I. The Ongoing Hole
There is an ongoing hole in our backyard. I think James started it with a stick when it first started to get warm out, and then he went at it with some beach toys, a garden claw, and eventually, my shovel. I'm not exactly sure why, but he's very concerned that he eventually digs it out two kilometers deep. Every once in a while he'll ask me to come to the backyard and take a look.
"Do you think it's two kilometers deep yet?"
"No, not yet."
"How many kilometers do you think it is?"
"I'd say maybe twenty or twenty five centimeters."
He was terribly excited last week because he came up with a plan--a surprise plan--to build a pond in our backyard. He decided the hole was big enough for this, and immediately ran inside to fill up a glass of water. He ran back out, leaving the garage door and the kitchen door wide open ("James, we talked about this...) and dumped the glass into the hole, only spilling a little bit.
"I need more water!"
He ran back inside (not shutting the doors behind him) and came out with Owen's sippy cup. Owen was momentarily upset, but James talked him into sacrificing the contents of his sippy cup for the sake of a pond. "We can swim in it, Owen!" I caught him trying to turn on the hose and put a stop to that.
The next day I set up their kiddie pool, and they used it to make a grass and leaf soup. Also to splash in for a bit, mostly for soup. Then James remembered about the hole.
"Can we please dump the pool into the hole so we can make a pond?"
"Are you sure you're done swimming?"
"Yes! Then we'll swim in the pond!"
I dumped the pool into the hole. The two-ish foot (but not yet two kilometer) hole filled up with water. James excitedly hopped into it and stood about waist high, looking as pleased as punch. Then he climbed out, and Owen accidentally fell in. He was less pleased. And all the water drained out into the soil.
They were disappointed, but they decided that they should probably just keep making the hole bigger and maybe make it all the way to China or something.
The other exciting bit about the ongoing hole is that it's a great source for worms. I don't know why they're collecting, (Does one need a reason?) but they have a beach bucket filled with dirt, and it's home to four worms that we know of. Each time James finds one he calls out "OWEN, I FOUND A WORM!!!!" at the top of his voice and comes tearing inside to show him. He then gets ushered back outside to put the worm in the bucket.
He doesn't ever remember to shut the door behind him.
II. Trash Talk
Owen wakes up talking trash in the morning. First he asks for breakfast, and then he looks you right in the eye and provocatively declares:
"Daddy...you're a baby."
"I'm not a baby."
"Yes you are. You a baby."
"Well, you're a toddler."
"I not a toddler, I OWEN!"
"You're Owen, and I'm Daddy."
"No, you're a baby!"
I prefer being called a baby to "You Stupid Man," which is his other go-to insult. Mommy also gets called a baby, but Owen has another brand of smack-talk for James. The other day when James was running far (too far) ahead of us on trails in the woods Owen stopped, caught his breath, and shouted out at the top of his two-year old voice:
"James! You stop! James, you're a OLD MAN!"
He knows we don't like this latest development, but that only encourages him. He likes to be a provocateur.
Just last week J went up to the sound of his crying. He had dropped something out of his bed. She picked it up and gave it to him, then kissed his forehead and tucked him under his blankets. As she was stepping out of the dark room back into the hallway he called to her.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Owen?"
"You're a baby."
