Conversations

Some quotable moments from Ari...

After I expressed disappointment over a broken thing:

"Don't worry, Mom. We can fix it with duct tape. Duct tape is absolutely great!"

A random breakfast exchange:

Ari: Thanks for saving my life, Mom.

Me: You're welcome, Ari. When did I do that?

Ari: Because I needed you to.

While verbally running through our day at the breakfast table:

"Get up, eat breakfast, watch TV, go to school, fight some dragons, come home, eat some popcorn."

First joke:

"Who does the chicken talk to? ....Because he has feet! Ha!"

Driving up to the airport:

"While we're waiting for our airplane, we can smoke outside. See that red sign there? That says we can smoke outside. See? Like that guy!

And, (drum roll) some quotable moments from Ally...

Ally is becoming more and more aware of who in our family is not present at any given moment. And when I say "not present" I mean "not in the room". Throughout our day, this is what I will hear:

Ally: Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy (and if I don't respond soon enough) daddy, daddy, Daddy, DAddy, DADdy, DADDy, DADDEEEEEE!

Me: He's at work, sweetie.

Ally: Oh. (beat) Buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye-

Me: Yes, Ally, he went buh-bye.

Silence. And then...

Ally: Awry, awry, awry, awry, awry, awry-

Me: Ari's at school, Ally.

Ally: Oh. (beat) Buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye-

Me: Yes, Ally, he went buh-bye.

Silence. And repeat. Over and over again.

Being Ari...from the un-posted archives

Almost a full year old, this post was found languishing while I was cleaning out some of my files. I'm not sure why I never posted this one because, re-reading it, I found some sweet little memories...some quite reminiscent of "Calvin and Hobbes" moments. So, here we go, from February of 2010.

Some more gems from his "bathroom and body learnings" phase:

While helping Ari back into his pants after using the potty, I stumbled and fell against the open toilet. "Whoa!" I said. Ari assured me, "That's okay Mom! You almost fell in the potty but I gotcha!"

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One day, Ari chose to get naked at school (just down to his underwear) and thought that it would be a good group activity, starting with his teacher. "C'mon, get naked with me Ms. Deb'bora!" "Yeah, get naked with me!" Then he proceeded to persuade the girls to "get naked with him". I'm very glad his teachers have a sense of humor.

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Ari (walking into my bedroom): Mom, do you have a penis?

Me (without missing a beat): No Ari, I have a vagina.

Ari: Oh. Okay. (and walks out of the room)

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Ari had a bout of flatulence one day and after a noted tooting on the couch, he looks over at me and declares, "It's a tooty day, Mom!"

Car Maintenance

Every time we drive past a gas station, Ari feels the need to check in on my fuel and tire air levels. "We should go get some gas in our tires," he cautions. "Do you mean air in our tires and gas in our car?" I ask. He takes a moment. "Oh, yeah. Heh. That. So let's do it."

Subtle Truths

Doing gymnastics on the couch one morning while watching TV, Ari stands on his head. "Look Mom, I'm losing my brain." "I can see that, Ari." I reply.

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Wendy (quietly surveying the several sticks and pinecones, miniature pine branch, and now a rock and bouquet of flowers littering adorning the inside of her vehicle): Wow, we sure do have a lot of nature in our car.

Ari: And a lot of God.

Wendy (smiling): Yes Ari, there's a LOT of God in this car.