Safe!

Yesterday evening it was just Kobee, CoolJ and I at home. The big kids and hubby were out doing other activities. We had about an hour before bedtime and were tired of watching cartoons. Kobee asked me if I'd play a game with him. I play games with CoolJ all the time so I'm thinking this will be all sorts of fun.

"Sure, what kind of game do you want to play?"

"Let's race!"

Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I'm so out of shape, but I have to be able to beat my boys at anything so they don't think their mom is a woos.

"I'll beat you," I threatened.

"That's okay. Let's race."

So we all put on our fastest running shoes and headed to the front yard, where it was very dark. Our front porch light doesn't seem to do much good for the front porch, let alone the whole yard. Now last time Kobee and I raced was about a year ago in Tooele. I was way faster than him, and a lot lighter. Kobee has grown several inches this year and runs races all the time at school, so he's improved a bit since last year, but I'm still determined to beat him. He tells me to line up along the edge of the driveway, facing the side yard.

"Okay, where are we running to?"

"To the red tree. On your mark, get set, GO!"

Kobee starts running as he says go but of course I don't start running until after he has said it, so he is already ahead of me. I book it to the tree and stop, while Kobee hollers,

"You have to run back, too, mom."

UGH. So no matter what I've lost this race due to the fact that my six year old makes the rules as he goes, and calls out go so that he can leave the line before I do. In hopes to make this more fair, I declare CoolJ the referee, who gets to be the one to say go. I also verify that we're running to the tree and back. I've got it straight what he expects now and we are ready.

CoolJ says, "On your mark, get set, GO!"

Kobee leaves the line as go is said AGAIN so I'm behind AGAIN. But I'm still determined to be faster than my six year old and win this race. I book it, touch the tree, which Kobee didn't do, and book it back. Making great strides to catch up to and pass Kobee in the last leg of the race, I slide on one foot several feet across the grass, which means of course that I then fall and slide on one knee several more feet while Kobee is passing the finish line. Yes, I slid safely into home. If only we had been playing baseball or kickball or softball. But NO, there I lay on the grass beaten by my six year old. Of course I had to accuse him of cheating because he didn't touch the tree before he so quickly ran back.

The races continued without me, which means I got to be the referee for Kobee and CoolJ. The first race Kobee won hands down. CoolJ isn't as practiced at this yet. To make things a little more fair for CoolJ, I made a rule of my own. CoolJ has to touch the tree and come back, but Kobee has to run around the tree and come back.

"Ready, set, GO!"

Off they go towards the tree. CoolJ is so funny at how precisely he follows the rules. He stops completely, touches the tree for several seconds, turns around and runs back. It's like slow motion. Luckily he still finishes in similar time to Kobee who has run around the tree.

The boys went to bed with no problem that night!