Follow the Christmas Chicken; Never Drive Your Car Into the Pond

Kids are funny. Not just cute, but knee slapping funny. Or maybe it's just my weird sense of humor (in which case, Julia, you will have to validate me).

I have pictures of the progression of Joey's black eye. It really developed into a thing of beauty. Thankfully it hasn't been very painful for him, in fact, I think he forgets about it until someone mentions it. The other day I asked him if it hurt, he reached up, poked around (rather firmly!) and announce, "Hmmm. Only when I touch it." Well, if I touched my eye as purposefully as he touched his, it would hurt too, previously blackened or no! So anyway, here we are still with the vivid reminder of his often heedless ways, and he does it again. Yesterday he was having a few tortilla chips and suddenly SCREAMED, "Owwww, Owwwwwwwyyyyy!" I thought that he must have poked his throat with a chip or something, so I'm peering at his mouth for gushing blood. Once he finished yelling, he was able to explain that his mouth was fine... it was his finger that was in need of attention. He bit himself. Not his tongue or his lip, his finger. Very, very hard. It looked like it was going to make a blood-blister thing so I made him put ice on it. How do you bite your own finger? Leave it to Joe-bug.

Jessi is quite the artist. I love to see what she creates. Often it's not just drawing, she has the whole mixed media art thing going on. She will poke holes in the paper and tie on scraps of yarn or fabric (or pixie stick wrappers) for added dimension. Now as "gifted" as she is, she is still 3 and sometimes the pictures require a bit of interpretation. Yesterday she eagerly showed me her latest masterpiece. It was a manger scene, that much was recognizable. The lean-to stable, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus were all quite clear. The donkey I wasn't sure of, but did at least see that it was some sort of animal. It was the blob on top that had me questioning. "and what is this?" I asked, after she gave me the tour of the picture. "Well you know, I can't draw a star," she explained, " so that is the chicken."
Ah yes, because a chicken is SOOO much easier to draw than a star. Would the wise men have followed the Christmas Chicken in all its glorious splendor? Decorative nativity scenes would come with a cluster of feathers instead of a light bulb, we would sing Christmas carols about "fowl of wonder, fowl of light, poultry of ever-living light." Topping our Christmas tree would be a colorful bird instead of shining star. Maybe I'll do that next Christmas. Just for the fun of it.

As I am sitting here writing this, the kids are playing. I'm not certain of the entire set-up (I seldom am) but it does involve a mother laying down the law. I heard something about "the rules are made to keep you safe "and then began an enumerated list.

I missed the first two, but here are a couple that I think we could all benefit from.
3. never, never drive your car into the pond.
4. never, never kick your brother in the head.
5. if you see an alligator, don't forget to scream.

Joy just woke up from her nap, so I need to close. May you all have a lovely day, and never, never, drive your car into the pond.