conversations

It is Sunday morning. Angus and Pete have finished their breakfast. I am still feeding Jamie, who’s in his high chair.

Me: “Do you know where daddy is?”
Jamie: “Church!”
Me: “What is daddy doing?”
Jamie: “Reading!”
Me: “What is he reading?”
Pause.
Jamie: “Bible!”

* * *

It is Tuesday. Nan is at our place, folding paper with Angus in my office.

Angus: “I always fold because this is a neat family. Nan, is your family a neat family?”

* * *

It is Wednesday morning. I come downstairs for breakfast, to find that Jamie has a runny nose as well.

Angus: “Now all your children have colds.”

* * *

It is dinnertime. I am, as usual, woeful at keeping my own clothes clean while I eat.

Pete: “What’s that?”
Me: “I got my top dirty.”
Pete: “You need bib!”
Rick: “Yes she does…”

* * *

It is Saturday morning. I am at home with the boys, who are jumping around, pretending to be animals.

Angus: “I am a penguin, and I am allergic to cows.”

* * *

Later on that same morning…

Pete: “Mummy, come to my shop!”
Me: “What do you sell?”
Pete: “Monkey, giraffe and elephant!”
Me: “I’ll have a monkey please.”
Pete: “Okay. Here you go.” (He hands me a pretend monkey.)

I turn around to buy ice-cream from Angus’ shop. I can hear Pete and Jamie talking in the background. Upon turning back to Pete’s shop:

Me: “Can I buy a giraffe now?”
Pete: “No, all gone. Jamie eat it.”
Me: “Oh. What is left then?”
Pete: “Elephant!”
Mummy: “Okay, how much is that?”
Pete: “Two dollars.”

* * *

It is early in the evening. We have just come home from running errands, and the boys are getting seated around the table for dinner. I open the ‘inflatable cushion’ that I have just purchased for ‘postpartum care.’

Angus: “Look Pete, your booster seat has arrived!”

* * *

And one night, as I’m changing Jamie on his change table, at the tender age of twenty-three months, the inevitable happened.

Jamie: “Why? Mummy, why?”

You can read more of our conversations here.

It is late afternoon. Rick is about to cook some dinner.

Angus: “Daddy, I want you to stay in the family room with me.”
Rick: “I need to go into the kitchen to cook dinner, Angus.”
Angus: “Mummy can cook dinner. There are two grown-ups in this family!”

* * *

After a long chat in the car on the way to Gerroa:

Angus: “I think that’s enough, daddy.”
Rick (clearly relieved): “Yes, good.”

A few seconds later…

Angus: “Daddy.”
Rick: “I thought you said that was enough.”
Angus: “No, that was enough things for you to tell me. I’m going to keep telling you things.”

* * *

After bath-time one evening…

Pete: “Mummy cute. Pete sweet. Daddy nothing. Angus nothing. Jamie nothing.”

* * *

In the car, Rick is explaining to Angus that he can pray to God if he has nightmares.

Angus: “Dear God, please help me to not have bad dreams. Amen.”
Pete: “Me too. Me too. God. No things.”
Jamie: “Amen, Amen.”

* * *

It is dinnertime for the boys. I’m chatting to James in an attempt to keep him interested in his meal.

Me: “Do you have a bigger tummy, or does mummy have a bigger tummy?”
Jamie: “Daddy!”

* * *

We are on our way home. Rick drops me off at Office works to pick up some stationery supplies. Upon seeing the brown paper bag when I climb back into the car..

Jamie: “Nuggets! Mummy, nuggets please!”

* * *

On the way to church one morning:

Angus: “Edward’s house is a lot smaller than the house we live in.”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Angus: “Your tummy, mummy!”
Me: “Yes, you would hope so then…”

* * *

Later that evening at bedtime…

Angus: “Daddy, Pete threw my blankie onto the floor!”
Rick: “Were you dangling your blankie over his cot?”
Angus: Silence…
Pete: “Yes!”

