kids inc

Best friends forever

One of the good things about having 2 kids back to back is that at some point, they learn to entertain each other. They somehow get it that they’re each other’s best company and that’s the time we can almost take a breather. Until they start clawing each other’s eyes out, that is.

When I need to do something urgent like express milk or pee, I’ll put them in their respective play areas to chill out. Tru will play with the toys in his room and Kirsten will be talking to her soft toys. That buys me about 10 minutes and one of them will get restless, which is my cue to hurry up.

Today, it was strangely quiet even after 20 minutes so I decided to go check on what was going on. Lo and behold, I walked into the room to see this.

It's like they were really talking to each other

it's like they were really talking

Tru was sitting on his little chair talking to his sister and they were having a real conversation. Like making sounds at each other, with gestures and all. Moments like these, it just makes you want to go out and make more babies.

milestones & musings, seriously somewhat serious, Videos I dig

My mother is going to kill me for posting this video. Also we made her cry.

My momma turned 50 yesterday, which makes her as old as my country but in the grand scheme of things, that’s really young considering she’s already got 2 grandkids. Besides, if you looked at her, you probably wouldn’t think she’s a day past 35. (cha-ching, 1000 points for me)

Since the big 5-0 is pretty huge, we decided to throw her a surprise birthday bash and invited all her bosom buddies. Our only aim was to make her cry so we pulled out all the stops to put it all together. She was invited to a friend’s place thinking that it would be a small dinner and we all hid in the bedroom while she was made to watch a cheesy video which we made. After which, we all rushed out with the cake and presents yelling SURPRISE!

Good thing was, we did manage to make her cry but on the downside, she is now going to kill me for posting the video with all her old photos on my blog for the world to see.

Here are my final words so I better make it count.

Mom, you only turn 50 once, and that means people get to go on a journey of all your fashion disasters. It’s all part of the package. Plus, it makes you look so much more stunning now in comparison.

When I used to drive you up the wall, you used to say “wait till you have your own kids and you will understand”. Then I used to say, “when I have my own kids, I’ll be the coolest mom in the universe. They will eat ice-cream all day and party till midnight”. Now all I can say is I was a moron and you were absolutely right. Now I do understand.

I used to wish that I had a cooler mom like Madonna or Barbara Bush because then I’d be famous and I could brag about having a superstar/first lady as my mom. Then I realized that I already do have the best mom in the world and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with explaining why my mother is dating a guy my age. Also, skirt suits with silk blouses give me the creeps.

You’ve always taught me to love God and love people. To give my best in everything that I do. To be a person with integrity and character. To have a spine in the face of adversity. To give honor where it’s due. To be generous and kind. To be faithful till the end.

Most of these lessons I learnt just watching you live your life.

Thank you for always believing the best in us and praying for us. Everything I know about being a mom I learnt from you. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I’m really, really glad you’re my mom.

With lots of love as always.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBL6SesAlXk

Kidspeak

TRUGLISH – like English, except better

Toddlers have their own language and like every language, there are specific rules. Parents just have to figure it out and all that frustration caused by miscommunication, gone. The trick is figuring it out, that’s the hard part. In order to make my life easier, I’ve spent hours studying the patterns of Tru’s language and I’ve mastered about 80% of his vocabulary.

TRUGLISH 101

Some are pretty basic and can be easily inferred using normal English.

eat [eet] verb,

1. to stuff into mouth and swallow for nourishment enjoyment (only used when object is anything else besides his meals)

2. to stick out his tongue and make a face before swallowing for nourishment (only used when object is his meal)

3. to grab and mush with his hands before smearing all over his baby chair.

youtube [yoo-tyoob] noun,

1. Jason Mraz’s I’m yours (live performance at EBS Studio Korea)

2. Choo choo soul’s ABC Gospel

3. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (mix of toodles, opening theme and hot dog)

eh or ello [eh-loh] interjection, noun,

1. Used to express greeting when placing a telephone, remote control, ipod or any other metal device to his ear.

2. A sharp protest to scare birds away from the kitchen.

3. An exclamation before doing something he is forbidden to do.

ug [uhg] verb, (it’s a silent H thing)

1. to clasp tightly with the arms, especially with affection

2. to press against his chest and suffocate (in reference to little sister and tiny animals)

no no [no-no] adverb, adjective, noun,

1. YES (when used my momma)

2. NO (when used by Truett)

Some took a while for me to figure out because it was just too bizarre. However, they are used with surprising consistency.

baca [ba-ka] noun, verb,

1. to cover an object with another object (verb)

2. milk bottle cover (noun)

cat [kat] noun,

1. small, domesticated feline animal that meows.

2. any small animal with fur and four legs, including those that bark, yelp, shriek and growl.

pena [pern-na], noun,

1. to open and make a doorway accessible.

2. to remove cover from his bottle/box

The only problem with this endeavor is that it usually is an exercise in futility because the rules are completely arbitrary and can be changed according to his every whim and fancy. But when you get it right, it’s strangely satisfying because he looks at me like I actually *get* him.

Plus, I can now add a third language to my list of skills.