Conversations with Three-Year Olds

Shutterfly is giving away an 8x8 book right now (code STORYTIME) and I ordered one last night of all these conversations from the last few months. I'm excited to get it! Talk about a fun and potentially embarrassing coffee-table book. I can't wait to get it!

Grey figured out the word "pregnant" this week. We actually don't use it that much when talking to the boys, since we usually say "I have a baby in my belly," not, "I'm pregnant."
But Grey's said it several times in the last  few days, so I guess he figured it out himself. The first time he said it, though, I was so confused! He kept saying it prog-naught.
"Mom, You're prog-naught."
I'm what now?
We've been having some trouble with being honest this week, too. It's such a hard concept! Because pretending is okay- even encouraged! But lying is naughty. We have a Bearnstein Bear book about telling the truth, which the boys request a lot. We have to go through on every page and really explain it. "They're telling their Mommy a bird broke the lamp, so they won't get in trouble. But who really broke the lamp? That's right! They did. They need to tell their Mom the truth. The truth is, they broke the lamp."
Ugh. About ten times a day, I have this conversation:
"Grey, did you hurt Micah?"
"No, Mom. I not hurt him."
"Is that the truth or a lie?"
"A lie."

Yesterday Grey came out of his room crying with a big bite-mark on his back.
"Micah! Did you bite your brother?"
"No. I not bite him."
"Please don't lie. How did he get hurt?"
"I don't know."
"Did someone bite him?"
"I don't know."
"Micah, did you bite your brother?"
"No."
"Is that a lie?"
"Yes."
"Please tell me what really happened. I know you bit him, I want you to tell me. Did you bite him?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for telling me the truth."
"I not in trouble now?"
Siiiiggh. "Actually you are still in trouble because it's mean to bite." (I proceed to pull out some of my own hair.)

Besides conversations about lying, though, we also have been having lots of conversations in general. Like, proper conversations. They ask me questions and listen and respond to my answers. They love to say, "I have an idea!" which they usually follow up with a request to do something.
"I have an idea! After naptime, we can go to a park and play on the swings!" "I have an idea! Maybe Grey and me can sing popcorn popping!"
And when they ask "Why, Mom?" they listen to what I say and ask a new valid question !! (sometimes) instead of just repeating, "Why, Mom? Why?"

Micah's new catchphrase is "You're just kidding me, right?"
I ask him to eat his dinner. You're just kidding me, right? I tell him that his hat is silly. You're just kidding me, right?
I tell him there are crocodiles in the kitchen. And that time, I am just kidding. Right? Right.

Aaaaand, lastly, we have been having lots of conversations about who is who. Micah, my pretender, wants to role play all the time.
Grey WANTS to role play, but he also really wants to make it clear that is is really Grey. He clarifies this several times a day. "I am just Grey though, Mom."
"These my special shoes. They make me run fast like Dash! I am just Grey, though, not Dash."

Micah: Your name is Mama and also Becky.
Me: That's right.
Micah: Why?
Me: Because Becky is my real name and Mom is my title. Before I had you and Grey, I was just Becky. After you were born, I got to be your mom.
Micah: Why you are my Mom?
Me: Because I grew you in my belly, and now I get to love and take care of you.
Micah: You like me? Why you like me?
Me: Because you're mine. And you're so good, and smart, and silly.
Micah: Yes, I am!

Micah: Grey is Mom and I am Becky and you are Grey.
Grey: I am Grey!
Me: You can be Grey if you want.
Grey: I am Grey.
Micah: Fine. I am Mom AND Becky.
Grey: I want to be Becky, too!
Micah: Anyone can be Becky, Grey! I am Becky and you are Becky. But Mom is not Becky. Mom is still Grey.
Grey: I am Grey.
Micah: Okay. Mom is grandma Polly.

Micah: I wish my baby (doll) was real.
Me: We can pretend he's real.
Micah: I want him to be really real.
Me: Soon we will have a new baby, so that's pretty good, right?
Micah: I want a real baby and a baby brother.

