How to Commandeer A Birthday

In honor of Duncan's 17th birthday (how is that even possible!), the kids decided it was time to teach Olivia the meaning of the phrase "cut the cheese".

Hilarity ensued.

Later, in her homework, one of the phrases she had to read was "Did you cut the cake with the knife?"   Of course we couldn't resist substituting "cake" for "cheese, and you can only imagine the giggle mileage we got out of that one.   She is tucked in her bed now, and I think I can hear her in there still chuckling to herself.

I really love that kid.

Oh, but that is not the only honor Duncan gets on his birthday.  I do have a whole post written just for him, but it is still in need of a little tweaking, and I am not in a tweaking sort of mood right now.

He got to stay home from school today, even though he is 29 drawings behind in art.  He actually did 29 frantic drawings on Sunday morning, when he found out I wasn't going to let him stay home if he was that far behind, and while I appreciated his effort, I didn't think it was really what his art teacher was expecting. So we had a little chat about applying what you learn and trying your best, and he agreed to redo at least some of the 29.  He sketched a very nice likeness of Buck and another of a jar of peanut butter. After the drawing session,  we went to Golden Corral for lunch where we ate pot roast and chicken and mashed potatoes and talked about movies and video games and learning to drive.  It was a pleasant and surprising improvement over  his usual Golden Corral routine of a bowl of  red jello and silence.  I am not a fan of spending $10.00 on a bowl of jello, no matter what color it is.

After lunch we went to Old Navy, where I was surprised to learn he has opinions about clothes. It is not often he and I get into a clothing store together. I usually just buy what I like and bring it home to him and he puts it on without complaint.  But today  he picked out a new shirt, and wanted blue, not black. He wanted it plain, with no writing on the front.  He didn't like the jacket with the tight cuffs.  He cares!  He thinks! He speaks!  And I'm thinking so far, the number 17 looks pretty good on Duncan.

More on that tomorrow.