Pockets

Today I pulled a $10 bill out of plaid 5T shorts pocket.... TEN BUCKS! When I was little, that was ten trips to the yogurt shop around the corner from my house.  If I was lucky, I'd get ten trips to yogurt shop in one summer.  And here I am pulling an old forgotten about ten dollar bill out of my kindergarteners pocket.  He just now learned how to ride his bike without training wheels, so even if there WAS a yogurt shop around the corner, he's not even old enough to get there or even stable enough to MAKE it there. Last week it was a $35 DSi game I removed from his pocket.... $35!!!  While we try our best to enforce chores and teach our kids how to respect and earn money, I just can't help but feel a little bit of a failure for these findings.  Now in the 3T pockets, it's usually a Lightening McQueen.... his most important posession in the world.  Or it may be a cluster of lego's that may or may not resemble a Mario Brothers figure... yet another one of his passions, too.  So maybe that's just it????  These things I find in their pockets may be just that!... Their most prized posessions kept as close as possible during their awake hours.. in their own pockets so they can go everywhere they go.  In that sense, maybe I'm not such a failure.  Let me insert this because it's just a small window into my day... as I sit here typing at 6:11pm, my 5T (better known as "Jake") just hollered from his make-shift bedroom/patio "uhhh Mom.... aren't you supposed to be cooking dinner?".... so again, two steps backwards on the "respect" topic for Mom.  In the size 8 jean pockets I usually find ponytail holders, commonly known as an emergency item for a girl in case her hair gets outta hand. As a last resort, she slips her locks back into a gathered mess of rats if her once beautifully tamed hair got windblown or messed up in some way.  If you know MY size 8 girl, you know she is tough, hard headed, determined, yet prepared.  That is why I probably find the pony tail holder STILL in the pocket.... she was prepared but determined to make it through the day without "throwing in the towel".  We also call this vain... and she gets it 100% honestly.  As for the size 12 cargo short pockets... they are usually empty.  He is the first-born... very particular... and tries his best to keep his things in their place and in order.  He shares his room with the 5T during the week, and as we all know, 5T is the tornado in the family... How he managed to even hang ONTO that $10 bill I will never know.  5T is a bit of a pigpen, but our size 38X34 in the family is convinced it's because he doesn't have his own room to learn respect and cleanliness.  He is bounced from room to room and even has one single drawer of clothes in our patio.  So in all... I've learned so much about the hearts and desires of my four soooo prayed about heartbeats just from the treasures I've pulled or not pulled from those size 12, 8, 5T, and 3T's shorts' pockets.  I've dreamed since the 8th grade that I would someday marry that guy that now wears a 38x34 jean. And as most women, I can't claim a size for myself because this is Tuesday and if you read this on Friday, my size may be different ;-).... so let me just say that this 36 year old mama welcomes you to my 8th grade dream come true... and I've been looking forward to the day that I finally blogged about our blessed life!