Quick Update

Now that the brunt of the holiday chaos is winding down, I thought I’d pause a moment to capture some of the past month’s moments that I told myself I should jot down.

Ben and Lucy have been learning to skate with “Uncle” Paul LaGrand at the local hockey club. Last Saturday I decided that it was about time I tried to learn a little myself, so in a few days I’ll be joining them.

Kids in their hockey gear

A few weeks ago while decorating the Christmas tree during a particularly warm and fuzzy family afternoon, Ben turned to Sara and said, “I’m having a moment — a moment of happiness like a bear who ate all the honey from the bees.”

Ben and Lucy and I were sitting in the car in the grocery store parking lot, waiting for Sara to buy some milk and apples (almost sounds too wholesome to be true, doesn’t it?). Lucy and Ben were jabbering away in the back seat while I was up in front, trying to listen to NPR. I have no recollection of what was on the radio, but I distinctly recall Lucy complaining to Ben about hitting her imaginary friend, some character that she hijacked from one of her favorite books. Ben apologized and explained that he didn’t see the friend. Then he went on to say, “I have an imaginary friend, too. But he lives in Chicago, so I don’t see him much. His name is Pea Brain.” I’m pretty sure Ben’s friend didn’t come from a book.

The past few days we’ve been playing a game called Blockus that Sara got me for my birthday. Unfortunately, most games that my kids can play are terribly boring for me. Blockus, however, is a blast. Even though it requires a fair amount of strategy, Ben and Lucy have been holding their own against me and Sara. Fantastic.

The kids’ favorite line from the dramatic reading at the Christmas Eve service last night was King Herod’s, “I am the king. And I intend to stay the king!” They had a fun time repeating that about 100 times last night.

Ben asked me what “geek” means yesterday. The timing was a little odd, since he has been calling me a geek for the past year or so. Anyway, I naturally tried to put a positive spin on it: “A geek is someone who is smart — someone who is usually good at…umm…umm.” When he saw me sputtering, Ben interjected: “Psychological warfare?” Well, no, that isn’t exactly what I was about to say.

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7 Responses to Quick Update

  1. Cynthia DeBoer says:

    Thanks for that “anthology”. He may resent it as a teenager, but we’re loving it, and he will too, as an adult some day.

    My current favorite Ben anecdote is from earlier in the month, when your family arrived for a visit during my usual tree-trimming procrastination mode. Sara rallied Lucy and Ben to help (hey, what kid doesn’t like to climb a step-ladder?) Amidst comments about the pickle, mitten, sock and fish in the ornament box, Ben, while hanging a tiny nativity scene, and without cue, broke into “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” – then sang the second verse as well, without missing a word. Warmed the cockles of our hearts!

  2. kevin says:

    Maybe I’m ‘Pea Brain.’ I suppose that makes sense.

  3. Karl says:

    Cynthia, you’re right: He might resent it as a teenager. We’re trying to instill in him a good sense of humor, though, so maybe he’ll be able to laugh at his younger self.
    Kevin, I don’t think you’re “Pea Brain.” You may live in Chicago, but last time I checked you weren’t imaginary.

  4. Pea Brain comes from Arthur. Pea Brain and Nut Head is the TV show that Arthur watches – the Arthur take on Beavis and Butthead.

  5. Debbi says:

    The fact that Ben knows ,and can accurately use, the term “psychological warfare” scares me! Dylan still has trouble saying “Home Depot! correctly. I love and look forward to these anecdotes– it really makes me love and miss them more!

  6. Karl says:

    Hey Paul, that could very well be where Ben got “Pea Brain” from. He hasn’t watched that show in a while, but he used to watch it a lot. Today he was talking about “Dope Brain.”
    Debbi, I asked Ben where he learned about “psychological warfare,” and he said he heard it in the book Clementine.

  7. Brooke says:

    You have the cutest two kids! I laughed out loud reading these!

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