Always thinking...

A conversation between Dan and Alex:

A: Daddy, why do airplanes have lights?

D: So that the planes can see each other in the dark and they won't crash.
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A: But airplanes don't have eyes.

A-L-E-X

Dan and I have taken for granted that we can spell around Alex without him knowing what we are spelling. It's getting trickier, as he's better able to decipher the sentence around the "key word."

For example,  "Do you want to go to the p-l-a-y-g-r-o-u-n-d." He may not get the exact word, but suddenly he's full of ideas, and sometimes they are less desireable than even the word we were trying to avoid. "Yes! I want to get ice cream!"

But lately, the funny part has been that after a round of spelling, Alex will chime in with his own spelling. 

"Dan, are you going to H--o-m-e D-e-p-o-t?"  (One of Alex's favorite spots, by the way!)

Alex responds with, "I want to go to q-f-a-g-t-t-a!!"

OK, kiddo, if we find a place named "Qfagtta," we'll be sure to take you there.

Un-bear-ably Helpful

I was looking for a picture of a bear on google images today. Alex walked in and asked what I was doing, so I told him.

Google images pops up all these cute pictures of bears. And I mumble something about wanting a black and white one.

Alex runs away and comes back with his stuffed Po. From the movie Kung Fu Panda.  Yes, Po is THE kung fu panda himself.

And he says, "You can use my Po, mom. He's black and white and he's a bear bear."

Genius.

Spiderman is back, and he needs some fish

So I went to my Junior League meeting tonight. Dan and Alex stayed home for a boys' night. 

When I got home, Alex asked how my meeting was. This is one of his new favorite things, as I always ask him "How was school today?" and he answers and then asks, with perfectly imitated inflection, "And how was your work today?" 

Anyway...so I thought about what to say: "We discussed The Bachelor and how all the girls are so catty" or "We planned parties we are throwing which involve expensive purses." 

But we are also planning a beach clean up and picnic in a couple of weeks. So, I told him that we were going to get together with some of mommy's friends and clean up the beach because sometimes people throw their trash on the sand and it goes out in the water and that's just so sad, and we want to do something to make it better. 

He got very excited and replied, "I can help with that. I can pick up all the trash. I'll be like Spiderman and help people and the fish because I can pick up all the trash. And I'll have a big bag for all the trash and all the trash can go in my bag!" Then he said, very seriously, "But I can't go down to the bottom of the water. The fish will have to bring some of the trash up to help me."

So, it looks like all we need is some coordination from the fish and a really big bag and Alex will take care of it all while the rest of us dive right into that picnic. Thanks Alex.