My son, the genius

At 8 years old, Luke is at an age where he gets homework regularly. This includes weekly a spelling test, which he's been acing with 10/10 every week this term.

That's excellent, but not the main story of this post.

Ben has only just started school a few weeks ago, but he likes to do homework too. Teachers don't really give reception kids homework so we set him tasks such as drawing or sounding out his letters.

Yesterday morning I asked Luke to look at his spellings to prepare for his next test. Ben decided he wanted to do some spellings too, so I asked him to write a few basic words that he can read but not necessarily write yet.

He got them all right. Great. Still not the punchline though!

I left the room for a moment and when I came back he had written a word and asked me to look at what he had written. I was astonished to see he had written in excellent hand-writing (for a 4 year old) the word "synopsis".

Stunned, I asked him where he had heard that word and how did he know how to spell it let alone write it. With a big pleased-with-himself grin he pointed at the word printed further down on the piece of scrap paper he had written on!

What goes on in the minds of little boys....

...when one of them suddenly decides to say "ah, chippy chippy chippy!" (in an imitating snoring way) the other finds it hilarious, copies it and returns the sound louder, which makes the other start laughing hysterically, and it all spirals on and on and on for several minutes?

I don't know and I don't think they do either. Sometimes it's funny, well, at first. But not when it escalates....grrhh!

One hypothesis is that perhaps it's the little ones love of chips (as in the ones that go nicely with fish, especially with lashings of salt, vinegar and tomato sauce). Afterall, I think he dreams of dipping chips in ketchup.

Anyway, I'm tired so...[fake yawn]....ah, chippy, chippy, chippy....

Kids say the darnedest things

The setting: McDonalds

Me: What meat is in your chicken nuggets?

Ben: Huh?

Me: Are you eating chicken?

Ben: (laughs) No! We don't eat animals. We eat food!

Of course, it could've been a comment about the meat content (or lack of) in Mcdonalds.....

Classic from Ben

As we drove home this evening Ben shouted,"Kiss me, I'm a frog!"

I'm guessing it's from a TV programme or an advert for a movie?

Snort funny!

Ben made up his first "knock knock" joke the other day.

Ben: Knock Knock
Me: Who's there?
Ben: Pig
Me: Pig who?
Ben (points at me): There!

As ever I thought of the witty riposte too late - Cheeky little swine!

Okay, he's not quite grasped the concept of knock knock jokes, but it was so out of the blue that it was quite funny so laughed quite a bit. He now tells it at every opportunity and howls with laughter to encourage his audience to laugh too!

Flock

Whilst driving around Norwich on Sunday I pointed our a large white French Poodle to Ben, my 2 year old.

His response was (quite sincerely) "I want a sheep!"

Silly sausage

Ben (pointing at me) : Daddy a boy!

Me: S'right. What about mummy?

Ben: Mummy a girl!

Me: Well done. What are you then?

Ben: Ben a boy!

Me: Okay. What about Luke?

Ben (pointing at his brother): Luke's a sausage!!!

Feeling festive?

Little Ben's got in the spirit. Frequently throughout the day he walks up to people and says "oh oh oh, erry mistmas!" Bless :-)

Here's a picture of the festive little fellow last Christmas (at the grand age of 1)

Baby talk

Little Ben has a reasonable dose of words splattered amongst the babble, and generally when we point to something and say what it is he'll repeat the word quite well.

However, there's one we figured he might've got by now....

Me (pointing to Mummy):- "Ben, who's that?"
Ben: Me Mummy!
Me (pointing to me):- "Who am I?"
Ben: Daddy!
Me (pointing to Luke:- "Ben, who's that?"
Ben:- Jukie!
Me (pointing to Ben):- "Okay, what's your name?"
Ben (patting his tummy):- Baby!!!!!

He does it on purpose nowadays because he knows it gets a laugh and from time to time we do get a "Ben", "Ban" and on one occasion "Bum"!

