Quite a busy night. . .

I asked Paul what he dreamed about last night.  He said he didn't have a nightmare, because he doesn't have nightmares on Thursdays.  He was a knight on a horse traveling to a castle to rescue his skeleton friend, Seliss.  Only, there were ghosts who wanted to kill him, so he had to find the golden magical key which would unlock the door to the tower where Seliss was, and would also kill all the ghosts.  But the castle was surrounded by a round wall (indicated by drawing a circle in the air as he spoke) with NO. DOORS.  Only a ladder to a hidden door, with no doorknobs, which could only be seen when the second sun was setting at dawn, and made the door appear.  If it was mid morning, it was TOO LATE.

At this point, he was Keyser Söze-ing like crazy, and looking down at the Tanagram game he was playing, said that the only way to find where the door would appear is to follow the scary cat.  Know why the cat's scary?  Because it's the cat's SHADOW.  The cat is invisible - only air.  And you can only find the cat if you follow the. . .ghosteley flamingo!

By this point, and I hated to interrupt his narrative, we were running severely late to school and had to do shoes/coat/lunchbox in a mad flurry.  I thanked Paul for his story, and he kissed my nose and said that it wasn't a story, it was his DREAM, and could I tell it to him later?

Deep thoughts, with a schmeer

So, we've been reading "Bagels from Benny,"  a really lovely story from the PJ Library.  It's about how a boy inadvertently helps a stranger in need when he tries to thank G-d for helping his Grandpa bake the best bagels in the city. (It's got a nice moral, even for all y'all secular humanists out there.  And bagels.)

Anyway, as Paul was washing his hands tonight (meticulously moving the soap bottle to where he could reach it, taking a pump of soap, then replacing the bottle on the higher ledge), he turned to me and asked,

"Why did G-d make the Earth?"

I don't know, but that's a really good question.

"I think I know.  I think she needed People, and people need food."

I think that's a great answer, Paul.






(The pronoun was totally unprompted, but made me especially happy.)

Achievement: Unlocked

"I like having my hair all crazy, like I was in a tormato."

Negotiations and love songs

Paul: Can I have a kiss?
Joss: OK (turns and gives Paul a kiss)
Paul: Thank you.  Can I give you a kiss?
Joss: Nooooo.  I don't like them.
Paul: You don't like kisses anymore?
Joss: No.

{Both resume watching Star Wars}

Movie Time

(Paul sits down on Shawn's lap on the couch).

Shawn: Paul, do you know other people named Paul?
Paul: Yes. Two people. One is my friend Edie's dad. The other if a famous director. His name is Paul Jason, and he makes movies that nobody has seen because they're for grownups. The first move he made was "How the Ghost and Bat went from Not Evil to Evil." But he died in the 70's, when you were little. Before you were born.
Shawn: Oh. That's probably why I never heard of him. Have I seen any of his movies?
Paul: No, because he's not real, so his movies are not real. Once there was a ghost and bat and they lived in a spooky house with a spider. And then suddenly, a witch came in the place where the spider was. And then turned the ghost and the bat evil. Then they turned outside and turned everybody else wicked. And then the ghost and the bat went home before they were even home, and good witch came into focus where their house was. And turned them back to good. And then they went home. The End.

New Year's Snow

Sunday before New Years was a bright, sunny, post-snow day.

Sleep tight, boys.