Sam Quotes

He's almost 3, our little Cub.  He's talking up a storm lately.  Sometimes you know what he means, sometimes you don't.   Sometimes he yells at you.  Sometimes he's really sweet.

A few good quotes lately:

The day before Thanksgiving, he got afraid of turkeys.  So on the holiday, we referred to "the meat" or "food."  At the end of dinner, I had lost my patience with his fid-faddling around, pointed to his plate and told him to eat his turkey.

"That's not a turkey," he said, "that's FOOD."

Another day, he was carrying on because he wanted some (more) candy.  Pulling out the love and logic technique, I was very sympathetic and said, "I know you really want some candy, and it's hard when we don't get what we want."  He got close up to me and yelled a few words, "YOU! NO! TELL! ME! ITS! HARD!"    Onto parenting technique 3,498.


Today the still 2 year old was wrestling/attacking his 8 yr old brother.  He was basically hanging off K's back.  So when JimDad told him to let go already, Sam yelled back:  BUT I LOVE HIM!
 "Well, sure, you love him buddy, but you need to let go of his neck!"    #brothers

What did you say?

Hi!  Thought I'd catch you up on things around here.

Mostly, I sleep...  and eat, and pee.

I make all sorts of odd noises (grunts, squeaks, smacks).

Some days, I cry.  A lot. But never when there's company.

Can you believe I'm a month already?

I open my eyes a little bit more now, and look around at people.

Even though I'm just 4 wks, I weigh about 10-11 lbs.  That makes it hard for mom to figure out which clothes will fit me.  Below, I'm pretending to be a meditating monk.

And here is my first or second walk outside.  It's freezing out, so I have about 3 layers of clothes plus 2 blankets on, and Mom still doesn't let me stay outside for more than 10 minutes or so.  Sigh.

This is my big brother, Kaden.  He's really nice to me.  He talks a lot.

Yesterday, I was crying, and he told me:

"Don't cry, Sammy, this is a happy house."

And the other day when I was crying, he told me:

"I know it's hard, Sam, but you gotta face your fears if you want to grow big and strong like me!"

I don't know what he meant by that.  Where's my monk robe? I need to think about it.

PS- like my sideburns?  Mom thinks they are cool.

quick takes: Brotherly Love

** Kaden came in the door with an empty donut bag.  "Did you bring me a donut?" I asked.
"No.  But I'll give you a thousand kisses, and that's worth more than one donut."

**  Nicknames Kaden has called his brother:  Little guy, Little man, little brother, baby brother, my baby, cutie patootie, squirrel, the cute one.

** One day, about 2 inches from his face, he jabbers away at Sam, who promptly started crying.  Kaden hung his head and softly said, "I think he hates me."  We re-explained that of course he loves you, but he's just a BABY, and babies don't do anything except eat, sleep, poop and cry.

** The next day, Kaden pops up into Sam's space and says "Hi there! It's me, Kaden, your big brother.  Do you remember me?"

** Sometime when I was pregnant, Kaden had mentioned something about someday he'd have a baby in his belly.  Without going into a lot of detail, I explained that no, only women have babies, because they're not really in the belly- we have a special organ called a uterus that grows babies.  Fast forward a few months, to a few days after Sam was born.  The first time Kaden saw Sam with a bottle, instead of nursing, he was a bit surprised and asked, "What, he doesn't he like drinking your uterus milk anymore?"

** Sam doesn't say a lot these days.  But his smacks and squeaks have us smiling!


There's a lot more, I'm sure- our oldest is all superhero and sweetness rolled into one.  But I'm still working on lack of sleep here, so we'll go with this for now!

Funny Things my kid has said sometime in the near past, that I can still remember

Really, this blog ought to be written by Kaden, since he's obviously the most clever and cute of us all.  And perhaps it could be within the year, since he has the idea of "texting" and can spell out his name on a keyboard, and adds nice smileys too.  But then again, he'd probably write all sorts of things about what I say, or tell him to do, or how much I yell at him (all the time, apparently).  Huh, maybe that's not such a good idea after all.