* * *

Later that same night, I’m standing outside the boys’ door, to see if they are going to sleep.

Angus: “Pete, I need to go to sleep so I can have lots of energy. Can you be quiet? When you talk, I can’t sleep and my body can’t sleep either. Pete, so can you whisper please? I need to go to sleep…”

* * *

It is Sunday morning. Pete and I have been going back and forth about a particular moth on the patio door.

Pete: “It’s inside!”
Me: “No, it’s outside Pete. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Pete: “Inside!”
Me: “No, outside!”

Upon closer inspection, I realise that the moth is indeed on the inside of the glass.

Angus: “Maybe Pete is a clever boy!”
Me: “Yes, of course Pete is a clever boy.”
Angus: “But you didn’t know that the moth was inside mummy….”

* * *

It is Saturday. We are all sitting down to breakfast and enjoying some innocent conversation.

Me: “There are lots of people in our family!”
Angus: “Why?”
Me (without thinking): “Because mummy and daddy keep making babies.”
Pause.
Angus: “How do you make babies?”

You can read more of our conversations here.

It is Rick’s day off, and the boys are playing hide-and-seek with daddy. Angus, our four year old, is feeling nervous as he rounds a dark corner.

Angus: “Pete, you go first.”

* * *

It is lunchtime, and the boys are at the meals table. I am busy in the kitchen.

Angus: “Pete, mum’s making a milkshake with ice cream but it’s not for us. Just her and the baby.”
Pete: “Okay!”

* * *

It is bedtime.

I am singing to Jamie, our twenty month old, who’s lying beautifully in his cot, but we can hear Angus carrying on in the other bedroom. Moments later, we hear daddy taking Angus downstairs to ‘the naughty cot.’

Jamie: “Gus, naughty cot. Me, bed!”

* * *

Randomly, during one evening:

Angus: “My grandpa can take his thumb off.”

* * *

We are in the car. I am taking Pete, our almost three year old, and Jamie to the shops. Pete decides to start screaming (loudly) about getting his sunglasses, which are out of my reach.

Mummy: “That’s enough Pete. I told you I can’t get them. You’ll have to wait. If you keep screaming, you’re not getting any milkshake at the shops.”
Pause.
Pete: “Happy now!”

* * *

Yet another bedtime.

This time, I am utterly exhausted and start to weep in front of the boys.

Angus: “Why are you crying mummy? Is it because it’s hard to be a mum?”

* * *

It is Sunday morning. Whilst rushing to get the boys to church, I forget to put the car into the right gear. Upon explaining this to Angus…

“Mummy, next time can you put the car in the right gear before you start? Daddy always puts the car in the right gear, doesn’t he? Mummy, next time I will remind you to put the car in the right gear.”

* * *

It is after bathtime. I am negotiating with Pete, insisting that he put his clothes on before he gets to play with his blue blocks.

Pete: “No, block give first.”

* * *

It is afternoon tea time, and the boys have just had mashed banana. As usual, Jamie refuses to let anyone feed him. Ten or so minutes later…

Jamie: ‘Banana all over my shirt’.

* * *

It is well after lights out, but I can still hear talking and laughter from Angus and Pete’s room. They have already been warned.

Me (storming in): “Right, who will I put in the naughty garage?”
Pete: “Not me!”

* * *

We are driving to Dee Why for our weekly picnic dinner. As soon as we turn onto the main strip of road:

Jamie: “Dee Why!”

Later, we drive by Officeworks so that I can pick up some photo paper. As soon as we pull up at the building:

Jamie: “Office work!”

* * *

In a rare moment of silence, Pete manages to get out his longest sentence to date:

Pete: “Daddy, daddy, tell you something….. Our big car, our big car is a Range Rover. Pa told me, our big car goes on dirt.”
Rick: “Well done, Pete, that’s really great speaking little guy. Well done!”
Angus: “Pete, our car is a Land Rover Discovery Defender. Not a Range Rover.”

