Latrines

"Tyler, please get off your brother."

"I was just pretending he was a toilet."

(It never ends around here.)

The Prince and the Pea

"Tyler, we forgot to choose something for Show and Tell at preschool. Want me to grab Doc before we go?"

He was already buckled in his carseat, or I would have sent him into snag it on his own.

(Incidentally, I referred to his carseat as his suitcase today. As in, "Everybody get in your suitcases." Ah, well. Blank stares.)

"Mommy, how about if you go get Lightning McQueen. He's under my pillow."

"Under your pillow?"

"Yep."

I buzzed into his room, on my one final errand before we trekked off to preschool. I lifted his pillow, and not only did I find Lightning McQueen, but 9 other toys, too.

Little Hoarder. Stocking up for a rainy day. Or a boring quiet time.

Overwhelming Truth

As Tyler helped Grandma set up the nativity at her house, he shoved everyone into the stable. Shepherds, sheep, wise men, the donkey - and even the camels stuck their heads in.

"Everybody wants to be close to Jesus, Grandma. They all like him."

Happy Endings

We recorded The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and now it's a daily routine at our house. Sometimes multiple times each day, when the boys get their way.

Tyler has recently been calling him "The Junk."

Tonight, as we watched the Grinch and his antlered pup, Max, we sang Dahoo-Dooray with all the Whos down in Whoville as they awoke on Christmas morning.

Embracing a teachable moment, I said, "Tuck, look how happy they are, even though they don't have any of their presents. Why do you think they're so happy?"

Without breaking eye contact from the screen, he said, "Because they know he'll change his mind in a few minutes."

Excellent. So, lesson learned, then.