"C'mon, pal"

There is this moment that I keep finding myself in when my darling little child is suddenly an actual person. An actual kid. An actual 8 year old with a personality entirely his own and friends who find him darling. Sure, I have always found him darling, he's my baby, but it is decidely different when you see the way your child, your baby, interacts with his peers.

Jordan has a friend over this afternoon. A friend he introduces to others as his "like practically brother we're such best friends". And while I finished my lunch in the silence of naptime the boys were playing dragons and dinos in the living room. I overheard them discussing how long they had to play (3.5 hours) and then Jordan says, "We better get to it. Because - - well time sure passes fast when you're playing with a good friend."
Somebody get the crackers! Cheesy!! But darling, of course.
His counterpart responded with an unsuprsied "yeah, you're right" and they went about their dragon pretending ways.

Then they came to ask for a snack just a minute ago and Jordan was making some fairly obnoxious noise with his cheeks full of air and his friend says "Jordan could you please quit?" and Jordan responds "Sure. Sorry. pal" then nudges him with outstretched arm on elbow. Think - ol' buddy, ol' pal, ol' chap nudge.

and they left the room with a quiet and smiling "C'mon, pal".

I can hardly contain myself just about now. Not sure if I'll laugh at the cheesiness or cry at the aging of my baby.

A brief expose on the status of Jordan's hair

This was totally unsolicited. That is what makes it all the funnier. I said maybe we should take one picture before we chopped it off and instead he asks if I could turn the video on because "I think I'd like to make a short video". So here you have it.

Stylist at heart?

Sedona takes a stab at headbands.

Day-Tripping. .. .

Last Wednesday we ventured up to the great Illinois capital of Springfield to meet Dad and Pam and Joey who were camping not far from there. We spent the afternoon at the Lincoln Museum and later at a fabulous establishment called Kicks 66.
Allow me to provide you with what I consider the 3 true successes of the day. One per child, mind you.

At the museum there is an area where kids can play with old-timey types of toys (things made out of this bizarre material they call "wood") and dress up in Lincoln era garb. Sedona enjoyed the dresses as much as the next little girl but it wasn't until she tried on the soldier's coat that it became worth mentioning. She puts on the coat, gets help buttoning it up and just as I step back to take her picture she turns and check out her butt in the mirror. No joke. Does the over the shoulder butt check in the enormous soldier's uniform. Atta girl.

Here she is just after the butt-check. All was well.




Next up - Jordan. The curious lad wonders if maybe Grandpa is lying when he says that he isn't actually ticklish. So Jordan digs those little fingers deep into grandpa-pits and gets, sadly, no reaction other than "Most people wouldn't want to put their hands in my armpits". So when he finially gives up we catch him slowly and very intently smelling his fingers. Yes. small sniffs, scrunched face.


A bit later we're at Kicks 66 enjoying the buffet and Joey comes back to the table with a mystery desert in a small bowl. We ask him what it is, he doesn't know but "it was on the desert pile" so he figured it couldn't be all bad. He takes a bite and then sets into the most dramatic display of spitting out food and wiping off tongue. We laugh, a bit suprised, and say "What is it, Joey?" and he responds in a voice reminiscent of Forrest Gump, "Something stick-ay!"

It was glorious.
A lovely day trip. Lovely children.
I'll get pictures up to accompany the story here in just a bit. Back to the Easter costume construction for awhile.