7.9.21 - Kid snippets: Spiderman > Jesus

Julie sent me this conversation she overheard yesterday between my nephew and Clara.

Malcolm pretends to electrocute random objects with a creation he built.
Me: I guess you're Zeus. Or maybe Thor. Thor is my favorite.
Malcolm: Hulk favorite!
Clara: Jesus is my favorite because he loves me!
Malcolm: Yeah, Jesus cares about us.
Clara: actually... Jesus is not my favorite. Spiderman is.
Me: You can like both.
Clara: No, I don't like Jesus now, I like Spiderman.

7.7.21 - Joy status: full size washer, less carpeting

A full sized washer and dryer, and a place for my kids to eat their meals that isn't over carpeting! Details that make domestic life a little bit easier.

7.7.21 - Kid snippets: Is there someone in the dentist?

For some reason, Jane refers to the basement as the "dentist," so she was getting pretty annoyed with me when it took me a long time to understand what she meant by "Is there someone in the dentist?" (Also, no, there's no one in the dentist.)

7.1.21 - Kid snippets: Mom doesn't know about space

From the other morning while I was driving the kids to daycare:

Clara: Why do we live on Earth and not one of the other planets?
Me: Earth is the only one with oxygen. We wouldn't be able to breathe on the other planets.
Clara: But there is some oxygen in space.
Me: No, when we go in space we can breathe if we are on a spaceship or if we have an astronaut suit that keeps the oxygen in. But there isn't oxygen just in space by itself.
Clara: But some galaxies have oxygen.
Me: No, not to breathe. Not that we know of.
Clara, getting annoyed: Mom! You need to just say "I don't know about space!"

6.29.21 - Joy status: trading child care with Julie

My sister Julie and I have started trading watching each other's kids once a week. This would already be a nice setup on a practical level because we each get a child free day every other week at no cost. But when I dropped my kids off this morning Julie also talked about how excited she is to have a house full of chaos and children.

6.23.21 - Joy status: suburban privacy

Our bedroom windows no longer face directly into someone else's living room windows a few dozen feet away. Right now we are on a second floor that faces the space in between two other houses that are across a street. Hurray for suburban privacy!

6.21.21 - Joy status: Calvin's bedtime routine

The main lullaby I sing the kids is "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, so sometimes Calvin asks me to sing "A E Mine." Recently he has started singing it along with me in that sweet toddler voice of his with a big grin on his face. Last time when the lullaby was done I said "good night, I love you" and he laughingly said "gah night!" as if it was some great inside joke of ours

6.15.21 - Kid snippets: Calvin doesn't come down the stairs

I'm trying to teach the kids that when I say "come here" they need to answer "Coming!" Calvin has picked up on it surprisingly fast.

Just now he was sitting at the top of the stairs to the second floor, and from the first floor Clara called and asked him to come see her. He immediately shouted "COMING! Cwawa! Coming Cwawa!" And then he just sat there.

Me: Buddy, you can't just answer "coming." You also have to actually go see her.
Calvin: Mama! I Cwawa coming!
Me: I know, bud! Now go down the stairs.
Clara: Callllvinnn! Come see meeeee!
Calvin, earnestly: Coming! I coming!! *proceeds to just sit at the top of the stairs*

This cycle repeated at least 10 times (with me laughing more each time) before he finally went downstairs.

6.15.21 - Joy status: stomp away

We no longer have anyone living below us, so I no longer have to keep telling my kids to stop jumping or stomping.

6.12.21 - Joy status: Friends to help us move

We are almost done loading the truck and we are almost ready to depart for Missouri and we wouldn't have been as ready as we are now if it wasn't for a whole lot of help from our dear friends. People have helped pack over the last week or two, and then today load the truck itself, grab food and water for everyone, keep the kids busy, pack (tons of) last minute things, dismantle and move heavy furniture, make donation runs, scrub walls, and basically anything else I could think of to ask. Thank you, thank you! We have so many good friends.

