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You know you’re in a breastfeeding home when your three-year-old BOY says, “Mommy I gonna nuss da baby.” And you turn around to see this: 
(Notice the pulled-up shirt. Naked doll mandatory.)
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Things to warm a Catholic mama’s heart: the boys dressing up in Indian clothes, going on a hunt-and-fish expedition, and setting an imaginary Thanksgiving feast in front of the couch, which they preface with the sign of the cross and “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts…”
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Nicholas came wailing down stairs one morning while Julianna was playing with SonoFlex (a communication app). “I can’t find any long pants!” he said. (End of the world, you know.) Julianna, at this precise moment, hit a button on the iPad and the electronic voice said dryly, “Are you kidding?”
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Sunday night, we made Christmas cookies. We finished dipping peanut butter balls in chocolate, and I told the boys they could use spoons to clean out the bowl of paraffin and chocolate. Ten minutes later they came into the living room, where I was rocking Michael, with very red mouths lined with very black chocolate. Nicholas had chocolate all over him. “Nicholas, you have chocolate on your arm,” I said.
Alex piped up, “Yeah, he fell.”
“He fell in the chocolate?”
“Yeah.”
Okay, then.
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Nicholas has not learned the fine art of secret keeping. I should have known this, but I thought I started including Alex about this age. We went shopping and had a pointed conversation about keeping it secret so it would be a surprise for Daddy. He came home and helped me wrap the present and put it under the tree.
And when Christian came home? “Daddy we got you TIES!”
When we all stopped laughing, I said, “That’s it, Nicholas, you’re fired from Christmas shopping!” Good thing that’s not his only gift.
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I wrote a post for Catholic Mothers Online about celebrating saints’ days in Advent–the easy way. Here’s what we did as an Advent Calendar activity for St. Nicholas’ feast day yesterday:
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And I have a fiction piece up today, in which Dystopia might not be all bad. I’m happy with this one; I think it has potential.
Oh yes–bonus if you read the whole post: what my boys do while Christmas tree shopping:
Kathleen M. Basi 
Did you make Buckeye cookies? One of my favorites:)
Pretty close that, yes. 🙂 We’re trying to keep the amount of cookies down this year. Christmas cookies in the house are BadForTheCalorieCount. 🙂
Very cute takes! I clicked over to your feast day post, great minds think alike, we’ll be celebrating in very similar ways!
I love the story about Julianna and the SonoFlex and “Are you kidding?”
It’d be even funnier if you heard the electronic voice. 🙂
Well, apparently when I click “leave a reply” at work I CAN leave a comment! (I have been having trouble leaving comments when I view your blog at work…
ahem.
I absolutely ADORE QT#3. That just made my day.
Love these stories, especially the one on secrets. My wife was planning a B-day party for me and my 5 yr old could not contain her excitement about cleaning the kitchen and had to tell me it was for my party then the 3 yr old proceeded to tell me about all the guests. My wife sighed.
That’s so funny!