Kids Say (And Do) The Darnedest Things

Caleb has been very funny lately.  He has finally decided to walk, and it was quite the ordeal.  He wouldn't walk to me or Cliff, but he walked for the cute Anderson girls when they were here.  Then he stopped walking again.  The turkey.  He finally started walking for Cliff and me, but we really have to play it up in the excitement area.  I mean there has to be lots of cheering, hand clapping, and a few handfuls of confetti with the mini parade floats.  Okay, so maybe that last bit is exaggerated, but boy, do we have to put on a glad face for walking or else he pouts and screams. 
Talking about screaming, Caleb has started.  Not good.  Especially when I babysit a little 4 month old girl and one of them gets startled or scared.  They are both "sympathetic criers", also known as "divas", meaning if another kid is crying or screaming, they have to join in, and then see who can outdo the other in loudness and intensity.  There are days when all I do is sit on the couch with one on my left side, and the other on my right, and just listen to the two of them try to out diva the other and see who can hog more of my lap. 
Caleb has also discovered his life's work: he is going to be Santa Claus.  Or a shoe elf. But as his mother, I am biased and going with the glitzier career choice. That's right, Lauren, your dream job is going to be filled by my little boy.  He goes around the house playing with cars and making the noises, until he finds a shoe.  Once a shoe has been found, the car must go into it.  If there is no car available, another object can be substituted.  I have found cars, legos, a marble, and a sippy cup in my shoes this past month.  I can't wait for Christmas and stockings.
Benjamin really made me laugh last night.  He came up to me after dinner and dessert, and said, "Mom, when I say DumDum pop, you need to be quiet."  He even did the little shushing finger to the lips like a librarian does when you're just a little too loud.  I was a little puzzled, but told him okay, and then he went to my dad and asked him for a DumDum pop.  As soon as he said those words he looked right at me, and what could I do?  I had already said I would be quiet.  You see, he usually asks right when we're getting ready to drive back home from Sunday dinner at my parents' house, and so I usually stop him before he can ask.  The clever little boy figured out that if he asked earlier in the evening, and got mom to be quiet, he might actually get a chance to have a DumDum pop. Yes, he did get one, and boy, was it hard not to laugh with him right there.
If you hadn't heard, I wore my hair in pigtails not that long ago, and Ben wasn't a big fan of it.  I asked him why he didn't like them, and he said, "Because all the kids at school will laugh at you."   Yeah, it made my day.  It really did, because I couldn't stop laughing at it.

Ladies' Night

Last night I went out to dinner and a movie with some great friends.  Cliff was a little skeptical of the idea, because we went to see "Tangled" and eat at Taco Bell.  I told him that this was the only way any of us were going to be able to watch that movie without someone sitting on our laps, directing musical movie chairs, or whispering in our ears.  I even got to wear a necklace, because no one would be pulling on it.  I know, it's the simple things right now.
It was a lot of fun.
Except I really missed comments like, "I would kill that bad guy dead so fast" or "He has really sharp teeth", that are whispered with a wind gust measurement of 30-35 miles an hour while simultaneously on the verge of chewing off your ear.  A lot of those comments are more entertaining than the movie itself. 
Although, I am quite glad that there were no meltdowns when the popcorn was gone and everyone went potty without crying and screaming.
Taco Bell was also nice, because we got to order our food without waiting for small people to make up their minds 3 times and then change it yet again after the order has been delivered to you.  Everyone ate all of their dinner and even put their stuff away. 
In other words, I was spoiled last night.  I was thinking of trying to do this about once a month or so, but I don't know if I could handle it all.  Well, maybe I'll still try it and see.   ;)