Things I Don't Want to Forget about 3

So much to blog about, so little time. But before I get into Portland and impromptu birthday parties shenanigans, I've been meaning to write an entry about things I want to make sure I remember about Marshall at 3. You can ask anyone, I have a horrible memory. Horrible. (Except for useless information....I'm great at trivia). So I need to write these down before I forget and they are lost forever.

• When a word has an L in it (beginning, middle, or end), Marshall makes it have two l's. Like "Li-lon" (lion), or "Fly-ling", or "lellow" (yellow). I know we should probably work on correcting this, but it's the cutest thing. Especially when he is trying to convey serious information, like "Fly-ling squirrels like to live in holes" or "My favorite wild cat is the Li-Lon" (Thanks to Auntie Sarah for I Love Wild Cats. Auntie Sarah likes to get Marshall books about animals that could eat humans.)


• Marshall is realizing his inherited gene for BS. Our family motto might as well be "If you don't know that answer, make something up and say it with authority." My girlfriends in high school used to tease me about my ability to do this, especially with regard to directions (I see that as their fault though. I mean, you shouldn't have to spend that much time with me to realize that I don't have the best sense of direction.) And Will and his family are known for this. They love to tell the story of the time Uncle Herb told some woman in the stands of an Academy parade that only the president gets a 21 gun salute. 20 for VP, and so on. (Completely untrue, but she totally believed it....and is probably passing this false information on to generations of her family.) Anyway, Marshall can do it too. When he doesn't know what something is, he just makes up a word for it. For example, in the book, Berenstain Bear's New Baby, there is a sequence of pictures where Papa Bear is making a new bed for Brother Bear. Marshall likes to say what they are doing in each picture. "Here's where he cut down the tree. And then he toonly. Then Papa koomba the tree....." and so on.


• Marshall has the most amazing imagination. Marshall has invented the Poomba bugs that live in the park behind our house. Specifically, the sand pile in the creek bed when it is dry. He makes holes for their homes and then feeds them "seeds" (actually today it was "corn"). The Poomba bugs that live in the creek bed and the Koomba bugs that live in the gate post at the entrance to the park are friends.


• Lately getting Josie dressed in the morning is like dressing a cat. She wriggle and writhes, trying to get off the changing table. (Marshall calls that "being a wiggle-worm.") Anyway, it's all I can do to get a diaper on her and then I sit her on the floor to mentally prepare myself for the shirt and pants wrestling match that is about to ensue. Marshall calls this "tickle time". He chases Josie around and "tickles" her (Marshall tickles don't feel like tickles. They kind of hurt.) Josie LOVES this. She loves her brother so much that he can get away with all kinds of things and she cracks up. Like tackling her to the ground when giving her a "hug". I love tickle time too.


• Hopefully this isn't TMI, but if Marshall ever sees me in a bra and pants while getting dressed, he immediately lifts up his shirt to expose his belly too and says,"Mom! We're dressing up as mermaids!"

I'm sure there are a million more things I could add to this list. I love this little boy so much.