Toys For Us

Just recording for posterity that while others may think of that mega-toy store as "Toys R Us," Peter knows better.

Bubbling Over

Peter has recently rediscovered his love for long baths, largely because it offers the perfect staging area for his elaborate tales featuring sea creatures. We pile the multitude of sea creatures we now have on hand in the water and watch as they get woven into stories of love, loss, and revenge. Oh yes, and Good and Evil. So involving are these imaginative journeys that Sammy will sometimes be drawn into the spell in spite of himself, for at all other times he holds fast to the principle of "No Baff!" Despite already being in his pajamas, Sammy will stand in front of the tub, entranced. A couple, or twenty, minutes later, he'll exuberantly demand to be stripped and jump right in. Then, the games begin…

Chocolate

This morning, Sammy was telling me very earnestly, "I WUV chocolate cake." I naturally agreed with him, but added that carrot cake was very tasty, too. He laughed uproariously at my foolishness. We discussed the merits of chocolate cake some more, then I ventured that I was also fond of vanilla cake. "Nooo…" he chuckled. "I wuv chocolate." Sammy has been working very hard lately on describing his tastes: not a day goes by without him carefully enunciating, "I wike" or "I wuv" something or other, from cars to rice to who knows what else. I'm happy to report that many things meet with his approval. Not carrots, though.

How About...Turtle Meat?

Game played in the car: the boys call out menu options to gross out Mom and Dad. Peter comes up with an amazing variety of things, and Sammy does his bit with style. His vocabulary is still a bit limited, however, so with big blue eyes sparkling, hands waving and voice raised in triumph, Sammy makes frequent resort to his trump card: "How about…Turtle Meat!"

Superheroes

Alan got "The Tick" animated series for Christmas, but the boys quickly took it over for their own. Peter can scat the theme song in great style, while Sammy hums along. The other night, Peter wanted us to playact "The Tick" but floored me with his first choice of persona: Sewer Urchin. I was to be the Tick, and Sammy was Arthur (Tick's sidekick or his only tenuous link to "reality"). Now, the Sewer Urchin is neither a central nor a peripheral character, but I admit to having had to clamp my tongue between my teeth before I succumbed to prompting him to choose being the Tick instead. OK, I worry a bit about the potential implications regarding self-esteem. But I really love the off-kilter brilliance that led Peter to choose the Sewer Urchin. Moreover, Peter's impersonation was rocking. He had the muttered soliloquies pitch- and cadence-perfect. As for the storyline he developed, well, it built upon the sewer theme most logically: we eventually battled villains on the Island of Poo. And, laying to rest my aforementioned anxieties, in the next round we all switched characters, and Peter played the Tick.

New Hamster

I suppose I should begin with an Introduction, Begin at the Beginning, and All That. But if I do, I will never Start. So…

New Hamster
Family jokes can take root for decades or fade within months. I'm not sure what the ultimate fate of "New Hamster" will be, but I have desperately wanted to record this invention of Peter's, because I love it. When we were talking to the boys about going back East for Christmas, Peter heard "New Hampshire" as "New Hamster" and it has stuck. It has even spread to friends and relatives! "Hamster" itself is a relatively new word for Peter, but it has assumed a prominent position in his list of desired pets (from dog and cat to crocodiles) in part because his best friend's sister has a lively hamster named "Chessie." Speaking of fixed ideas, it seems that Peter is also under the impression that all hamsters are properly known as Chessie.