6.3.21 - Joy status: Clara can't wait to move to MO

Clara is *so* excited about moving to Missouri. She's bugging me all morning about how we need to pack. I told her I'd get dressed and then we'd start, and she ran to start choosing boxes to tape.

5.31.21 - Kid snippets: Clara can lift two milk

We are listening to the soundtrack to The Princess and the Frog and there's a part where they say something about someone being beautiful.

Jane: Mom, just like I'm beautiful!
Me: Yes, you are beautiful. And you're also smart!
Clara: So am I. I'm smart.
Me: Yes you are. You guys are smart. And you know what else? You are hard workers!
Clara: Yeah just like we are smart but also strong!
Me: Yes, and you work hard. Even when things don't work right the very first time, you keep trying.
Clara: So strong you can lift milk!
Me: Okay, but-
Clara: Maybe even TWO milk!
Me: Okay.

5.28.21 - Kid snippets: Clara explains where babies come from

Clara explains pregnancy to Jane.

Clara: Jane, the baby stays in mommy's tummy and then in a few weeks it comes out of her vagina and then they cut the vine.
Jane: Hm. Yeah.

I think for their age that's pretty close.

5.24.21 - Kid snippets: Look, here's the deal

When Clara wants to explain something complicated, she starts with "Look, here's the deal."

My dad says that all the time, but Clara is hardly ever around him. I didn't think I said it much if ever, but idk where else she'd get it.

5.22.21 - Joy status: Jack's nursing job

**Jack has a nursing job.**

Since last September he's applied to perhaps 40-50 positions in California with no response (aside from an occasional generic "position is filled"). He started applying in Missouri about 5-6 weeks ago and on Thursday one of the main hospital networks in the area (SSM) offered him a position! It's in their new grad onboarding program on the medical-surgical unit, which is great because the position (a) involves plenty of training and (b) is more generalized experience, both good for someone starting out. He starts three days after we unload the moving truck!

5.17.21 - Joy status: Girls get to socialize with neighbors

Tonight Clara heard other kids playing outside in the apartment complex and asked if we could go outside. So we grabbed Jane's new giant bottle of bubble mix (from her birthday) and went to see what was going on. Clara is absolutely fearless when it comes to playing with other kids and immediately ran up to a group of girls and asked if she could play with them. They were happy to oblige, especially since Clara and Jane came with bubble mix.

All five girls played with the bubbles for quite some time and then started running around the complex playing tag and hide and seek and shrieking in delight. My kids don't play with other kids often enough so it was wonderful to watch. I got the sense the other girls felt the same way. It also makes me look forward to when we get to Missouri and they get to hang out with their cousins on a regular basis and have a social life.

5.15.21 - Kid snippets: Clara is a good sister

Jane and Clara are frosting cookies together.

Jane: Clara, you're a good sister.
Clara: Yep!

5.14.21 - Kid snippets: Calvin laughing at things

I was playing a game with Calvin and asking him where all his different body parts were, but the only part he wanted to name was his butt. He laughed every time he said it.

On another note, every night at bedtime I tell him to lay down. He gets comfortable on his pillow and then giggles maniacally as I spread his blanket over him.

5.2.21 - Kid snippets: Hey Clara, I love you

Me: Hey Clara.

Clara looks at me.
Me: I love you.
Clara: Awwwwww

5.1.21 - Kid snippets: Are you happy to have have kids and babies?

I'm showing Clara the video tour I took of mine and Jack's first apartment, shortly after we moved in together. There's a part where I zoomed in on the books we had on our bookshelf.

Clara: There are no kids books?
Me: Well we didn't have kids yet, so we didn't have kids books.
Clara: Were you so sad? Were you sad there were no kids and babies?
Me: Well we weren't sad. We knew we might have babies someday.
Clara: And now are you happy? Because you have kids and babies?
Me: **Yes** I am SO happy to have you guys here. I *love* having you guys here!
Clara jumps up and down in approval.