"Satan! I know him!"

My little Caleb is such a quiet little person (unless he is sick and then the ENTIRE world will know it).  He just works calmly most of the day and when he does speak it is pretty profound.  Sometimes it is goofy or terrifying (his imagination is a little violent), but he always makes us laugh.  And he is so thoughtful.

The other day he was washing his hands and he looks at me and says "Mom, was today hard for you?  Josh was home from school and you watched two other kids besides me and Josh and Andrew and Matthew.  Are you tired?"
It was just so sweet because yes it is hard for me, but I don't mind it.  I really didn't think any of the kids notice since they are usually in their own worlds.  So I picked him up and hugged him tight for caring about me.

Today while I was reading Elder Scott's talk from this past General Conference found here, Caleb came up and snuggled right next to me and asked me to read it out loud.  So I did and every few sentences he would make his own comments, most of the time it had nothing to do with what I was reading.  Then I read "Satan would attempt to exploit" and Caleb says "SATAN!  I know him.  Well, I know about him.  That is what I learned about on that Sunday that you asked me and I couldn't remember."
I am thinking "oh, wow, please, keep going.  And please tell me you didn't learn something that will make your imagination even more terrifying."
He continued, "I learned that Jesus's plan is better than Satan's.  And the people that weren't righteous didn't get bodies and they live with Satan.  Right, Mom?"
"Wow, Caleb, good job.  The people that chose to follow Jesus got to come to Earth and get bodies and we keep trying to be righteous here.  So you learned that at church?"
Caleb: "Yup, my teachers taught me."
me: "Sister Epps?"
Caleb: "Yeah, and the other one."
(Sister Diaz, if you read this, we are trying to get him to actually say your name.  But thank you both for teaching Caleb so well.  It is so wonderful to know he is learning so many gospel truths)

So, don't be surprised if your kids know all kinds of things that you didn't think they would understand.  They are smarter than you think.

Charlie Brown Syndrome

"Hey Josh," pause "Josh" nothing "Joshua" still nothing "JOSHUA!"

Then he casually glances up like "is someone saying something?"

All kids go through the selective listening phase right?  That I understand.  The "I know Mom is trying to get my attention but I really don't want to respond" ignoring me.  Okay, I know how to deal with that, kind of.

But this is a new 'not listening' phase.  It is like he really doesn't hear me.  And the worst is when he is looking at my face while I am talking, he doesn't even understand what I am saying.

"Josh, hey, can you go get your shoes on?"
"What?"
"Go get your shoes on."
"What?"
"YOUR-SHOES-GO-PUT-THEM-ON-YOUR-FEET"
"I don't understand anything you are saying."

Or just today, no joke, this is exactly what happened:

Logan found a car Josh was looking for all morning, so he hands it to Josh.  Josh just takes it and keeps playing.
Me: "Josh....Josh...Joshua...HEY JOSH!"
Josh looks up, finally.
Me: "Hey, Logan just gave you your car, tell him thank you."
He looks confused.
Me: "Logan, you know him?  Tell him THANK YOU"
Josh: "Okay..."
Then he walks right past Logan and back towards the bedrooms.  I am thinking what on earth?  So I follow him and he is trying to pull Andrew out of his crib.
Me: "Josh, what are you doing?"
Josh: "Isn't this what you said to do?"
So my question is, how does "tell Logan thank you" and "go wake up the baby and take him out of his crib" sound ANYTHING alike?

All the older boys are playing by each other.  Josh's dinosaurs are talking REALLY loud.  So Caleb keeps telling Josh "be quieter, I can't think!" but Josh is totally not listening.
Me: "JOSH!  Please be quieter, you are being really loud."
Josh: "Why!!! I don't need to go to the bathroom."
Me: "I didn't say anything about going to the bathroom, I said to be quiet."
Josh mutters: "I don't understand anything she is saying."

So, I have come to the conclusion that I am the adult in Charlie Brown's life.  All Josh hears is "WA-WA-WA"  Is this normal?  Cuz, I am not sure how much more I can take.  Maybe I need to try the whisper approach, or act like I don't understand him.  There has got to be a better way than this Charlie Brown lifestyle, although it is pretty funny after the moments are over, especially picturing everything that comes out of my mouth as deep, wordless noise.

I Kiss Butter and other misunderstandings

Josh has learned to read and become really good at it.  However, he reads fast and guesses at a lot of words.  It is fine really, we all do it, it is just something you learn over time to read the words correctly.  So Josh was doing this today and it was really funny.

I have these magnets on the fridge.  They say "I kiss better than I cook" and "I'd give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter."  Josh and Caleb were playing in the kitchen and I overhear this:

Caleb: "Josh, can you read what this says?"
Josh: "Sure, um...'I kiss butter, than I cook.' What?  She kisses butter?  Then she cooks?"
Caleb erupts into little giggles.  "I have never seen her kiss butter!"

Several seconds go by with giggling and "kiss butter" being said.

Caleb: "So what does this one say?"
Josh: "I'd giiiive oh give, I'd give up chocolate, but I am no quieter.  Haha, no Mama doesn't get any quieter when she eats chocolate."
Caleb: "Yeah, she still talks a lot."

A little offensive, but very funny.  I don't think I will ever look at my magnets the same.

Update

For the last month or so I really have not felt like writing.  It is a very weird feeling for me, I have never ever been one to keep my fingers quiet.  :)  So I am hoping if I just force myself to write, something will come to me.

