Mild swearing

1) At McDonalds, I bought the kids three little hamburgers and had them split a large fry and large drink. I wanted to see if it was cheaper than three Happy Meals. I also wanted to avoid getting more little toys which are littering our home and burying us alive in plush animals, plastic gizmos and other such JUNK.

Joey was upset not to get the little stuffed animal they are handing out now, and I told him we didn't need it, he has so many at home. He replied, "But, I don't like our darn toys, I love this one."

2) At a little market, Joey was trying to talk me into buying him a popsicle. I had two problems with his plan (a) I didn't want him to eat one in the car and (b) we had boxes of them at home. His reply, "But, I don't like our darn popsicles at home!"

I don't know where he decided to start adding darn as his new adjective, I'm glad it isn't a more harsh word that I've occasionally said in his presence.

Every once in a while it surprises me that I've forgotten that Joey is just 3 and a half. At this age, Emma was still a baby to me, but Joey hangs around big kids all the time, and I just figure he is just a slightly smaller kid than the others, not the toddler that he still is. Of course his teachers at school, and classmates, have to deal with his sophisticated means of arguing, honed from studying under his experienced masters, Emma and Max. He also has an extensive collection of big kid games from his early exposure to Lava Game, Tag-- with all the elaborate rules of 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders, Indian Warrier Game, and then of course, there are the mild curse words.

Max had his first day of camp at Crenshaw's today, and when I went to pick him up he was very hot, very tired and trying not to cry. I don't think he had all that much fun, and we have three weeks ahead of us! Poor guy. I'm sure it will get better in a couple of days, but he looked so bummed out today it almost broke my heart.

Emma enjoyed a visit to HONG KONG MARKET, (home of Joey's popsicles). She has fallen in love with all things Asian. I am working on a Kimono right now. She picks up Asian language newspapers and keeps them in her room, looking at the funny writing when she reads before bed. She loves tea sets, chop sticks, sushi, all the Chinese ceramic brick-a-brack and looking at every strange and slightly smelly food item at the Chinese Market. Frankly, some of it scares me, things that look like freeze dried eyeballs, or types of dried vegetable matter, but she is fascinated.