All Done Now

A's favorite phrase lately is "all done with now," as in "J's all done with Egypt now," when he wants me to stop reading about ancient Egypt or "J's all done typing now," when he wants me to stop typing things.

A also wants all the holidays to happen at once. He's been asking for a Christmas tree ever since I made the mistake of letting him check out a Disney Christmas DVD from the library -- I think presents have a lot to do with wanting a tree, so this evening I let him know that Christmas is just as much about giving gifts as getting them. He suggested we get Christmas tree orniments for the cat. And a jack-o-lantern. And a candle. And we can light the candle. And, and, and put it in the pumpkin.

In construction news -- the really big backhoe continues to be the main attraction at the nearby construction site. However, it got a run for the money when the construction guys were flushing gravel out of an irrigation system. There's nothing quite like a fountain in the middle of a parking lot to excite a two year old.

Evil Dad Tricks

A rushed out of his room this morning, exclaiming "Where's the horse!?" and rushing toward the front window. I told him there wasn't a horse out front and asked if he'd dreamed it.

In other news, the Bromley has turned into a good way to get to the store quickly. I picked up two twigs from off the ground and and asked, "Hey A, do you want to do the Bromley to the store?" It worked like magic, and all I had to do was sing the clacking part of the Bromley song as we walked.

You Did What?

Yes. We gave him a camera. No, they weren't all shots of the floor or ceiling.

V is for...

Scene (early morning before M goes to work).

A: (Pointing to apparel hanging on a hook on our door) "That's J's veil."

M: (to J): "Honey, our two year old knows words like 'veil.'"

J: "He also knows words like 'backhoe' and 'pungent.'"

M: (signing) "And 'toxic.'"

Forest Mumming

M took A hiking Sunday while I painted the house.

A tripped at a scenic lookout and bit his lip; I guess there was blood everywhere and everyone but M was freaking out.

But the big news is that during their hike, for about a mile and a half, A held a pretty large fir branch in front of himself and hummed the Bromley Tune.

M (wishing for a music change): "Hey A, what are you doing?"

A (waving a Very Large Stick): "Clacking Bromley Sticks, just like Daddy J."

M: "Oh."

A: "[I'll] Sing the Bromley one more time."

M (to himself): "You said that seventy-one times ago."

Well, That Was Clear

J: "Well, tonight we have a choice; you can watch Dr. Zahi Hawass --"
A: "Noo!!"
J: "-- Or Chitty, Tweety or Thomas."

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Someone gave us a potty training baby Elmo. I think that puts us somewhere in Dante's third circle of Hell.