Anyways, here's the best of lately:

• Nana asked him how the Halloween parade was.  "Great!  Look at all this candy I got!"  Well, she said, what else did you see, besides candy I mean.  "Girls dancing," he replied immediately.  (This in a parade that featured a zillion fire trucks and 2 dancing groups.)  What else, Nana asked.  "Little kids watching a movie, and scouts and football players.  It had all sorts of people."  Didn't mention a single fire truck.  Isn't this the kid that was obsessed with them just 2 years ago?!

• Later, when asked if he would share some candy with me, he said, "No, I can't share any with you because candy isn't good for the baby."

• After Jimdad teased him, Kaden yelled across the house:  "We don't LIE in this house!!"

• "Mom, is watermelon a fruit or a vegetable?"   Good question, I'm not sure.  "Fruit.  Definitely a fruit."  Huh, could be.  How do you know?  "Years of practice."   

• After I told him to pipe down in the backseat since he didn't have a drivers license yet, he replied, "Yes, I do. I have one from Chuck E. Cheese.  So I CAN tell you how to drive, Mom."

• "What's a butler, Mom?"  A person who takes care of stuff for you, like around the house.  "Hmm.  I think we need 5 butlers, one for each of us and the baby too."

• "When I'm bigger and you're still alive, I'm getting a convertible."  That's nice, hunny.  Wait, why when we're still alive?  "So I can give you a ride around.  I think you'll like it."

Short Walks, Big Talks

On the walk to the bus stop this morning, Kaden was asking about the tree leaves.  Why are some green, and some are turning yellow and red?  When will all the trees have all their leaves gone?

So I started telling him how some trees are evergreens, so they stay green no matter what.  Like palm trees, I said.  "Or Christmas trees!"  I chuckled a yes, saying Christmas trees were usually some kind of pine tree.  "It's a good thing they stay green," Kaden started laughing, "Or we'd just have a bunch of STICKS in the house for our ornaments to hang on!!"

Things to blow your mind (if you're 5)

So!  Part of Kaden's school work is to count coins.  He dumped out his piggy bank, and we're sorting 'quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies'.  And then... he finds a foreign coin!   We thought it said "20 Franc" but it turned out it was "20 centimes."  So, instead of being worth 20 dollars, it was worth 2.5 cents.  (Not that it can be used as official money anywhere.)  (Except Haiti, maybe.) (Come to think of it, that's probably how we got it.)

Anywho, while I was researching (okay, okay, googling)  all this out... Kaden sold the coin to his Nana, for 28 American cents.   What a deal.  For him, obviously.  But I'm sure you knew that.

****

Another day, Kaden was trying to play a computer game (pbskidsgo.com maybe?) and needed some help.  He kept asking Nana, and she kept saying she didn't know how to play.  He started to get upset.  She said, "Honey, look at me.  (pause while he looked up).  Listen carefully:  I don't know how to play that game.  We didn't have games on the computer or video games when I was a kid."   His hurt look quickly turned to astonishment.  "What?" he says, "Why not? Were you too poor?"

The conversation quickly derailed into all the things that hadn't been invented yet, when Nana was a kid (cell phones, microwaves, digital cameras)...  I think she blew his mind.  I was quite amused when I heard the retelling later... until I realized I'm old enough that most of the things she mentioned hadn't been invented when I was a kid either!!  yikes!

the things this kid says

After church this weekend, we were telling Kaden he wasn't really behaving well the entire service, and he had to work on that.  He said "I don't want to be quiet or still"  So Nana says, should we call up Fr Stan so you could talk to him about it?  And Kaden says, "Well, if you take me back to Florida, I'll behave at church!"   

***
Another time at church, he waved at a cross from a distance, during the processional at the end of mass.  Stop waving, I said.  
"I'm really praying, " he said, "because inside the cross is heaven, and Uncle Steve is in heaven, so I'm saying hi to Uncle Steve and it's praying."

***
One day, Kaden and Nana were talking, and Kaden said something about Nana living with him when he was a lot older.  Nana said, well I might not be here.  Kaden:  You mean because you'll be dead?
Nana: Well, yes.  Hopefully not soon, but someday, and we don't know when.  Kaden:  Well, that's okay too, because then you'll be in heaven, and so you'll live in our hearts with us.


