The latest kid-isms

Some things that I don't want to forget as they grow:

Claire:

• The other day you didn't want "rackaroni" for "munch".
• Anything that happened to you in recent memory you tell me happened yesterday. If I tell you that it wasn't yesterday, that it happened a while ago, you ask me if it happened "when I was a baby? when I was two?"
• You tell me over and over, "When I grow up I am going to teach you lots of things. Like how to make dinner and breakfast and munch." I can't wait, sweetie. I look forward to those days.
• Quite a while ago, you found a plus sign that goes with some number toys that we have, and you asked me what it was. I told you it was a plus sign, and you asked what it was for. I said that it was for putting things together. Then I asked you, if you had one of something, and then you had two more of something, how many would you have. You thought, and you looked at a couple of your fingers, and you told me three. I was, needless to say, extremely impressed.
• You have gotten in the habit, on the way home from school, of asking me what I did while I was gone. Two days ago I told you that I had gone to the grocery store, and then gone home and done some work, and that was about all. You prompted me, "and Ben had a rest?" I replied that yes, Ben had rested, at which point you told me in an accusatory tone, "you left that out!" And daddy wonders why I give him so many details when he asks me about my day.
• Last Sunday Daddy and I were very tired, and we tried to bring you and Ben into our bed to snuggle. That was a complete failure. At one point you popped out from under the covers and offered me some "chickets". I couldn't figure out what you were talking about. Chickens? Nope. Chiclets? Nope. Then you elaborated. "Chickets for the roller coaster." Ahh, of course. Chickets.
  

Ben:

• You continue to try to charm and flirt with almost everyone we encounter. You're really quite good at it. Today you offered a woman at the car dealership your precious balloon from Trader Joe's. Then you continued to make eyes at her until she left. Fortunately she escaped before you realized that it was over an hour past your naptime, and the rest of the waiting room was treated to one of your ear-piercing shrieks, until I managed to get my stuff together, and get the stroller outside.
• You pronounce both cricket and yogurt "greckit".
• You love to eat cereal bars, but you call them "mallomars" every single time. I encourage it because I think it is so adorable.
  
• You call just about anything that moves a truck. Although you also say truck to mean "what is that thing, Mommy?" It's a little confusing sometimes.
• Bicycles, motorcycles, and popsicles are all pronounced "cock-icle". And once there is any mention of a frozen treat on a stick you absolutely refuse to eat anymore dinner, regardless of how much you were enjoying it.
• When you are pretending to go to sleep on the floor you tell us, "nee-night", but when I put you to bed you refuse to say goodnight, and just say "bye" as you wave to me from inside your crib.
• The other day Claire and I were singing songs as I sat on the bathroom floor and she sat on the toilet (what? doesn't everyone spend their days like this?), and she asked for Row, Row, Row Your Boat. I sang it with her, and you started to sing along. You loved the Row, Row, Row part. Then we got to "merrily merrily merrily merrily", and you chimed in, "melamine, melamine, melamine, melamine".