Where To Begin

Sam and I sat down at the kitchen table yesterday to write up a grocery list.

"So, tell me all the things Daddy does that make you unhappy," he said.

"Well," I replied. "I just happen to have a pen and a brand new pad of paper here. Should I begin?"

(Love ya honey.)

Monkey Business

We've been reading the Runaway Bunny at bedtime. For those of you who don't know the story, it's about a bunny who decides to run away and his mother who will do anything to follow him. In the end, they decide to share a carrot and stay together. I think the book sparked this conversation with Sam:

"Would you love me if I was a greenie?" he asked me.

"What's a greenie?"

"A monster from outerspace. He eats bugs."

"Yes, I would love you if you were a greenie."

"Would you love me if I was a big gorilla?"

"Yes, I would."

"Would you make me a cake out of bananas?"

Break It To Me Gently

I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when Sam came around the corner and proudly said, "I wrote my name in my room. S.A.M."

"That's great honey!"

"I hope you aren't going to be mad." (Oh no.)

"I wrote it in black." (Getting worse.)

"It's going to be there a long time." (Blood pressure rising.)

Turns out, he'd scratched his name on the wall with an action figure. Nothing the Mister Clean Magic Eraser won't get rid of, but I had to chuckle at his method of breaking the bad news. I think I'll try it.

Snookums

Friday night Bryon and I went on a 'date.' We took the kids to a parents' night out at our church and went out to dinner. A couple of hours later when we picked them up, I greeted them with my typical "Hello Babies!"

"I'm not a baby," Sam insisted.

"No, you're right. But 'baby' is a term of endearment. That means it's a nickname you call someone you love."

"Like Noodle?" he asked. (Noodle is one of our nicknames for Sam.)

"Yes, exactly. Like I call Jake 'Bubby' or Daddy calls me 'Snappy.'" (Not so much a term of endearment I realize.)

"Oh!" Sam said. "So, they're LOVE words."

I couldn't have said it better.

Time For a Trade-In

On the way to Home Depot the other day Sam asked me if I was old.

"Well," I said, thinking of the best way to approach this, "I am older than you, but younger than Grandma Becky. And Grandma Becky is younger than Meams."

"Is Daddy old?" he asked.

"Do YOU think Daddy is old?" I asked him.

"Well, we sure have had him a long time."