* * *

It is a weekday, and Rick is working in his office. I’m catching up on some emails while the boys watch their morning dose of Play School. Suddenly, I hear a little person beside me:

Jamie: “Daddy do work! Mummy do work!”

* * *

In the car one day on the way to the shops:

Angus: “You know how Grandpa falls asleep whenever he sits down? That’s a bit funny, isn’t it? I wish I could do that.”

* * *

It is playtime in the morning. I’ve taken out some kitchen and cooking toys, and the boys are happily busying about making dinner and packing picnics. Suddenly, Pete and Jamie start fighting over the wooden eggs. Before I have the chance to intervene:

Angus: “Gus will sort this out. Who had the eggs first?”
Pete and Jamie (simultaneously): “Me!”
Angus: “No, Jamie had the eggs first. You need to give the eggs back to Jamie.”
Pete: “No!”
Jamie: “Yes!”

And such is life in the Mason household.

You can read more of our conversations here.

It is morning. The boys have had breakfast and I’m hanging out with them in the playroom. Suddenly, I smell something suspicious coming from Pete’s direction.

Me: “Have you done a poo?”
Pete: “Yes!”
Me: “Do you want daddy to change it?”
Pete: “Mummy!”
Me: “Daddy?”
Pete: “Mummy!”

* * *

It is dinnertime, and the boys are eating dinner. (Kind of.)

Angus: “I will miss you guys when I’m thirty-two.”
Daddy: “Why?”
Angus: “Because I won’t live with you guys anymore.”
Daddy: “Well, I hope you’ll come to visit.”
Angus: “I will visit, daddy. I will visit you guys wherever you live.”

* * *

It is afternoon tea time, and Jamie is snacking on his favourite fruit.

Me: “Do you put your banana in your ears, Jamie?”
Jamie: “Nooooo!”
Me: “Do you put your banana in your hair?”
Jamie: “Nooooo!”
Me: “Do you put your banana in your mouth?”
Jamie: “Yes!”

* * *

It is Cameron’s anniversary. We are driving to the Memorial Gardens, and I can hear Angus explaining things to Pete in the back.

Angus: “Cameron is in heaven, Pete.”

Later, while we’re at the gardens…

Angus: “Lots of people are here. It’s really sad that they died.”

* * *

My belly is peeking out from under my top one day. Angus, of course, spots this.

Angus (pointing to my tummy): “There’s a bit of a gap there.”

* * *

It is evening, and again the topic of conversation is fruit:

Angus: “Why are oranges called oranges?”
Me: “Because they’re orange!”
Angus: “But apples are red, and they’re called apples!”
Me: “Good question. Ask daddy.”

* * *

It is bathtime for the boys. I walk into the bathroom to find water poured all over the floor. I know already that Jamie is the cheeky culprit, but I ask the question anyway.

Mummy: “Who poured water onto the floor!?”
Pete: “Pete!”
Angus: “Jamie!”
Jamie: “Gus!”

* * *

It is dinnertime and Angus has been firing questions at me non-stop. My head feels like it is going to explode.

Me: “Gus, don’t talk to me for ten seconds, please!”
Angus: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten….”

* * *

It is morning, and Rick is away at a conference. I’m still lying in bed with my blindfolds on, but I can hear Angus and Pete sneaking in and pottering about.

Pete: “Daddy?”
Angus: “Daddy is at a conference, Pete.”
Pete: “Why?”
Pause.
Angus: “Maybe because daddy’s watching movies at the conference.”
Pete: “Oh….. okay!”

You can read more of our conversations here.

It is morning. We are at home in the play room.

Angus: “Look at Jamie! Jamie’s playing with Pete because he thinks Pete is a toy because Pete is lying still!”

* * *

It is morning again. And I am feeling grumpy.

Angus: “Mummy, I love you! Mummy, I’m telling you I love you to make you happier!”

* * *

We are in the car. Angus is giving Rick a lesson on botany.

