Hide and Seek (On the third day)

The character trait for today is loyalty. Tyler is extremely devoted to his causes and his people. Oddly when I say 'people', it makes him sound like he has his own tribe or something. Well, with all the girls, it is almost like he does. But Tyler remembers when you do him a favor and he remembers who has helped in his life. Naturally family tops his list and he would drop everything in a heartbeat to go help his brothers or his parents.

He also feels loyalty towards a company who treats him well. He has worked at his current job for over six years. That may not seem like much (especially in comparison to our whopping twelve years married) but he moved jobs a bit after leaving college and it is nice for him to find a place that he fits pretty well.

Tyler is so loyal to his ideas and principles that he actually gets quite stubborn. One would say pig-headed even. (Not me though. I would never say that.) Although it is frustrating when he is wrong, there is something to be said for someone who stands by their values and can't be swayed by the ebb of popular opinion. And Tyler's values are based in some pretty good stuff, so he tends to be a very reliable, honest sort of man. (Even when he is wrong. Which isn't often.)

I probably benefit from all this loyalty, since I am his right hand man woman. I can honestly say that there isn't anyone I would rather have by my side through thick and thin.

Here is a picture from our third year of marriage.

Family News

There has been a lot of hiding and seeking around our house lately. At night we hide Tyler's cell phone. There is an alarm on it that signals when it is bedtime. The last thing the girls do before bed is run around madly trying to find the phone as the intermittent chime goes off. It is actually quite funny to watch.

We also have an elf this year. Every morning he hides in a new spot and the girls find him and put him back under the tree. He is watching to see if they are behaving themselves. He has probably had to turn a blind eye to a few incidents in order for all children to be receiving gifts on Christmas.

Daisy has been enjoying all these seeking games, but she stinks at them really. Not the hiding part...she gets that. But she gives everything away. If she knows where you are hiding, she will tell the seeker. If she sees Eddy the elf, she points him out to everyone, even if they want to search for themselves. Let's give you an example:

We were playing regular hide-and-seek the other evening. It gets very competitive and we parents think up spots where it will take a long time for sisters to find hiders. Tyler had stuffed June behind the couch cushions and I had stuffed Ivory in the linen closet under some pillows. Robyn was having a tough time finding anyone. Tyler and I were trying to give her some clues. We told her she should look in places that she didn't even think people could fit. Daisy was sitting quietly on Tyler's lap this whole time. We thought we had her in check...

Tyler: She might be in something. Robyn, we'll give you some ideas. Like, is she in the entertainment center?....no.

Me: Is she in the piano?....no.

Tyler: Is she in the mandolin?....no.

Me: Is she on the ceiling?....no.

Daisy: (right on cue) Is she in the couch?.....yes.

She just can't keep it to herself. She thinks she is helping and actually gets quite flustered when her 'help' is unappreciated. She is such a good little duck.