Crazy family

Me: Which is your favorite girl in class?
4-yo Spock: Megan. And Desiree.
Me: I think you luuuurve Desiree.
Spock: (smiles sheepishly) Yes.
Me: But she's crazy. She's a crazy girl! But then...you're crazy, too.
Spock: Yeah - maybe someday we can marry and start a crazy family!

Can't take it!

At dinner:

Me: Eat up, little man!

3 year-old C: Hahaha... this is too funny! I can't take it anymore! Hahaha... 

Good question!

Craig had to spend a night at the hospital recently due to dehydration (stomach flu - bleh!). We were watching an educational documentary on breastfeeding on the hospital's television:

Mommy: That's how you took your milk, you know, when you were a baby. From Mommy's *boo-boo.

Craig: Huh? But how do you put the cow's milk into the boo-boo?

*Boo-boo is our term for breasts.

Proof of right

While we were reading a Richard Scarry book about aircrafts and airports:

Spock: Look the plane's landing gear!

Mommy: It's the landing wheel.

Spock: Landing gear, Mommy.

Mommy: No, it's called landing wheel.

Spock: Prove it to me!

Mommy: (Pointing to the wheel) what's this?

Spock: A wheel.

Mommy: What's it for?

Spock: To land the plane.

Mommy: So, it's a landing wheel!

Spock: But it's not down like a wheel should be.

Mommy: It will come down as the plane lands.

Spock: Alright...I'll trust you! 

On-Off Switch

I learnt from a popular parenting blog that one of the ways to help an active mind slow down and fall asleep is to engage the On-Off switch game. I tried to no success two nights ago:

Craig: I want you to tell me a story about Kandy the bear.

Mommy: OK - but after this story, we will turn off the switch here (gesturing the left of his forehead) and you'll go to sleep.

Craig: No, the "off" switch is on this side (pointing to opposite side of his forehead).

Mommy: OK, OK. But remember, we will switch it off after the story.

Craig: But actually, there's no switch on my head!

Mommy: Just pretend you have one, will ya!

(After the story)

Mommy: OK - as promised, we will turn the switch off now.
Craig: OK.

(Still talking...)

Mommy: Hey, hey, no talking - switch is turned off!
Craig: Actually there's another switch behind my head. We can't turn that off coz it will make a loud sound if you turn it off - eeeh-eeh-eeh-eeh!
Mommy: (Concludes that clearly the Switch game is not working!) Just shut your eyes and go to sleep, if not...!

God is saying...

We are praying at night in bed…

Daddy: God, thank you for this day you gave us. Thank you that you have been with Mommy this week as she teaches people about you in India, and thank you that she is coming back tomorrow. Please give her a safe flight back. Thank you also that Poh Poh could be with us this week, and please give her a safe trip back to Ipoh. Thank you for how much you love us—

Spock: God is saying, ‘You’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome!’

Skin-head

Spock was headbutting his daddy's hand:

Daddy: Your head is so hard. It’s like it’s made of iron.

Spock: Is it harder than your head?

Daddy: I don’t know maybe. I never hit my head against stuff like you do. But yours is hard. It’s like a rock. Do you have rocks in your head?

Spock (seriously and breathlessly): No I have bones inside my head, and that’s why it’s hard but mommy doesn’t she just has skin inside her head!

First time

Spock was looking out at traffic downstairs from our apartment window:

Daddy: What do you see?

Spock: I see *Boondong. He is in a double-decker car.

Daddy: Oh really? I don’t think so.

Spock: I do.

Daddy: Where is he?

Spock: He’s in a double-decker car.

Daddy: I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of a double-decker car!

Spock: There is a first time for everything!

*Note: “Boondong” is an alter ego Craig made up for himself a few weeks ago, whom he also refers to as a third person. His brother is “Brujujujah”

So sweet

After giving his mommy a big kiss, he says: "Awww I'm soooo sweet!"

Copyrighted to Craig Chan Thomas

Traveling in the car last night, Spock "composed" his first song (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star):

Twinkle twinkle traffic light

Round the corner shining bright

Red means stop and green means go

Yellow means very very slow

Twinkle twinkle traffic light

Round the corner shining bright

Epiphany

Spock's various attempts to delay bedtime:

Spock: I have to poop.

Daddy: You have to poop? You pooped earlier.

Spock: My tummy is empty but I am waiting to poop. Jesus said I must poop...

Daddy: What?! Jesus didn't ask you to poop! No more excuses - stay in bed.

Spock: But I need more excuses!

A classic

During bedtime reading:

Spock: I want you to read this (Dr Seuss's The Grinch who stole Christmas) to me.

Mommy: Are you sure - it may be scary for you and you may get nightmares. Let's read another one.

Spock: No. I want this one. It's a classic - you must read it to me!

Mealtime banter

After tasting his chicken, Spock says...

"Yummy chicken! ...I love chicken... Why do we eat animals?...(Daddy gives him a reasonable answer)... Thank you, Mommy, for this wonderful food!...Why do we close our eyes when we pray?...(To Daddy) Can I have a little bit of your broccoli?...(To Mommy) Your food is very good!"

P.S.: His mom is THRILLED that he loves broccoli.

The F word

30 month-old Spock in observing how the conveyor belt at the airport baggage check works:

"I'm fascinated!"

"Jesus" in the lion's den

Spock informs us of an incident that even his New Testament scholar daddy was not aware of:

And Jesus was thrown into the lion's den... and the lions did not eat him!

TaaTaa

SR Nathan - the President of Singapore:

While watching the Singapore National Day parade on television, Spock sees the President of Singapore, SR Nathan, and claims that he's TaaTaa (my boss at work, LT Jeyachandran, whom S affectionately calls, TaaTaa - Grandfather in Hindi):

Spock: That's TaaTaa!

Mommy: Are you sure?

Spock: Yes! I like TaaTaa. He's a good guy.

The real TaaTaa:

Storyteller

"Let me tell this story about the duck. This is not a bad story: once upon a time, there was a meadow in the stream. The end!"

Feelings

Spock: Where's YiYi and Aunty AiKean?

Mommy: They've left for home.

Spock: Yes - I had a good time with them.

Mommy: Yes!

Spock: They are sooo silly! (smiles)I didn't want to hurt their feelings.

Help....!

Upset that Daddy sent him to time-out, Spock cries for help:

Poh Poh...help me! Save me! Poh Poh protect me from Daddy!

Energy drink

Advised to refrain from eating immediately after his procedure, Spock was hungry and insisted on a lunch of rice:

Spock: I want lunch!

Mommy: Here, drink some water instead.

Spock: But water doesn't give us energy! Right?