Scenes From Sarah's

Owen and Stewart have been playing together so much more ever since the baby was born. I suppose they have to because I have so much less time to amuse them. This has lead to the invention of all kinds of interesting new games.

Several times a day, they gather their "friends" on my bed (a cadre of stuffed dogs) and drive them to the beach where they feed them cotton candy, Skittles and Baby Bottle Pops, and issue plenty of time-outs. It's hilarious to hear Stewart tell his dog to sit there for "three minutes," and then to ask it "why you in time-out?"

Another new one is the "GRRRR" game, which initially had Kyle and I stumped. We'd be taking care of the baby, or preparing dinner, and hear the boys plotting to go "wake the GRRRR." We just looked at each other in confusion, thinking "GRRR" was some imaginary monster. Well, just today I discovered that the "GRRRRRR" game involves badgering our dog Krycek in some way until he growls at them- hence the "grrrrr." So now we've put a stop to that one.

The boys have also discovered several new ways of torturing each other when they are bored. Owen likes to tell Stewart that he is either a girl or a robot, which gets Stewart all worked up to the point where he has to appeal to me pathetically: "Mommy...I'm not a girl. I'm a boy!" or "Mommy, I'm not a robot, I'm Stewie!"

Stewart gets Owen back by taking special treasures from Owen's bed and waving them under his nose chanting "THIS IS NOT YOURS, THIS IS MINE!" and then running away giggling.

Other games are more along the lines of generalized mischief.

Today, I came into the living room after changing the baby's diaper to find two very guilty faces and blocks strewn all over the floor. "I wasn't throwing any blocks!" declared Owen, as if I'd asked. Talk about your guilty conscience. Stewart, who is nothing if not totally honest, giggled and said, "We're throwing blocks!"

Aye. Well, at least they're finding ways to pass the time!