Conversations With Nate Pt. 1

N: Does this song make you think of Gamma Rita?
Me: No. Why would it?
N: Because it has a picture of Gamma Rita on it.
Me: ...
N: ... or it could be Daddy.

We were listening to an oldie by Howard Jones. This is the picture that was displayed on the iPod:



Hope it gave you as many laughs as it gave me – conversations with Nate tend to have that effect. Also, maybe it's time to get his eyes checked.

- L.

PS. This is what Gamma Rita looks like in case it's been awhile. Seth was having a moment that day, but Nate was having a grand time.

My boys and Howard Jones their Gamma Rita.

House Pets

"Baby X"

No name yet, but we're taking submissions.

Life with kids = bugs. I loved bugs as a kid. Caterpillars were a frequent "pet". When I was little, a caterpillar made a cocoon inside the jar before I had a chance to release it back into the wild, and so it did its thing over the fall and winter and gnawed its way out in the spring. I have such a vivid memory of that and I was barely 7.

We found a caterpillar earlier this year, and I guess it was ready to make its cocoon, since it did it the same day and has been bunkered up in a Mason jar since. The boys named him Baby X.

In other related news, while we happened to be out at the park a couple of days ago playing in soft sand, that beautiful Monarch butterfly was the victim of Seth's parked behind. It was dying, but not dead so we brought it home in a bucket to take care of it. It died, but was too beautiful to just throw away and so we pinned it and will preserve it instead. A perfect specimen, despite being sat on.

These are our pets, everyone – and the best kind, since they are both so quiet.

- L.

PS. The caterpillar we found is an American Dagger Moth Caterpillar. It was quite colorful, and none of us knew it could be a little dangerous (hence the daggers I suppose). No one (including Baby X) was harmed in the handling and jarring of said Baby X, but I was surprised based on the internet to find one in our location. He or she seems to have traveled a long way to get here, and it would appear in the end that we will be "overwintering" together as a result. The things we do for love. *sigh*

Conversations With Seth Pt. 2

If you've heard any of his famous lines, then you are probably also
familiar with this little grin. It generally means trouble.

 "What do you want to argue about now?"
– Said to his brother on a car trip.

"I've never had a problem with drawing."
– When complimented on his drawing skills.

"I should tell you that I AM".
– When I said, "You're pretty good at puzzles, Boogee".*

"I want to tell you something, Mommy. I love you. I should probably say that more often."
– Said out of the blue one day (and yes, he should say that more often).

"Uranus is a gas giant, Daddy."
– He was probably talking about planets. Probably.

"I wouldn't exactly say that".
– In reply to, "Did you have a good time today?".

"Did you die?"
– In reply to a living person who said, "I saw a moose, once, swimming across a river".

"Did it eat you?"
– Another perfectly reasonable reply to, "I saw a bear once".

"Did he die?"
– In reply to, "When I was your age, my best friend used to live over there".

"No. I farted ON MYSELF!".
– In reply to, "Did you just fart on me?"
*also see: "When you have a fart, sometimes you just have to fart it out!", when the same question came up on a previous occasion.

"Well, I can't tell you… but I love you!"
– Said after he told me he was thinking about "something bad" and I asked what it was.

"I'm sorry, but you're wrong, Mommy!"
– In reply to just about everything.

- L.

* Boogee is still in full force over here as an alternate name for Seth, which you might recall he picked himself. Nate prefers being called Nate now over Sandy (thank goodness), but I have a feeling Boogee (AKA "the Boog") might be here to stay. The "g" is a soft g, in case you were wondering.

• • • • • • •

PS. The pictures were from a summer festival we went to and the boys picked their own face paint designs. It was the first time we've done face-painting, but it was a hit all around:

Conversations With Seth Pt. 1 & The Sweater Dresses

Conversations with Seth are something else. He's the main purveyor of some of our best household lines since he's so matter-of-fact in his delivery.

Gamma Rita had this memorable exchange over the summer...

Day 1:

S: You smell a little funny. Maybe you forgot to wash yourself.
GR: But I did wash myself!
S: Well, maybe it's not that bad...

Day 2:

GR: Do I still smell funny today?
S: Well… kind of.
GR: Oh no! And I had a shower and everything too!
S: Well, every perfume is different.
GR: But… I don't wear any perfume.
S: Well, maybe that's why!

In other news, Gamma Rita lovingly knit some new sweaters for the boys that should fit by next year. At this point, they look like little sweater dresses. Also, they smell like Gamma Rita (who, for the record, smells very nice and bathes every day), but I guess it is not appealing to Seth. He held his nose the entire time I had them in the sweaters just so I could take a picture. I don't know what we're going to do with that one when he goes to school, but I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot of calls from the teacher.

Talk about a little stinker!

- L.

Today's Music Ain't Got The Same Soul...

... (we) like that old time rock 'n' roll.

Between their love of the drums and their love of the microphone, I have a feeling I'm going to be housing a band at some point (and I don't mean the marching kind).

- L.

Sounds Like It's All Been Worked Out...

S: Mommy, I'm trying to decide whether to be an astronaut or a construction worker when I grow up.

Me: Well, I'd worry about you a lot if you were in space.

S: OK, I'll be a construction worker then.

Me: Nate, what do you want to be when you grow up?

N: I want to be Seth's best friend.

- L.