It was late last week when Alexis sprung it on me. She had a homework project due the very next day and she hadn't started yet. As luck would have it, it was one of those homework projects that is more an assignment for the parents than it is the kid. She had tried to start it a week before and hadn't gotten very far because assignment for the parents, thank you very much. She couldn't do it without help.
So we pulled out the assignment and started trying to throw it together very quickly. The assignment was to make a timeline of her life and HELLO I HAVE A BLOG FOR THAT. If ever there has been a time when Alexis has gotten to see firsthand the convenience that is involved with having your life more or less documented, that was it. We found the approximate date when she first walked, first talked, started dance class, went to Disney World, and all kinds of other things. Then we printed out photos to go with every milestone.
As we were working on the assignment (every time I say "we," you should picture me with a mouse in my pocket because Alexis sure as hell wasn't doing any helping), Alexis was being ... crazy. Nutty. Silly. She was declaring herself SO ADORABLE every time she saw an old photo of her and was going on and on and on. Words. Lots of them. All of them. YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY WORDS BECAUSE SHE TOOK THEM ALL.
So I turned to Alexis and said, "Seriously, girlfriend. Simmer down."
Alexis turned to me and deadpanned, "But mom! Why can't I be myself?"
It felt like a trap. That didn't stop me from continuing, "You are being obnoxious."
"Mom, obnoxious is my thing," she replied with a grin on her face.
We marked February 14th down as the day that Alexis first demonstrated an effective use of sarcasm. Obviously.
