Conversations With the Boys

I've had some really interesting conversations with the boys lately. I think they're just at that age where they are soaking everything in and trying to make sense of their world. Sometimes the things they say are hilarious, and sometimes they are precious. Sometimes Justin and I look at each other quizzically as if to say, "where in the world did they learn that?"

Here are a couple of recent ones:

Levi: "Can someone go to the bathroom with me? I'm too scared to go by myself."
Caleb: "Levi, you're never alone. God is always with you. I'll pray for you. {pauses to pray} Ok, He's going with you."
(we have reminded Caleb of this conversation several times when he tells us he's too scared to go to sleep, even though he and Levi share a room. Bedtime excuses...)

Levi: "Mommy, God told us to eat chicken."
Me: "Ok. When did God say this?"
Levi: "In Heaven."
Me: "Oh, ok. When were you in Heaven with God?" (at this point I don't know where this is going...)
Levi: "When He was making us."
Me: "But you don't eat chicken. {pause} So you're disobeying God?"
Levi: "Yes."
(When he was talking, I was thinking of the book Heaven Is For Real that my mother-in-law sent me and wondering when Levi had a near-death experience. And no amount of bringing up this conversation will get Levi to eat chicken.)

I never know what is going to come out of their mouths, and when it's something they learned from me I cringe. Caleb is fond of the words, "like," "seriously," "totally" and "definitely." Yes, I'm a child of the 80s. Here's an example of something Caleb would say (with emphasis in proper place), "That is totally not going to happen." OR "I'm definitely having waffles for breakfast."

They crack me up.

Conversations

Levi: "Mommy, when will I be a grown-up?"
Caleb: "You don't want to be a grown-up. Then you have to vacuum and go to work and clean off beds."

Proof Your Kid Lives in Asia

Caleb wanted to tell jokes at dinner. We went through some knock-knock jokes, and then he came up with this after his daddy told the "why did the chicken cross the road" one:

Caleb: Why did the people cross the road?
Us: We don't know.
Caleb: To chop the chicken.

Want to know how our New Year's Day went? The following two pictures sum it up...really grouchy boys.


I got bored at lunch while Justin took Levi outside to walk around (because of all the cranky!), so I took random pictures:
Then we promptly came home and put Levi down for a nap (because Caleb refuses to nap, unless he's sick).

After nap, everyone was in a better mood, and we decided to take down the Christmas tree. Superman and Batman showed up to help Daddy disassemble the tree. :-)



As my grandmother reminded me yesterday, in 25 days we'll be on Texas soil! And until then we're just doing our normal thing...Justin is working (he didn't have one day off at all during the Christmas/New Year holiday) and the boys and I are doing school.

Dinner Conversations

Tonight at dinner Justin and I were getting fed up with the amount of potty talk going on. (Our kids are 3 and 5...I had no idea it started so early...and it is CONSTANT! They're big fans of using "poo poo" in various sentences and attaching it to people's names. It gets old fast.)

I told the boys that if they said one more potty word they would get into trouble.

Caleb then made a noise that Justin also included in the "no potty talk at the table" rule. Levi told me that Pierce makes that noise all the time.

I said, "I don't care what other kids do. These are the rules for our family."

Levi then, rather indignantly in a stern voice and a frown on his face, said, "We're going to Pierce's family."

I think that's the toddler version of, "I'm running away." Look out, Camille! If you see two little boys walking down Farrer Road with their little suitcases in tow, please give them shelter.

Never a dull moment around here.

He Gets It

The four of us spent an evening on Orchard Road tonight. We rode the bus down to eat dinner, spent a little time shopping for tissue paper (homeschool crafts) and some Youth Olympic Games gear (did you know it's the inaugural Youth Olympic Games this year and they're in Singapore?), and even found a special gem in the form of decaf Dunkin Donuts coffee for mommy.

It was a fun and relaxed evening, despite the chaos of navigating a mall on a Sunday night with the boys (Sundays at the mall here are CRAZY).

In the taxi on the way home, I told Caleb I was so proud of how they behaved through the night. He asked me what I meant, and I told him that they had not whined or complained and had obeyed us the whole evening.

His eyes got big, he sucked in his breath, and said excitedly, "That's the FIRST time!"

Yes, I believe it might be. :-)

I Can't Believe This is My Life

We were letting the boys play on our small balcony before bath time the other day and in no time they were naked. Granted, it is hot here, but sans clothes is how they prefer to be. And they must be talking about body parts. Always. I heard, "I see your [fill in the blank]" several times.

I had to use a phrase the other day that I never could have imagined would come out of my mouth. Especially after having grown up with only a sister. I'll tell you it had to do with their boy parts. Of course it did, right?

I CANNOT believe how much they talk about potty stuff at this age. And my sweet husband says it won't stop until they're...well, it probably won't ever stop. If I have to hear "poop" one more time, it might be the last straw that sends momma to the loony bin. I've come very near being sent there on multiple occasions.

This morning the boys have been gathering things from their playroom, putting them in bags, singing me Happy Birthday, and presenting me with presents. It's so sweet! (My birthday isn't until December, however! And, FYI, I'd like something other than a scratched Thomas DVD.)

