Fish Meat

Henry likes to listen to music before he falls asleep and I've taken to playing a mix CD since I never know what they will be talking about on the radio. Learned that one the hard way.
Anyway, he's latched onto a particular song and wants it on repeat "all night" (AKA until he's asleep and no longer aware that Mama turned off the music. Mean Mama). So we've been listening to alot of Uncle Kracker's "Follow Me" because Henry likes the rhythm. He calls it "Everything Will Be Alright."  He picked up on the "swim through your veins like a fish in the sea" and went off on a tangent that I'm going to record here because I've already let far too many of these little tidbits slip away.

Henry: Mama! He said "fish in the sea!" What are fish? Are fish meat?
Mama: Yes, fish are meat.
Henry: I like fish meat.  What is fish meat?
Mama: (uhhhhh???) Like hamburger. Tuna fish & salmon.
Henry: I like hamburger. How come we never have fish meat?

Just waiting for him to put "Finding Nemo" together with the tunafish in his grilled cheese sandwiches.

Crochet buddy

Henry likes to help me crochet. He'll snuggle up next to me and unwind the ball of yarn. Meanwhile, I try like crazy to keep up with him because he has a frustrating habit of clutching a handful of loose yarn and holding it up for me to see, invariably leading to an hour of untangling. But he likes to help and I'm not going to dissuade his interest in yarn crafts. :o) 

 Henry: Can I pull yarn for you, Mama?
Me: Sure sweetie.
Henry: Cuz I'm the BEST PULL YARNER?
Me: Yes, you're the best YARN PULLER!

Mundane Moments

Christmas Eve with a sickie 4 year old and oblivious baby. Not exactly the picture-perfect holiday I had envisioned but I am still incredibly grateful for every moment of it because they're here with me.
I try to tell my children often (too often, I'm sure others think) that I am proud of them and they are so loved. "I love you more than the waking world" is one of Henry's favorites.
The world seems to be abuzz over the Connecticut school shooting and I'm no different with my horrified fixation over this tragedy. I thought back to what I was doing on Wednesday andThursday and then Friday morning that week and was desperately grateful that those were not the last moments of my children's lives.
I know we cannot wholly escape the mundane frustrations of everyday life, the stress of wrangling 2 small children out the door to their various destinations while getting to work on time without looking like a frazzled wreck. I realized that while I tell my children that I love and appreciate them, I also let little things, like unfinished housework or some volunteer activity I can't fit into my schedule bother me far too much.
I think of those parents whose last moments with their children were an everyday Friday morning, herding them out the door to school with cub scouts, brownies, dance lessons, karate, piano lessons planned for that afternoon.
I think of those parents who went to pick up their children, not knowing what they would find.
I think of those parents who would give everything they possess to hold and comfort their children one more time. Instead they buried their babies in the midst of the worldwide aftermath.
So I am grateful for every single moment and I will take a deep breath and still close my eyes for Henry to give me a "surprise" kiss on the cheek for the thousandth time while the sock basket overflows with mis-matches and the blankets are messily bunched on the beds. Thank you God for the Mundane Moments.

Punchlines

I was making up the weekly grocery list so Dada & Henry can go shopping while Kat's napping when I felt a twinge of wry humor and added "My sanity" and "a 6 pack of sleep" to the list, left it on the table and waited. Dada laughed out loud when he read it and Henry scampered over to see what he was missing.

Henry: What? What? What?
Dada: Mama's  stealing my lines, buddy.
Mama: Yep, I stole Dada's punchlines.

Without warning, Henry ran over to Dada and started punching him in his side.

Dada: What are you doing?
Henry: I'm putting the punchlines BACK!

Yep, he's gonna be a great wingman.

Snarky

Henry said something snarky at Grammy's tonight and I corrected him.

Mama: Henry, that's being rude.
Henry: I'm not being rude, Mama! I'm being SMART!

Ah, that unique mix of stifling laughter and channeling frustration that is frequently parenthood.

Lincoln Logs

Henry was all excited to show me his latest Lincoln-log creation when I got home from work tonight. It was actually quite impressive- intricately spread out all over his floor.

Henry: I made God so I can talk to him!!
Me: That's awesome, sweetheart.

"My, What Sharp Teeth You Have"

Henry, Kat & Dada were all playing on the living room floor when for some reason, Henry & Kat started peering into Dada's mouth together.
Just what was so interesting? He has all his teeth, minus the wisdom ones, plus a couple of fillings. That must have been it.

Henry: Dada! You have no SKIN on your teeth!