A lot to learn

We're driving in the car when Casey heard part of a song lyric on the radio and needed immediate clarification:

Casey: "Dad, what did he say?"
Me: "What did who say?"
Casey: "What number's the loneliest number?"

Oh, Casey. You're so young.

I promised Casey I'd bring home Raisinets. I made sure Darby got a handful, too, presenting him with a pile on the desk he was sitting at.

Darby: You brought me chocolate beans!

Budding vigilantes

Casey: My superhero name is Doctor Pajama!

(Darby quickly dubbed himself "Doctor Clothes," as he hadn't switched to pajamas for the evening yet.)

Growing up

Darby: Daddy, I'm growing!
Chris: Right now?
Darby: Yes!
Chris: Cool!

Come here and get out!

Erika and I are chatting in the kitchen when Darby begins shrieking: "MOMMAY! MOMMAY!" Erika goes downstairs to check it out while I listen in.

Darby: "Leave me alone!"

Erika: "You ... want me to leave you alone?"'

Darby: "Yes, I said leave me alone!"

Erika: "Uh, OK. I'm going to go back upstairs where I won't bother you."

Man, is that kid 3 or what?

Weird things happen when I read to the kids

One of Darby's favorite books is The Spooky Old Tree, the story of the three bears that go in the tree and a bunch of mildly scary stuff happens. When it gets to the part where they have to go over the Great Sleeping Bear, for some reason, I find myself doing a Gregory Peck impression, this really low gravelly voice when I say "Great Sleeping Bear. Do they dare go over Great Sleeping Bear?" It makes it sound more ominous or something. Except, it's not really a Gregory Peck impression at all. It's my impression of Robert Downey Jr. doing an impression of Gregory Peck, which he did some years ago in a silly romantic comedy that I can't remember the name of now. I think Marisa Tomei was in it? Anyway. I'm not sure why this is the way it is. I've seen Gregory Peck himself in several movies. But the voice I'm channeling is Robert Downey Jr.'s. But only when I'm reading The Spooky Old Tree.

Now Darby knows pretty much every word in The Spooky Old Tree and sometimes insists on saying the words himself (it's a pretty short book). When he gets to that page, he does the low gravelly voice like I do it. So ... as I told Chris, that's Darby doing an impression of his mom doing an impression of Robert Downey Jr. doing an impression of Gregory Peck. He thought that was amusing and that I should share it.

Under the weather

Casey couldn't keep anything down yesterday. My job was to bring Gatorade home after work, and even Casey seemed to know it. "Did you bring Gatorade?" were the first words out of his mouth when I arrived. I put some in a cup for him and left him to drink it ("No ice," he says. "It just came home from the store -- without ice, it's going to be warm. Do you want it with ice, or do you want it warm?" "Warm," he answers. That's when I knew he was really sick.).

Then I returned to the kitchen to check in with Erika a bit. We talked a while, and I got myself some dinner, and finally I asked: so, how long does it usually take him to throw it up once you give him something to drink? Not long, Erika said: maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Whoa, I said, I should probably get down there and check on him again.

I find Casey staring listlessly at the TV. It's pretty dark in the room, so I can't see much else.

"Hey, Casey. How are you doing with the Gatorade? Did you throw it up?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. ... In the bowl?"

"No."

Dang it. "OK ... where did you throw up?"

He shrugs and points at his lap. C'mon, man, the bowl is like a foot away.

(He was looking and acting much better this morning.)