Nicknames

Grammy called Henry her moonpie.
Henry: I not your MOONPIE! I'm Dada's PUMPKINHEAD!!

Then he told me he was my pet monster. Good, I needed one of those.

Bedtime Prayers

I was rocking Henry to sleep tonight and just at peace, thankful for my beautiful, healthy children.

 Me (out loud): Thank you God for my son.
Henry: You say "Sank you God for your son?" Why?
Me: Because we're so lucky to have you. So many people want a Henry and we're lucky enough to have you.
Henry: You said to God, "Give me a Henry, please, please PLEASE?! An' he DID?! Because I'M Henry???

Yeah, we did.

Milestones

I was reading a pop-up animal-counting book with Henry and Kathryn. When we got to "5" butterflies, I asked Henry if he knew what happened when he turned five.

I was thinking he would say something about school.

Instead his eyes got real big: "I'm going to turn into a BUTTERFLY??!!!"

Operation Waste of Time

We just assembled our Saturday morning project- one of those tiny Perle bead kits that you iron to fuse the design. Henry "helped" me by handing me the colors because I way overestimated his fine motor skills at putting them on the pegs.
Of course, couldn't find where Dada put the iron so I put it on the counter to wait until he got home.
I told Henry to leave it alone until Dada got home because it wasn't finished.

Henry (dumping the contents of his hands into the recliner): "Lookit Mama! I bring dis in here to show Dada when he get home!!"

That's right, he just dumped hundreds of tiny beads into Jim's chair. Love my child...Love my child.....

Age

Also from our library walk tonight....

Henry: Am I younger than you, Dada?
Dada: Yep, buddy. You're younger than me.
Henry: We both young! You're BIG young and I'm WIDDLE young!

Age is just a number, I guess.

Do Not Disturb

Tonight we walked to the library before dinner- absolutely gorgeous weather. I pushed Kathryn in her stroller and Jim hauled Henry in the backpack. Jim galloped a couple of steps and disturbed Master Henry, ensconced up top with his fruit snacks and juice box.

Henry: Dada! Don't DO that! I'm holding my fruit snacks in my hand and I DON"T LIKE THAT!

I just had to laugh. They reminded me of an Indian elephant lumbering along carrying a maharaja in luxurious style.

Walk-Weather

wrestled Henry away from cartoons to go for a walk in this beautiful weather. Should probably clarify. I walked. Henry rode in his wagon with 2 of his closest stuffed-animal friends.

Me: Henry, where do you want to walk? Around the block?
Henry: No! I want to walk to the NORTH POLE!

Yeah, not gonna happen, buddy.

Entourage

Baby Kat has developed quite the little entourage, especially when we are leaving the house. I like to think of it in terms of mobilizing a miniature army because undoubtedly the preparation is similar.

So everyone in the family happened to be congregating around Kathryn when Jim was changing her for the umpteenth time (what a guy- marry a Marine, girls!). Henry was being his usual, insatiably curious self, wanting to know what everyone was doing and I was hanging back, enjoying the break from poopie-diaper duty.
Then Henry burst out with....

"Lookit Mama! Baby Kaffryn has LOTS of peoples for her!"

We dispersed shortly after that, with Jim taking up the baby, Henry sadly said, "Oh! Only ONE people to see Baby Kaffryn now!"

Yep, fame is fickle, buddy. Better learn it young.

Life's ambition

Asking a preschooler what they want to be when they grow up- always interesting.

Since Henry is constantly concerned about how others are doing, we pushed medical professional just to see what he would say.

Me: Henry, what do you want to do when you grow up? Do you want to be a doctor and help people who are sick or hurt?
Henry: No, I want to be Lady Gaga when I growed up.

Whatever makes you happy, I suppose.........

Hungry Henry

I was making risotto to go with the fish for dinner. Of course, Henry had to check out what I was doing.

Henry: Whatcha makin' Mama? Oh! You're makin' lots of dinner 'cause I lots of hungry???

No wonder he was nicknamed "Baby Hungry."

Clean-Up

We're trying to teach Henry to clean up after himself. 

 Dada: Henry, put your juicebox in the recycling bin, please.

(Henry takes it and scurries into the kitchen, coming back empty-handed).

Dada: Did you throw it in the recycling bin?
Henry: Yes!! (Pause) What's da recycling bin???

Origins

Henry is all about where fruit comes from. Guess it's better than where hamburgers and chicken fingers come from....
Henry: We get da apples from Wegmans an' put dem ina tree and den we grow apples!

My favorite today...
Henry: Mama! Do bananas grow in da mud??!!!

I just had this insane picture of him burying a bunch of bananas in our soggy garden.

Boys, Band-Aids and boo-boos....

Henry was so cute (as always). This weather makes my fingers crack and bleed and he noticed last night.
Henry: Oh no Mama! You need a BAND-AID! I go get you one.
Then he paused when he realized he can't reach them
Henry: I go ask Grandma and Grandpa in North Carolina for my blue stool so I can reach it. (Yeah, not going to happen)
Then this morning, he came over to me...
Henry: May I see your two boo-boos, please Mama?
Boys, Band-Aids and boo-boos....

Stickers

Henry made a beeline for his Marine Corps stickers this morning and saw that one was missing.

Henry: Where my sticker go?
Me: I don't know Henry. What do you think happened?
Henry: Maybe one of my friends took it.
Me: Who?
Henry: ______ took it. Yeah, he put it on his shirt and ate it.

Huh. Never would have thought of that.

Henry the Builder

Tonight Henry piled the majority of the contents of his toybox on Dada's recliner. Needless to say, Dada was rather put out when he saw the mountain o' toys on "his" chair and asked that it be removed.

Henry: No Dada! I can't take them off! Dis is da treehouse dat the COWS live in!

Oh yeah? Where's the ladder for them to hoof it up there???? Riddle me that, Batman!