Licked!

This afternoon Anaya and I took advantage of the boys' naptime to make cashew "cheese" sauce to go on top of the stuffed shells I made this morning, and muffins. Anaya loves baking muffins. The boys woke up to assist in the final stages of the muffins, but I noticed Skyler wasn't feeling well. Sure enough, he had a fever and began complaining of owies in his mouth. I comforted him as best I could and hastened the process of getting the muffins in the oven.

"Mommy, can we lick the bowl?" Anaya pleaded as I scraped the last of the muffin mix into a pan.

"No, not today," I replied. "It's not even close to suppertime."

"Oh, please, Mommy--" began the old refrain, broken by a suspicious sound from Skyler.

"Skyler, are you about to throw up?" I gasped, grabbing the aforementioned empty bowl and holding it under his chin just in time to catch the contents of his little stomach.

"Well," Anaya observed, surveying the new contents of the bowl, "I guess we can't lick it now."

Take the potty train...

"Mommy," Anaya informed me today, "Skyler is my son now."

"Good," I responded, opening the potty chair. "You potty train him then."

Skyler dashed to me and peered inside the potty. "Where's da potty train?"

We miss Saralyn!

Seth may have set his sights on marrying Mommy, but Skyler seems to have found another woman worthy of his affections. As I was dressing him last week, he began the usual wail, "I want Daddy!"

"Daddy isn't here."

"Sarayen," he whimpered. "I want Sarayen!"

One big happy convoluted family

I overheard this priceless little interaction in passing this afternoon. I only wish I could have gotten it on video, as nothing else will ever do it justice.

"Mother!" Seth called to Anaya. (Apparently there had been some instruction given previously that I had missed.)

"No, you're my husband now," she corrected. "Say, 'Are you okay?'"

"Are you okay?" he chirped.

"Augh!" Anaya groaned, collapsing on the couch. "Say, 'You've had a big tummy for a long time. What's happening?'"

The obedient husband repeated this, gallantly dashing to her side.

"Okay, just wait a minute," Anaya instructed, positioning a doll under her shirt. "Now say, 'Look, a head!"

"Look! A head!"

Anaya dragged the baby out from under her shirt.

"It doesn't have any clothes!" Our hero was honest.

"That's because they don't have any clothes on when they come out," explained the wise mother, cradling her baby and beaming adoringly into its plastic face. "Now, go into the kitchen and come back to visit me."

After a little protesting, Seth did as instructed. "Hello, Miss Franken. I see you have a baby."

"Yes!" The new mother glowed with joy. "What name do you think we should call her?"

"Mawie." (Marie is Anaya's current favorite name, and Seth is a quick learner.)

"Okay. Go and get some clothes for her."

"I don't have any clothes for her."

"There are lots of clothes in the playroom," corrected Anaya. "Here--"she hopped off the couch and bounded to the playroom, naked baby under one arm, "here are the baby clothes. Choose one of these outfits."

Seth came back with a dress the doll would have to grow into, and some pink dress-up wings. A brief interaction brought the conclusion that wearing the wings would not help the doll to fly, but would only help her pretend to fly.

Now Skyler sauntered over and was confidently recruited. "Say, 'Oh, Mother!'" Anaya ordered.

"Oh, Mother!"

"Say, 'I'm so glad you had my baby sister come out of your tummy!'"

Skyler obliged, but soon lost interest in said new little sister. Fortunately it was time for Mother to get out of the hospital by this time, though, so she did so, singing as she dashed to the playroom to look for a more fitting outfit, "I'm so glad to be going home now!"