Tulip Corn

Julia loves picking out flowers at the grocery store to bring home.  Every time she walks through the grocery store door, she announces "My mama and me like flowers!" How can I resist that?  She is my girl.  Usually she wants something pink, but on the most recent trip, she chose a pot of tulips in a purple foil wrapper that were not yet in bloom.  I set the pot on the kitchen counter and she promptly forgot about it.  After a week or so, I called her over and said, "Julia, look at that!" and just pointed to the yellow tulip that was starting to unfold. She studied it quizzically for a long time and then you could almost see her make up her mind about what it was before she announced "Oh, wow!  My fresh corn has come up.  Let's make it for our dinner!"  I dissolved into laughter because it really did look a bit like an ear of corn now that she mentioned it with the green leaves and the yellow folded cone in the middle.  Love those Iowa girl roots coming out, too.

In Stitches

Davey managed to get his second set of stitches.  This one is front and center on his face, just to the side of his mouth on his cheek.  He tripped over something on the floor and hit something metal on his way down.  Since this is his second set of facial stitches in less than a year, we figured it couldn't hurt to take some gymnastics, so he started this week.  Joe went with him to the first session and said David looks like a Mac Truck out there compared to the Shawn Johnson-wanna-bes in their sparkly leotards and ponytails.  But he had a great time.

Speaking of stitches, David had us in stitches tonight at the dinner table.  Where does he come up with this stuff?  First he was musing out loud about who would win a wrestling match, a king or the president.  Just thinking about President Obama wrestling Prince Charles made me giggle out loud.  A few seconds later, he asked me for dessert, and when I told him no dessert tonight because we had pizza, he thought for a minute and then asked me earnestly, "No dessert tonight because pizza has dessert hidden in it?  Is it in the crust or the sauce??"  That one always makes me laugh!

Rainbow Loom

We have been taken over by the rainbow loom craze in our house.  If you have elementary or junior high-aged kids, you likely already know what I am talking about here.  It is the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Rubik's cube and Bop-It of 2014 all rolled into one.  It somewhat surprises me that this particular toy started a craze, because it is just a plastic loom that makes bracelets out of small, elastic bands (think the plastic bands that some kids have to wear between their top and bottom braces).  But it is undeniably a craze, at least around these parts.

We are fortunate that we have our own Rainbow Looming guru in Grandma Julie. She called me up one Sunday and said "I hear that Rainbow Loom is all the rage. Should I pick up a kit to do with AJ?"  I told her I had no idea what she was talking about, but said AJ hadn't mentioned it so she could skip it.  Later that night, AJ tells me that he absolutely has to, has to have a Rainbow Loom bracelet to wear to school the next day.  Next time I know to pay attention to Grammy's reports on the trends.

I love that this is something the kids will look back fondly and remember when they get older like our sticker trading books, best friend necklaces and friendship bracelets.

Here are some pics of the Rainbow Loom sweat shop at work and a finished product.  AJ often now wears three or four of these, plus a ring or two, at a time.  Lots of rubber band bling.

Mr. Logical and Mr. Dramatic

We had another run-in with Mr. Logical and Mr. Dramatic.  It always goes something like this...David (Mr. Dramatic) embellishes a story or makes a claim that stretches the truth just a bit or even just expresses his understanding of the world that is usually 99% right but has 1% that is not quite accurate.  AJ (Mr. Logical) quickly gets agitated at the misstatement and has patience for about ten seconds that it must be corrected.  David digs in his heels and either repeats his claim louder and more vehemently (a technique I have seen used at the Italian/Lithuanian/Polish dinner table with Joe's family many times) or embellishes further for greater impact and AJ completely loses it, usually resulting in shouted insults or brotherly violence or both.  The latest episode went like this:

(Backstory: AJ is learning how to read and has been reading us all a book each night, the latest of which was a Dr. Suess book with the word Mississippi, which he very proudly was able to read correctly the night before.  David definitely took note of the praise Joe and I gave AJ.)
David at breakfast: "AJ, you are becoming a very good reader.  I can read, too!  I can even read Mississippi!"
AJ: "What are you talking about, David?!?  You didn't read Mississippi!  I read Mississippi!"
David: "No, really, AJ, I. CAN. READ. MISSISSIPPI!" (Note how he got louder and more vehement to prove his point.)
AJ: "No, you can't even read at all.  I am in kindergarten, and that is when you learn how to read.  You are still in preschool!"
David: "YOU ARE WRONG!  I CAN READ MISSISSIPPI!  SEE!?!" (at this point, David closes his eyes and says "Mississippi!" triumphantly.)
AJ: (completely agitated, can barely hold it together) "David, you are NOT reading!  You just closed your eyes and said Mississippi!"
David: "No, I am reading.  Here, I will do it again...(closes eyes) MISSISSIPPI!"
AJ: (starts around the table to attack David) "You are a moron!"

At this point, Joe intervened to prevent any physical altercation, but I am pretty sure he was trying to suppress a laugh at the same time.  This reminds him of the breakfast table at his house growing up, and I think he misses that a little.