Lynn: It's squash for breakfast! [joking]
Me: Everyone's going to eat squash.
Rex: I don't like squash.
Me: Pumpkin is a squash.
Rex: I don't like squash.
Ben: Pumpkin is a squash. You like pumpkin. So you do like squash.
Rex: I don't like pumpkin.
Rex has been mommy focused a bit since her return from 6 Days in Connecticut (not a major motion picture), and at bathtime, he often says, "Just mommy," meaning that he wants some solo mommy time. Fair enough and Lynn's been a good sport about it.We're letting Rex set the pace on this, but were trying to turn the ship a bit. A few nights ago, I said, "Rex, can daddy give you your bedtime?" "Just mommy." An idea pops into my head. "Rex, if I give you $5, can I do your bedtime?" and I pull out some fake money we play with. His eyes light up. "Yeah." So we joke around with this, and by the time it's bath, he's given me a fake quarter that I give to him and all goes well. It's two nights later tonight, and time again for me to do Rex's
Last night, Rex is sitting on my lap, and Ben wanders over and whispers in my ear (making my ear all wet), "Mommy is making pancakes for dinner."Of course, Rex's ear is about 5 inches from Ben's mouth. Ben wanders off and Rex turns around to whisper in my ear: "Pancakes...." I don't know why it was so funny. It was that they both whispered, I guess.
We're eating dinner tonight, and having a lovely time. Lynn is in the first day of a cold, but she's feeling generally ok. The boys are well after what seems like weeks of colds and coughs. Rex is cackling about things.Then he starts to whisper. I'm sitting next to him, but I can't hear what he's saying. So I lean in and say, "Rex, what are you saying?" And, in a stage whisper he says, "Treat coming." I laughed so hard I had to stand up, then crouch, holding on to an armchair. Treat coming! And it was. Some cake left from Ben's 4 1/2 birthday on Wednesday. Treat coming.
Rex has a new word: ding! I put a bell on my bike recently, something I've long resisted for its sheer nerd-a-liciousness. But the bike trails and streets are more crowded as folks shed cars for cycles, and I find myself calling out "passing" or "on your left/right" very often. Since everyone is obligated by a dictate from Apple to be wearing headsets while walking or running (and very ill-advisedly while biking), my voice doesn't carry far. The bell works nicely, and I think it's less irritating to people. They also seem to obey it more quickly than a voice alert.
Ben and I take the bus to his childcare most mornings these days. I load my bike on the bus, get on with Ben, and we take a short ride there, then I bike to work. It's a nice multi-modal combination that saves me driving around for 15