Sometimes I hesitate to send things out to friends about my younger son because even though I want to share things about him, I don't think most people would understand.  At first it was cool to have a 14 month old who could talk in complete sentences, but with that came extreme sensitivity to textures and changes in routine.  It took months of tantrums before he would stay his bed once we moved him from the crib.  A more naturally inflexible child, I've never met. 

He sees everything; he notices everything; he remembers everything.  The toilet at preschool overflowed one day when he flushed it.  For 6 months we struggled with his terrifying memory of the water.  Floods became a daily topic of conversation because  his imagination could see the house filling with water.  When the tsunami hit Asia, I wouldn't let him watch TV.  I knew he would not forget.  I knew he could not forget.  He still says to me, do you remember when such and such happened.  Often the thing he remembers happened  when he was 2 or 3.  Some I didn't remember until he mentioned it.

When he was almost 4, his cousin traced his  outline in our driveway with sidewalk chalk and  handed him the piece to color it in.  When I came over to look at his creation, I saw hair, eyes and lots of lines branching out through the torso, arms and legs.  Tactful mommy that I am I said, "Tell me about your picture."  He points to the lines in turn, "This is the small intestine, this is the large intestine, and these are the blood vessels."  The drawing had no mouth, but it had digestive and circulatory systems.

He's six  now.  Last night we went to see a children's play with some friends.  At the end he turned to me and said, "I'm so full of tonight that my head feels heavy." 

On the way home, I asked the children what they liked best about the musical.  My oldest loved the dialogue and the jokes and shared his favorite snippets.  My daughter loved the costumes and the dancing, especially the dance of the turtles and crabs.  And then my second son spoke up.  "I liked the monkeys."  Pause.  "Mommy, did you see the lightning bug at the back of  the room.  I liked that."  Another pause."Why didn't that sea gull have any eyes?  You know the one on the right when they hung them down from the ceiling and people danced under them.  The other one had eyes, but that one didn't. Why?"  I told him that probably it got damaged and no one thought the audience would notice. "But mommy, you know  I'm always looking for what's right and what's wrong.   A seagull wouldn't fly in it's sleep."  Another pause. "Why was that girl crying, Mommy?  When all the little girls were dancing in white, one of the girls was crying.  Why?"

My love, no wonder your head is heavy.  Lean your head against me and we'll pray that Jesus will help me answer your questions and help you sleep tonight

My oldest son is "What If."  If there is a pretend scenario that I have not heard and responded to, I don't know what it would be.  "What If " speculates on subjects like original sin, the environment, nature, books and miracles. "What if" sees all of the possibilities .  "What If"  follows the all of the possible paths to find a new way of doing things.  "What If" takes me beyond the probable to the endless potential.

Then we come to my second son, "Why."  "Why" asks questions tirelessly about everything under the sun.  "Why" keeps me in the encyclopedia or online searching for answers. "Why" studies everything in minute detail in a quest to know how things work and how they fit  into the world.  "Why" brings me back to the nuts and bolts of life and reminds me to marvel at how perfectly creation is intertwined.

"Let's Pretend" is my oldest daughter.  "Let's Pretend" has been every princess, storybook character and stuffed toy that comes to life at midnight.  "Let's Pretend" lives in a world  where the sky is sometimes purple and butterflies grow big enough to ride on.  "Let's Pretend" isn't afraid to dance in front of strangers or to wear fancy slippers to her brother's soccer practice.  "Let's  Pretend" reminds me of the magic of imagination and the precious gift of creativity.

Lastly, there's my little one "What's That."  "What's That" is always discovering and learning.  "What's That" is fascinated with every blade of grass, lizard and renegade frog.  "What's That" can put so much joy and wonder in the word  "rock" that you are forced to examine it and  proclaim it the most perfect rock you've ever seen.  "What's That" helps me realize that the miraculous can and often does come in tiny packages.

Where would my life be without "What If", "Why", "Let's Pretend" and "What's That"?  May they never loose those precious phrases no matter how grown up they become.

We came to Barbados when she was only 4 months old and I never imagined that we would still be here for her 2nd birthday. She's been rocked to sleep in my arms in the beautiful blue Caribbean so many times and she's eaten more sand than I care to remember. Now she's pretending and playing Polly Pockets and dolls with her sister. She sings all the time. Some of the songs I understand (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABC's, Happy Birthday) and some are original compositions. She's such a sunny little thing except when she's riled but she can almost always be tickled back into a good mood.

I guess I'll have to finally admit that she isn't a baby any more. Okay, maybe next year.

A conversation between my youngest(2yrs old tomorrow) and I at 5 am this morning.

"Want juice Mama"
"You want juice,Please?"
"Peese Mama"
"Okay" pours juice
"Want PIZZA!"
"No Pizza today. Would you like some cereal or yogurt?"
"WHY no Pizza?"
"We don't have any pizza."
Pause for thought
"Otay. Want CANDY!"

Those of you who follow my blog will remember how determined my older daughter is.   We've dubbed her our "future world leader."  Enough said.

Last weekend, we attended a jungle themed birthday party for one of her friends.  They hired a lady to paint the kids faces so they could all be animals.  The party was filled with lions and tigers and zebras (oh my).

My daughter was bound and determined to get her face painted.  She waited in the very long line.  Other kids left the line to play "pin the tooth on the lion" but not her.  She stayed in line through the pinata. 

Her oldest brother gave up his place in line to her because he saw how much it meant to her (It's just like him too.  He's awesome.)  When she sat in the chair, she said to the lady very politely, "Make me a butterfly please."  There were no other butterflies there.  I don't know where she got the idea. 

She sat patiently through the process and came out beaming.  The birthday girl got upset and told her that she was supposed to be a jungle animal.  Without missing a beat, my daughter replied, "There are LOTS of butterflies in the jungle, so it IS a jungle animal." 

That's my girl--the Mighty Butterfly--Queen of the Jungle!

My kids are so funny.  Not always on purpose either.  What do people without kids do for fun, seriously?  At least once a day someone says or does something that makes me smile or laugh out loud. 

This week--

My 4 year old DD creating her own words.--How do you spell skitteling?  It starts with a S and it's when you brush your teeth with your eyes closed.

My 8yr old DS's random wonderings--What weighs more, the Eiffel tower or a steam engine train? (DOH!) 

My 23 month old DD while we were enjoying our morning walk.--Mommy, bird sing twinkle star! (that made me smile)

My 6yr old in the car reading out of his animal encyclopedia to the his baby sister. Of course instead of "rhino" he was saying "Javan Rhinoceros." Everything was the proper LONG name. When I suggested he shorten it a little, he replied, "Mommy, she's needs to learn the right words so she can be smart."

And then my contribution--My 6 year old was upset about going to soccer until I squeezed the sunscreen bottle a bit too much and ended up spattered with sunblock.  We all laughed so hard.

My husband asks me everyday to tell me the good things that have happened. It's been a Godsend for me because it keeps my focus on the right things.  I hope you smiled at least one smile today.