Brodyisms and vacation contest update(!!!)

Update no. 2 to the vacation contest: we have 647 votes!!!!

I'm stunned. We are so lucky. Thank you!

Click here to read our entry. To vote, click on the red vote button at the bottom of the page.

And yes, please link to that site, this blog, send emails, etc. Everyone in the world has my permission to forward the link to their friends and family and thank you thank you thank you!

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Brody is a skinny kid. We let him eat Happy Meals. He loves french fries. We drive by a McDonald's every day from school. He asks for it almost every day (he doesn't get it).

However, Brody's name for McDonald's is Old McDonalds, like the song he sings. As in, "Mommy, I want Old McDonalds. I want french fries, and ketchup, and ranch, and lemonade."

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Driving home one recent evening.

The full moon was in the sky.

B: Mommy, dere's da moon!

C: Yup, there it is. I see it too.

B: Mommy, da moon following us. Look!

C: (looking) You know what? It IS following us!

B: Da moon coming wit me. Da moon my friend.

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Driving in the mountains at dusk.

C: Ok, baby, remember to look out for animals. This is the time of day the deer come out.

B: (looking out the window) I looking. I don't see dem, mommy.

C: Keep looking, sweetie.

B: I yike deer. I wanna be a deer.

C: You wanna be a deer?

B: Yeah. I yike a deer. Be one.

C: That's wonderful, sweetie.

B: I wanna ride a deer.

C: Oh, like Santa? You want to ride a deer like Santa?

B: Yeah, like Santa. I yike Santa. He's my favorite boy.

C: He is nice. Who is your favorite girl?

B: (pause) YOU my favorite girl, mommy.

C: Thank you, Brody. You're my favorite boy.

What about Daddy?

B: He my favorite too.

(Later that night).........................

C: Who is your favorite girl?

B: (looking at me like I'm crazy) I'm NOT a GIRL, mom-meeeeeee!!!!!

C: No, no. Who is your favorite girl?

B: (insulted that I am so stupid and horrified that I don't know his gender) MOMMY! I'm NOT a GIRL!!!!! I'M a BOY!!!!!!!

C: (laughing uncontrollably) Honey, I know you are a boy. You are a big boy.

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The terrible two's have struck. We do time outs. It's rough.

When the time out is done, I say "Okay, Brody, you are done with your time out."He'll say, "No! I wanna stay in time out!!! Leave me alone!"

Sometimes we let him. But sometimes he looks so sad, like he doesn't know what to do with all of his grouchy feelings. After the time out, and the Brody-imposed time out, I have gone up to him and talked with him. I want him to know that I'm not mad, that we are friends. So I have said to him, "Brody and mommy are friends, honey. Can I have a hug now?" We hug and he's back to happy Brody.

Lately, however, when he cries during the first minute of the 2 minute time out, he says pitifully, "Mommy, I don't wanna time out! Mommy!!! I wanna be friends!!!!"

Let's just say he is very effective at manipulation. It breaks my heart. I tell him that we are friends, and I love him, but he needs a time out to collect himself.

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At the end of the day, when the three of us are together, we ask Brody how his day was. He now asks us first, and repeats exactly how we say our day was.

For example,

J: How was your day, buddy?

B: Good. I hadda bizzy day. Reeewee bizzy day. How yer day daddy?

J: My day was good. I worked hard.

B: Yeah, I work hard too. Bizzy day. I play outside, I play dolls, I play circle time. . . I play outside......