Kid's Say the Darnest Things

The things that come out of Little Dude's mouth often surprise and amaze me. He is quite a master of conversation. He'll throw out large words like "disgusting," "fabulous," and "marvelous," which will surprise us.

My favorite was when he told his teacher at school that his shoelace had "lost its aglet." The teacher didn't even know what an aglet was! (Thanks to Phineas & Ferb, our family is well acquainted with the word.)

Sometimes, Little Dude has a way of stating the obvious that just makes us smile. For instance, before his birthday we were talking about how he'll one day be a teenager and then an adult. He threw up his hands in exasperation and said, "I just keep getting older and older!"

Sometimes, Little Dude will add his own little twist of fiction to fact. Like the other Saturday morning when he informed us (while eating a donut), "If I eat too much sugar, I'll turn into a cow and jump over the moon!"

And other times, Little Dude is just filled with so much imagination that I don't even know what is wandering through his little brain.

Wednesday night at church, he was learning about Jonah and the whale. He told his Bible study leader that a few weeks ago I got upset with him, but then an alligator swallowed him. He was in the gator's stomach for 5 weeks, and I was sad until Jacob was finally able to get out.

Hmm...

When I asked him about that story the next morning he said, "Well, when I was Jonah I got swallowed by a shark."

"You did?"

"Yes. And other kids got swallowed by the shark too. But I steered the shark."

"You steered the shark?"

"Yes. And we were in there for 3 weeks."

"That's a long time."

"Yeah. But then the shark pooped and we came out."

"Wait... are you sure the shark didn't throw up and then  you came out?"

"No. The shark pooped. It was gross. Ew... poopy shark behind." (Followed by hysterical laughter.)

Sure, I obviously need to read him the story of Jonah a few more times before it sticks, but I do enjoy his wild imagination.

Knight in Plastic Armor

I've blogged before about how Little Dude pretends to be the Red Power Ranger. He's also learned that in order to be a hero, you have to have a bad guy. It's apparently part of the Fantasyland laws - you don't have to have a reason to fight for, just a bad guy to fight. So Big Dude occasionally fills the role of antagonist to Little Dude's hero, and they go to war in our living room armed with foam swords and witty lines like, "I'm gonna get you, bad guy!"

Furry Dude and I watch this bloodless combat from the safety of the couch where I'm usually folding laundry while dodging zingers like, "You're no match for me, bad guy." (Wow. I have got to work on his rhetoric!)

Somehow, the knowledge of how to wield and thrust a sword must be encoded in a dude's DNA. It's not like our son was born at a Renaissance Festival and raised by method actors. Yet, before he even owned his first foam sword, he was already using straws and crayons to engage his enemies.

Understanding a hero's need for proper equipment, Big Dude bought Little Dude his first set of swords. Then his second. ("The foam swords are starting to fall apart.") Then his third. ("These ones glow in the dark.") And by now, Little Dude has amassed quite an impressive armory of plastic and foam swords. If we ever have to go to war against Mattel, this family is ready!

Little Dude has also discovered that you don't have to be a Power Ranger to carry a sword. Papa and Grandma taught him about knights.

As an expert swordsman, Little Dude is able to defeat his foe with one hand.

They took us to Medieval Times.

If you've never been to Medieval Times, you should check it out sometime. They change the storyline quite often, but the premise is that you are attending a medieval tournament.

You get to eat with your hands and scream hysterically... basically, you can behave like a toddler for a few hours.

We were lucky to get a front row seat to the action - horsemanship, jousting, sword fights and more.

Little Dude loved it! It was a fantasy come true for him. He was completely mesmerized by the live action. He was cheering. He was waving a flag with our knight's colors. And most importantly... he got to see a bad guy defeated.

Huzzah!

And yes, Big Dude bought a couple more plastic swords while we were there!

Florida! - Leapin' Gators

Yes, I realize that it might seem like my family has a slight obsession with gators. First, there was gator hunting (not quite what you think) near the Everglades and then a visit to Gatorland.

