That's all I have to say about that

Wesley found this at a construction site. He decided it was a snake and named it Winky. Wink for short. That's all I have to say about that.

Can I have the definition, please?

At church yesterday, Jason, the Children's Pastor, came up to me and said, "Michelle, I've got another one for your blog." While they were teaching catechisms, Barbara asked the kids if they knew what the word relationship meant. Wesley raised his hand and answered, "When you're connected to someone." At this point, I don't know why I'm still surprised.

Conversations overheard from here to there

While we are driving in the car, I am Wesley's captive audience for a constant stream of conversation. If you were a fly on the car seat, here is the exchange you would have heard on one particular adventure:

Wesley: Mommy, how do you drive a motorcycle? (as we pass a motorcycle on the road)
Me: Um, kind of like a bike. Only you don't use your feet. You drive with your hands.
W: When will I be able to drive a motorcycle?
Me: (the day after never...I'm an ICU nurse, are you kidding) Well, you have to be old enough to drive, so not until you are AT LEAST 16.
W: But I want to drive one before that. I want to drive in a motorcycle with a pocket [sidecar].
Me: Well, who's going to drive the motorcycle while you are in the pocket?
W: Daddy. (good choice!) Or maybe you could. (ooo...I'm going to pass.)
Me: But where will we put Catelynn?
W: She can be in the pocket by my feet
Me: (laughing) That sounds like a stinky seat. Your feet are stinky.
W: Mommy, these brown shoes aren't stinky, so I will just always wear these when I'm in the pocket. (such a little problem solver!) So, when can we buy a motorcycle?

on a previous rant:
Wesley: Mommy, when are we EVER going to drive a minivan?
Me: Wesley, I really don't want to drive a minivan. I like my Jeep.
W: Maybe we could trade Daddy's car, and he can drive the minivan. (again, great problem solving!)
Me: I don't think Daddy will like that idea. He wants to keep his car, too. Why do you want to drive a minivan?
W: I want there to be a seat for everyone in our family.
Me: Well, we are only missing Daddy, and he would sit up here by me.
W: But what about the seat by Cate?
Me: See?! We have too many seats already!
W: But, Mommy, I really want to have an automatic door. (ah, the heart of the matter. Wesley's good friend Christopher and his family just got a minivan--with automatic doors. So cool. He is filled with envy!)
Me: Wesley, I open your door automatically all the time. :)
W: But I want there to be a button, and I can do it myself.
Me: Buddy, I'm afraid it just isn't going to happen.
W: (dejectedly) Okay. Well, when are we going to ride in Christopher's minivan again?

Conclusion: If Wesley had the choice in the matter, I would drive a motorcycle with two kids in a sidecar or a minivan with room for seven! Think I'll stick with the Liberty!

Who you gonna call?

Wesley wakes up REALLY early in the morning. To preserve my sanity and an extra hour or so of sleep, I gave him a digital clock and told him he could not come out of his room until it was 7:00AM. I am now awakened every morning promptly at 7:03 (or thereabouts) by Wesley proclaiming, "Mommy, it's a 7 on my clock. Time to get up!" On a recent trip to Indiana, we were staying with Marty, and Wesley requested a clock for his bed (oops, I may have created a monster). The best we could come up with was her cell phone set to silent. The first night, all went well. We even got to sleep in until 8:00 (I love eastern time!). The second night, Allison called the house around 11pm and asked if we had called her. Neither Marty nor I had called, but Allison had two missed calls from Marty's cell phone! I marched into the room where Wesley was sleeping only to find the glow of the cell phone light and him still awake. I confiscated the cell phone and found that he had made a total of 17 calls, all of them less than 30 seconds. In addition to Allison, other recipients were from the address book, speed dials, and various random number combinations (thankfully, none of them 911!). How is a mother supposed to keep a straight face in that situation? :)

Art appreciation

At the museum, we saw a nude statue. Wesley astutely observed that the subject was female because she had "feeders."

Picasso?

Wesley drew this while he was watching The Laurie Berkner Band on DVD this morning. He even paused the video so he could see the colors of the clothes they were wearing (although, in the end, he did take some creative liberties, as you may notice). The only help he enlisted from me was drawing the shirts and writing the words. He is such the budding artist!