{Insert Post About That Nite We (Never) Gave the Boys a John Deere Gator}

(Lest, when I read this blog in years to come, I look back through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia and remember only pleasant manners and immediate obedience, I thought it was important to write this post, which is actually NOT a post, because it's about an event that never happened ... or at least hasn't happened yet.)

Earlier this week, Jeremy and I talked about how we needed to buy the boys another big ride-on toy for Christmas. The police motorcycle my parents bought Freddie last year is almost too small, so we figured Christmas would be a great time to add another battery-powered riding toy for our road warriors to enjoy as much as they do the John Deere tractor the Pressleys gave Jones in 2014.

The nite after we discussed it, a friend from Greenville posted on Facebook that they were selling her son's John Deere Gator. I know her well enough to know that anything from her home would be excellently-kept. Plus, her $150 Gator was WAY more affordable than the $450+ we'd have to pay for a new one, so I asked Jeremy if we should bite. He said YES; his only stipulation was that I not give it to the boys until we'd gotten it home from our trip to Greenville. We talked about waiting until Christmas - or even Jones's birthday in October - but ultimately agreed that NOW is the time to play with it, since they spend so much of their summer days outdoors.

So that was the plan. The boys and I would head home after their naps today; Jeremy would leave the office a little early, and we'd give the boys their "big, giant surprise" then.

Enter Jones's big, bad, horrible, inexcusably defiant attitude. All.day.long, he has been disobedient and back-talky in ways he has NEVER been before. I warned and warned and disciplined and disciplined - in fact, we stopped more than once on the drive home from Greenville yesterday to deal with his disobedience. As a result, I told him the "big, giant surprise" currently covered by a pair of moving blankets in the way-back of my mini-van would have to wait. There was NO WAY IN THE WORLD I would give a kid something so super when he had behaved so stupefyingly bad.

And so, we wait.

It's so disappointing and anti-climactic for me and Jeremy. We've been so excited about this ever since it came up on Monday. Not to mention, Freddie's not been a bad boy all day; why should HE have to have treasures withheld? Still, he is paying for the sins of his brother, and both boys have to wait until tomorrow for the big reveal - though if Jones doesn't get his mouth in line, he won't get it then, either.

Grrrrr.