Nearly twenty five years ago, my Mother-in-law donated The Hub's supply of SW action figures and battleships to the Deseret Industries. To this day - there are some deep seated feelings of resentment over this act of donation. To try and heal the wounds, when we were first married, I started hunting for SW action figures and gave them to The Hub for birthdays and Christmas. They were difficult to find at the time because it was before the re-release of the Trilogy and the completion of the Prequels. Upon recieving them, The Hub opened the figures and set them out lovingly on a shelf in our bedroom. He now regrets opening the packages and the action figures are in a sealed container hidden in the closet (the kids are allowed to look at them whilst supervised). We also have an adult sized Vader mask/voice simulator in the closet, and just yesterday 'M' mentioned that he really wanted to get this $200.00 light saber that comes with a special stand for display purposes.
We once owned the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit Game but The Hub gave it to his brother because he felt like owning it make him too much of a nerd. Let's be honest - a person who excitedly purchases the game and effectively slaughters all competition with his vast store of knowledge gained from not just watching the shows but reading the literature - has achieved ground breaking SW nerd status - regardless of weather they keep the game or not.
As I said, we are all big fans, but 'N' actually outpaces 'M' in his devotion to the galaxy. Starting at the age of one, he could always be calmed if I quietly hummed any of the Star Wars theme songs in his ear. In fact, because 'N' has been on hyper-active hyper-drive since birth, I have spent many hours over the past decade humming, and da-da-dumming this musical score. For three years I did not hear a word from the stand during sacrament meeting at church on Sundays because through the force I had to pin 'N's arms to his sides, crushing him against my chest, as I lured him to complacency with my well rehearsed, renditions of 'Luke's theme', 'The Rebel Fanfare', or my personal favorite - 'The Imperial March'.
Over time - other audio-visual passions have 'forced' SW from the limelight of 'N's life - Buzz Lightyear, Batman, Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean - but still - the love for the Star Wars Saga remains persistant and strong. I don't have to hum so much anymore - he does that all by himself - but a frequent topic of discussion in my home is 'Jedi Training School' at Disneyland. We discuss how it went, the techniques the boys learned, the costumes they wore, and when we might be able to attend again.
The Hub recently added a special download to his iphone. It is a magical program which plays Star Wars theme music. This music accompanies the simulated light saber sound effects which are activated when the user swishes his phone around the air with his best Jedi moves.
Said The Hub cheerfully to 'N' this morning:
Said The Hub cheerfully to 'N' this morning:
"You can try this but if you drop my phone I will have to beat you!"
To which I replied:
"Honey - maybe any activites you plan with the kids that involve the words 'I will have to beat you' are not appropriate."
All three kids had a grand time swishing the phone to beat of 'The Imperial March' and no one dropped the phone.
No beatings today - May The Force Be With You!
4 comments:
OH I forgot about those pictures!!! Loved this and died laughing at work.
oh my gosh, you are so cute!!!! my niece and nephew are OBSESSED with Star Wars, too! When we were all in the car together, singing primary songs to keep the kiddos entertained, my nephew chose to sing the Star Wars song--it was awesome! ps--you are such a good writer! :D
I can't believe how long it has been since I've seen your family. I only recognized two of the characters in the photos.
W Brown
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