i hope this is not a sign

Mama: "How are old are you going to be?"
Alex: "10.  Now put my diaper on! ... Pleeeaaaasssseeeee ..."
Mommy: "No. No. No.  Please tell me you won't be saying that when you do turn 10."

Mary

it happened

I got asked today ... "Does Jakob have a Dad?" (and my heart began to race)

TIMMY (a 5-year old with a now made-up name) "Does Jakob have a Dad?"
ME: "No."
JAKOB: "NO! NO! NO! But I have a Grandpa. And a Grandma.  And a Mommy and a Momma.  And a dog." (I was so proud at this moment)
TIMMY "So ... Um ... So .... So ... So .... Where did Jakob come from?'
ME: "He grew in my belly just like you grew in your Momma's belly."
TIMMY "Oh.  Okay.  I think .... But you need a Dad for that to happen."
ME (moment of panic and a VERY LONG pause)
TIMMY "Is that the guy in the white truck?"
ME "Huh?"
TIMMY "There is an old guy that comes to your house in a white truck." (sorry Grandpa)
ME: "No.  That is Jakob's Grandfather.  My Dad."
TIMMY "So you have a Dad?"
ME: "Yep.  I have a Mom and a Dad.  Most kids grow-up in families with both a Mom and a Dad but some kids grow-up in a family with two Dads, or just a Mom, or just a Dad, or two Moms, like Jakob and Alex."
TIMMY "Oh.  Okay .... Jakob - Do you want to play with my transformer?"

and then our neighbor TINA (a 12-year old with a now made-up name) who had been standing with us goes "He SOOO does not get it!"

I think I did okay for my first time!

And another funny conversation after bath tonight.

Jakob was getting out of the tub ...

Jakob: "I naked.  I naked.  I naked, naked, naked ... "
Me: "Yes.  You are naked Jakob."
Jakob: "You are born naked."
Me: "What?  Where did you learn that?"
Jakob: "From Grandma."

(and for the record Grandma did not teach him that)

Mary

conversations with our kids

Mama: "Alex.  You are so handsome."
Alex: "No.  Don't say things like that."

Mama: "Does milk make you grow big?"
Jake: "No."
Mama: "Do vegetables make you grow big?"
Jake: "No."
Mama: "Does Orange Juice make you grow big?"
Jake: "No."
Mama: "What makes you grow big?"
Jake: "Toys."

Mary

my birthday

Today is my birthday.  This is what I got for my birthday.

Alex woke-up crying at 5:15am and when I went in the nursery to bring him into our bedroom Jakob woke-up too.  Awesome.  I took Alex back to our bedroom and went back to retrieve Jakob.  Jakob was soaking wet.  (note: my boys can’t even stay dry in diapers at night how the HECK will they stay dry in underwear)  I got Jakob in new pajamas and then we headed to the bedroom.  I knew no one was going back to sleep.  We were all laying in bed “talking” (really Jakob and Alex were talking and Momma and Mommy were trying to pretend we weren’t really awake) and the boys suddenly realized it was my birthday.  And Alex immediately insisted on going downstairs and out into our garage to get my gift.  Sure.  Why not?  It’s only 5:30am.  I can only imagine the gift in the garage that awaits for me.  So down the stairs went Kara and Alex.  A few minutes later I hear the pitter patter of little feet and out of nowhere a monster truck comes hurling towards my head and behind it I hear a small voice saying, “Happy Birthday Momma.” Be still my heart.  So Kara then turns to Jakob and the following conversation takes place…

Kara: “You need to wish Momma a Happy Birthday.”
Jakob: “No.”
Kara: “How about you sing Happy Birthday to Momma?”
Jakob: “No.  I sing Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

And out came the best ever rendition of Itsy Bitsy Spider.

So those were my gifts from my crazy little boys.  I’ll take it.

Mary

another bath story

The shenanigans continue …

Jakob got a bit excited in the bathtub last night and after getting a couple of warnings about splashing water outside of the tub I had to take him out of the tub.  Alex continued to play for a bit longer as I was getting Jakob all dried off and dressed in his pajamas.  Of course Alex decides to start partaking in the mischievous behavior initiated by Jake and begins filling up the spoon** and dumping the water outside of the tub.  Alex got a couple of warnings before I yanked the spoon out of his hand and sternly told him to step out of the tub.  This is the conversation that took place …

Me: “Nope.  You are done.  Out of the tub.”
Alex: “No.  I was cooking!”
Me: “You are not cooking.  You are making a mess.  Out.  Now.”
Alex: (as he is climbing out of the tub) “I sad.”
Jake: “No be sad Alex.  I had to get out tub too.  I being bad.  You being bad.  We all bad.  It okay.”
Alex: “I want to cook.”
Jake: “No brother.  You in trouble.  You come lay next to me.”
(Alex lays down next to Jakob and Jakob starts to pat his back)

Be still my heart.  Though I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that "being in trouble" is commonplace in our house.

** a utensil used in our nightly television show  “Cooking in the Tub with Jake and Alex”

Mary