My Dad is a Super Hero

Little boys see their dads larger than life. They can do anything. They are strong. They pick them up and throw them in the air. They are super heroes in their eyes.

This evening in the car, where most of our interesting conversations seem to happen lately, Bradley says, “Mom, I want my dad to be in the army.”

“Why do you want him to be in the army?” I ask.

“Because if he is in the army and practices a really lot, he will be a good soldier. If he’s a good soldier he can be CAPTAIN AMERICA!”

Of course, I should have known. And with six kids in all, I’m sure Brad has been Super Man, Batman, the Green Lantern, Thor, and who knows who else, the list could be endless, maybe even some wrestling guy.

I just hope he puts on his super hero cape and helps me run some of the errands next week and maybe fix the toilet or something. Or build something, I don’t know.

xxx

Mom, Can You Turn Me Into a Dog?

The other day in the car Bradley asked me if I could turn him into a dog.

“Why do you want to be a dog?” I asked him.

He thought about it. “I just want to, Mom.” he said in his most mature six-year-old voice. But of course, who doesn’t want to be a dog, right? Even though when I think about it, I would be a cat so I could sleep all day.

“What kind of dog do you want to be?” I asked.

This time he didn’t hesitate, “A Boston Terrier.” Of course, I thought, just like Murphy, our dog. “Can you do it?” he asked.

“I’m driving right now. Maybe when we get home. But I will have to rest just a little bit first, I’m really tired and my magic might not work right unless I rest,” I explained.

This seemed to settle it for a while. As I turned down our street I started wondering if he wasn’t getting too old for this game, he is going to be seven next month. But I brushed that thought away quickly, you’re never too old to use your imagination and play. I’m going to be 36 next month and it’s still one of my favorite games.

When Bradley was four years old he had all kinds of super powers every day. He had super powered lasers, magic shields, and just about any kind of magic you could think of…unless his older brother, Cedrik (10 at the time), took it away. He would go up to Bradley and act like he was taking something, “I’ve got your powers,” he would tease Bradley. Bradley would cry and yell, “MOM! Cedrik took my super powers away!” clearly very upset about it. It was funny the first fifty times, but after that I found myself saying out of frustration, “Cedrik, quit taking away your brother’s super powers!” Finally I smartened up and gave Bradley a super shield so his brother couldn’t take his powers. “Ha, ha!” Bradley would say, “Mom gave me a super shield and you can’t take my powers anymore.” Man, that was a fun summer. I can’t help but chuckle at the memory.

Bradley didn’t forget about wanting to be turned into a dog. As I was laying on the couch, piled high with kids and dogs, he asks me, “Mom, can you turn me into a dog now?”

“Okay. I think I’m ready. Abracadabra…Alacazam,” I said, waving my arms around him, “I now turn you into a dog!”

And it worked. I patted his head and scratched behind his ears. “What  sweet dog you are,” I cooed. Then he started barking. “If you keep barking I’m going to send you outside.” I warned my new and very cute dog.

Brad rolled his eyes and sighed, I guess he doesn’t have that great of an imagination. He said something about us being too noisy and he was all grouchy. I should turn him into a toad, I thought, entertaining myself with the idea.

I took the kids and my new dog outside. I started calling him Rock and he played fetch really well. Occasionally he even walked on two legs. Amazing the tricks that dog could do!

xxx

My Babies Playing Spoons

I think with a little more practice we could start a band. The babies are great at playing the spoons, at least Collin and Elsie are… I’m not sure what Mallie was doing in the background. She gets sidetracked easily. They all do!

Earlier tonight I got out a few plastic Easter eggs and buckets. It’s amazing how busy and entertained they were with these silly little objects. It’s not the first time I’ve done this trick. Whenever I really want to get something done, like the dishes or a telephone call, this is one of my tricks. You can’t do it to often or it becomes normal and boring. But it sure is special and fun doing it every now and then. And they played forever and I got so much done! 

They got the spoons for themselves and went to town. I thought it was adorable, although a little noisy. But we had a blast!

AND Bradley lost another tooth tonight. On his way up to bed with a little tiny baby tooth tied up in a plastic baggy he asks me, “Mom, is there more than one tooth fairy?” I thought about it for a minute, unsure how to answer. And he says, “Like is there one in China?”

“Yea. I think there is one for every country.” It’s the best I could come up with. Sometimes you really have to think on your toes.

“Now go to bed so the tooth fairy can get to work!”

xxx

Five Stars for Magna Doodles

The boys were sprawled out on the living room floor, heads bent and getting along wonderfully. “Wow!” is all I could say and wish this happened more often. They were taking turns, there was no arguing, and they were really into what they were doing.

They were drawing on the Magna Doodle! And they were doing some really cute drawings. They would fill up the screen and show me their work, proud smiles plastering their cute little faces and their blue eyes lighting up.

But every time they would go to move the little orange handle across the screen to erase, I would silently cringe, wishing I could save that one for the scrapbook. But they created more little masterpieces over and over again.

Bradley eventually got bored and left the toy all to Collin. And even without his brother, Collin sat and drew pictures for a good 20 minutes, which is really good for this busy toddler who seems to never sit still unless Umi Zoomie or Bubble Guppies is on.

Collin and his creations, which are planes by the way.

So I give the Magna Doodle five stars for keeping my kids busy, playing cooperatively together, and using their imaginations. They drew planes and cars and people and animals and shapes and all kinds of stuff.

The downside, Mommy can’t save their little masterpieces. UNLESS I take a picture! (which I finally smarted up and started doing.)

The other amazing thing about this toy is that it is durable. Bradley got it for his second birthday, and he is almost seven…so the toy is about five years old. We have lost all the magnetic shapes or the dogs have eaten them, but it still works great after all these years, minus that it doesn’t erase completely and give you a clean plastic sheen-  you can still kind of see the old marks-  but the kids don’t seem to notice or know any difference.

I love little hands and their creations. Priceless!

xxx

Pluggers and Pipers or Maybe a Penguin

Bradley’s eating lunch and he says, “Mom, when I grow up I want to be a plugger.”
Me: “What’s a plugger? What do they do?”
Bradley: “I forgot. Maybe they are called a piper. What is it called, Mom, a plugger or a piper?”

Me: “Well, I’m not sure I understand. What do they do?”

Bradley: “I know what they do. I don’t know how to say it.” And he is getting a little frustrated.

Me: “Do you mean a plumber? They fix pipes.” I thought that was a good guess.

Bradley: “No.”

Me: “What about an electrician? They fix plugs.”

Bradley: “No.”

Me: “Well, maybe if you tell me what kinds of things they do on the job, I will know if it is a plugger or a piper.”

And we are going around in circles and getting no where with this conversation because he just can’t find the words to express what he is thinking.

So I do what every good mom does, I say, “Ask your Dad.”

It was funny hearing them go back and forth; plugger piper plugger piper. Sounds like a riddle.

“What do they do?” we keep asking.

Bradley knows, he just can’t find the words to explain and seems very tired of having this conversation with his parents. I mean, geesh, we should know, we are the parents! 

And we are all still clueless. What’s a plugger? A piper?

 

I’ll just chalk this one up to one of those funny conversations and move on. But I can’t help but keep wondering what in the world he is trying to say. I mean, this is what he wants to be when he grows up, for now. Last week he wanted to be a penguin.

 

xxx