Bad words. 

You try REALLY hard to avoid saying them around your kids, but you know what, sometimes they just slip out.  The incident that evoked the d-word for me was at Christmas.  I was trying to get something out of the fridge when I grabbed a big pan of a jello fruit salad thing.  I ripped it out of the fridge without realizing it hadn't set.  Bright red, liquid jello and fruit splashed all over the inside of the fridge, the floor, the cabinets and me.  That resulted in a resounding D&*#@-it!  My two year old son, Caiden,  never forgot it.

My 4 year old daughter, Campbell, never had a problem with repeating bad words.  Caiden, delights in it.  He picks up EVERYTHING!  He can be immersed in role-playing with his toys, on the other side of the house, and still hear a bad word.  Even when you say a non-bad word with emphasis. 

Not long after the jello incident, he dropped a toy and let out a loud...

The differences between girls and boys are starting to become crystal clear.  My son is now 2 1/2 and I think his testosterone level is rising. 

The first inkling of the changeover came outside when he was playing on one of those single sided teeter totters.  You know, the one with the big ball under the seat so the child can bounce up and down.  Campbell bounced on it a few times and moved on to the swings.  Caiden took one look at it and promptly put his whale under the ball.  He proceeded to get on the seat and, gleefully, bounce like mad on top of the whale.  He bounced like that for about 10 minutes, pausing only to re-adjust the whale under the ball for maximum impact.

The second instance of emerging boyness, came around Halloween.   As I came around the corner I noticed him walking with a skeleton to one of the rocking horses.  I thought, hmmm, what kind of havoc does he plan on wreaking now.  He walked right up...

It's started.  I enrolled the kids, the two oldest, in their first "activity."  I've kinda been holding out because I know once it starts, it's gonna be constant for the next 18 years.

I chose gymnastics.  I thought maybe if the kids bounced off the walls somewhere else, they wouldn't do it at home.  My plan was just to enroll Campbell.  But then I thought, do I want to run after Caiden and keep track of Carys from the sidelines for an hour?  So I enrolled Caiden, too.  Only, it's a Mommy and me class.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Because I still had to run after Caiden and keep track of Carys.

I thought I was so prepared.  Before we left home, I packed water and snacks for the kids and breakfast for Carys and me.  I thought I would feed Carys and eat breakfast while Campbell and Caiden were taking class. 

We get there and I realize I completely forgot Caiden was in the Mommy and me class. ...

I think the happiest moments of my day are when I pick up my kids from daycare.  Regardless of whatever they're doing, their faces light up in a huge smile when they see me.  Nothing can duplicate that feeling.  It's pure joy!

Although sometimes it's a little bittersweet when I see my youngest, Carys.  The bitter part comes into play when I notice she's in back-up daycare clothes.  That can only mean one thing, there's something waiting for me in her diaper bag...and it ain't pretty.

I walk over to where it's hanging and there it is, peeking out of the top.  It's a plastic grocery bag all tied up with the great unknown inside.  It's a grab bag of deception.  Because the handles of the bag, when knotted up, actually look like a bow!  It's certainly NOT a gift I want to unwrap!  I just hope for the best and throw the bag over my shoulder.  Maybe Carys just had a really messy lunch.  The question is, which end did it...

I'm constantly amazed at how smart kids are these days.  Take my 4 year old, Campbell for instance.  She was drawing an alligator, but it had 6 legs.  My husband said, "Your alligator has 6 legs.  They only have 4."   Without skipping a beat, Campbell drew 2 more legs and announced, "This is an octigator!"   I've gotta say, I was pretty impressed. 

Ok, I know I wasn't that quick and that clever at that age.  I know, because every time my mom is around my kids, she tells me so.  In a loving way, of course. :-)

Would you all like to share some clever kid moments?  If so, write away...