***
Kaden, one morning:  Hey Dad, you better comb your hair better.  Today you're getting married!
Jimdad:  really?  to who?
Kaden:  Mom.  So you better look nice.

***
me:  why are you opening the truck window?
Kaden:  Well, you never heard a lightening bug before, right?  So you're going to hear one tonight.  Pay attention, though, they're fast.

***
One time, we were "practicing" accents and I tried out a wee burr.  Kaden yells out, "OH MY! Now we're talking SCOTTAMISH"

***
Me:  Kaden, will you come out here when you're done crying please?
Kaden:  I'll NEVER be done crying!

***
We were wondering aloud how a family down in FL was- and the teen girl was Kaden's babysitter.  He says, "Oh yeah, her and Ken."  No, her brother is Wills.  "I know Wills, but I'm not talking about her brother.  I'm talking about her friend."  Her boyfriend? His name isn't Ken.  "I know that, but he looks like a Ken doll, so I call him Ken."

***
Kade:  When can I go to Disney again?
Me:  Maybe when you're 16.
Kade:  I don't want to WORK there, I want to go PLAY there!!

He's quotable, even when he doesn't mean to be!

Everyday Fun

Two things I need to get used to now that we live in Pennsylvania.  

ONE- I used to be surprised it was so hot in May.  Now I'm surprised it's still cool in June.

TWO- When people say "beach" or "sand", they are probably talking about a lake of some sort.  That's not a 'beach' to me- what I think of as the beach, ppl around here think of as 'the shore', which sounds a little overpopulated and scary to me. Caveat- if they mention "vacation", they mean a real beach, but that's 6+ hours away.

Kaden's helping me with the rest of this post:

Hulk picks up Robin and says "HEY! I'm picking you up and then I'm going to throw you down because I am your villian"  Phewch (fighting noise)!  Ow! 

"I got you because you were a good guy and then you turned in a villian, but now we're going to turn you back into a good guy! Yay!  We win again!" 

I got a new toy, and I'm going to play with these Star Wars guys after my mom opens them!  

Thank you Gary! 

I am not very fast, this guy in front of me is faster than everybody.

me: did you try your best?  him:  yes.

me: did you have fun?  him:  yes, I used all my energy.

Thank you for taking me to that race, mom. 

Me:  this is the bike Uncle Steve bought him, but he outgrew it in just a year. 

This is Kaden, he starts with K.  That's what you say about that one and that's IT. 

This is L and N and K.  They are superheros saving the day.

the THINGS this Kid does (and says)

Earlier this week, it was a wee bit nice out, so I took Kaden to a nature center for a rockin' storytime about frogs.  It actually was quite cool:  stories, poems, songs, a little craft.  All in 45 minutes.  Afterward, we explored the actual nature center, which was like a mini-kids museum.  All sorts of cool displays (microscopes with feathers or hedgehog barbs) and a life size tree/cave with all sorts of local, ah, taxidermied animals.  And the kids could climb on/thru the tree and cave part, but not touch the "stuffed" animals.  Such a neat place.   I remembered the camera- but forgot the memory card.  Next time you'll have photos.

ANYWAY, besides being one of my new favorite places, what struck me the most was how Kaden used this very cool play area as a backdrop for some elaborate superhero/police/criminal scene.  He pretty much involved every kid there - one was his batman (because as the leader, he of course got to be Robin, lol), and the "baby girls" (toddlers) who didn't want to play were innocent bystanders, aka "city people."   

Also this week, we've been at home and at one store.  All these places were just locations to play superheroes.  Seriously.

