From the Mouth of Babes

Mr. Kenyon is three and has reached an incredibly fun age (when he isn't making me want to pull my hair out or drink heavily).  He manages to say something quotable nearly every single day.  I wish I was better at writing more of them down.

While Feeding
We took drive around the silo the other evening and allowed Kenyon to explain to his dad and I what all the different components are that he and his Grandpa feed with nearly every day.  "That's the ground corn, that's the ground hay, there's the distillers, that's the silage..."  He waved his arms around in a grand fashion as he proudly explained the contents of 'his territory'.  I asked him what was stored in the poly bin at the edge of the silo (and for the record I KNEW WHAT WAS IN THERE).

Kenyon sighed and slapped one hand on his forehead because he was obviously surrounded by idiots.
"Mommmmmm, that is the mineral!"

At Nap Time
Mom: Okay, you'll lay down and go right to sleep?

Kenyon: Yes.  I'll lay right down and go to sleep.

I walked out of his bedroom and softly closed the door.

"I TOLD THE WITCH DOCTOR I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU
BAH BAH BAH BAH
AND THEN THAT WITCH DOCTOR HE TOLD ME WHAT TO DO
BAH BAH BAH BAH
HE SAID:
OOH EEE OOH AAH AAH
TING TANG WALLAH WALLAH BING BANG"

Conserving Energy
"Mama, if I see that light on in that utility room one more time, there had better be someone in there.  You are wearing me out!"

I hear the phrase, "Mama, you are wearing me out" multiple times a day.

P.S.- I feel as bad about wearing him out as he does about wearing his mama out.

At Supper Time
(This one is my personal favorite thus far.)

We all sat down for supper the other night and Kenyon asked for a cup of water.

"But I don't want any whiskey in mine, please."

Noted, child.  No whiskey for the three year old.  Got it.

Pond Cleaning

Wesley spent better than a week cleaning out a pond in one of the pastures recently.  Every night he would leave the bulldozer and come home a gigantic ball of mud.  

On his last day working on the pond, he asked me to bring the boys out not just to watch him (which we had been doing every day) but to ride on the bulldozer to the very center of the pond.  It isn't like him to make such a request so I was happy to oblige him.... even if there was only a 22 degree windchill out that day.  

By this time poor John was already frozen but we threw him on the dozer anyhow.

Here's a picture to help you gauge just how large the pond really is.
That was an awful lot of mud to push out.

This part absolutely made me giggle.  Wesley kept shouting at me to zoom in and then he' instruct the boys to wave.  This was the most I could zoom in without completely switching out lenses on my camera, which is not something my little frozen fingers were about to do.  Can you tell if they are waving???

 They took at little drive along the dam to inspect the backside of the pond...

My poor, frozen little popsicle of a son.  Notice how John's expression really doesn't change much throughout the photos.  I don't think he could physically move his face at this point.  No worries though.  Once he got back in the car and warmed up he was all smiles and giggles and babbled incessantly about his 'man time'.  

Country Kids at the Zoo

A few weeks ago we met one of my sisters and nephew for an afternoon at the local zoo.

Kenyon had been there several times before, and he's MUCH older, so of course he had to do the obligatory condescending-hand-on-shoulder-while-explaining-thing.

 I cannot put into words just exactly how much I love these three stooges.

In order of riding on turtle: ages 2, 3, 1
And two more on the way.
Yes, we're all losing our minds.

Child in foreground: One of mine
Child in background: One of my sister's

Stampede...

...for fruit snacks.

And they all napped happily ever after.

I'm starting to enjoy driving a car (most of the time).  Behold, the real reason we met our cousin for an afternoon at the zoo: hand-me-down clothing swap.  It seems hardly a time goes by that we meet up and don't have clothes to exchange for these rapidly growing kiddos.

 And... because I was attempting to extend my 'awesome mama' streak yesterday, I took the boys out to lunch while we were running errands.  (Don't worry, I'm not a super mom.  The streak rarely lasts more than about 30 minutes or so before my patience runs out and someone is in trouble.)

 The general consensus of our tribe was that the food was indeed delicious.

AND, because I was feeling extremely wild and adventurous, I even purchased two cupcakes for the boys to eat when we all arrived home.  (I'm a wild one, I tell ya'.  Even Wes gave me a perplexed look when I told him how much I spoiled the boys that morning.  Spoiled: lunch and one cupcake each.)

Behold: The most agonizing drive in the history of the universe.  This was the longest 30 mile drive home. EVER.