Maxwell "Smart"

This is Max. My nephew. My sissy Chrissy's youngest.
He's cute, he's seven, he's smart!

He's got that dimple, those impish blue eyes, that toe-head white blonde hair with the cowlic at the top of his head that reminds you of Alfalfa. His demeanor - sort of Dennis the Menace. I mean - just look at him. He's got the look down. He's workin it. Oh yeah baby.

His mom is a full time 1st grade teacher. She's also a wonderful wife, mother of four kids ages 7-16 and not only my sis but one of my best friends. Lucky for me she and her hubby, Scoot, have a cottage only 30 minutes from our Inn. I get to see them a lot in the summer. Many of our guests have met my sis and her family when they stop by. My sis has also sent many guests our way. Many of her teacher friends have come to stay with us. They know Max.

As a teacher, my sis is proud of the fact that all of her kids are smart. VERY SMART. She taught them all to read and write before they even entered kindergarten. Max is no exception. He is adorable. Always on the go. As the youngest of 4 he learns a lot from his sibs - Zachary, MacKenzie, & Zoey. Sometimes, when you least expect it, he'll shoot out with some comment. When his mom and dad ask him, "where did you learn that?" he'll reply, "MacKenzie and her friends". That's what big brother Zach has taught him to say. Gotta love big brothers.

The other day, my sis and I where talking on the phone trying to arrange a girls getaway weekend here at the Inn. This was all in response to the fact that my Beach Bum is having Scoot and their best bud, Magnum PU, come up to the Inn this week for a "guys trip". So, of course, we had to get a girls weekend set up.

Obviously, this requires serious discussion. The planning, etc. We were focused, we were talking, we could NOT be interrupted.

So there we were, yapping away and I could here this little voice in the background...."mom?.....mom?......mom?......MOM??????????" You guessed it, it was Max.
Isn't that always how it goes. The kids are no where to be found when you need them. They can't seem to hear you when you call them for dinner or to do chores. They can't be found when it's bedtime. They can't get away fast enough when you try to kiss and hug them goodbye when you drop them off at school each morning. "Gross mom, people are watching"...You know how it goes! But get on the phone..................no that's a horse of a different color my friend. Yes siree! It's like putting on a suit made of magnets! Kids appear from out of nowhere. Your kids, the neighbors kids, kids you never met before. Boom - there they are. They were fine a minute ago but pick up the phone and wham - they need you NOW.

Max was hungry. He wanted a waffle. All that hard work playing basketball in the driveway with his dad and sibs. "Hold on a minute", my sis said. "I've gotta make Max a waffle." A few minutes and beeping sounds later, my sis was back on the line to resume our most important girls weekend planning discussion. Within a few seconds the little voice appeared in the background again...."mom?......mom?......mom?........MOM?" Then..........silence. My sis kept talking. Remember - we were talking about SERIOUS stuff.

Like me, my sis "walks when she talks". She was walking around the house while chatting with me on the phone. Then, in the middle of a sentence, she burst into hysterical laughter. I'm talkin the snortin, tithering, side splitting kind. Ya know, where you almost can't breathe cuz you are bent over laughing your hind end off. So here I am on the other end of the phone saying, "what????????? what's so funny???????"

"Oh my gosh", she says. "I was just walking through the kitchen and Max's plate of waffles is sitting on the counter. The waffle is burned on the edges, covered in maple syrup and butter and there's a sticky note on it. The sticky note says 'THIS TASTES LIKE SH#%T' " (rhymes with bit). Written neatly and correctly.

Okay so at this point I too am bent over in hysterical laughter. Then my sister adds, "Ya know what Bec? All I could think of when I saw it was 'what nice penmanship and spelling'. "

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

You see, the waffle burned a bit. Max was trying to get my sis's attention to make him a new one. But he gave up and went out to play some more basketball. But, he wasn't going to exit without making his point known. If you can't say it, write it. So, he wrote his note and stuck it to the syrupy mess and headed back outside to play.

Gotta love it. What a proud parent/teacher moment. That deep sense of knowing. It's undeniable. Maxwell's SMART.

P.S. - my sis saved the sticky note - once the syrup dried that is.

Love,
The Lady Of The Lake