This phase of our lives is not an easy one. It involves so much training and discipline, and we are tired most of the time.

But, this phase of our lives is also a very tender one. The spontaneous hugs and "I love yous" are precious.

Here are a few pictures from my parents' trip here. Maybe one day I'll have the energy to blog about all we did while they were here, but maybe not. I'm still tired.

Asking God

Caleb: Mom, Can you ask God if they have Transformers umbrellas.

Me: Okay, Caleb.

Caleb: Right now.

Me: Oh, you want me to pray right now and ask God?

Caleb: Yes.

Me: Ok. Dear God, please let us know if there are Transformers umbrellas so we can get one for Caleb. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Caleb: Did He say yes?

*smile*

My My, How Can I Resist You?

On the way home from school the other day, Caleb started singing,

"Mamma Mia, here I go again..."

And then I looked at him like he had grown a third eye. And then he collapsed into giggles in the backseat of the taxi.

I asked him if they had been singing that song at school, and he said it was on the radio. (I'm guessing the teachers were playing the CD during music time at school.) Not exactly what I expected to hear him singing since he usually comes home singing Jingle Bells as they are currently practicing for the Christmas concert.

When we got home, I dowloaded "Mamma Mia" from iTunes, and while I was there I downloaded "Dancing Queen" by ABBA as well. I mean, if we can sing and dance around the house to something other than the Mickey Mouse "Hot Dog" song, I'm a happy girl.

So I start singing, which inevitably prompts both of my children to shout in unison, "NO SINGING," but I cannot be swayed so easily, so I continue...

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen..."

And Caleb looks at me like I've grown a third eye and says, emphatically,

"Mom, queens.don't.dance."

Ok, then. That settles it.

The Things Caleb Says, The British Version

Caleb's teacher is British. We love Ms. Val and love listening to Caleb tell us what they did at school in his British accent. (This has come full-circle for me because my kindergarten teacher was from India and I used to come home saying stuff my mom couldn't even figure out. It took her forever to figure out what we were doing at school was "arithmetic.") :-)

I picked Caleb up one day from school and he told me they had made "lahn-tuns." If he hadn't pointed to them, I might not have figured out that they had made lanterns.

When I asked Caleb what he had for lunch one day last week, he said, "plain paster, no sauce." (pasta)

"Mom, tidying up is the same thing as cleaning up."

And one day he had "pasketti" (that one doesn't look like it would sound British, but say it with your best British accent and you'll get it just right.)

Even I've started using the word "holiday" instead of "vacation" because everyone in the world except Americans use "holiday."

No one will be able to understand Caleb when we get back to the States. Justin is a little excited that Caleb lost his Texas twang, though. ;-) I've definitely learned how kids pick up other languages easier than adults...they can mimic sounds much more quickly.

Stay tuned...I'm sure there more to come on "TTCS, The British Version." And maybe even a "Singlish" version if the kid starts saying, "lah" at the end of his sentences. ;-)

The Things Caleb Says, Continued

"When Darth Vader comes, he can borrow my light saber."



Daddy: "Tonight's a no-TV night."

Caleb: "I like yes-TV nights."



I have been singing the song "I Love You, Lord" to Caleb since he was a baby, mostly at naptime and bedtime. He's recently wanted to learn the words himself and was really proud when he could sing the whole thing. One night in the car he started "singing" it at the TOP of his lungs. Kind of loses its sentiment when it's sung at top volume.

The Things Levi Says

Now that Levi is talking more and saying things we can actually understand, it's only fair I share his quirky sayings. I'll act as translator.

"Umm me, Mama. Bible down." (Come with me, Mama. Put The Bible down. He calls any book I'm reading The Bible.)

"Kayla do that." (Caleb did that. May or may not be true!)

"No sho, Daddy." (No, sir, Daddy.)

"Boo saksy." (Blue taxi.)

"Wowwy, Kayla." (Sorry, Caleb.)

"No, I walk." (He refuses help most of the time, even on stairs. Mr. Independent, indeed.)

The Things Caleb Says, Part IV

"Disobeying is not a good idea." :-) (We were discussing their Bible class lesson on Adam and Eve. Apparently he actually learned something!)


"Cool idea, dude!"

"Mom, you know why it's raining? Because God's spitting."
"Who told you that?"
"God-ey"(his name for God).
Then he looks up at the sky and says, "Spit, God!"



"Miss Val is a proomper-weeder!"

-Again, one of his made-up words. This one is a noun and just means something silly. We then discussed that he is never to use that word at school because they would not understand what he was saying and might think he meant something bad. We only say that at home. :-) Miss Val is his teacher.

The Things Caleb Says, Part III

Saturday we took the boys to Sentosa Island. We rode the luge and played at the beach. Here's the conversation that ensued as we were walking out the door to leave...

Caleb: How do we get to the beach?
Daddy: Drive.
Caleb: Does the car turn into a boat?
Daddy: No...(stifling a laugh)
Caleb: (very emphatically) But we didn't buy a swimsuit for the car!

On the way home, we were telling knock-knock jokes. Caleb tried to get in on the action...

