Taking candy from strangers

At the dinner table tonight...

O: "Dad, we're always told not to take candy from strangers, but on Halloween, we take candy from strangers. What's up with that?"

Labor Day

I came downstairs Labor day morning and asked all the kids,

M: "Who wants to go on a hike?"

Odan promptly replied (not taking his eyes of the tv)

O: "Not me, it's Labor day."

He's pretty serious at resting and relaxing on such appointed holidays it seems.

He's a bit of a...

I had a sobering experience a couple of weeks ago.

I was conversing with my brother on our back patio as our kids were playing around in the yard. Odan was riding a tricycle around the table we were sitting at, as I nonchalantly talked about him. I started a sentence and had a slight pause as I was searching for the right words to continue, and Odan chimed in from the other side of the patio...

M: "He's a bit of a..."

O: "Fixer-upper!"

(Yes, the song from 'Frozen') It took me by surprise. Odan was way more observant and astute than I realized. And it suddenly occurred to me, what have I said about him when I thought he wasn't listening?

He rode over and I smiled at him joking,

M: "How did you know that's what I was going to say?"

O: "Wait, that's what you were going to say about me?"

I don't remember exactly how I played it off, but I made light of it and stopped talking about him immediately.

Ever since then, I haven't been writing down his 'Odanisms'. He's had a few good ones too (like when we were camping), but I haven't felt like I could publish them. And then when I think to put them on the blog just to store for memory's sake, I have forgotten them.

Once my mom-guilt subsides, perhaps I will be able to publish more of Odan's musings and one-liners.

Studio 5

O: "Mom, I don't like the movie 'Studio 5'."

M: "Why not?"

O: "Because all they do is make stuff."

M: "Well I like it."

O: "Well, making stuff is boring."

A collection

Odan was sitting on my lap and I noticed one of my hairs was on him. As I was pulling it off he says,

O: "What is that?"

M: "One of my hairs that fell on you."

O: "Can I keep it for my collection? I have a hair collection."

Barbie shows

O: "I hate the Barbie shows."

M: "Why?"

O: "Because they are so girlish. I only like shows that are boy-lish."

M: "You like shows that are what?"

O: "Boy-lish."

It's really me

I was doing dishes and the kids were playing. Odan came in from riding bikes looking for King (who was in the bathroom).

O: "King!"

K: "What?"

O: "King, it's me, Kevin."

K: "What??"

O: "Really, it's Kevin."

K: "The Power Ranger?"

O: "No, the guy with the iPad."

K: "No it isn't!"

O: "Yes, it's really me, Kevin."

Mom I love you

O: "Mom, I love you. Do you know why?"

M: "Cause I'm your mom?"

O: "That's my second reason. My first reason is because you're so beautiful."

M: "Aw, thanks Odan."

O: "You look pretty and beautiful and all the other things that mix to make pretty and beautiful."

Baby chicks

We inherited six baby chicks, whom we kept for a few days. At first we intended to get on board and keep them as pets, but when I realized the amount of time and energy that was needed to raise these little guys, our plans quickly changed. The chicks came from a Kindergarten teacher at his school, and Odan had watched them hatch and become very attached. Here's how giving them away went down.

M: "It's time to take the chicks to their new home."

O: "You mean outside?"

M: "No, a new home. A farm."

O: "Wheeler Farm?"

M: "Not quite. A different one a little further away."

The boys came with me to drop them off at their new home. As we were taking the chicks out and putting them in their new cage, Odan said,

O: "Mom, I feel sad."

M: "I know honey, let's say goodbye and tell them they're going to have a good life here."

Odan bends down,

O: "Bye, you're gonna have a-" he is holding back tears and choking up, "good...life...here."

We get back in the car and as we are driving away Odan literally bursts into sobs.

M: "Odan, I'm so sorry! They are going to have a good life! Some people just take chicks and feed them to their other pets, but they get to grow up and live there."

O: "I hope Batman doesn't get eaten!"

Batman was the name of his chick.

O: "Mom, it hurts when I swallow!"

M: "Honey I'm so sorry!"

I felt like the worst Mom ever. Periodically I would hear things throughout the week like, "I miss the chicks" or "This song is sad and reminding me of the chicks, turn it off"

Names of our other fluffy friends: King named the biggest one Vladimir, DeeAnn named two- Anna and Elsa, I named one Beethoven, Odan named his Batman, and Kendall named one something even he doesn't remember, although I called that last one Peach.

