occupation confusion

It has been SO long since I've been on here. We've been so busy. Hopefully with the new year, I can get back in the habit!

Today Ben was sitting on the potty and the TV was on in the living room. Jeopardy game on and they were giving everyone's name and occupation. One of the contestants is a "tutor." Ben looked at me and laughed and said, "Mom, that guy said 'tooter.'" He thought he meant a person who "toots" a lot. He laughed and laughed.
When he was done, we walked into the living room and I said, "Ben, tell Daddy what they said on TV."
Ben: "That guy's a poop guy."
Jer: "What?"
Ben: "Mom, what was that guy?"
Me: "A tutor."
Ben (giggling): "Dad, that guy's a tooter."

a new target

Wow! I was doing so well for such a long time. Sorry "fans" that I have been slacking.
Anyway, Ben is going through some regression phase. He's crying about EVERYTHING and all of a sudden can't go to the bathroom by himself.
I was sitting with him today while he was sitting and peeing on my toilet. He had to go bad and was aiming very carefully. This caused him to bend over slightly. While he was "watching" (I'm assuming, I don't know what boys do), he drooled into the potty.
He watched for a second. Then I saw him "adjust" a little bit. He looked up at me and said, "Mom, I just peed on my slobber."
I knew he was aiming.
Then, he hopped off the potty and said, "I need to go tell, Dad!"
And he did!

The Little Mermaid

One of our favorite movies these days is The Little Mermaid. It was one of Jeremy's favorites, so he got it for Christmas a few years ago.
Benjamin and Hadley got a Dora Kitchen from some friends of ours. With it came some plastic forks. Benjamin came over to me and said, "Mom, can I dingle hop your hair?"
We spent a few minutes brushing our hair with small plastic forks!

Bed time kisses

So, Ben goes in spurts where he likes to lick my face instead of kiss me. While we were getting ready for bed, I asked him for a kiss. He walked over and kissed me. The lights were out in his room, so I couldn't see his face, but it was abnormally slimy.
He smiled really big and said, "That was a kiss and a lick!"
We laughed at him, and I said, "Can I have a nice kiss on the cheek?"
He came over and licked me again. So, I grabbed him and licked his cheek.
He stood up, wiped off his face, and said, "I'm a boy. People don't lick boys. That's really gross!"

Another prayer story

We went to Kraynaks today with my brother and sister-in-law, niece, mom, and the kids. We had a great time! While there I hurt my finger in a tragic cart accident. I don't know what I did, but it involved a pop and now it's swollen and bruised. I was telling Jeremy about it on the way home. Ben heard us talking and asked what happened.
Ben: "Mom, did your finger hurt? Did it pop? Is it bruised? Do you want me to pray for it when we get home?"
Me: "Yes, my finger hurts. Yes, it popped. Yes, it's bruised. Of course, I want you to pray for it when we get home!"
When we sat down for prayers tonight, I asked him if he would pray for it. He said, "Thank you God, for making Mommy's finger all better."
Then, he looked at me and said, "Can you pray for my kids?"
(Because Jeremy and I are both teachers, we always say we have to go to school to work with our kids. Benjamin now has "kids" and a "teacher" of his own.)
Me: "Of course, I can pray for your kids what's wrong?"
Ben: "All of their fingers popped!"
We prayed for his kids fingers to get better!

War of 1:00

There was a HUGE battle this afternoon for a nap. Benjamin was NOT having it. We did everything, but most things ended in screaming and NOTHING resulted in sleep.
At one point I took him into my bed and laid down next to him, hoping that he would give in. Instead, he laid with his eyes open staring at the wall, window, ceiling, etc.
I said, "Benjamin, close your eyes."
He moved his eyeballs so that he was looking down and said, "They are closed."
Me: "No, you're just looking down."
Ben: "No, I'm not. I closed my eyes."
Me: "This is how you close your eyes." (I manually shut his eyes for him.)
Ben: "No it's not."
Me (again): "This is how you close your eyes" (I shut my eyes.)
Ben (squinting): "Like this?"
Me (giving up): "Yes. GO to sleep!"

Just like mom

There aren't many times when Benjamin and I say things that are very similar. He's so much like his dad! However, he changed that today.
I don't know about anyone else, but anytime my brother and I competed as kids I always ended up quitting. I figured I couldn't lose if I wasn't playing.
That strategy still works for me today. When Jeremy starts winning (or starts off winning), I quit so he can't win. He counts it as a win, but I reply "oooooh you beat me and I wasn't even playing." I always take the mature route! Ben has taken a similar route - all though a little more mature.
Every night, Ben and Jeremy race to the sink for Ben to brush his teeth. They start in any number of places and Ben says, "Ready, set (he starts to run), go!"
Tonight, he didn't race. He rode on Jeremy's back. When they got to the sink, Jeremy declared victory. Ben replied, "You can win tonight. I wasn't racing."
As I type this, Jeremy and I have continued the argument. While I clarified Ben's quote, Jeremy said, "He's like you. He lets me win because he doesn't want to play."
Me: "I don't let you win. You can't beat someone who isn't playing."
Jer: You know who says that? Losers!"