***

Today, we found Robin's kryptonite.  I was trying to decide on potting soil (as in, will spending $3 more on this bag prevent me from wasting time by planting seeds that won't grow in the cheapo dirt)... when Boy Wonder called me over with a trembling voice.  "It hurts, Mom," he said- holding out his hands.  I didn't see any blood.  What happened?  "I tried to hold the cactus," he said.  WHY?  "It looked soft and fluffy, like a rose."  When I took his hand to look closer, he immediately started wailing: "Dooooooon't toooouch iiiiiittt"

Fifteen or twenty minutes later, we had gotten most out via tweezers.  Thanks to some texts with a good friend and JimDad, we also had options to remove the rest of the barbs:  elmers glue, duct tape, aloe wash or epsom salt soak.  Hmmm, still in the middle of the store, we opted for duct tape.  The tears were gone- apparently black duct tape gloves are a way cool addition to Robin's costume... 

Later this summer, JimDad turns 40.  Today I was trying to brainstorm what to do, since our first three options were postponed due to move issues (nothing bad, just normal re-focusing).  I asked Kaden what he thought.  "A toy?" he said.   No, I replied, it has to be something big for this year.  "I know!  Shh, don't tell him, but we'll all go to..."  he actually paused for dramatic effect, people!  And then jumped up to stand on his seat and finish  "... we'll all go to FLORIDA!"  Big smile all around.   Well, sure that's a great idea, but we don't have a lot of money saved, I started to explain.  "I have money.  I'll give it to him.  I have $13."  Generous heart, that boy.

***

Tonight, Kaden also told his Dad that he didn't want to go to church anymore, and he wasn't going to school either, because you had to be still and quiet.

Earlier this week, he overheard a comment about me looking for papers I need to register him for the public school.  "I'm not going to public school," he adamantly declared.  Really? What kind of school are you going to?  "Superhero school."   Later I asked him to tell his dad what kind of school he wanted to go to, and he replied "Police school."   So, we're right back where we started...

Rabbits and Spring Attitude and other Easter things

Earlier this afternoon, Jim and I were talking about raising rabbits for food.  Kaden overheard us, and then asked his Nana- "why would they do that? Grow up a bunny and then shoot it and eat it?  Bunnies are sooo cute!"

This evening, I overheard this conversation:
Kaden:  Let's shoot the bunnies.
Jim:  No.
Kaden:  Why did you say no?
Jim:  I don't like to shoot bunnies.
Kaden:  But you said you like to EAT bunnies...

***
Kaden's favorite phrase lately is delivered while he looks you straight in the eye, and deadpans "I don't know what you're talking about."

***
Also earlier today, Jim asked Kaden to tell Nana we'd be leaving in 10 minutes or so.  Kaden happily skipped off, and a few minutes later I heard Nana rushing around, so I shouted back "We're not leaving too soon."  Nana said to Kaden, "why would you DO that to me" and then Kaden started laughing hysterically.  It turns out that he had told her we were leaving "right now" and that if she didn't hurry and get her shoes on, we'd leave her behind.

May I remind you this child is only 4 years old?

***

Also, Grandma had all the grandkids who were around up to dye easter eggs today. Kaden was very excited- and did 4.  Then went off to play.  No decoration, just two blue, a green and an orange.  Hey, that's Florida colors :)  I just realized that.

***
I'm looking forward to the Easter season this year for a few reasons... one, I'm so ready for warm weather.  Two, I'm ready for some hope and joy and resurrection.   We went to Good Friday services- and I always forget how much it's like a funeral.  Sigh.  Here's hoping tomorrow's Mass will be joyful... while the resident 4 year old has it in spades, I could use a little divine inspiration these days :)

Happy Easter to one and all!

Conflicted.

Blame it on the climate change.
Here's two conversations with my 4 yr old, that happened within 6 hours of each other.

***

CHAT #1  (At home, while we're getting ready to go out.)

Hey Mom, you've got your VBS hat on.
yes, yes I do.

I remember when you worked at VBS.  Really?  Yes, I was so sad when you had to go off to work.  But then when you came into my room, I was so happy and excited, I just wanted to hug you and kiss you and show you what I was doing! (and he proceeds to hug and kiss me repeatedly, with a big smile.)

Wow, buddy.  I'm glad you were happy to see me at VBS.  (pause to silently berate myself for not checking in on him more often.)  So, are you happy that I'm with you all the time now?
OH YES, MAMA!!!  (more hugs and kisses and smiles)



CHAT #2  (In the car, just after I bought 3 lottery tickets.)

