Baby Teeth

Loic smiles at Alastair and he smiles back.

Loic asks, "Laurly, why Alastair have no teeth?"

Laurly answers, "Because teeth need strong roots before they can grow. Right now Alastair only has seeds."

Machine Wash Cold

Laurence found a dryer sheet sticking out from between the sofa cushions today. He thought it was a Color Catcher that didn't catch any color. My explanation of what it really was and what it was for sparked quite a conversation about laundry. Woo hoo. Anyway, at one point he said he'd heard that if you wash clothes with hot water, or dry them with hot air, they can shrink, and wanted to know if that was true. Who else does he discuss laundry with? Anyway, I told him it was, and explained that certain fabrics shrink easily, some not so easily, and some not at all. He said, "So clothes really CAN shrink? Are you sure?" (He's really been questioning my knowledge on a variety of topics....ok ALL topics, lately. He's 6 and already thinks he knows it all. Great.) I assured him that yes, shrinkage happens. He said, "But does it happen to REAL people?" Apparently it must happen to the fake people he knows? They must be the ones telling him this stuff. Next time he questions me, perhaps I'll send him to them for the answers.

Trick Question?

Laurence was packing his backpack for school this morning, and paused to read the label on his envelope that comes home from the office every Tuesday...

Laurence: "O'Neil. Laurence Emmerson. Grade 5K." A short pause... "Mom, do you know Mrs. Winter's last name?"

Me: "Winter."

Laurence: "Oh, right! Then her first name must be Advisor."

Beginners Lesson in Camera Parts

If you've come here for a lesson is DSLR photography, stick around, you might actually learn a thing or two. I've just begun the journey myself with this fine Nikon D40 beauty you see pictured here. We were thrilled to have the chance to purchase this camera from a friend, who recently upgraded to go pro. She's quite talented...in fact, it would be well worth your time to give her website look, after you're done here, of course. By the way, if you know me you'll notice we share the same last name, which is totally coincidence. I do, however, think she chose me as the new owner to keep her baby in the "family." (She really did call it her "baby!" Oh, the pressure....)

Anway, we've had some fun with the camera and have gotten some pretty decent shots, for beginners. We also purchased a new lens this past weekend and it came with a hood, which you can see in the picture - it's the slightly flared cylinder that surrounds the end of the lens (and lens cap, in this case). This hood is the reason for this post and the picture, actually, so look very, very closely... As Bill was putting it on, Laurence was watching very intently and said, "I know what that's for..." Not really surprised based on the information the kid absorbs, we both turn to him just as he says, "It's so the camera can't bite its stitches!"

That's the extent of your photography lesson folks. (Now go back and check out that link.)

What Do You See? I See a...

"Mommy, read 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear,'" is music to my ears. Of the hundreds of kids' books we have in our house, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" has got to be the most requested of all. It was always a favorite of Laurence's, and one of the first books he "read" (memorized). In case you're not familiar with this well known book, written by Bill Martin, Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle, each page introduces a new animal and a new color, in the repetitive format "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Red bird, red bird, what do you see? I see a yellow duck looking at me." and so on. Laurence worked very hard to learn every animal and every color, and once he mastered that, he'd guess the animal on the next page before turning it, and quickly memorized the order, eventually being able to recite the book without having to turn a single page. This is very telling of his learning style & personality. And then there's Loic. He's also loved this book for quite some time, and has moved on from the boring old memorization of a few months back. We, or I should say, he, read the book last night, and here's how it went:

Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?

I see a red bird, with a black eye, and a beak, and brown feet looking at me.

Red bird, red bird, what do you see?

I see a yellow duck with purple feet looking at me.

Yellow duck with purple feet, yellow duck with purple feet, what do you see?

I see a blue horse with sharp teeth that says "neigh" looking at me.

Blue horse with sharp teeth, blue horse with sharp teeth, what do you see?

I see a green frog, with a purple tongue, blue eyes, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, a toe, and another a toe looking at me.

Can you picture it? He pointed to each of the frog's sixteen toes as he "read," and on he went, observing details I'm not even sure I've noticed in the 36,263 times I've read the book.

Ah yes, our boys. Laurence the regimented, self-challenging intellect, and Loic the creative, detail-oriented free-spirit. What will Alastair be like? Only time, and a few more thousand readings of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," will tell.

Fido Has a...

Spring has sprung! We've learned over the past couple of weeks that all of neighbors are still alive and well after the 6-month hibernation. The birds are singing, the days are getting longer, and we've fired up the grill. And finally we can play in our back yard once again. We stayed out until almost dark tonite and the sights and sounds made for some interesting conversation. The following, in particular, I think is worth sharing...

Me: Oh, there's Fido. Hello, Fido! (Yes, I often talk to dogs, even Fido, the old, overweight, annoying hound-type mix next door.)

Fido: (Nothing. Not even a glance in our direction. Maybe his hearing is going...)

Loic: Fido has a butt!

Me: Yes, he does. All dogs have butts, in fact.

Laurence: Yep, and all dogs have penises.

Me: No, not girl dogs.

Laurence (with a puzzled look of misunderstanding): What? Not bull dogs? Bull dogs don't have penises?

What seems like minute goes by, me laughing until my face hurt and unable to get the words out, until finally...

Me: I said, "Not GIRL dogs."

Laurence: Ohhhh! Right. Girl dogs have loo-la-las.

The rest of the conversation went in one ear and out the other. I could barely get past this. Who calls them that? Some girl in his class, apparently. The kid is in kindergarten. What's he going to come home with next?

I'll Have an Order of Chicken Lo Mein & a New Pair of Sneaks, Please

Loic is featured in this post. That kid has quite a natural sense of humor, and appears to be developing a memory to rival his older brother's. Backing up to about a year ago, the family was making our weekly visit to our favorite chinese restaurant, the Panda House. I can't say enough about the place -- amazing food, fast service, and the friendliest of owners. In fact, let me digress by saying that just a few weeks after Alastair was born, Bill came home with carry out and handed me a little red envelope, from the owners, he said. Inside was a crisp ten dollar bill! It's a gift for the baby, she'd told him, and on our next visit explained to me that you give money when a new baby is born to friends or family, to bring the child good luck. Honestly, I was blown away by the gesture. And this wasn't the first of it's kind...

Back to our visit a year ago...that evening the owner came to our table carrying a pair of sandals and asked if we thought they would fit Laurence. I said I thought so, and she explained that her father brought them from China for her son, but they were much too small, so she thought of us. Laurence was so proud and couldn't wait for warmer weather to wear his new treasures. Once summer came he would tell everyone he encountered that his sandals were from the Panda House. Eventually he wore the straps right off. But what a special gift -- sandals from China! Anyway, I said this was to be about Loic and it is...read on!

Sunday night we went to eat once again at the Panda House. Loic & I shared Chicken Lo Mein, which isn't at all relevant, but let me tell you, theirs is amazing! Afterwards we headed next door to Target to get a few things, including a new pair of sneakers for Loic. (He has a fine pair, but needed a 2nd since he seems to be able to find every mud puddle within a 200 yard radius of wherever we are, constantly leaving him with wet shoes. So the old pair will become his romping sneaks.) The next day we were getting ready to go to the grocery store and Loic asked if he could wear his new sneakers. Assuming we'd be puddle-free from here to there, I agreed. As I was tying them he said, "Are these my shoes from the Panda House?" I burst out laughing and looked up -- he was giving me that sly Loic look that he's perfected. Before I could answer he laughed and said, "No, they're from Target!" Oh, it felt good to laugh together like that, and I have his sense of humor and incredible memory to thank. Keep those moments coming, kid!