Darby tries ginger ale:

Darby: Blech! This is yucky!
Chris: Do you want some more?
Darby: ... Yes.

And reported by his mom:

Erika: Good painting, Darby. What is it?
Darby: It's a guy throwing up!
Erika: Yep, that's what that looks like.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table when Darby comes running up.

"Daddy, Daddy! Mommy did something bad!"

Immediately I hear Erika from somewhere in the distance: "WHAT?!"

Sadly, Darby's explanation was incomprehensible, so I never could figure out what he thought she'd done. But I'm sure it was terrible.

Nature or nurture?

In iTunes I maintain a playlist of songs Casey likes from the stuff he hears me playing. His recent requests to add songs have included the following:

• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, "Fate": I. Allegro con brio -- Beethoven
• Bust a Move -- Young MC
• Black Horse and the Cherry Tree -- KT Tunstall
• In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida -- Iron Butterfly

That's the tip of the iceberg, believe me. He seems to be adopting his father's eclectic tastes in music.

Justice at 4

Hey neat, I just found an old file on my computer. I know, right? But it gets better! Apparently I knew I'd want to remember this, so I jotted this exchange down. It's more than a year old, but here's my attempt to explain jurisprudence to an inquisitive 4-year-old:

Casey: What do the police do?
Chris: They're there to enforce the law. We have lots of special rules that keep people safe and keep them from hurting each other, and the police are there to make sure people aren't breaking the rules.
Casey: The police make sure people are sharing?

And:

Casey: What do the bad guys do?
Chris: The bad guys break the rules.
Casey: Do bad guys like to climb on the table?

Quote[s] of the [Holi]day

Ah, a day at home with the kids. So here's one from each:

Casey: Hey, Daddy? Remember last year, when the Twins lost too many games?
Me: Well, I try not to, but yes.
Casey: Maybe that will happen to the other hockey team that's playing the Wild.

Thanks, Casey. I love when he tries to cheer me up. And actually ... the Wild are looking surprisingly good so far.

And:

Darby: I want pie sauce, too!
Erika: It's not called pie sauce, Darby, it's whipped cream.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Here's one I saved from a month ago:

[Darby is wailing, profoundly upset.]
Chris: Darby, what is it? Why are you crying?
Darby: *chokes back the sobs* Casey called me a cabbage!

???

Well that didn't take long. I came home on time today:

Casey: I'm eating something!
Hmm. He's not supposed to have food downstairs, and he hasn't been upstairs since I got home.
Chris: What are you eating?
Casey: I saved a fruit snack in my cheek!