punch buggy poacher

i spotted it from a distance, i knew that no one else in the van could see it as well as me...this punch buggy would be mine. my quickness would not be outdone by the four munchkins in the back seat nor by their father. as the words "punch buggy" were crawling up my throat i was considering who i would punch to claim my final victory lap. it was as the words were coming out of my mouth at a pretty loud volume that i realized.... i was all alone in the mini van. my "punch buggy" was meaningless.

i have a small competitive side in me.. ok, well, sometimes it's not so small especially when it comes to games. sports games, board games, etc... mark has a wee bit of competition in his blood also (don't ever dis him in a game of liverpool rummy, you'll live to regret it). therefore, combined we have produced a few competitive children.

anderson has a distinct disadvantage, he is the baby. i feel for him. i lost numerous games of wolf, around the world, kick the can, etc.. because of my birth order. especially, with an overly competitive older brother (i will protect his identity, he resides in the northeast). ahem. so i had to get faster, smarter, and more creative. often times i reverted to jelly shoes. they were magical. sometimes i threatened my brothers in order to claim victory. wanting to some day have children of their own, they would concede and i would claim victory. it was ugly. but it was a victory!

back to anderson. anderson has picked up on the fact that if he wants to win he has to get creative. his latest strategy in the "punch buggy" realm is hysterical. most of the time he is NOT the first to spot a punch buggy. when someone else sees a punch buggy and claims it anderson simply shouts at the top of his lungs, "punch buggy blue, i got it" then he punches someone. he acts as if no one else ever said a word. he doesn't even acknowledge the person whom first spotted it. his confidence that he in fact spotted the punch buggy first is fascinating. even though 5 other people in the car clearly heard the other person claim it first he does not go down without a fight. he claims victory until he cries. at first the girls and their parents, fought him on it saying things like, "no buddy, so and so got it first". but after MULTIPLE attempts at trying this and failing, everyone has conceded to this tactic. even yesterday, when julia clearly spotted the green punch buggy first and even punched AJ, he immediately claimed it for his own and julia and the rest of us congratulated him on his victory.

consequently, anderson has been named the punch buggy poacher. i am very proud of his creative means to claim a V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.  i am also a little bit concerned regarding his overly abundant confidence.

here is to spotting that punch buggy first and slugging someone, even if you poach it!
~s