Small things

A couple of days ago, I randomly picked up a small ball of multi-colored scrap yarn left over from one of my many crochet projects and turned it over in my hand. It was the size of a baseball, not much good for anything and yet too big to justify just tossing in the trash.
I had saved similar scraps with vague intentions of donating them to the scrap stashes of my son's daycare and yet they never seemed to make it there. Just got shuffled around in my yarn basket for a few months and then scooped into a garbage bag in a short-lived fit of efficiency-driven de-cluttering.

This time was different though. I was going to do something that went against every clean, neat, organized-librarian fiber of my being. I handed Scrappie and my little purple scissors to my son who looked up at me questioningly.

Me: "Henry, how would you like to cut yarn?"
His eyes got HUGE.
Henry: "All up?!"
Me: "Yep, all up. Have fun."

So simple and best of all, FREE.

Yeah, I have fuzzy acrylic fibers ground into my rug now and a shoebox full of yarn bits destined for the circular file. Yeah, I'll have to vacuum at least twice to get them out. But that's not the point. For that brief span of time, I watched Henry happily amuse himself by snipping away.

Now, if I come across him tearing through an expensive good-fiber skein, I won't be quite as indulgent. Hmm...perhaps should clarify this a bit better.

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.