappropriate some things are on television, particularly at the hours when children could quite possibly be watching. We had also just seen a sign hanging from a rearview mirror that said, "I 'heart' my penis." How classy. I kinda hope the kids don't start reading till they're 16. So, needless to say, the "what is this world coming to?" thoughts were already alive and well in our heads. Luckily, traffic was moving slowly enough that I was able to lean my head out the window and say to the jerk, "Good thing I don't have children in this car!" I know it is very unkind and unchristian of me, but I really hope that jerk thinks about what he did and how potentially harmful what he said could have been and has a horrible rest of the day. Parenting is hard enough. We don't need jacklegs like him complicating things even more. Oh, and by the way, their plates were SC. How unsouthern they are! Obviously com'hyeas!