Korben became Kubby all because of Karis. See, my middle son, Karis, had a hard time pronouncing his "r's." "Girl" was "gull;" "pearl" was "pull." I figured it was because we homeschool, and...you know about those homeschoolers. They all turn out a little weird. So, when little baby Korben was born, he quickly became "Kubben." This got shortened to Kubby, and he's been our precious little Kubs every since.

Precious, in that he loves nothing more than to don heavy weaponry and battle with his older brother.

Precious, in that he usually wins the battles.

Kubby is a man of extremes. There is no middle ground when it comes to this guy.

One minute, he is super affectionate and cuddly as all get out. The next minute, he's chasing his brothers around the yard with a foam-covered battle ax (and don't think for one second that the foam is a foolproof safeguard against injury. Kubs will find a way to make it hurt, even if he has to ram the ax...but I digress).

Kubby is also one to never, and I repeat NEVER be outdone by his big brothers.

Case in point: We went as a family to one of Katie and Kelsey's volleyball games. They play for a Christian homeschool team. Let me emphasize the word "Christian" here because it totally changes the slant of this entire story.

We were cheering them on, and my three boys began migrating over to intermingle with the other high school students who go to school with Kelsey and Katie. Yes, it's a homeschool school. I know that sounds weird, but I'll explain another time. I guess my boys thought they were big shots because they were sitting with older boys in the cheering section, but they started getting louder and louder. People began looking over with those "eyes." You know those "eyes," don't you? They are the eyes that peer over people's heads and around their backs to see whose child could be causing the commotion. The eyes are looking for the kid, but the exagerated motion is for the benefit of the parent. It's a nonverbal way to say, "shut your kid up."

Anyway, the cheering section was getting louder and much of it was coming from my kids! Kyler was hollering, then Karis began hollering louder than him. Well, Korben is never going to be outdone by his big brothers so something was mulling around in his head. Looking back, I should have probably seen it coming and intercepted the cheering rivalry. But I didn't. My bad.

Pretty soon, there were only minutes left in the game and the cheering was getting louder and louder. All of sudden, there was a bunch of whooping and laughing from the cheering section and there was Korben, my seven-year-old son, in the bleachers of a Christian homeschool girls' volleyball match, swinging his shirt over his head and doing pelvic thrusts while everyone was gathering around him. Forget the volleyball match. Kubby had turned into the main attraction.

This is why I get weird looks when I go out in public. This is why mothers grab their children's hands and pull them out of the way when they see my family coming.

I'm the freak mom.

And my children made me that way, especially Kubs.