You know what I would do if I won the lottery, Mom?  Hmmm, what?
I'd buy a house in Florida and live there forever!  Really?  What would you do? 
Yep, I'd buy a house in Florida and play with my friends everyday, because then I'd be happy again.
(The sound of my heart breaking.)

***

Needless to say, Chat #2 was especially heartbreaking considering we just had a morning out with other lil' big kids, AND a smallish dose of cousin fun.  I *know* this transition north has been harder - on ALL of us - than we thought it would be.  And I *know* that once he gets into a regular routine with buddies, he'll be fine.   But now?  Oh, kiddo.  Mix in a crazy schedule and cold weather and winter colds/germs/sick times...  the forecast doesn't look so promising here.  Good thing we had Chat #1 so my heart isn't completely shattered just yet...

Time for some FUN

It's time.  Cabin fever has hit this hermit mama... I spent a little time last week looking up oodles of fun things to do around here.  I knew it was time to find structured things for Kaden to do after these two exchanges:

Me:  Hey, Kaden, do you want to go to a class with me for-

Kaden, jumping up and hugging me:  YES! YES! YES!

Me:  But I didn't tell you what it was for.

Kaden:  That's okay, Mama, I'll go.

Then yesterday, Grandma said:  We haven't see you this week, Kaden.  Whatcha been up to?
Kaden:  Watching TV.

Grandma:  That's nice, and what else?

Kaden:  Nothing.

Er.... ahem.  The now-Pennsylvania boy is ready, yes?  Jimdad took him to one of those kid-build things at a store, and both had a great time.  Tomorrow we've got a Moms group meeting- I've only been to one other, but both of us enjoyed it, and the other moms have been helpful through the online group too.  There's another playgroup thing on Tuesday morning... and then a smallish road trip at the end of the week.  Plus, I've filled the Google calendar with a LOT of options that (hopefully) will get us through the rest of this winter!

Photo from a few weeks ago:  the Florida boy's first sled ride was in the dark!  

He loved it... of course.

Reminiscing

Kaden, to me:
Remember when we used to say hello to our neighbors in florida?
we said hello to the twins
we said hello to Carole...
we haven't said hello to anyone here.
(pause)
once they tell us their names, we can say hello all the time.

***

Jimdad: What do you miss about Florida, Kaden?
Kaden:  The twins and the library.  And the beach.  And our old church, with the playground in back.
Nana:  Do you miss your old school?
Kaden:  No.  They made me take naps.

***

Kaden:  When we go to Disney this year...
Me, interrupting:  Hunny, we're not going this year.  That was a once in a decade trip.
Kaden:  Well, we might.  You never know.

***

Nana:  What do you want to do FIRST when we get to Florida?
Kaden:  Go to the beach, on a warm day, so we can go swimming, and have a picnic.

***

They say, dear readers, that we will adjust to life up here.  I'll let you know about that when we thaw out.

Dear Santa

I should let you know that the letter writing to Santa took a lot of coaxing this year.  Not to sit down to write it, but to put it in a semi-letter, polite form.  The 4 year old was more interested in listing the 100s of toys he wanted.  The first draft was "Dear elves, please tell Santa to bring me lots and lots and lots of toys."  So, lots of coaching was involved.  That being said... enjoy!

"Dear Santa and elves,

 I hope you're not working too hard.  We moved to Pennsylvania, and it's really cold so I hafta wear a jacket.   Dear Santa, I hope you give me M&Ms like St. Nick did.  Ho Ho Ho!  Dear Santa, I am a nice kid.  Please give me a game system and a lot of games, like Brave.  And please give me an iPod and a shooter gun and ninja turtles.  And a motorcycle that I can ride on.  And the big hockey game and a baking system for girls, because I love baking.  And other games, like Monopoly.

We are building a Christmas Tree, and stockings.  I am going to make presents and give them to my family, like Daddy.  I am going to share my presents, with my friends.   Goodbye Santa, I hope to see you soon!  That's it, the end of the story and the show.   Love, Kaden.