Me: This is BYU, where mom and dad used to go to school. Remember how we talked about that yesterday?
Grey: You don't come to school anymore because I am born.
Me: That's right, now I stay home with you.
Grey: Wow, Mom. You're so grown-up!

Micah: We can go to the park later?
Me: Okay.
Micah: DON'T say okay. Only I say okay. Okay?
Me: Umm...
Micah: Okay, Mom?
Me: Okay.
Micah: STOP. Don't say okay! Okay?
Me: That's fine.
Micah: What?
Me: I won't say it.
Micah: What?
Me: Okay.
Micah: Don't say okay, Mom! Only I say okay! Okay?

Grey: Your baby in here is my favorite baby.
Me: Me too, I love him.
Grey: Soon he will be born and I will hold him so tight.
Me: That sounds really nice, you're going to be such a good big brother.
Grey: I wish he was born now. But he'll be here soon, right?

Grey: You can chew ice because you have a big head. My head is small and my teeth are small.

Grey: I trying to grow bigger.
Me: What can you do to get bigger?
Grey: Eat my food!
Me: Yep, and what else?
Grey: Exercise makes me grow!

Micah: I want to wrestle with you!
Grey: You can't wrestle with me right now. I in the front seat, you're in the backseat. That's just crazy talk!
Micah: I want to wrestle though!
Grey: But if we wrestle in the road, the cars will crash into us!

Grey: Mom, you not pregnant. You have no baby in your belly!
Me: What!? What's in my belly then?
Grey: I don't know. Me!
Me: How did you get in there?
Grey: I cut you in half and climbed in your belly.
Me: Ow! That would hurt me!
Grey: Haha! I teasing you. I not in your belly. It's a baby. You ARE pregnant!

Micah: Heeeey little Buddy, whatcha doing?
Grey: I'm not your little buddy. I'm a big boy. And I'm reading a book about Clifford.

Micah: Hey, Greybee! Look, it's me! I'm in here with you!

Micah: Mom, are you pooping like me? It's so great, everybodies all poops!

Grey: I want to watch a crocodile.
Travis: Do you want to watch a video of a crocodile eating something?
Grey: Yes!
Travis: Here's one that's not scary.
Micah: He's just the very nicest crocodile?

Me: Stop kicking your grandma.
Micah: We're playing.
Me: I don't know if she wants to be kicked. Why don't you say, "Do you want to be kicked?"
Micah: Grandma, do you want to play with me?

Grey: I get to go Grandma's house! And you will come with me. I don't want to leave without you.

Grey: Soon the baby will come out and they will clip you right here. **Traces a line across my stomach**
Me: Clip me?
Grey: They'll clip you, so the baby can come out.

Micah: I have to sit right here. So I can itch my bum, because it's so itchy. See?

Grey: I can punch you, because there's no baby in your belly.
Grandma: Stop punching me, please.
Grey: Okay. Let's play a game.
Grandma: Great, what game do you want to play?
Grey: A game of punching you.

Grey: I don't want that orange.
Micah: It's not an orange. It's a tiny pumpkin.

Micah: You want to say "Oh Man!" with me?
Grey: Yes!
Micah: Okay, the bad guys are coming! Let's say it to them! Oh man!
Grey: Oh man!
Micah: Say it with me to the bad guys!
In Unison: Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!
Micah: We did it!
Grey: Yeah! We said it to those bad guys! Oh man!
Me: Oh man!
Micah: Mom, don't say Oh Man! with us. Only Grey can say it with me.

Me: What are you saying?
Grey: I'm talking to my grandpa, not to you!

Travis: Do you guys like Disneyland?
Micah: No. There's a crocodile in it.
Travis: Do you like sharks?
Grey: No. We not.
Travis: Do you like candy?
Micah: I do like candy.
Grey: I like gum candy.
Travis: Hmm. Do you like fascism?
Micah: No. I like cemeteries.
Travis: Do you like capitalism?
Micah: No. There's a crocodile there, too.
Travis: Do you like Christmas?
Micah: I do like Christmas!
Travis: Do you like President Obama?
Micah: I do not. He can count to 17, 18, 19.