Once A Tease...Always a Tease!

In preparation for the start of our “Juice and Journals” Scott pulled out some of his old journals to show the older kids. We had fun looking at the journal he started when he was only four years old. We especially loved the story his mom wrote about him in Jan. 1979. Scott was almost 5 ½ years old. She writes:

“At the table (dinner) tonight Shelly announced she had to go to the bathroom and didn’t want anyone to get into her food while she was gone. She went and a few minutes later Scott headed around to her place. I said “Scott don’t you tease her.” He looked at me so serious and said “I’m not going to tease—I’m really going to eat it!”

Not a week later as our own family sat around the dinner table Ellie announced that she had to go to the bathroom. She looked at Scott very seriously and said, “Dad, no eat my dinner!”

I started laughing and couldn’t believe that 30 years previous almost the same conversation occurred—different victim—same culprit!

Ellie’s comment was not sparked by Scott’s journal entry—she was napping when Scott read it to the kids. Rather, Ellie knows her dad as well as anyone. Scott loves to tease!

• Every time Scott reads to Jared and Ellie he starts the story by reading it in Spanish. I usually hear the giggles of Jared and Ellie as they say, “English Daddy! English!” In fact, once when he started a story in English, Ellie so used to his teasing exclaimed “English Daddy!” without realizing he was actually speaking English. Strangely, none of them, including Scott, tire of this.
• When Scott and I were dating we visited his grandma and some of his cousins in Lovell, WY where his uncle ran the family farm. His youngest cousin who was probably four years old at the time must have encountered a dead goat some time before we came. He loved to show us his depiction of the “dead goat.” He would lie flat down on the ground with his eyes closed, his head to the side and his tongue also hanging out to the side. Once we were married sometimes at night while we were talking in bed Scott became silent and completely still. When I’d look at him he’d have his eyes closed, his head to the side and his tongue hanging out just like that dead goat. And then he’d stay that way for several minutes while I started getting all worked up. Of course I knew he wasn’t a dead goat, but I still didn’t like how long he acted dead. Finally Scott would just start laughing exclaiming I was just like his sister Michelle and if I didn’t get so worked up about it he wouldn’t do it!
• Just last night Ellie was searching for her favorite pajama shirt. Scott found it first, put his head through the hole and then taunted Ellie, “Look at my jammies, Ellie!” It’s no wonder sometimes I feel like I have six children instead of five!
• Scott likes to tell Ellie and Jared that we’re going to take Nate back to the zoo and give him to the monkeys. Jared and Ellie were both a little worried the first time Scott mentioned this, but now just go along with it.
• Sometimes when we’re all out in the car getting ready to go somewhere and I have to run back in the house for something (this happens frequently at our house) Scott will back out of the garage and act like he’s going to drive away and say, “Let’s leave Mom!” The kids were worried at first, but now Ellie chants it every time someone has to go in the house for something whether it’s me or one of the other kids, “Let’s leave them!”

Scott is such an awesome dad and husband. He throws so much of his energy into the kids and his teasing makes us all laugh (although I can see why Scott drove his younger sister crazy)!