Top Right: Oh, sweet nostalgia! The gator jaw no longer covers the entrance, but it still smiles for a photo op.
Bottom Right: No gators were harmed in the taking of this picture.

OK, you may be asking Gatorland? But I'm here to tell you it is FUN! The first time we visited Gatorland was right after I graduated from high school. While we were in Florida visiting relatives and Disney World, my parents let my sister and I each pick something to go see. I cannot remember what she picked, but I chose the most intriguing billboard I had ever seen... Gatorland!

It was a strange choice, but my parents were willing to humor me. And it ended up being the highlight of the trip. The park's gaping gator jaw entrance led to unexpected entertainment!

Gators, gators everywhere!
Top Right: More of those creepy vultures. They were everywhere we went in Florida.

Hubby had heard us talk about Gatorland with such genuine fondness that he was game to go. Of course, the thought crossed my mind... What if it's not as good as I remember?

Yes, I encouraged my child and hubby to hold a python. What loving mother wouldn't?

The park is much more commercialized now than when we first visited it. There are Gatorade vending machines all over the place. They have several photo booths where you pose astride a giant gator (or in its mouth). They have a water park for the kids. They have a zip line that goes across the park... over the gator exhibits. And now you can even sign up to wrestle a gator (albeit with it's mouth taped shut) before watching the professionals do it in one of the shows.

Left: Professional gator wrestler. Do not attempt.
Right: Nope... not naptime. The wrestler flips a gator on his back to end the match.

A bird awaits service at the bait shack where you can buy hotdogs to toss to hungry gators.

But the magic of seeing hundreds of gators resting, eating, and leaping through the air still remains.

OK, maybe not leaping through the air, but those guy can jump pretty high when a piece of chicken is dangling above the water! The most popular show at Gatorland is the reptilian answer to the Shamu show at Sea World.

Look at the last picture... he managed to keep all ten fingers! I'd celebrate too!
*Professional. Do not attempt!

So did Gatorland live up to our memories? Absolutely!

Of course, Hubby spotted the most exciting non-gator action in the park. Just before we left, he took us back tough the wooden pathway that led through the gator compound and pointed out a little white fluffy spot among the tree branches.

There were two baby cranes in a nest perched above the gator marsh.

See? Not everything at Gatorland is covered in alligator hide!

Happiness Happens

So I'm taking this brief break from chronicling my vacation to Florida to celebrate Happiness Happens Day!

Despite the fact that it's a Monday, I've been pretty happy so far. I have a family that loves me. I have wonderful friends. I love what I do. I'm pretty healthy. And I have some really fun hobbies that keep me busy.

Plus, today I learned that happiness can actually be trained. Yep! All those sourpusses out there who live with a little dark cloud above their heads can actually be trained to be more cheerful. The first step is forcing themselves to smile. The actual act of smiling (whether fake or real) increases one's endorphins. The next step is to do a random act of kindness for someone. If you do five acts of kindness or expressions of gratitude a week, you'll become happier over time. Another step is to write something down every day that makes you happy... a little "Happy Journal."

Despite the fact the the US Constitution actually guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness, we're not the happiest nation. We're actually the 16th happiest. Of course, as C.P. Snow once said, "The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase: if you pursue happiness you'll never find it."

Here are some other quotes I found...

"Some pursue happiness, others create it." ~ Unknown

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." ~ Robert Brault

"It is strange what a contempt men have for the joys that are offered them freely." ~ Georges Duhamel

"We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier." ~ Walter Savage Landor

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~ Frederick Keonig

"If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time." ~ Edith Wharton

"The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things." ~ Ernest Dimnet

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." ~ Robert Brault

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"In order to have great happiness you have to have great pain and unhappiness - otherwise how would you know when you're happy?" ~ Leslie Caron

"You cannot always have happiness, but you can always give happiness." ~ Unknown

"I am a king of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." ~ J.D. Salinger

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ~ Joseph Addison

"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." ~ Colette

"Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." ~ Mildred Barthel

"Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad." ~ Norm Papernick


What's your favorite happiness quote?

Proud Mama

OK, so I'm a proud mama. What can I say?