Nine Things About You at Age 9

Nine Years Old.

Wow.

1. You think the best vacation in the world would be a) Disneyland b) Wizarding World of Harry Potter c) Disney cruise or best of all d) all of the above in the same vacation. I don't know if that last one is possible but we'll work on it...
2. Kingdom Hearts rules!
3. You've stolen my buckwheat heating pad and refuse to give it back.
4. Suddenly you have incredibly large feet and hands. Boy Feet and Boy Hands. I don't know where the cute little baby ones you had yesterday went.
5. You like to write letters. So far you have heard back from 2 of your favorite authors (one with original artwork!) and the White House.
6. You are always singing.
7. You have a lot of curiousity about the world and it's history. For instance, because of a very brief scene in Return to Neverland, a trip to the library was in order to find out more about WWII and why kids in England were sent to the country.
8. You notice everything and you hear everything.
9. You will talk to your cousin G. on the phone for as long as I'll let you. And then do it again tomorrow.

1. Wrestling matches & pillow fights with Dad & M. are the best.
2. You go through a fake litany of body parts that hurt, trying to get kisses. You haven't figured out yet that you can just ask for the kiss by itself.
3. Current favorite movie: Lilo and Stitch. Which has led to an interest in Elvis music and the hula.
4. You will sit and play a board game or turn-taking game now, if you understand the rules. Zingo, Richard Scarry's BusyTown, dominoes...
5. You got a set of Disney figures for your birthday. You were thrilled and told us over and over who all the characters were. I watched you playing with them today and you were very purposefully making them interact together. What was very interesting to me was which figures you paired together: Winnie the Pooh and the Evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty. Ariel and Scar. Cruella DeVil and Cinderella. I wish I could hear the stories you are telling in your head.
6. You have been doing great at dance class, participating in everything and getting ready for your recital in May. We've gotten past the "smoothie as a bribe" stage.
7. You are finally old enough to participate in Special Olympics. Bowling is the sport right now, which you have done before and enjoy. Bonus that a lot of your friends are participating too.
8. You like to go around turning the lights off on everyone. Unless we want them off. Like when we're sleeping. Then you go around turning them on.
9. You adore the babysitter, K. In fact when I come home from work, you try and shut the door on me because you know that means she has to go home. She adores you back.

The Answer to All Eternal Questions

Last night, M. had trouble falling asleep. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked. "You'll think it's crazy, Mom, but it just popped into my head and I can't stop thinking about it and I just don't know..." "What is it?"

"What is the meaning of existence, Mom? I mean, why are we here?"

Crap. And here I thought he was going to ask something easy like whether Santa was real.

Philosophers and all manner of learned and common men have been asking that question since time began. How to answer? And more importantly, how to answer so he'd feel reassured enough to actually go to sleep?

And then it came to me, like the hand of God touching me in a blessing. "It's love, honey. We're here to love each other and nothing else matters." He was asleep in 10 seconds flat.

All his questions should be that easy.

They're a Great Team

This morning D. and I woke up to our sons proudly bringing us breakfast in bed. M. operated the toaster, P. buttered and cinnamoned the toast. P. got out the bottle of juice, M. poured it. M. scooped out the yogurt for the parfait, P. put the berries in. P. decided ice cream would be good, M. scooped it. P. sang up the stairs, M. carried the tray.

Could they be any cuter? That's why I write this stuff down, so we'll all remember.

Who Knew?

Apparently, if you angle the jets in the whirlpool tub just so and let out just enough water, you can have a nifty water cannon that shoots hot soapy water out the bathroom door and down the stairs!

And the Angels Sang "Ahhhh-ahhhhh-ahhhhhhh"

Is there anything quite like putting on a new pair of glasses and realizing just how much you weren't seeing with the old ones? And I can read with these ones too!

Dream = Reality

Dreamt that we woke up late and had to rush to make P's bus on time. Then I really did wake up and...

Lists from a Vacation

The boys and I just spent the better part of a week in NJ visiting my family. On the long drive home, this is what I was thinking about:

Stuff Brought to NJ:

• Too many clothes for the boys, not enough for me.
• Too much food in the cooler
• Apparently not enough books

Stuff That Should Have Been Brought to NJ:

• The main vitamins for P. (I bought all the secondary vitamins but left home the one that they all get mixed into)
• Some meds (non-necessary ones)
• The medicine eye dropper for the necessary one (but P. learned to swallow pills, yay!)
• my swimsuit cover-up

Stuff Left in NJ:

• Lots of hugs and kisses
• 2 boy socks (not matching, naturally)**
• 1 Buzz Lightyear*
• 2 oil portraits of M & P (they needed to dry first)
  
• 1 book the nephew was in the middle of
  

Stuff That Has to Go Back to NJ:

• 1 portable DVD player and some movies, most particularly Beauty & the Beast
  

Stuff Acquired in NJ:

• Lots of memories! cousins reading to each other in bed, Wii dragon battles, Friendly's ice cream, swimming, reading the paper, one little cousin dragging one big cousin *everywhere* (c'mon!), yummy food, book club, seeing friends, riding in each other's cars, going to the movies, taking uninterrupted showers, and many more...
• As many snacks and drinks for the ride home as I could "steal" :-D
• Some great photos that my friend K. took
  
• Toy Story 3 toys/games (thanks Aunt D!)
• 2 Koosh balls that also become spiky hats (thanks Aunt R!)
• Clean laundry! Yay!
  

* updated: Buzz has been found under the seat of the car. Call off the search party!

** update to the update: I think I found the socks too, mixed in with mine.