light sabers: a theme and variations

someone has been a bit obsessed lately.

is it really what's on the inside that counts?

E was like a little tornado as he came to give me a good night hug.

jumping from chair to chair, climbing up chair backs, springing onto the couch next to me then finally landing in my lap, all the time giggling wildly. (hey,was that a manic look i caught in his eyes? this was supposed to be bedtime!)

as he wrapped his arms around my neck to say good night, he pressed his flushed little face next to my ear and offered, in a crazed whisper:

"mommy! i'm an ALIEN inside!!!!!" then leaped to the floor and scurried off to bed.

and you know what? i believe him.

it just explains so much.

200,50,000??

E: "mommy, how many seconds have i been alive?"

me: "ohhhhh... a lot, honey. i'm not sure i could count all of them."

E: "like two thousand fifty hundred?"

me: "no, more."

E: "like, one hundred thousand five hundred thousand?"

me: "no, even more than that."

E: "like...one hundred thousand thousand five ten fifty thousand thousand thousand thousand thousand thousand hundred?

(pause)

me: "yes."

E: "that's kind of what i thought."

happy birthday, E!

look who turned six years old today!
(i am deciding to just think about the fun part about this fact
and not to linger too long on how these years have flown by and
how that makes me want to puke just a little bit. )

the day started on a celebratory note as we rang in the birthday
over sausages, eggs and toast. the children (especially K) were
jubilant after receiving the news that they
would not be eating cheerios and milk for the eighth morning in a row.

at breakfast K kept saying,
"when do we give E his BIKE?"
in a very loud, hard to ignore voice.
miraculously, E did not actually hear what his brother was saying but
we chose to open presents next, just to be safe.

E was delighted at the surprise gift of a new bike and
tried to make a case for staying home from school all day
just to practice riding it.

when i said, "that's fine, then mommy will just have to eat all those
chocolate cupcakes i made last night."
(secretly hoping somehow this would work out)
he was in the car within five minutes.

after school we headed to the park to test out the new ride
and to have a picnic of cheeseburgers and french fries with grandma c.

K, who didn't have a new ride, chased the bitch with a stick instead.

in the afternoon, while mommy rushed around frantically
trying to make the house look presentable/not stink for the party,
E relaxed on the couch with his comfy, new, batman neck pillow from auntie laura.

we ended the day with a backyard party filled with many of E's favorites:
people (neighbors), food (hot dogs, chips and chocolate cake)
and presents (weapons and star wars paraphenalia).

i'm no six year old, but i'd have to say it was a pretty damn good birthday.

young love

E came home very excited from school yesterday and declared to me with a look of satisfaction on his face,

"mommy! i figured out who i'm going to marry!"

i had an idea who he had chosen for his bride. there is a little girl in his class who he absolutely adores and talks about incessantly each day after school. but i know this is a very exciting discovery to make, even for a five year old. and so i decided to ask him anyway, just so he could have the pleasure of telling me.

"that's great, E! who is it?"

the answer was just as i expected,

"it's sophia, mommy. i'm going to marry her because i love her."

how sweet.

i replied with what i felt was the next logical question,

"oh, E. that's so nice. and does she want to marry you, too?"

E stopped.

the smile disappeared as a troubled look came over his face.

"Ooooh...

(sigh)

is that how it works, mommy?"