Funny things happen here

Ikey is growing into a reasonable person. In the past couple of days, he brought tears to my eyes by playing his drum exercises without a mistake and by cleaning up his room with no help when I asked just once. I said, "It makes me feel so happy that you are growing up so nicely that it also kind of makes me cry. I'm so impressed at how you cleaned up your room." He looked over a little surprised and said, "It makes me so happy that you're impressed that it makes me cry." He came over to hug me and he really did have wet little cheeks. Jovie started crying too, but not sweetly like the rest of us. She yelled, "Why is no one impressed with me? Where's my hug?"

Since Isaac acquired a new fear of the dark and Jovie got a big comfy bed, he prefers to sleep in her room. They wake up SO EARLY when they sleep in the same room, so we told them they can only do it when it's not a school night. I tucked him in his room last night, and then I heard him sneaking into Jovie's room five minutes later. I tucked him back in his room under duress and headed for my own room. I heard Jovie yell, "Isaac is back in my room!" I called to Todd, "Can you handle this?" Jovie yelled, "I'll handle it!" I'm not sure what she was planning to do, but Todd got Ikey back in his room for the rest of the night.

Alma came over to do some work when we were rushing out the door to school. Ikey said, "Alma, I have to go to school, so it's going to be a lot quieter around here and you won't have to answer so many questions today." Jovie kept her busy enough when we got back.

Jovie (to me): I love you to infinity and...nothing else.

We were working on a Play-Doh art project with plenty of warnings from me. "Don't eat that." "Don't get that on your shirt." Jovie said, "Do you know what Americans call clay? Poison dough."

Me: OK, you can watch a movie.
Jovie: Good mom!
Me: You know, I'm a good mom when I DON'T let you watch a movie too.
Jovie: Yeah, I know. You're ALWAYS cheerful. You're ALWAYS everything a kid would like.
(Stage diection: The mom plays this scene a little defensive and the 3-year-old does it a little sarcastic.)

Jovie: I have to be the queen, even though I'm a princess. The old queen didn't die, she just got too lazy.