From the Mouths of Babes, Vol. 3

1. (Dec.) Brody is a master bedtime-staller. Tonight, after every excuse it the book, he comes up with, "I don't feel good. I need cantaloupe to make me feel better."

2. (Jan.) Another night of fighting sleep. He yells, "It's not bedtime...IT'S COMPUTER TIME!!!"

3. (Jan.) Some nights at bedtime, Brody is afraid of everything and thinks we'll come running to calm his fears. He's been "afraid" of his pillow, his music box, the door, his dressers. Pretty much anything he can think of. This night he was afraid of monsters. He was standing at his gate in the doorway while Kris was back in the hallway putting odds and ends away. Brody says, "Don't let monsters get me. Is there a pack of vicious dogs out there?" This was around the time he was obsessed with reading Lady and the Tramp, which included a "pack of vicious dogs" during one part. See what reading can do to a child's vocabulary, LOL!

4. (Jan.) He's sitting on the couch struggling and getting upset because his raisin are falling out of the bottom of the box. I ask him why he doesn't just close the bottom of the box so they don't fall out. Clearly he thinks I'm a genius for suggesting such a solution to his problem and says, "Good thinking, Mommy, good thinking!!"

5. (Jan.) Angel food cake was on sale at Kroger, so we picked some up for strawberry shortcake. Brody insisted it was called "beautiful cake," not angel food cake. I corrected him once and then just left him be. Because that's just about as cute as they come. Angel food cake is now and forever "beautiful cake."

6. (Jan.) WARNING: Could be considered TMI - skip if easily offended. Okay. I don't know if this is common among the male species, or if my husband and son are just a tad strange. The latter's probably more likely, but here goes. They started this, uh...ritual??...of looking into the potty after Brody has to poo and comparing the shape of...you know...to common, every day items. Some things I've heard: "I pooped a candy cane!" "That looks like a C!" "That one's a biiiiggggg snake!" Ew. Just ew. I hope the excitement wears off soon because I doubt his preschool teachers next year will find much enjoyment in this.

7. (Feb.) Brody and I are sitting together at the table eating dinner. He picks up his cheese and says, "There's little bits of peanuts in this cheese." I tell him, "Brody, you are allergic to peanuts. Mommy and Daddy will not give you food with peanuts in it." He then says, "You have to save me from the peanuts!!!" LOL. His face was the cutest.

8. (Feb.) I was sitting on the couch trying to concentrate on something but getting toys piled in my lap. Getting frustrated, I knocked one off the couch. Immediately, Brody says, "Hey! You don't throw toys! Look. At. ME. Don't throw toys! You will go to time-out if you throw toys. If you knock my guitar off, I might never have another guitar ever again." Whoa, back off there, buddy. Or, maybe I'm the one who should back off, ha ha.

9. (Feb.) I'm in the twins' room rocking Jax and trying to get him back to sleep. Brody's in bed but not asleep yet. He walks up to his gate and says, "Stinky Mommmmmy, where arrrrreee yoooouuuu?" He kept repeating this over and over until I came out. I say, "Brody, I just took a shower...why are you calling me stinky mommy?" He replies, "Cuz you were in the babies' room saving Jaxson from crying." Whatever, little dude.

10. (Feb.) "Where are we going...clap, clap, clap...TO THE POTTY!!" Yep. It's the Dora song.

11. (Feb.) I was telling Brody that he is a good listener sometimes, but he has to work harder to be a good listener the whole day. His response: "I'm workin' on it."

12. (Feb.) We are major, major fans of the Fresh Beat Band. No surprise here out of my music-and-instrument-loving boy. Even I have so many of the songs memorized, and I'll catch myself humming or actually singing the songs often. Brody and I were watching an episode together before bed one night, and the drummer (Marina...Brody's favorite) was using glow-in-the-dark drumsticks. I said, "Brody, look at those drumsticks!!" He says--in the most desperate voice ever, "I neeeeeeeed those."

13. (Mar.) After his nap, Brody tells Kris, "I had a reeeeeaaaalllly good dream." Kris asks him what it was about. Brody says, "Mommy was on her way home." :)