Things have been beyond busy around here.  I still feel that four kids is much harder than three, for me anyways.  I have four adorable kids and they are all good kids, I just think the ages of them and their different personalities are harder right now than they have been before.  I get tired and drained easy, but I also feel a constant flow of energy and support from Heaven.  That may sound weird, but I know that is where it is coming from.  There are a lot of people praying for me and my little ones, and so many people coming to help me in the instant I need it.

Little Andrew just gets cuter by the day.  I still have yet to get a picture of him smiling, but it is the cutest smile.  He looks so much like Josh when he was a baby, olive skin tone, dark hair and eyes that aren't quite brown but too dark to be blue, so a murky blue I guess.  He has long hands and feet and sweet little lips and just one dimple, not two.  Seriously precious.  He has been a difficult baby mostly because he seems like he is in pain all the time.  There is the normal cranky baby-ness, but I knew this was different.  Matthew had a temper from day 1 and I could just ignore it because I knew it was just his personality, but little Andrew, he is not an angry person.  So when he cries it just makes me sad.  So with a lot of prayer and adjusting, I think we have figured out what is causing a lot of the problems.  He doesn't like it when I have lactose milk and chocolate.  The milk hurts him and the chocolate makes him spit up a lot.  No idea why, but that is the case.  He also has reflux and so he is spitting up a lot (I do two loads of laundry a week at least, just for him), but the tummy acid that comes up causes him pain.  So now, he has medicine for that.  I am not a huge fan of medicine, especially constantly taking it, but I tried all the other natural stuff first and it only helped in small degrees.  So I am thankful for medicine now because it is making the little guy, and me, happier.

Matthew is adorable and annoying.  He really has a split self.  He is sooo cute and happy and charming, but gets into soooo much trouble and causes fights and screams and throws MASSIVE tantrums.  It really blows me away because I have never had a kid that will throw a tantrum without warning (usually they get whiny or I know they are tired).  Nope, not Matthew.  He will be happy and laughing and then flip and scream and kick and jump up and down.  Honestly, it is funny, but not when we are in public, but that rarely happens thank goodness.  He is slowly starting to talk, in real words, not in charades.  He says "bus" now instead of the sound it makes: "Chshhhh"  He says "math" when he wants to do preschool and "sauce" for applesauce.  So we are getting somewhere.  :)

I was going to write more about the older two and Logan, but alas, they are now demanding lunch and my constant attention.  I love being loved and needed.  And I guess it works forcing myself to write, kind of works.  :)  Hopefully it doesn't take another month to write again...but we shall see.

Halloween

Thank to my mom, I actually have picture from Halloween.  I have such a hard time remembering to take photos when they are all cute.  Josh and Caleb kept changing their costumes.  Caleb was a pumpkin and Josh was Batman for the church party, but then Josh's costume bugged him.  So he was a "ghost" for Halloween day because it was the only thing that I could find that didn't touch his neck.  Seriously, the things that bother kids amazes me, and it reminds me of the many things I refused to wear that I thought were good reasons in my childhood.  My poor mom...

 Since Tyson was out of town for some of the Halloween celebrations, I am so thankful Carmel hung out with me and the boys and kept me from going insane.  She painted the cutest little tiger face on Matthew and I'm really sad I didn't get a good picture of that, because it was adorable.  And then she and my Mom took the two older boys trick or treating.  They LOVED it.  It was fun seeing them as kind of big boys.  It is so weird how they are all growing up.

 

Little Andrew, he was so very cute.

                                                          Just LOVE my boys!

I Think in Facebook Status's

You can tell you live in the social media world when as you are going about your day, you think in status updates.  For example:

"I'm so bored!!  Why is it that I have so much I need to clean and things I probably should be cooking, and all I want to do is go out on a date or cook something really fattening?"

"Waiting for the bus to come."

"Want to take a nap, but I know I wouldn't wake up and I would miss the bus."

"What did people do for entertainment and ideas before pinterest?"

"I'm hungry."

"So proud of myself for not eating a slice of that freaking delicious cake in the fridge today.  (Better than the two large ones I consumed yesterday)."

"I wish a box of fun things would come in the mail for me.  I wonder if I should start ordering things for myself instead of just wishing they would appear."

"Good book suggestions?  Time to go to the library again."


Yes, this is how I think.  I feel so productive in the mornings, but then the afternoon rolls around and I don't want to be productive anymore.  Well, I do, but I don't at the same time.  Hmmmm...

They Make Me Laugh

Because what they say is so funny:

Logan: (coughing) When I cough that means I have a cold in my body.
Caleb: No it doesn't Logan.
Logan: Yes, it does.
Caleb: No, Logan, you can't have a cold in your body.
Logan: Cami, when I cough does it mean I have a cold in my body?
Me: Um, kind of.
Logan: Did you hear that Caleb?  Your mom said I was right.
Caleb: (muttering) No, she didn't.

It is quite comical that they have all these debates, because they get along so well, and then these questions come up and they both have such firm opinions.

Here is another funny from the day:

me: (looking at the calendar) Caleb, did you know your birthday is 9 days away?
Caleb: (gets big eyes and looks excited) Did you know that some like it in a pot nine days old?

I almost spit the water out I had just gulped.  I mean, I understand that 9 days would remind him of the nine days old, but still, how random.  I didn't even know he knew that little rhyme. 

Like my mom always says, what do people do for entertainment when they don't have kids?