Caleb: Knock, Knock!
Us: Who's there?
Caleb: ummm...(long pause)...it was ME, Caleb!

:-) We love that boy!

Things Caleb Says, Part II

"Mom, I don't ever, never want to go to the North Pole." (oooookkaaaay?? apparently he had a bad dream that included the north pole.)




"Mom, Levi just splayed the TV." (He's taken to making up words.)


"What does that mean, Caleb?"


"It won't play, and I can't hear it."



"You're the ticklers and we're the proompers." (Proomp is his new made-up word. It has lots of meanings.)



"I'm going to proomp you." (in this context, it usually means hit.)

Me: Caleb, what do you want for breakfast? A cereal bar? A granola bar?

Caleb: I want something that goes with chopsticks.

Monkey Wrench

Caleb came over to me holding his tool box that he had put some of his daddy's tools in.

"Wanna see?" he says.

"Sure."

He opens the box, and I look in.

"Do you know what that one is?" I ask.

"No."

"It's a monkey wrench."

"Is it for real monkeys???"

Vocabulary and The Swine Flu

Caleb has a whole new vocabulary now that we're living in Singapore.j

"Are we going to take the MRT?"

"There's the Newton hawker."

"Where's your hand phone?"

And he knows that we tell the taxi drivers that we're staying at "The Orchard Scotts on Anthony Road."

:-)

Even Levi has a new word, "taxi." And Levi has three new teeth.

They are VERY serious about the Swine Flu here (H1N1). There are signs in the taxis and MRT stations and just about everywhere warning that if you came from an H1N1 infected country or are going to an H1N1 infected country that you should avoid large crowds and take your temperature regularly. Oh, and if you have a fever plus cough/congestion, call and ambulance. When I'm in the taxi with the kids by myself the drivers who speak really good English will chat with me, and one of them asked where we were from and then also asked about the Swine Flu and the economy. (It sort of feels like when I was in Thailand in 2001 and all anyone would talk to me about was the World Trade Center. Now it's the economy and the Swine Flu. I guess they're just trying to make conversation.)

We went to view a condo last week and at the guard's gate they had a sign that said all visitors and contractors must stop at the guard gate to have their temperature taken before entering the complex. They didn't make us, but I thought it was funny.

They were serious about it on the airplanes on the way here, too. When we stopped in Japan, they had fully masked inspectors come onto the plane to determine if anyone was sick. We had to fill out little health questionnaires that asked whether or not we'd had a fever in the last 10 days.

Well, we found a condo that we really like and have submitted the LOI (Letter of Intent) to the owners. We should find out today or tomorrow if they have accepted our offer. They are replacing the air con units in the whole complex, so they don't want us to move in until July 15, but I'm hoping they'll let us go ahead and move in a couple of weeks when our furniture arrives. We're ready to sleep in our own beds and have our own stuff!

The boys were up late last night, so it's after 9am and they are still sleeping! They have finally returned to their normal sleep habits, so we are thankful for that!

The Other Earth

Caleb: "Mom can you buy me one of those pools in the other earth?"

Me: "Is Texas in the other earth?"

Caleb: "Yeah. Can you buy me one of those pools when we get back to Texas."

Me: "We'll see, Caleb, when we get back to Texas."

You've seen the pics of our corporate apartment, and now for a few pictures that are distinctly Asia...

These are light switches, a water heater switch, and the big thing controls the air con in the master bedroom. Each room has its own air con unit, and you only cool the rooms you're in (otherwise you're electric bill is HIGH). The two sets of switches on the right are for the sink and toilet areas. I can never remember which set goes to which, so I'm always turning on the wrong ones.

If you can tell, the kitchen is enclosed behind a door. In most cases, you don't cool the kitchen. It's gotta be lovely to cook in a hot kitchen with no air conditioning!

Shoe rack. Our temp apartment has a little closet for shoes right inside the door. You always take off your shoes when you enter someone's house. The maids, delivery people, and anyone else leaves their shoes outside our place when they enter.

And our air shipment arrived today. They asked me if I wanted them to unpack it, but where in the world would we put all this stuff??? (and Levi's giving you his "cheese" face)

That's about all for now. Its quite an adventure living here! We haven't ventured to local food too much because of the boys. We're trying to get them adjusted to living in a new culture before we go places that don't have spaghetti without sauce (Caleb's favorite) or chicken nuggets. Caleb's a pretty picky eater, and we've found that if they don't eat a good dinner they won't sleep well.

The Things Caleb Says

I'm seriously going to start writing down things Caleb says, especially now that we're in a foreign country. And, for future reference, if you have a child that asks about 1000 questions a day, DO NOT take them to a foreign country. You cannot imagine the number of questions that child has. Naturally, of course, but I think I'm going to start counting and limiting him. There's only so much a mama can take! :-)



Here are some things he's said recently:


"Is Singapore in the world?"


"Can we take a taxi?" (he's really tired of walking everywhere!)

"When we were at our hotel in the world..." (he means the one in Houston)

And Mr. Independent wants to do everything himself. He wants to scan his own MRT card, ride the escalator w/o holding anyone's hand, and JUMP off of every surface he can find!