Conversations

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Monkey runs up to me while I'm doing dishes and puts his head against my leg.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm listening to you!"

Sweet, but somehow still missing the point.

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Bug brings home his spelling test. He's missed one. I'm so proud of him for doing so well. Then I see that he misspelled bring. He hasn't missed that word once during his daily practice. He has spelled it "braing."

"Bug, how come you spelled bring 'braing'?"

"Well, that's how Mrs. W-- said it."

Got to love the Midwestern accent. Good thing we don't live in the South, or he would never learn to spell.

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Monkey has no artistic inclinations. He doesn't like to color or draw. But we're encouraging him. Color this, try to make a circle, etc, etc.

He is sitting at the table with a paper and some crayons, singing 'Puff the Magic Dragon' to himself.

"Monkey, how about you draw Puff the Magic Dragon?"

"I can't. It's too hard."

"Well, how about you just try?"

He grabs a crayon and, dramatically fast, makes a line across the paper.

"Look," he shouts, "No dragon!"

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Bug and Monkey are playing Wii Bowling together. Bug is, um, "coaching" Monkey.

"Throw the ball as hard as you can. Throw it like you're throwing your arm off!"

"Bug," I call from the other room, "talk nice."

"Oh, come on, Mom. It's just a simile."

Even when they talk back, it's hard to not be proud.

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A picture says a million words. This one doesn't say enough!