PS - directions to my new house:  go that way, then that way, and that way, then turn that way, go right and then go left, and then go straight and stop in the middle."

ps- we are in PA, finally, but I have some great shots from our Florida visit last week :)

More conversations

Kaden:  Will my voice sound the same later?
Kristi:  puzzled  Sure.  pause.  When?
Kaden:  When I'm older.
Kristi:  Oh. Yes, I guess.  Why would your voice sound different?
Kaden:  That's an interesting question.  pause.  I don't want to talk about it right now.
Kristi:  ???

sand or snow?

 ***

Kaden:  Mom, why are we leaving before those people?
Kristi:  Because I don't work here anymore, but someone just came in to register, so they have to stay.
Kaden:  Why don't you work here anymore? I liked it.
Kristi:  Because we're moving to Pennsylvania.
Kaden:  What do you work at now?
Kristi:  I don't really have a job, now.  I just get to stay at home with you.
Kaden:  Well, you could get a job and I could go to school.
Kristi:  sigh.

Burrowing Owls are common around here. Didja read/see HOOT?

***

In my old office, now inhabited by the replacement ;)  I had a "kid" section that she kept.
Kaden:  Mom, these are my toys.
Kristi:  No, they were toys I got for the church office and we left them here for other kids.
Kaden:  upset  No, they were MY toys and I shared, but now we need to take them to Pennsylvania.
Replacement:  Sure, honey, you can take them.
Kaden:  See, mom!
Kristi:  ???  sigh.

not ours- he was in the street. Kaden was upset I didn't "rescue" him...

***

We are taking SO. MANY. TOYS. to Pennsylvania- it's so frustrating. I was able to pare down our stuff (though JimDad may later question some of that!) but Kaden is hanging on to *everything*.  I know it's because of this move transition, but I am not a packrat and it's driving me crazy!  Thanks for listening.

Conversations

First Library Card, 2012

Nana:  Kaden, clean your room.
Kaden:  Let's compromise, Nana.
Nana:  Kristi, did you hear that?  He has such a great vocabulary!
Kristi (doubting her son's natural genius):  Kaden, what does 'compromise' mean?
Kaden:  It's when you talk a little, and then I talk a little.
Nana:  See! He does know!
Kristi:  And what happens after we're done talking, Kaden?
Kaden:  You do what I want.
***

Science Museum Visit, April 2012

Kaden:  How come I remember lots of things that no one else does?
Kristi:  (thinks- because you have no other things to focus on)  says:  I guess you have a good memory.
Kaden:  I think it's because I'm a lot smarter than you.
Kristi:  That can't be, you see, because you're my son.  You came from me, so where do you think you got your brains from?
Kaden:  Daddy.  Only he would never tell you that.

Sunflowers at their tallest, Spring 2012

***
 After cleaning out the condo and giving away a bunch of random furniture...
Kaden:  why did you give my bed away?
Kristi:  Your bed is right here, in your room.
Kaden:  Do my cousins have beds?
Kristi:  Yes.  (realizing he's worried about where he sleeps in Pennsylvania)  Kaden, we're moving to Pennsylvania.
Kaden:  puzzled look.  I know that.
Kristi:  Well, moving means that we pack up all our stuff and we send it to Pennsylvania, and we get a new house and unpack everything and live there- you, me and Daddy- we live together as a family again, with all our stuff.
Kaden:  I didn't know THAT!

Pirate Sock Puppet, a birthday gift and great airplane entertainment, July 2012.

***
Kristi:  Hey, Kaden, let's plan a "farewell Florida tour" - we'll go to all the places we're going to miss, and hang out a bit, say goodbye, maybe take some pictures.  Sound good?
Kaden:   like where?
Kristi:  Like the beach, or the fire truck playground, or the park near the river... where would you like to go?
Kaden:  Mmm, I get it.  I think I'm going to miss Chuck E Cheese.

Chuck E Cheese.  No, we never mentioned there's another one in Pennsylvania.
How long do you think it'll take him to find out?

