Seriously

One of the current catchphrases around the house these days is "Seriously??" or "Are you serious??", both uttered with looks of utter skepticism at things they dislike.

But seriously, we have two very silly boys. This is sort of their defining personality trait I think. Jamie likes to claim that he is the silliest person in our family and very frequently asks Sarah who makes her laugh the most (guess what he wants the answer to be). Our main disciplinary issue with the two of them is simply trying to control the silly, and indicate that there are just a very few times (dinner!!) when we need them to be a little serious.

But of course they know that, it's just that they conceive of the times for seriousness differently. For instance, as this picture from our trip to New York shows, they take Lego catalogs **very** seriously. As they are doing on the train out to Westchester, they can both pore over those catalogs literally for hours, looking at them in the greatest possible, almost microscopic, detail.

The other day Jamie was telling Sarah about some aspect or other of Star Wars. She thought she was responding with appropriate interest, saying, "Yes...oh...I see." But finally Jamie looked up and said, with some exasperation, "Mom, you just don't take Star Wars seriously."

How could you???

Children are fickle. No news there. But it's interesting the way it plays out. Yesterday, I picked up Jamie a little earlier than usual around 3:40. It was absolutely beautiful outside so I decided we would wash the cars, which they always enjoy. So we went to Home Depot and got a new hose and some other things we needed. The boys are ever helpful and tried to carry everything for me. Very soon it got too heavy but in case anybody doubted the effort Connor grunted his way halfway across the store with the coiled hose saying, "THIS--uhhh--IS--uhhh-SO--uhhh-HEAVY." So we got home, and I made them a snack (this is assumed) and we got ready to go outside. First Jamie got bent out of shape because he wanted to go shirtless and I said no because the sun was very bright still. Somehow this affected his sense of how wet he could get. It is also just another instance Sarah and I being blamed for the sun. Connor is very frequently frustrated by having the sun in his eyes in the car, and clearly feels one of us should move it. The sun, that is.

But we moved on and had a great time. The boys, of course, were much more interested in spraying the water than in washing the car. Almost the second we got out there Jamie took the hose and Connor began yelling "Try and get me! Try and get me!!" So Jamie sprayed him. At which point Connor yelled indignantly "Nooooooo! JAMIE!!!" and then, as if I hadn't been right there, said "Daddy! Jamie sprayed me!!" That same little scenario played out a few times until Connor got the hose and thoroughly soaked Jamie, who was very pleased. Eventually we turned the water off but they got a big thrill out of throwing the sponge into the soapy water and watching the suds splash up into the air. Soon Jamie was covered in soap. And then in a flash, they decided they were cold. Suddenly they are looking at me with this expression that asked why would a nice father make his children be freezing outside in the cold? Why?? So we went in and I made them hot chocolate, which helped, if only a little bit.

One sock wonder

I don't have an explanation for this particularly, but would like to merely note a strange but insistent trend: for the past month or so Connor seems to constantly want to have one sock on. Whenever we are home, after about 20 minutes he ends up with one sock on. I think it switches which foot it's on, but there is no question this is somehow the desired state. I wonder if there is some personality trait signified by this. Any thoughts/explanations are welcome.

Breaking woobie news!

Well, what you know soon after the last post, Woobie #4 has returned! It's been a good two weeks since we went to buy new woobies and lo and behold Sarah discovers #4 stashed in a basket in the living room. Connor was very pleased at its re-appearance and clearly feels not the least bit badly about having snookered us into getting him 2 more woobies. He can now have a woobie in almost every room of the house, which seems to be exactly the effect he's going for.

A tale of two woobies

As many of you know, the boys are very serious about their woobies (I love incidentally that they unthinkingly call them this, which we took from Mr. Mom). Jamie has had his woobie since he was 1 and it is really a miracle that it has never been lost because we would have no idea how to replace it. He had made some noises last year about not needing it when he was 7, but he doesn't seem inclined to retire. He keeps it at home now though, even when we travel. Instead he brings his stuffed spotted leopard, "Spotty," who he says likes to go on adventures.

Connor has had his "woobie" since it was given to him as a newborn. I put it in quotes because in fact his woobie has been a bit like the Dread Pirate Roberts or Menudo: a slot to filled by successive individuals. A few weeks ago he took the woobie somewhere and it just disappeared. Fortunately, we know very well where to get another one, having replaced it, by my count, four times already. The folks at the store were impressed by this and asked where we'd lost them. As best I can figure it was 1) a rest stop in Tennessee 2) the doctor's office 3)Bed bath and beyond and 4) Jamie's school. So now we're on woobies 5 and 6, having bought a backup. Happily Connor doesn't seem to mind the switch. Except that he likes to have both now, which may end up defeating the spare strategy.

Bacon!!

Connor is very fickle about eating. Not picky so much as just unpredictable. He seems to go days eating very little and then occasionally just goes crazy and eats everything in sight. He often claims to be very very hungry after dinner, whether he's eaten or not. Recently this happened and Sarah offered him a snack. He said, "No, I want two big peanut butter and jellys. And salmon. And beans. And grapes. And an orange." And there he sat for the next 45 minutes and consumed every bite.

One constant, however, is that he has been on a real tear with the bacon lately. A few weeks ago we went to San Antonio. We found an IHOP express and in essence he got a side of pancakes to go with his main course of bacon. When I asked him what he wanted for lunch a few hours later he said one word: "Bacon." When the same thing happened at dinner I drew the line until the next morning when we were back at IHOP.

Another time of great hunger is immediately after school. soon after San Antonio he got in the car and announced to me that he wanted a hangubber. OK I said and thinking I would please him asked if he wanted a bacon cheesegubber. "NO!!!" I was told, "I want a hangubber." There was then a pause and he said, "With bacon and cheese and bacon and chicken. And ketchup." OK, I said. Fortunately he was too busy with the bacon to notice the lack of chicken.

Snow day?

Well, technically speaking that's what we've got. All the schools are closed today because of this freakish climate change-induced winter weather we're having in Houston. The boys are pleased enough about the day off, but feeling a little cheated because there has been talk all week of snow, snow, snow. Jamie had heard at school that the snow was going to start at 5:00 last night so he was literally counting down the minutes to 5. Which came and went with no snow. He then began impatiently demanding of Sarah and I, "When is it going to snow?" "Why isn't it snowing?" "Why is it hard to say". He went to the window all night until bed checking and then tasked me with checking and reporting once he went to bed. But still no snow. And this morning he jumped out of bed at the stroke of seven, stepped on my head (we were having a sleepover) claimed up the window sill to see...nothin. Not a flake. Poor guy.

So now the roads in Houston are closed until noon tomorrow so we're not going anywhere. As this goes to press it is 9:00 in the morning and they are already literally bouncing off the walls. Anyone want to come over?