Conversations with Boys

My boys have reminded me lately that some of the best times are when we just sit and talk about whatever THEY want to talk about! I thought I'd share some more of these "you'd better write it down" moments...

The Imaginary Turtle

(Sitting at lunch the other day, Jonah announced that he had an an imaginary turtle. Being a good sport and seeing how this could be so much fun, I went along with it.)
Jonah: Mommy, I have an imaginary turtle who's my friend!
Me: You do?! Wow! What is your turtle's name?
(Long pause...with no answer.)
I was especially proud of John Owen for deciding not to "call his brother out" on his imaginary tall tale like he usually does. Instead he chimed right in with me...
John Owen: What does the turtle eat? (Good question!!)
Jonah: He eats training wheels. (?)
Me: What else does he eat?
Jonah: He eats flowers.
John Owen: Does he eat meat?
Jonah: No.
John Owen: Does he eat fruit and vegetables?
Jonah: Nope.
John Owen: Dairy? (What?! I was impressed at this point at the things coming from John Owen's mouth. Had he been studying the nutrition pyramid on the side of the cracker box?)
Jonah: Nope.
(Ok..I stepped in to redirect this tale.) Me: What should we call this turtle when we need to talk to him?
(Another pause but not quite as long...)
Jonah: "John." (VERY original, don't you think?) hehe
Jonah: And he does not like (INPUT NAME OF BOY IN HIS PRESCHOOL CLASS). :-) He will bite (INPUT SAME NAME OF BOY IN HIS PRESCHOOL CLASS). (Mommy thought: "Uh-huh, that's what this is ALL about...I wonder what happened at school today.")
So, "John" the invisible turtle now lives at the Hensley house, I suppose. And I guess he's here to help my Jonah deal with the issues he's facing with friends at school. (Don't you think it's fitting that this "turtle" bears the name of his BIG brother whom he adores and thinks can BEAT up anyone?) Gotta love BOYS!

Spill Some for ME!

The other day we were making scotchies. The boys were standing around me with their chairs pulled up to the counter to "help" me stir the batter when all of a sudden I dropped the bag of butterscotch chips and several fell out on the floor! John Owen quickly jumped down from his chair and exclaimed,"I'll get them!" (Which meant he would pick them up off of the floor and put them in his mouth.)

Jonah quickly picks up on this tactic, and exclaims,"Hey, mommy, spill some for me!!!" :-)

When I Grow Up...

Last Thursday, I went to Jonah's class and read a Christmas book to them about the birth of Jesus. It was so much fun! I read "The Christmas Donkey", and they really got into the different sounds of the animals in the story. It reminded me of why I enjoy teaching. Kids can be so much fun sometimes! Anyway, when I picked the boys up from school later that day, here's how the conversation went:

Jonah: Mommy, I saw you at my school today.

Me: Yes, Jonah. Did you like the story I read to your class?

Jonah: Uh-huh. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had cupcakes, didn't we?

Me: Yes we did, JOnah!

Short pause.

Jonah: Are you gonna be a new teacher at my school?

Me: No, Jonah. I was just there to read and sing with you today. Mrs. Joy is your teacher this year.

Another short pause.

Jonah: When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.

Me: You do?! That sounds like a great idea, Jonah!

(I wanted to cry at the thought of my three-year-old boy saying he wanted to be teacher and not saying something typical of his age and gender like being a fireman or policeman or something like that! It was a great moment!)

And then the moment ended abruptly with John Owen's interjection in the conversation...

John Owen: When I grow up, I want to be a racer!!!

Jonah: I want to be a racer, too! (Of course! I just smiled. It was nice thought while it lasted.)

Yall Hush Yall's Mouths Up!

Last night, we rode on the church's Christmas float in the parade. I rounded up as many children from the church as I could to ride with me in my van down to where the float was stationed. I lost count, but there must have been 11 or 12 kids (ranging in ages 3-12) "squashed" into my mini-van with my "projection voice" saying, "OK, there's only one of me and lots of you, so listen for my voice." "And stay with me!"

Needless to say, my own children were subjected to this craziness as we drove slowly and carefully down the small streets to the float. I was so afraid the police would get on to me in front of the children for this fiasco, but we made it with no problems.

Jonah and John Owen had a BLAST!! They loved the "throwing out" of the candy, shouting Merry Christmas, and "hangin out" with the older kids! On the way back to the church, the van was once again VERY noisy with children who must have been on SUGAR HIGHS! Jonah, who was sitting in Hannah's lap in the front seat, said in a very deep scratchy voice, "YALL HUSH UP YALL'S MOUTH-S!" (Emphasis on the "S") It was so funny! Hannah, Catherine Ann and I burst out laughing which of course caused him to say it again. Catherine Ann told the others in the back to be quiet so they could hear Jonah, and ...he said it again! The van was filled with laughter! It was a fun time and a great Christmas memory!