Sitting at dinner

Stuart: Mom, can you go wear fancy jeans?
Me: What?
Stuart: Wear fancy jeans (begins to hum)
Me: Play "Go home with Bonnie Jean"
Stuart: Yeah!
Michael: I thought you were gonna have to wear fancy jeans tonight!


Amazon mp3 link if you haven't heard the song

Stuart—the future Tony winner

Stuart is cracking me up these days. We've been listening to the "My Fair Lady" soundtrack recently and his favorite song is "Loverly". He walks around singing "Lots and lots of chocolate for me. Lots and lots of chocolate for me." It's great because he sings the correct melody of those two lines, but changes the words! The video is of him sitting in front on the computer, repeatedly listening to "Loverly" on iTunes.
This afternoon I was watching "Brigadoon" (yes, I'm on a Lerner & Loewe kick) while folding mountains of laundry. The boys got up from their naps and watched it with me. All evening Stuart switched back and forth from "lots & lots of chocolate for me" to "Go home, Go home, go home with Bonnie Jean" to "Jesus loves me."
He is too funny! He just might end up like Troy from High School Musical—the jock turned singer/actor!

Cultured, yet still 5

We've been listening to the Les Misérables musical soundtrack in the car. The kids have enjoyed listening to the story and the music. I've been so surprised how much they get the emotions of the music without knowing the story. Stuart will often ask, "Why is he sad?" or "Why are they angry?". As you could possibly imagine if you've ever seen the musical/movie or read the book, the characters and the names are overwhelming at times! We've stuck to the basic theme of the story: grace and mercy and "to love another person is to see the face of God". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzCSb6OnkZA
They were sad when Fontine died and so happy when Jean Valjean escaped Javert. It's been fun and amazing. Remember, we're listening to this only—they're aren't seeing anything!

Nevertheless, Chase came through with the reality check of his learning curve. At the end of the story, we talked about the characters and the actors and who was the main hero. The story is more about Jean Valjean's life than Cosette and Marius.

So Chase asks, "Did Jean Valjean throw her [Cosette] birthday parties?"
"Sure," I respond.
"Did they invite other people?"
"Um, I don't know."
Chase, without missing a beat, "If they didn't, then they could each have six pieces of cake."

Music to my ears?

Yesterday I made the kids work and play outside virtually all day. We planted flower seeds, pulled up dead pushes, edged the path, and rode bikes! By the time 5:30 rolled around, the kids were ti-red! They were playing nicely inside: Sabrina & Stu in her room and Chase playing around on the piano. I called them together to go back outside to clean up the outside toys. Sabrina and Stuart headed outside, but Chase went back to the piano.

ME: "Uh, Chase? We're going outside now to clean up. Not later."
CHASE: "M-om! [That would be a two syllable 'mom'] I'm doing my piano lessons."

Now two things make this funny.
1. Chase doesn't take piano lessons yet.
2. 'Piano lessons' consisted of reading the lyrics to songs in Disney's First Songbook while tickling the piano keys.