Angus: “Daddy, plants grow into plants, grass grows into grass, trees grow into trees.”
Rick: “Small plants grow into big plants…”
Angus: “Nonononono, daddy. Small plants grow into medium plants…”

* * *

We are at home, and hanging out. Jamie spills some milk on the floor. Angus wipes it up. Jamie does it again.

Angus: “Not again, Jamie.”

Jamie does it again and laughs.

Angus: “Not funny, Jamie.”

* * *

While getting into the car one day:

Angus: “I will give Cameron a hug when I get into heaven.”

* * *

We are in the bathroom, and I am once again reminding Angus about the importance of hygiene.

Me: “You have to make sure you clean your hands properly.”
Angus: “Otherwise I might get a boil.”

* * *

It is afternoon, and the boys and I are hanging out on the stairs (don’t ask me why). Out of nowhere…

Angus: “I have three brothers: Pete, Jamie and Cameron.”
Me: “That’s right, you do.”
Angus: “And you guys have four sons.”
Me: “Yes, we do darling.”
Angus: “But Cameron’s in heaven.”
Me: “Yes….”

* * *

It is dinnertime. I am warning Jamie about the dangers of not eating his dinner. Pete is listening in.

Me: “Jamie, if you don’t eat your food you’re going to the naughty cot.”
Pete: “One, two….. three… cot!”

(Yes, Pete finally makes his debut…)

* * *

And one morning, two weeks ago…

Angus: “Mummy, maybe when I’m thirty two you can buy me a woman!”

You can read more of our conversations here.

One evening, during bath time:

Angus: “When I’m a grown up, I want to live in this house with you, and daddy, and Pete and Jamie so that you don’t get lonely.”
Mummy: “That’s really sweet, darling.”

On second thought…

“Maybe I’ll live somewhere else. And I’ll have my own boys. And I’ll come visit you in my car. Yes, I will show you my car. It will be a Defender.”

* * *

During breakfast one morning:

Angus: “There is a naughty corner everywhere.”
Mummy: “Yes, there is darling. Yes, there is.”

* * *

In the car one day, Pete tries to say ‘toy.’

Angus: “‘Toy’ begins with ‘T’ and ends with ‘Oy.’”

* * *

After an afternoon with Nan and Pa:

Angus: “Sometimes I put my ginger nut in Grandpa’s coffee. To make it softer. Sometimes I do that. Because I like it softer.”

* * *

In the car, on our way out to the beach:

Angus: “Daddy, can you drive safely? Make sure you don’t bump into anything. You always want to not bump into anything.”

* * *

In the evening one night, after bath time:

Angus: “Is God still holding everything together?”
Daddy: “Yes.”
Angus: “Good.”

Later, during prayer time…

“Dear God, thank you for changing our hearts and for making us more like Jesus. Amen.”

* * *

On the way to preschool one day:

Angus: “We need to take the big car to a car wash to make the wheels nice and clean.”

* * *

In the car, after speaking for an hour non-stop:

“I’m going to be quiet now, because I’m all puffed out.”

* * *

On learning about the fall:

Angus: “Why did Adam and Eve trust the snake? They should’ve trusted God!”

* * *

After falling over at the playground:

Angus: “It was a rough landing, but I’m okay.”

* * *

Whilst sitting in the playroom with mummy:

Angus: “I recognise this hair! It’s your hair, mummy. Why are you dropping so much hair?”
Mummy: “That’s a very good question, dear.”

* * *

And during dinnertime last week:

Angus: “Once upon a time, mummy went outside and went camping. There was a lion and a tiger. The end.”

You can read more of our conversations with Angus here.

(Linking up with Grace for FYBF.)

We are in the car, on our way home one day.

Angus: “When I’m a grown up, I’ll choose a car from the car shop. If I need a motorbike, I’ll get a motorbike.”
Me: “You’re not going to need one.”
Angus: “If I need one, I’ll get one.”
Me: “You won’t need one. Period.”

* * *

Again, in the car:

Angus: “Land Rover Discovery is a very long word.”

