Lessons That Sink In

Tonight, while reading a bedtime story, Colby asks out of the blue if the main character "has Jesus living in his heart".
M: "Um, I don't know. I'm assuming so."
Q: "So, he's been baptized?"
M: "I don't know."
C: "Because that's how Jesus comes to live in your heart."
M: "Yes. I'm sure Jesus is in Mr. Gloomy's heart".
C&Q: "Oh. Good."

JUST when you think they're not listening.... they pop off with something like this :).

Introductions

I guess I've never really observed the boys introducing themselves to new kids before. We were at the park today enjoying our 90 DEGREE WEATHER(!!!!), when Quinn and Colby approached another little boy.

Q: "I'm Quinn, and he's Colby."
C: "I'm Colby, and he's Quinn."
Q&C: "We're brothers!"
Q&C: "We're twins!"
Q&C: "We're the same! Right Mom?"
Mom: "You're the same but different."
Q&C: "We're the same!"

Meanwhile, the other little boy appeared to care less, just so long as there was SOMEONE to go down the slide with.

Don't know why I found that interaction so interesting, but I really did. Maybe it's because they're now aware that they're twins, and that twins are somehow out of the ordinary, which I don't think they've realized much before this. They are surrounded everywhere they go by other identical twin boys - our friends the Sommervilles have twin boys, and there's a set of boys in their preschool class. Their Sunday school class has two sets of identical twins and one set of identical triplets. Multiples are just status quo around here!!! So it was fascinating for me to see them identify themselves so immediately as "twins", and insist on their "sameness", when all I can see is how different they are!

Backpack Inventory

It's a good thing I checked the boys backpacks tonight. Tomorrow I rush off to work, and the babysitter gets them on the bus, so there wouldn't have been the chance to remove the following items:

1- three-hole punch
1 - Spiderman squirt gun
12 - permanent black markers
1 - full box of bandaids
30 - Matchbox racing cars
1 - ball point pen

Don't know what the plan was for all of those things, but it couldn't have been good.

The Face of Filth

OHMYGOODNESS!!! What in the world, Colby????

"Just playing in the sandbox, Mom." JUST? With your entire face??? I love our world without snow, but we are now firmly entrenched in dirt season, and I have this nagging feeling that the work load will just keep going up and up and up.

Twin Juice

I was in the living room this morning, enjoying the sunrise, when Rob walks in.
"They're getting into trouble in the kitchen."
Oh no. What are they doing?
"Putting sugar in water and drinking it."
I called for them to stop.
"It's okay Mom! It's sweet! It tastes good! We're making juice"
I shudder to think what church is going to be like this morning, knowing they're doing sugar shots in there.
I told the boys it wasn't really juice, because there wasn't any FRUIT in there. "Ohhhhhhh".
30 seconds later, Rob says "Why are you giving them permission to cook by themselves?"
I didn't! I swear!
Both boys came in and showed me their "special treat juice". They'd thrown a whole strawberry, stem and all, into the sugar water. Great. That's MUCH better.

God In My Nose

Tonight after bedtime prayers, Quinn breathed hard onto his hand.
Q: " Mom, why can't we see air?"
M: "Air is like God. We can't see Him, but if we pay attention, we can feel Him."
Q: "Oh. " Silence while Mom basks in the glory of a perfect lesson well-received. Then Quinn starts breathing hard in and out.
M: "What are you doing?"
Q: "God's in my nose right now." Breathes in. "Now he's in my mouth." Breathes out. Repeats several times.
M: " No no no. God is LIKE air. God isn't actually air."
Q: (Continuing to breathe hard) "God's in my belly. Now he's in my nose again."

Ok. He's too young for analogies. We need to stick to the basics.

I need to Clean My Bedroom More Often

Quinn: "Whoa, Mom. It's all shiny and clean-y in here."

OK OK OK. I know it's bad that he was so surprised about that.

The Food Chain

Current favorite barrage of questions from the tykes: "Who eats who?"

"Mom, who eats frogs?" (alligators) "Who eats grasshoppers?" (birds?) "What do dogs eat?" (dog food. NO! Deer carcasses!) "What do cows eat?" (grass) "What do dinosaurs eat?" (meat eaters eat plant eaters, plant eaters eat plants. "Not little boys?" No, dinosaurs are dead. "WHAT?") "What do crocodiles eat?" (pirate's hands).

It's been non-stop. I've really had to think, because I don't KNOW who eats an owl, even though I do know what owls EAT.

Curiosity is a good thing, but it is all a bit morbid for four year olds.

Rest Time

Nap times are few and far between these days, but every once in awhile I can entice the boys down for a rest with the lure of an exotic location. Today's "shut eye locale" was the trampoline. It would've worked, too, if the darn thunder hadn't woken them up and scared them indoors!!

Guess The Surprise

This morning I was telling the boys about a "surprise" we would have after school. I'll let you in on the secret - we're going to the circus! This is the boys, trying to guess.

Q: "Where are we going?"
M: " It's a surprise!"
C: "Is it a picnic?"
M: "No."
Q: "Is it a cookie?"
M: "No."
C: "Is it a hot dog?"
Q: "Is it a swimming pool?"
C: "Is it a big building?"
Q: "Is it a hotel?"
M: "No. I'll give you a hint. It has something to do with your last year's birthday cake, but it's not food"
C: "It's a birthday!"
M: "No."
C: "It's GOD'S birthday!"
M: "No. Think about your cake."
C: "It's a CAKE!"
M: "NO.... it's not food!"
C: "I don't know!"

It took FOREVER for them to remember that last year they had a circus tent cake, and to figure out that we're going to go to the circus. SHEESH!! I thought it was a pretty good clue!

Thanks ALOT

Colby was snuggling on my lap this evening, and I was eating it up. He just doesn't want to sit on his mommy's lap so much anymore, he's getting to be such a big boy. Anyways, as I was basking in the glow of motherhood, Colby pats my belly.

C: "Oh, mom! There's another baby in here!"
M: "Uhhh... no. Just left over flab from the last baby."
C: "There needs to be TWO babies".
M: "Why?"
C: "Reagan needs a friend!"
M: "Talk to your father about that one."
C: "It looks like there's another baby inside your belly."

Thanks ALOT. I really AM trying to lose this baby weight!!!! It's just slow going. Maybe because chocolate keeps stalking me and insisting on jumping into my mouth.....