Elliott teaches his older brothers

Jeremy and Ben have learned from Elliott. They decided not to get dressed today, so we have 3 boys in their undies.

If Elliott were...

…a food, he would be sweet and so spicy it would burn your mouth so bad your taste ids would throb. But it would taste so good that after a couple if days you would order another plateful.

…a Native American, his name would translate to Swirling Wind.

…a new species, he would be classified as Homo trumpernickus (etymology: Yiddish).

Boo Boo Sauce

Rachel made boo boo sauce today. You know, we use it to make boo boo chicken or boo boo ribs. I asked Elliott what it was because he asked me what was in the pot, and he told me.

Watermelon Meatballs

Elliott wanted these, for which we use the melon baller to make them. Mmmmm.

I want some of that! #1

Me: OK, Jeremy, it's time to take your medicine.
Elliott: I want some!!!
Jeremy: No, Elliott, you can't have that.
Me: It's medicine.
Elliott: I have a headache!

New use for Human body discovered

Elliott has discovered a new efficiency in the design of the Human body. Some call it "hair," he calls it "napkin."

I gotta go poo poo

Elliott is walking around buck naked just now saying this. So we are proud, and Lisa takes him to the toilet. I go searching for his diaper, which is on the floor by the vent. As I bend down, I smell it but the diaper is clean. I don't know where it is coming from, so I ask. He says he pooped in the vent. Sure enough, it's down there!!

Hagamer

Elliott is having hagamers and French fries for dinner. With keppitch.

That's not fair!

Elliott is 2 months shy of 3. Before dinner he had a huge cookie in one hand and a cupcake in the other. He was so cute I only took the cupcake away, but he cried, and ran off into the other room saying "that's not fair!"

I want kissahug

Elliott uses this as a delay tactic when going to bed, or just when he wants them.

Elliott Knock-knock #2

Knock knock
Who's there
Elliott
Elliott who
Elliott me!

Elliott Knock-knock #1

Knock knock
Who's there
Chicken
Chicken who
Chicken farmer

Back stairs

Whenever Elliott wants to go downstairs he calls it "backstairs." He says, "Dad, carry hand backstairs."

Super Elliott!

Yesterday Elliott was running around before his brothers went to school saying "Super Elliott! Da-ta-daaa!" I took him to his mom and brothers, he repeated it, and we all practically fell to the floor. So he went around all day repeating it.

When we went to my parents for Rosh Ha Shanah dinner, he refused to repeat! Today again, he was back to his super self. I guess Elliott has learned the value of not giving away his secret identity!

Now, who's going to be his sidekick?

Elliott: Weggie and Fi

Of course every word we speak to the children has at least two syllables, the last one being "-ie" or "-ey".  Eggs are eggies.  Elliott pronounces it "weggie" (as in hard g's, not like veggie).  His favorite breakfast is eggs and toast - we buy a lot of Udi's gluten free breads.  We don't know why, but this has stuck for many months now, he calls bread fi.  As in fee, fi, fo, fum.  Fi.  Why?  The world may never know.

Ben, what did you get into? You stink!

While traveling on business today, I took the opportunity to call home during a lull. Rachel answered the phone. "Hi, how are you, I love you, I called to talk to mom." Rachel tells me that mom is busy cleaning up a mess that Ben and Jeremy made. They poured a bucket of pee on the air conditioner. Oh, I say, I'll call back later tonight!

So, about half an hour later Lisa calls me back at the desk (apparently caller ID worked), to which Randy (the guy I'm working with) says "Oh yeah, he's here, and he smells of pee." Hands me the phone.

Apparently, Ben came in complaining he got something in his eye. Yeah, when you pour liquid on a blowing AC unit, it blows the liquid around! Apparently, after teasing the story out, Jeremy and Ben thought it would be cool if they didn't take the time out of their busy outdoor life to come inside and go to the bathroom. So, they found a convenient play bucket, and have been collecting pee for a while.

I guess they eventually found a cool thing to do with it - pour it on the AC! Lisa, welcome to raising boys. But why do they do that? When I was a kid, I did innocent things like burning insects and writings into wood with a magnifying glass, blowing up things I found around the neighborhood with fire crackers, playing war with little 2x4 blocks of wood as guns, etc. Jeesh, what kids are like these days!

I hope they grow out of this pee phase real soon!

Do you want some beef turkey?

"Dad, are you eating beef turkey?" asks Ben. Yep, I made the jerky myself!

Don't eat Superman...and Batman...hey, not Green Lantern!

As a reprise of my earlier post, here Ben is 4 1/2 years old, and during those moments when he is fussy and doesn't want to eat, guess what still works? Yep - pretend each bite of the food is a superhero. We go through the Justice League. Superman is out for a fly, going to fight Lex Luthor, when suddenly - he gets swallowed by a kid! Batman hears about it and comes to his aid, but he is swallowed too!! Oh, no - who will protect the world from this new threat? Wonder Woman? No, her invisible jet and all. Hawk Girl? No way. The Martian? Gone. Aquaman? He's just seafood. Good thing the Justice League is so big - it's usually enough to finish the plate.

Dad, he's my Skunk Double

Just before school let out for the summer, we parents were invited to come in and see what our first-graders had been working on all year. We waded through a folder packed with math quizzes, writing assignments, spelling words, and art projects. We sat through a PowerPoint presentation the teachers had done, showing a picture slideshow set to music of those adorable kids at work. This had been an eventful year - the local news station had done a TV broadcast a few weeks before, because one of his classmate's community service project had been to adopt a unit in Iraq and send letters and care packages. At the end, my son drags on my hand, and wants to show me what he made on his locker. It's a trace cutout of his whole body, decorated in a 7-year-old's crayon creativity, and named with a silly relettering of his name. "Dad, he's my Skunk Double," he says. I could not hold back my smile, but it was all I could do to hold back my laughter. "What is he?" I asked, just to hear it again. He obliged. "Oh, that is a beautiful Skunk Double," I said in a voice shaking from suppressed laughter. Jeremy, you're the best!!!

A tomato is coming!

A couple of weeks ago, the skies were getting dark, and it started raining. Ben and Jeremy came running in from outside. Ben says "A tomato is coming!" all excited like. I smiled. He hates tomatoes! Well, the kind he was talking about, so do I - I had heard just a few minutes before there was a tornado watch for Oakland County.