* * *

At the dinner table one evening:

Angus: “I wont be a grown up for a long time because I’m still three years old for a long time. How old are you mummy?”
Me: “Thirty-two, darling.”
Angus: “Thirty two is a lot!”

* * *

During bedtime with the boys:

Angus: “Daddy, you better kneel down so that you don’t squash me.”

Moments later….

“Daddy, in the morning, the sky turns blue when the earth turns towards the sun, and the clouds turn white, and daddy, when the clouds get full of water, we get rain in the morning.”

* * *

In the morning, while Pete is having his nappy changed:

Rick: “Pete has a pink bottom.”
Angus: “Oh no, that will hurt. When people have a pink bottom, that means it hurts.”

* * *

After a tearful dinnertime one evening:

Me: “Do you know why you were crying?”
Angus: “No. Sometimes you just don’t know why. It just happens.”

* * *

In the car, on our way to the beach:

“I see things and I think about them, oh and I also talk about the things I think about, and I do that all the time.”

* * *

And finally, this afternoon during quiet time:

Angus: “Daddy, why are you just wearing a tummy?”

(You can read more of our conversations with Angus here.)

It is Monday morning. I’m driving Angus to the speech therapist.

Me: “Would you like to have a babycino at the cafe afterwards?”
Angus: “Sometimes I have a babycino with marshmallows but today I’m having a milkshake.”

* * *

Angus and I are on the way to a birthday party.

Angus: “Mummy, I like you…today.”

* * *

It is 2am in the morning. Rick and I wake up to the sound of Angus screaming in his room.

Rick goes in to investigate.

Rick: “Angus, what’s wrong?”
Angus: “Daddy, I can’t get penguin to go to sleep!”
Rick: “Okay. Let’s put him on the pillow. He can sleep there.”
Angus: “Is he awake?”
Rick: “No.”
Angus: “Can you check?”
Rick: “Penguin, are you awake?” Silence. “He’s quiet, so he’s asleep.”
Angus: “Put him on his back, daddy!”
Rick: “Okay, he’s on his back now. Go to sleep Angus.”
Angus: “Goodnight daddy.”

* * *

It is Sunday morning, and I’m trying to park our Discovery at church.

Angus: “Mummy, you have to park between the two white lines.”

* * *

It is Thursday evening, and I’m a bit upset with Rick for messing up one of the kitchen drawers.

Angus watches as I leave the room.

Angus: “Daddy, can you do the right thing to make mummy happy?”*

*Rick would like me to point out that he usually does. Tis true. He usually does.

It is night-time. I notice that the boys’ bedroom light is on. Again.

I am not pleased.

I go into their room, give Angus the sternest look I can muster and flick the light switch off.

Me: “Don’t turn the light on again, okay Angus? Do you understand?”

Angus: “I think so mummy.”

* * *

In the car. I’m trying to explain to Angus why he is not to push Pete again.

Me: “It is not loving to push other people. And Pete is your brother. So please don’t push him again, okay? Angus?”

Pause.

Angus: “I’m a good pusher, mummy!”

* * *

Several moments later…

Angus: “My favorite toy is a Land Rover.”

* * *

Outside. Somewhere.

Me: “Oh my goodness!”

Angus: “Oh my goodness!”

Me: “Oh. My. Goodness.”

* * *

Lunchtime. I am trying to convince Pete to stop pouring milk all over himself.

Me: “Listen to me Pete!”

Angus: “Listen to me too, Pete!”

Me: “Pete, listen to mummy!”

Angus: “Pete, listen to Angus!”

* * *

Me: “How did you take off Pete’s sleeping bag?”

Angus: “I undo the button, undo the zip and take it off!”

* * *

Morning. I am still in bed. My blindfolds are still on.

Angus runs in. I feel little hands trying to take my blindfolds off.

Angus: “Mummy, it’s time to wake up because it’s not night time anymore.”

* * *

Me: “Have you done a big poo?”

Angus: “I need to go to daddy.”

Me: “Yes you do. Go now.”

(Linking up with Mon’s joy packets!)