From the mouth of a pre-schooler

My son is going to be 4 year old in May, and I must say that he is in his prime of saying the best things. I am really enjoying his explorations and discoveries - and then hearing the perception of the world through his words. And I think the best are yet to come!!



From the mouth of a pre-schooler... memorable quotes from the week:



"MaPa!" - his favorite new way to call for mama and papa. I love how he has combined them into one word. Very smart as it's a sure fire way to get a response!!



"Look Frank, I got a new train!! We need to buy Frank a doggie train." - today we went to the store and yes, I hate to say it, but I needed to resort to a bribe. Not typical, but a reality. He picked out a train, Douglas - from Thomas the Tank Engine series - and the first thing he did when he got home was to show it to Franklin, the dog. Talk about no truer sense of man's best friend - or maybe it should be pre-schooler's best friend. It was endearing and I love that he did it!

"Can't go to school today!" - This statement alone proves that he is my son. While it might hold little significance to you, it speaks volumes to me. I have never been a fan of school, and that is putting it mildly. In fact, the only grade I liked was kindergarten. When I got to first grade I use to lock myself in the bathroom stall and cry, refusing to come out (until coaxed or threatened by an impatient teaching assistant that I would be sent back to kindergarten if I did not come out and rejoin the class). I love that he enjoys to spend time at home with us, playing with his toys. It is a special moment as I know that someday he will want to trade at-home time for friend time.

"Where's his mommy? She must be at work!" - This quote is hard to write. Lately when we're watching one of his shows and he sees a child character he always asks, "Where's his mommy?" His response sums up the reality of our situation - "His mommy must be at work!" You seen, I am a working mom. While I really enjoy what I do (and I do), it's moments like these that tug at my heart. In just this one statement he is reflecting on life as he knows it and that is hard for me.

Special Lesson - Spirit of Giving

This holiday season has been extra special, as this is the first yeat that my son has really grasped and gotten into Christmas.

He is just old enough to understand what Christmas means. It has made this Christmas the best one yet... Lil man helped (literally) put up the Christmas tree with his Papa, decorated the tree, helped us to set up the nativities (yes, we have three. Two bear nativities and one traditional nativity. When we were done, lil man said, "We need to go buy another nativity!"). He also was a great helper with putting out the wooden Swiss Christmas choo-choo, stockings and lights. From a parent's perspective, it has been so much fun to talk about Christmas, explaining the significance of certain ornaments, decorations and everything.

Lil man's school has a Toys for Tots drive. This year we took this opportunity to teach lil man about the spirit of giving. We told him that not all little boys and girls have toys and that this Christmas he was going to give a little boy and girl a new toy. He was really excited and took a lot of pride in this idea of giving a child who "doesn't have a train, a train."

The day came to donate the toys. I was a little worried that he would suddenly change his mind and want to keep the toys (especially as one was a Thomas train - which he loves). But, he made us very proud. Without hesitation he donated a toy for a girl and a toy for a boy.

When he got home he told us that he gave a little boy and girl a toy. He said he did this because they didn't have any toys. It was a special moment - a good learning moment.

I feel proud as a parent that I was able to teach such a valuable lesson to my son.

Fav Quotes of the Week - 3 year old style

Wanted to share some of my favorite quotes of the week, from little man to his baby sister...

"She has no teeth! We need to buy some from the store!"

"Babies come from belly buttons."

Now quotes between me and my hubby...

Me to my hubby ..."I need a break or I'm going to jump off the roof." Hubby's response to me ... "I don't want that ... I'd have to clean up the mess."

"Parenting is a constant jedi mind trick."

Favorite Quotes of the Week

"Belly buttons turn into babies." - Three-year-old wisdom

"Parenting is a constant jedi mind trick." - Dad

Quote of the day, courtesy of my sister...

OK, my sister is in town from CA. We picked her up from the airport and here is the quote that resulted after we grabbed some dinner...

"Oh, Ethan - this is a gift from your favorite Aunt!"

Turns out... she didn't buy the toy. My husbandand I were the ones that bought the happy meal, hence the toy was purchased by us. Nice try sister!

Also, it was the wackiest toy ever - not something to be proud of. My son had the look of, "What the heck is this, are you kidding me?" on his face. Needless to say, it could have given him nightmares.

Quote of the Day

"... in order to feel anything, you need strength."

- sent by my sister upon the passing of my sister-in-law's mother today

Chew on this ...

"It's not having what you want, but wanting what you've got."

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