Loadsa words

Ben is stringing words together like no-ones business. okay, most of it seems like gobbledegook but the he put such meaning into his expressions when he's saying it that there's gotta be some meaning behind it!

Okay, there are quite a few clear ones coming through now (on top of the Daddy, which he's been saying clearly since before he was 1, and Mummy, which he says ever so sweetly.)

And then there's a bunch of other words which Mummy and Daddy can understand but not every one else. For example, babir=blackbird. bro-ah=brother uke=Luke aye=mine, and of course humph=I'm angry (Okay, that's not a literal translation but it's what it means. the arms are either crossed or slapped onto any object to emphasise the point!)

Ben's new trick

"Ben, where's your tummy?"

Cheeky grin creeps across his face, pulls up his shirt to reveal his podgy belly and pats it, proudly chanting "pat pat pat."

Earlier this morning we were looking at some old holiday photos (me in Florida in 1994) and he spotted his good friend Mickey Mouse. After a bit of pointing and squealing he said "Mmmm. Mmuh. Mic....key!"


Image sourced from Disney Records

The philosopher

This morning I was jogging around the lounge (WII Fit, of course!) and Luke asked: "Dad, what are you doing?"

I replied: " jogging around in circles."

Luke's instant response to this was: "don't go around in circles. You'll end up back where you started."

Happy Pop

Today was a good day.

After several weeks of being sent out of the swimming pool during his weekly swimming lesson for not behaving, Luke finally went an entire session without being told off!

And before that he'd spent his first couple of hours at "Big Boys School" so he could meet his new teacher for next term. And I heard good reports back from that too!

He rang me up at work to tell me his news in his usual efficient manner.
Me: Hey Lukey. What've you got to tell me then?"
Luke (in really quiet voice): I've been good. Bye.
Mummy: He's gone.

Woolite....it's a safetergent!

When I was getting dressed for work this morning I pulled out a blue t-shirt (Friday is dress down day -yay!) and as I went to put it on Luke pointed at it and said (ever so seriously) "Daddy, for all you dark clothes you need new Woolite to stop your clothes fading."



He's an advertiser's dream!!!!

If only TV could pass subliminal messages that improve kids behaviour!

This in NOT one of my kids....

...I found it on YouTube, and there's loads of great clips of kids absolutely laughing their socks off for no reason.

A few days ago....

Ben seemed to be choking, or stuggling with something in throat.

Then we found out......as the sonic boom rushed outwards and I wasn deafened by the loudest baby burp I'd ever heard!

The poor little fella didn't know whether to laugh or cry; mainly because Daddy and Mummy were in hysterics.

After a second big burp he grinned. Several more aftershocks followed, not as loud, but still funny.

Cilit Bang!

The power of TV and the easily influenced nature of children.

Whilst driving in the car the other day Luke announced: "Cilit Bang. One bang and the dirt is gone!"

That's not the only TV advert he's quoted. Only afew weeks before he was humming a tune, and I thought to myself "wow, that's quite a nice tune he's made up." A few day later a TV advert came on which had a classical piece of music and Luke started humming the tune. Flippin' Nora, the little blighter had hummed the same tune a few days before and it was spot on!

Oddly enough I found this on YouTube which was quite amusing!

Oh boy!

When putting Luke to bed tonight he came out with this gem.

"Daddy, dreams come from my poo poo. My poo poo gives me dreams."

New Arrival

After 2 days of deprived sleep I figured it's time to introduce Ben to the world.

This picutre was taken when he was about half an hour old.


Who would've thought such a small thing can make such a loud noise....

His arrival has made his big brother very very very very chuffed. Hardly a minute goes without him saying "aw, I love my baby."

I'm a Reindeer!

My son informed me with much pride! He seems pretty chuffed with his role in the Nursery Xmas play and went on to explain his role. "I run around being a reindeer, then I sit down."

He never normally tells us much about his nursery or playgroup activities so he clearly loves this one! Personally I can't wait it see it! If he sits down on cue it would suggest he can obey instructions!!!!