New J-isms

J and I are engaged in a heavy academic load around here, and I thought it was time for you to see evidence of our daily work, because we're so proud.

Flattery 101:
--"Oh Mommy, you're so magical" after I produced candy unexpectedly.

Anatomy 103:
--"There's something in my nose like mustard." And, indeed, there was. He'd missed his mouth.
--"My tummy is making my stomach hurt." Yes, that could be bad.

Astronomy for Beginners:
--"The moon is not broken anymore!" Apparently, the crescent moon was very worrisome.

Improvisational Music:
--"I made up a little hum: dum, dumpily dum. Dum, dumpily dum."
--"Deck the halls with bells of holly...and ham!" This was in our Southern culture section, of course.

Logic 305:
--"You need to wear this hat, Daddy, not me. It does not spell J; it does not spell E. It spells U!" There's no arguing, is there?
--"I need a nickle because my name is Nicolas." This was a joint project with Improv Music because he was singing this little ditty to himself.

Haute Cuisine:
--"I want to eat some of those poodle nut things." He meant peanut butter noodles with chicken and broccoli.
--"Something so hard you can't even chew it is living in here!" This was yelled after encountering a piece of bone in his barbecued rib meat.

Special Topics: Noir in the Nighttime:
--"I heard footprints coming down my hallway!"
--"Mommy, I heard bump and thump and roar!"
--"I was listening and I heard bump and thump and CRASH!"
--"It's hard to fall asleep when there are so many noises in your head." Clearly, J is getting an A+ in this class!

In addition, J is doing all sorts of independent study on his current obsessions, which include "head hammer" sharks, carrying bags around (often Mommy's bags but sometimes his own backpacks) filled with treasures, dinosaurs, dragons, and cookbooks. He has two little dog-eared cookbooks we got from the dollar spot at Target at Halloween, and he carries them everywhere and even sleeps with them often. His current favorite before bed activity is to read through "his" cookbooks and then read through "my" cookbooks. His favorites of mine are one about Jello and one about popsicles, both of which are lavishly illustrated. I tell myself I am raising a little foodie, even though he won't eat grilled asparagus. (Never fear, Baby E eats enough for both of them!)

Sadly, one subject we are not studying is how to look at a camera and smile, as the following shots will attest. Sigh. Education suffers long!