Eric, Captain Underpants

Eric was practicing his yoga moves this evening, doing a downward dog in the kitchen after dinner, and I noticed that he had two pairs of underpants on. Now, there may have been a time when this would have surprised me. Not anymore. I've come to expect the unexpected with him. That didn't stop me from asking why - I'm always intrigued by the thought process involved.

"Eric, you've got two pairs of underpants on - what's up with that?"
He giggled. "Don't know." Always how he starts.
Me: "Did you put a second pair on this morning?"
Him: "Yes."
Me: "Why?"
Him: "I wanted to."
That's about all I got until later, when I asked again.
He said, "Underpants are warm and fuzzy. Two pairs are better than one, right?"
Me: "Not really."
Him: "What about when it's really cold out? What about then?"
Me: "Two pairs won't make you any warmer."
Him: "Could I wear two pairs of pants then?"
Me: "You could wear long johns. They're kind of like tights without the feet."
Him: "I want to wear tights."
Me: "No you don't."
Him: "Yes, I do."
Me: "No, you don't."
Him: (Grinning.) "Yes I do."
He's a weird one, and I love him for it.

Eric, in a dress

So - the story goes like this: my friend dropped off clothes for Sarah, who (as always) had to try everything on immediately. We were listening to music, and Sarah was dancing, spinning, and falling in her new clothes. First, Eric tried on the footie pajamas, and if they weren't pastel blue with pink ice cream cones, it would've made complete sense. I forget what happened next, maybe Sarah talked him into it, maybe he made the choice on his own, but he ended up in a dress, dancing, spinning, and falling with Sarah. They had a great time, and I was quite entertained!

Lego Monster

I was talking to my sister today, and she shared with me that her son Isaac is obsessed with Legos. Well, I told her, we have one of those too. Eric spends most of his time building. While I mostly appreciate his focus and attention to detail, sometimes it's really hard to get him to focus on anything but Legos. He has stories for every wacky thing he makes, and that (usually) makes up for his inattention when I'm pleading with him to "Put the Legos down! Now! It's time to get dressed!" Not only does he build, he looks at Lego books, plays games on the Lego website, tells me daily what new Lego product he wants, and dreams of one day having the most amazing job of being a Lego designer. I think he's not alone in dreaming this dream.

Eric, at the dinner table

Disregard the smoothie that's all over his face. (That's why I originally got the camera out. He used a straw, and we were blown away by the incredible amount of stuff that he somehow got all over himself.) But, the bigger question is - what in the world is going on in his head?!

The next day - I just showed Eric these photos and asked him what he was thinking in each of them. He happily told me, "Nothing!" for every one.

the two of them

They bicker. They irritate each other. They get angry and yell. They make each other cry. Sometimes, they would rather spend time with anyone else.

But they also make each other laugh hysterically. They play make believe. They defend each other. They tell stories and listen to each other. They draw pictures and make things for each other. They give compliments and enjoy each's other company. And, sometimes, they even hold hands, without a suggestion that it's the nice thing to do.

The Magic Afghan

See that lovely afghan? The one covering Eric? Who just happens to be taking a nap? In the middle of the day? Grandma gave it to Sarah and Eric for Christmas, and I think she must have knitted some sleepy yarn in it, along with the regular stuff. It's been at least a year since he took a nap, and although we paid for it that night, it was sweet to see him all snuggled up on the sofa, under Grandma's afghan.

Eric's Monsters

So, I made these little books for Sarah's birthday party, and included monster stickers, so that everyone could go home and make their own monster books. Well, Eric got right on that task. He was so focused while creating his monsters and (of course) had stories to tell about all of them. He showed Sarah when she got home, and Brian when he got home. It's not often that he's proud of his artwork, and I was quite happy to see this happen, without any prompting from me. I love the random eyeball all by itself - he said that monster was invisible. And what about that last one - with the eye floating around the weird mouth? He kept laughing when he showed me how he placed everything. "It has an eyeball on its mouth, Mommy. And its bellybutton is right under its mouth! See?" Yes, yes, I see that.

another treasure hunt

On the same day that I painted Sarah's face as Kitty Soft Paws (and Eric's as E-man), we went on a hike. (I feel the need to explain - as you can see, they decided not to take the face paint off for the hike.) For the kids, the goal was to find treasure. For Brian and me, the goal was to enjoy being in the woods with our kids. They found one of the two "treasures" we sought, and they barely complained about the hike, which was not a short one. (I was proud of them.) It was a beautiful day, and I spied lots of good and lovely things along the way. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend time with each other - treasure hunts bring out the best in all of us.

The Story Behind the Pirates

I asked Eric if there was a story behind the Lego pirates. He said, "They were a part of a fair. It was a ride at the fair. Those people work at the fair and dress up like pirates for the ride they work at." (Of course! They weren't actual pirates, instead they were carnival workers dressed up as pirates!) So there you have it - with him, there's always a story.

Avast, Matey!

What does that mean, anyway? Eric might be able to tell you, but not me. One of the things I love about him is the randomness that he offers on a daily basis. If I were to ask, and I will, he would have some crazy story to go with these Lego pirates. It would be one that he'd make up on the spot, which both impresses and concerns me . . . I'm not sure that's a skill I wish for him to have . . .

self portraits

They were taking pictures with the camera the other day - nice, right? I think that Eric took both of these pictures. I'm guessing that he had the same expression while he was taking Sarah's picture as he did in the one of himself. Focused and goofy at the same time - who knew it was possible? As for Sarah, the fact that it was Halloween may have played into her lovely look, or it didn't.

a superhero and his sidekick

Notice any similarities? Eric asked me if Lucy was a part of the family when he picked his Batman costume. I told him she was. He said, "That's why I picked it. Because then we could match. She could be my bat dog." What a pair they are . . .

Halloween

Yesterday, Eric and Sarah discussed whether they liked Halloween or Christmas better. They decided that they love both holidays the same amount. I think they're crazy (and I told them so) - Christmas wins, hands down - but I get it. I remember how exciting Halloween was, how fun it was to get dressed up, how delicious that usually-forbidden candy tasted. This year, they had the day off from school, and so they spent most of the day either in their pajamas or in their costumes. I let them watch too many Halloween cartoons in the morning and one more in the afternoon - not what we usually do, but so much fun. I get it, but I still think Christmas is way better.

New Hope Valley Railway

We had heard that it was worth doing, and so we drove down to a place called Bonsal and rode a train. I had thought it would be this lovely, relaxed experience, with the kids taking it in and quietly enjoying the ride. And that is how it started. However, the ride was long enough that ants crawled into their pants, and it wasn't quite the loveliness that I had imagined. I wasn't even sure they enjoyed themselves for awhile - they kept asking when the ride would be over. When the ride did end, 55 minutes after it started, they said that they had a great time, and I guess they probably did. It was Brian and me that didn't get exactly what we had signed up for - a nice, calm, quiet time. Instead, we got lots of goofy grins, constant chatter, and a game of musical chairs. Check out the last picture - at least the ride home was quiet.