Us, according to the boy

So this was one of those Facebook thingies, but I thought it would be better appreciated over here :)   I can't really pick a favorite, though I'm not so happy with #1, the rest of them are pretty funny.  Just so you know, "show show" or "sho sho" is his own language for peace.  I'm not sure how, but it's turned into our funny joke....

1. What is something mom always says to you?

go play with your toys

2. What makes mom happy?

fireguys and firegirls

3. What makes mom sad?

daddy (what? no.  why?) cuz he's grumpy!!  (oh, well, sometimes)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

by cooking dinner.  show show poo.  and tickle bug 

5. What was your mom like as a child?

(snickers)  like a big firegirl and you can be fireman sam when you grow up

6. How old is your mom?

two!

7. How tall is your mom?

I'm big like this.  (what about mommy)  bigger and bigger (more true than you know, kid)

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?

wild kratts- with me!  (actually, it is a good show)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

run around.  or cry.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

29 (?)

11. What is your mom really good at? 

peeing and watching the wild kratts.

12. What is your mom not very good at? 

(shrugs shoulders)  gaga

13. What does your mom do for her job? 

you play at work. and fix things at work.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? 

(no answer)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

(no answer)

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? 

fireman sam.

17. What do you and your dad do together? 

pee on the potty. and football

18. How are you and your dad the same? 

we run.

19. How are you and your dad different? 

i run faster and faster

20. How do you know nana loves you? 

she loves me the biggest mostest she can

21. What does your dad like most about your mom? 

playing

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? 

to  show-show peace.

Would love to hear what your kids say :)

Fast Fact Friday, or something like that

1. Jim is doing another triathlon tomorrow- the bike portion of a relay team. I'm planning on going up, with Kaden, to cheer them on. But the race site won't tell me where parking is, and my best guess is that it's about 2 miles from the swim start/transition area. Why yes, I thought the perfect way to spend a Saturday 6am *would* be a mile long stroller walk with a toddler.

2. Store clerks, if I buy a reusable bag, USE IT to pack the rest of the stuff, ok? There's nothing that gets my goat more than you stuffing a perfectly fine fabric bag into one of those plastic ones. Seriously.

3. Kaden has his 2 yr checkup today. Perfectly healthy, as far as we can tell. Even the doc noticed that he talks. A lot. Oh, and for the first time he actually cried more than 15 sec when getting the vaccines.

4. Last night, we had 3 bikes on the porch. The only one Jim actually owns is his least favorite ride. He met a guy who might give him an oldie but goodie. Which means 4 bikes. This is why I'd like a garage. Or at least a proper shed.

5. A while back, our washing machine took out its frustration with us by flooding the porch. We had to throw away the fantastic carpet tiles that were made from recycled bottles. Maybe we didn't have to throw them away, but I actually got tired of fighting with the porch and trying to do it "green". This week, we just went into home depot, picked out something from a roll, came home (in the rain, natch) and set it up. In less than 4 hours, the job was done.

6. If someone asks Kade a question, and we whisper the answer in his ear as a "help", he turns around and whispers the answer too.

7. Yesterday, Jeopardy was ending and I asked Jim "What time is it?" Before he could respond, Kaden said "8 Oclock! Time for bathtub!" He was completely right, but I seriously doubt he knows any other time of day.

8. Oh look, it's 8 oclock, bathtime right now. Good night, all!

Daddy Quotes

1) I'm in bed reading, and Jimdad's asleep next to me. He lazily reaches over and pats my hip a few times. The second time he does it, he says "I got you, buddy". At which point, I ask "Excuse me?" He opens one eye, looks at my suprised expression, looks down at his hand and then chuckles. "I was dreaming about holding the boy" he says and goes back to sleep.

2) Overheard during the bedtime routine: "Lordy, Lordy, give me patience. (pause) Or just let this boy sit still for TWO minutes so I can put on his PJs."

3) From the kitchen "Well, I can find you by following the path of destruction, huh? A spoon here, a -- hey, is that your drawer? Get out of there!" Then, after picking him up, Jimdad holds him up to the ceiling and says "One of these days, I'm going to velcro your back and just stick you to the ceiling" At which point Kaden laughs, and they have a manly hug.