A Son's Love

Okay, so I know this is a little Oedipus Rex-like, but Jude is only four! He doesn't think that way...so, it was just sweet and melted this mother's heart....

The other day, he hugged me and said,

"I love you, Momma. I wish we were married. And Dadda could find another Momma."

Who's the Boss?

This line from Jude this morning just about sums it up...

He was upset with Ruby and I for some reason and said,

"This is my house! You're just visitors!"

That sounds about right....

Conversations with the Dog

I am currently transribing what I hear from the next room. Jude is talking with Maggie, our dog.

Maggie, stop looking like that at me!

No drooling in the house, Maggie! That's the last time that I'm telling you! No drooling in the house!!

(After picking up a dog toy that was in Maggie's mouth) Yuck! I'm not taking any of this!!

The Magic of Sand

Here are three reasons I am thrilled with my recent purchase of this adorable used sandbox:

Can you hear that? Can you? No! Niether can I. Because it's silence. No yelling, no whining, no crying....Pure and beautiful silence.

You see those little hands? Those adorable hands are so much more adorable in this photo because not one of them is hitting, grabbing, throwing, or tugging. Just plain and delightful digging. 

And would you look at that! An unsolicited smile. What more could you ask for?

Why did I wait so long to get a sandbox?? And please God, let it last!!

A Family Portrait

We were painting the other day and Jude was doing his usual painting of faces that he does lately. When he was finished, he proudly presented his work and pointed to each face, naming our family members one by one.

"That's me...and that's Dadda." (Interesting that Jude is so much bigger than Dadda and bigger than anyone in the painting, for that matter...)  "Great job, Jude."

"There's you, Momma."  "I see. Very nice, Jude."

"And that's Ruby there."  "Oh, that was great that you didn't forget Ruby."

"And there's the turkey." (Without a moment of hesitation, as if it was perfectly normal for him to include the turkey, not our dog, Maggie, in our family portrait. A turkey that has never before been mentioned.)

"Turkey? Why is there a turkey in the picture, Jude?"

"Because I want a turkey for a pet."   (In a tone like, "of course I want a turkey, didn't you know?")

Great. I'm not even going there right now.

So, there you have it. Our family tree apparently includes a turkey.

Big Brother Power

Driving has not been fun time lately. Ruby tends to find something to complain about the entire time she's in the car. She wants her baby that she dropped (or threw). She wants the blanket for her baby. She wants me to stop. She wants me to go, go, go. She wants a tissue. 

I had no idea how talented I was until now. Who knew I could drive and put a diaper on a baby doll at the same time? (It's better than listening to the screaming, believe me). I never knew these would be requirements for being a mom.

So, other than these complaints, there is the ever popular, "too tight!" or "stuck!" This means her car seat straps are too tight. And, according to her, they are always too tight. Probably because she leans forward with all her might. 

So, one day, on the way home from picking up Jude at school, it begins:

"Too tight! Stuck! Stuck!"

"Ruby, it's not too tight. It's okay. We'll be home soon."

"Stuck! Stuck! Stuuuuuuuuck!!"

After a few times of this and much screaming, my response changes a bit:

"You're supposed to be stuck, Ruby! We're in the car!"

At this point, Jude decides to take over, thank goodness. He turns to Ruby and shakes his head, talking in a soothing, sad voice:

"Don't worry, Ruby. I'm stuck too."

And, I swear, that did it. Ruby was fine all the way home.

Big brothers some times have incredible powers. 

Point and Laugh

So, okay, I thought it was a pretty bad sign when my husband laughed at me in my little black pants, because apparently the thought of me looking "sexy" (his word, not mine), was comical to him.

But, I think this one is much worse...

Jude had a friend over for a play date the other day and I was leading them out to the back yard, when I turned around to find them laughing and pointing at me. 

"What are you two laughing about?"

The laughing continues. And Jude points at my butt and says, "Your big butt is hanging out! Your big butt is hanging out!" They found this hilarious. 

And I had to take a look. No, my pants weren't falling off or anything (which wouldn't be abnormal these days, with me wearing post-pregnancy clothing that is much too large for me now). I guess they just thought my butt was so big that it looks like it's sticking out.

Nice. Two four-year-olds find the size of my ass hilarious. Down right funny. Great. It's a good thing I'm not vain these days. It's a good thing I know these are just four-year-olds and I don't need to worry about what four-year-olds think about my butt. Right?