Slices of Life, Vol. 16

Nathaniel explaining to Nicholas why he should jump on the bandwagon of the life-changing experience called "Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts":

"Nick-a-liss, they're SO good. They're HUGE good. They're so good I CAN'T STAND IT!"

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Leaving the YMCA recently after a swim lesson, Nicholas noticed someone vacuuming the floor:

Nicholas: "Mommy, what's that?"

Me: "A vacuum cleaner."

Nicholas: "What's it for?"

Me: "To clean the floor."

Nicholas: "Why?"

Me: "Because we like to spend time in clean places and live in a clean house."

Nathaniel: "Then why is our garage so dirty? Because you could clean it. Any Saturday or Sunday, really."

Me: "Thanks for the tip."

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Nathaniel loves to sound out words to figure out how they're spelled. In the car on the way to school:

Nathaniel: "Fuh-ruh, fuh-ruh, fuh-ruh, Friday. Mommy, 'Friday' starts with F!"

Me: "That's right. It does. Great!"

Nathaniel: "Fuh-ruh, fuh-ruh, fuh-ruh, fries. Mommy, 'fries' starts with F, too. And so does 'frow up'!" [throw up]

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Many of you know that I recently spent an evening in the ER with Nicholas after he took a fall at school and received a hard blow to the back of his head. While the physician was assessing him to determine if he needed a head CT, she asked me to point out the exact point of impact.

Doctor: "So he hit the edge of the table here, behind his left ear?"

Me: "Yes, as I understand it. The bruise has already moved around to his cheek, but they told me that he hit behind his ear."

Doctor: "Yes, that bruise migration is fairly common." [opens Nicholas' mouth with her fingers] "So, his teeth are fi-- ... OH. Did he break his front teeth in the fall?"

Me: "Um, no. That happened a few months ago on the coffee table. The dentist says it's nothing to worry about."

Doctor: "OK, good to know." [points to a bruise on his right cheek] "So this happened today? This looks fresh."

Me: "Um, I don't think so. I think that one was there yesterday."

Doctor: "This is a pretty good bruise on his forearm. Did he get this during the fall?"

Me: "Nope. He said he got that one at school one day when he fell against a chair because he was running in the classroom."

Doctor: "OK, good to know. Just want to rule out multiple points of injury." [points to scratches on both cheeks] "These look fresh to me. Did THESE happen today?"

Me: [ever helpful] "Well, I know for sure he didn't have those when he left the house this morning, so [triumphantly] yes, that must have happened today!"

I was SO totally sure she was going to start a file on us or something. But, she must be familiar with 2-year-olds, because she let us go. :) Oh, and he had a clear CT scan, so Nick is fine!

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Nicholas was watching "Little Einsteins" one night in the den while I was putting supper together in the kitchen. "Quincy" (one of the characters) was encouraging everyone to help make the music louder:

Quincy: "Say it with me! CRESCENDO!!!"

Nicholas: "Bless you."

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We took the boys to see the new Pixar film "Meet the Robinsons" the night before Easter. About 10 minutes before the end of the movie, Nathaniel threw up and we had to leave. On the way home:

Me: "So did you guys like the movie?"

Boys: "Yes."

Me: "What was your favorite part?"

Nathaniel: "Well, I really liked it all, but my most favorite part was when I did NOT throw up."

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Driving home from school one night recently, Nathaniel asked why so many houses are under construction on Shades Crest Road (near our house):

Me: "People bought a lot they liked, and then they built a house on it. That's the way it works."

Nathaniel: "So, you never move the whole house? You never pick it up and move it where you want to go?"

Me: "Well, people do it, but that's very rare. Most of the time you pack up all of the THINGS in your house, and you move all of the things with you to a new house."

Nathaniel: "Well, I would definitely want to take my things. I would want to take my life savers [light sabers], my Power Ranger sword, my 'Star Wars' DVDs, and my blanket."

Nicholas: "Yes, the Power Ranger sword."

Me: "I really don't want to move, though. I have so many happy memories in our house."

Nathaniel: "What happy memories? Like watching 'Star Wars' and playing with life savers and swinging and wrestling and jumping and sleeping and reading books?"

Me: "Yes. Just like that."

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