That's What They Said: Misunderstandings and Sweetness

(upon first seeing him in the morning ...)
Baylor:  Mommy, is it okay if we have harmless, infrared beams in our house?
Me:  (smiling)  What, buddy?
Baylor:  (hopeful)  Is it okay if we have harmless, infrared beams in our house?  It was in the catalog in one of those spy things.
Me:  (smiling)  I suppose that would be okay.
(a few minutes later)
Me:  Baylor, you should ask Daddy the question you asked me.  About if it'd be okay if we had that in our house.
Baylor:  Daddy, is it okay if we have harmless, infrared beams in our house?
Bryson:  (incredibly confused)  What, buddy?
Baylor:  Is it okay if we have harmless, infrared beams in our house?  (grabs the catalog)  Look, see.
Bryson:  Ah, okay, let's read this again ...
Baylor:  (reading)  Harmless, infrared beams of light!  Is it okay if we have harmless, infrared beams of light in our house?
Bryson:  Well, I don't know, buddy.
Baylor:  I want all this spy stuff for my birthday.
Bryson:  Baylor, do you think Mommy and Daddy can afford to get you all this spy stuff for your birthday?
Baylor:  Hm, no.  (looks around the page)  Maybe you could get me something that doesn't take batteries.  Look at this one, "Twenty-seven, ninety-five," and it doesn't take batteries.  (hopeful)  Do you think that one would be okay?



(While pretend playing "Wild Kratts" ...)
Baylor:  (whispering in her ear)  Jimmy, your controller is lost in Central America.
Amalia:  Ahhhhhh!
Baylor:  Now you.
Amalia:  (whispering in his ear)  Jimmy, your controller is lost in Central America.
Baylor:  I like the name Baylor better.  And you can use a different continent, like Asia.
Amalia:  (whispering in his ear)  Asia, your controller is lost in Central America.



(While talking about her afternoon at zoo school ...)
Amalia:  Mommy, my teacher, Miss Bethany, saw you when we went to go see the tigers!
Me:  Hmmm, I don't think so.
Amalia: (with absolute certainty)  Yeah, she did.
(silence as my mom, my sister, and I looked at each other amused but confused)
Christine:  Why do you think your teacher saw Mommy?
Amalia:  Oh, because she said, "Hi, Nicole!"
Christine:  Did you see who she was talking to?
Amalia:  Nope.
Oma, Aunt Christine, Me:  Ahhhhhh.




Baylor:  (looking at me sweetly)  Mommy, I never want to live away from you.  I always want to be with you.
Me:  Awww, buddy, that's so sweet.  I want to be with you, too.
Baylor:  And I don't want to have a job.
Me:  Oh.  Why, sweetie?
Baylor: (sweetly explaining)  Because then I would have to be away from you!
Me:  Ah, I see.  Well, what if I have a job?
Baylor:  (excitedly)  Well ... we could work at the same place!
(Side note: Honestly, I'd be worried if I didn't know that some day he'll not want to hang around me much at all.  I have to store all these sweet things up now to fortify me in the years to come.)