Baby Clothes

JAMESON: "Mommy, what is the baby wearing in your belly."

MOMMY: "The baby isn't wearing anything, it is naked."

JAMESON (with horror in his voice): "Naked?!?! Why isn't he wearing any clothes?"

MOMMY: "The baby is nice and warm and comfortable in Mommy's belly, it doesn't need any clothes."

JAMESON (with some hesitation): "Okay."

.....a few weeks pass.....

MOMMY: "Jameson, what are you getting me for my birthday?"

JAMESON: "How about I get you some baby clothes. I think that's a good idea. I'll get you some clothes for the baby."

A Break

Jameson was spending some time in a break this afternoon (it's different from time out, seems to be much more effective). He had to think about his behaviour and how he could put himself in a better mood. This was all due to the fact that he wanted to change his clothes and I wouldn't let him. That launched him into a whining episode that was lasting way too long and was getting on my very last nerve. (I've come to realize that I can be a very patient and understanding person but once whining is involved I quickly lose it. I guess that would be the proverbial last straw or button.)

He was spending quite a bit of time in this break while I was sitting on the sofa with Stellan slathering lotion on his extremely dry hands. I was quite enjoying this time with Stellan when I heard a little voice from the stairs, "You make my heart sad, Mommy". Well, that did it, I immediately was over on the stairs holding him and discussing the error of his ways. He was obviously repentant and his attitude was much improved. He finished this conversation by adding, "I was wrong, please forgive me."

I'm not quite sure how my four year old has mastered the skill of using mommy's own words against her. (In order to try and teach his heart I've used that same phrase, that he hurts my heart when he does something wrong.) If he has reached this stage already, what is he going to do when he's a teenager?

Quick Thinking

James has recently been quite addicted to cough candies (those are his words, cough drops is what I call them). Anyway, after dinner, while I was still helping Stellan finish up his tomatoes, James mentioned that he finished up his bag of cough candies today. I whispered in Stellan's ear for him to announce, "You're addicted". Being an obedient little boy who is always willing to do anything for a laugh readily repeated it. Daddy looked at him and asked, "Where did you learn that?". (He knew very well where he learned it.) Without missing a beat Stellan proudly proclaimed, "At school".
He's got my back. :)

Grocery Shopping

After preschool today it was our plan to head to Wegmans to do some grocery shopping and then go to the train station to have a picnic in the back of the van. In the parking lot the boys know that it's a rule that they have to hold my hand. Jameson tried holding Stellan's hand but there was some sort of sleeve issue. (I really don't know what the issue was.) Anyway, I told Jameson that he needed to hold my hand so we could go into the store. "No!". Oh, so he wanted to fight eh? "You have two choices. You either hold my hand now and we go into the store or else you don't hold my hand and we go home." "No!" Okee dokee. I turned them around and marched to the van. "No Mommy! I'll hold your hand." "Well, you should have made that choice a bit earlier."
I oh so gently placed him in his car seat as he was kicking, screaming and flailing. Poor Stellan was upset at this point as well due to the fact that he got the short end of the stick and had to go home too. We got buckled in and headed for home.
Jameson dramatically exclaimed, "I'm going to die".
"Yes sweetie, one day you will die but most likely not today."
"I will die, right now, today!"
"Well, mommy will be very sad and I'll miss you very much. I really hope you don't die."

So much for theatrics, I don't think that was the response he was hoping for.

Before we even got home (after a quick heart lesson) Jameson was truly repentant and said sorry followed by, "Will you forgive me?". I don't expect this type of incident to happen again in the near future.

It was a great lesson to teach but I still need my groceries. Grrr.

Conversations from the Backseat

JAMESON: "Mommy, when the baby is born can I hold it?"

MOMMY: "Of course you can sweetie."

JAMESON: "I'm so lucky!"

Doesn't that just melt your heart?

Field Trip

We headed to Rutger's University, Cook Campus, for Jameson's first field trip today. The whole theme was based on "The Little Red Hen". We started by looking at wheat and how it is harvested. Unfortunatley the leader was a soft spoken and rather unenthusiastic man. He did show the kids how to use a scythe and other ancient tools of the harvest. One thing he failed to mention was the fact that no one uses those things anymore. Not once did he mention a combine. I reminded Jameson of the combines we saw in the fields when we were last in Harrow. I explained that farmers use combines these days instead of scythes.

The kids then proceeded to blow away the chaff and grind the wheat into flour. We went on a tour of the muesum and saw a bunch of ancient tractors, buggies, sleighs and other random things. Then the demonstration continued while they made fresh butter (we all got to shake the jar of cream) and pancakes (a demo of how to use flour). They made enough pancakes for each child but us parent chaperones just got to smell them. I was starving! What cruel punishment!! Not only did we need to spend two hours listening to a boring old man while watching our four year olds, we had to stand the entire time. I was quite famished.

We ended the looooong day (well, 2 hours) with a puppet show of The Little Red Hen and the kids putting kernels of wheat in a test tube with some cotton so they can watch them grow. On the way home Jameson couldn't resist and opened his test tube. Sure enough, he lost the wheat. I'm assuming it fell somewhere under the car seat never to be found again. At least this gives me a reason not to water the silly thing.

Semantics

I was getting dressed when Jameson came upstairs and asked, "Do you hear that?". I had to strain my ears but I did hear Stellan screaming in the distance.
"Did you lock your brother in the basement?"
"No."
I ran downstairs only to have Jameson complete his sentence.
"...there is no lock on the door."
He just turned off the lights and closed the door, leaving his brother in the dark basement. But in his mind it was OK since he didn't actually "lock" the door.