Loose tooth

One of my teeth was hurting,

O: "Mom, maybe you have a loose tooth."

M: "I hope not!"

O: "Maybe it will fall out and then you'll have and old guy tooth."

No means yes

Odan kept asking me if he could play videogames. I kept saying no. Finally he said,

O: "Well I just made up a language called 'Odan's language' and 'no' means 'yes' and 'yes' means 'no'. So you're speaking 'Odan's language', so thank you for letting me play videogames!"

Kindergarten

I was volunteering in Odan's class the other day and listening in while the class learned about 'o_e' (pronounced o blank e). His teacher asked Odan a question,

Mrs. A: "Odan, does your brother King ever talk about 'o_e'?"

O: "Um, no."

Mrs. A: "You haven't ever heard him talk about 'o_e'? First graders learn all about 'o_e'."

O: "I don't know."

Mrs. A: "Well Odan, I want you to go home and ask King about 'o_e' and come back and tell us what he says."

O: "I'm not going to go home!"

She laughs,

Mrs. A: "No, don't go home right now, I meant when your brother gets home from school, I want you to ask him about it, then tell us tomorrow what he says."

O: "Oh, okay."

I asked Odan about this plan later when he was home from school and he said,

O: "I don't know what King says about 'o_e' because I'm not in his class!"

Fresh air

I hear Odan while using the bathroom say,

O: "I need some fresh air."

So I respond from the hall,

M: "Why do you need some fresh air?"

O: "I don't know. Maybe cause my tummy hurts. Yeah my tummy needs some fresh air."

When the Earth needs rain

During a rainstorm...

O: "Wait, how does Jesus know when the Earth needs rain?"

Headaches

O: "I think headaches are allergic to water."

Babysitting

While playing with baby Sho,

O: "Is this nice?" (Odan is patting the baby's head softly)

I nod.

O: "I don't want Sho to EVER get hurt."

Wake up call

Going in to wake up the boys for school,

O: "Mom, you always wake me up right in the middle of a dream, and I wanted to finish it!!"

M: "Okay, sorry, go back to sleep for 2 minutes, finish your dream."

After I go in again I ask,

M: "What did you dream about?"

O: "Me and King were in Bowser's Castle, and we beat Bowser."

What a baby thinks

We were tending a little baby the other day, and while driving carpool the little one started crying. I tried to console her as we drove saying,

M: "Aw, baby...what do you think?"

and Odan chimed in,

O: "I think she thinks this is life."

Pneumonia

O: "Wait, can pneumonia kill you?"

M: "Yes, it can."

O: "I almost got killed??"

M: "No, because you are a healthy boy. When you are already really sick and you don't get any help from doctors, then you can die from pneumonia. Having pneumonia doesn't mean you will die."

Mom?

O: "Mom?"

M: "Yeah?"

O: "I hope you never get lost. Or broken. Or stolen."

Speaking of awesome

While Odan is telling me something, he spots an ad for Baskin Robins and says,

O: "Speaking of awesome, that ice cream cone is killing the awesome!"

He was referring to a Spiderman ice cream cone.

Wizard if Oz

My kids' comments while watching "The Wizard of Oz"...

O: "Wait, does he not have a brain?" (the Scarecrow)

O: "How can metal talk?" (the Tin Man)

When the Cowardly Lion makes his appearance King was perplexed,

K: "What the heck?"

And finally at the end,

O: "Wait, that was all a dream??"

Don't tell anyone

O: "Mom, don't tell anyone these stories."

M: "You don't like it when I tell people your stories?"

O: "No. Just keep them a secret."

M: "Why don't you like me telling your stories?"

O: "It's cause...I just can't tell ya. It's cause I don't want to."

M: "Are you embarrassed?"

O: "Yeah."

The opposite

O: "Hey dad, what's the opposite of fire?"

Daddy: "Uh...gee Odan I don't know. Huh."

I chime in,

M: "Water."

Daddy: "No, I don't think there is an opposite of fire. Good question Odan."

M: "Yes, there is...'not' fire."

Daddy: "Nice hon."


What is the opposite of fire?