It's Gobbles Time!: Quips from the Road

Most people hate commuting. I'm usually one of them. But the precious 15 minutes that I'm in the car with my kids between daycare and home is pure gold. They come up with something new every day to keep me smiling. Half of these conversations are long forgotten by the time I try to recall them for hubs, but the memory of the laughter and random silliness from our car rides will stay in my heart long after they're driving themselves to school.

Once in awhile, I'll remember their words long enough to make note of them for later. Here are three exchanges we've had recently that stick out:

Lobster: I put my thumb on the blue. Purple is for Z, yellow for E. Here ya go. Gobbles, do you want a color key?
Gobbles: Stop it! There's no such things as color keys!
Me: That's not very nice, maybe she's pretending. No one yells at you when you pretend things are rockets.
Gobbles: But that's because of my imagination!
Me: And the color keys are her imagination. She's pretending to play with her friends.
Gobbles: No! She's too little for imagination!
Lobster: Gobbles? Want one? I put my thumb on blue!
At this point the conversation ended because Gobbles was just so appalled that someone else was allowed to have an imagination - he couldn't believe it!

Lobster: I wash my hands so I no eat poopy, that's yucky.
Gobbles: (laughs)
Me: Lobster, that's gross, yes we wash our hands after we poopy, but we don't talk about eating poopy, that's just gross.
Lobster: I wash my hands - I go poopy potty.
Me: Did you go poopy potty at school today?
Lobster: Yes! I DID! I went with S and we go poopy potty and Miss K gave me two COINS! We wash our hands.
Me: Did you really go poopy potty?
Gobbles: No she didn't.
Lobster: Yes I DID.
The next day, I asked the Lobster Roll's teachers, because they usually tell me if she uses the potty. They confirmed that her story was all made up, and, in fact, Stella had moved out of the classroom a few months ago.

Me: Gobbles, who did you play with today?
Gobbles: I played with M and B.
Lobster: I played with M and B, too!
Gobbles: No, you don't have them in your class!
Lobster: Hmm. I play with Mickey and Minnie and Goofy!
Gobbles: No! You don't have characters in your class!
Lobster: I play with K.H. (yes, she includes last names). We play Sophia! I Sophia da First!
Gobbles: Who was K? Was she the King?
Lobster: No, she a girl, she was James!

Finally, not so much a conversation but two notable pickups we've had recently, which, let's face it, are part of the commute. The pickup routine is as follows - gather Gobbles and his things, go to the Lobster's classroom and get her stuff, then go find her wherever she is for pickup. Bring everyone out to the common area to get our coats, hats, boots, etc.

Last week, after we had gotten the Lobster Roll, Gobbles decided he had to go potty. Ever the echo, the Lobster had to go too. So I took them into the bathroom in the toddler area, which has two potties side by side. The Lobster sat down at one and Gobbles stood at the other. As soon as she saw him peeing, she stood up and turned around to face the toilet. Thankfully her attempt at peeing standing up wasn't successful but it cracked me up that she really does mimic everything he does.

I have had my moments of complete exasperation in leaving school too - it's not always as streamlined or laughable as I describe above. Gathering stuff and getting dressed and making sure we have every tupperware and sippy cup and glove and boot we came in with can get daunting... and forget hair bows- we've lost them so much the Lobster's stopped wearing them! I look at some of the mothers and wonder how they look so put together and calm all the time. There is one mom that is very similar to me in her exhaustion and effort of just getting her two to the car some days. Recently we had one of those nights, after two days of snow dismissals. We were the last moms in the school trying to get everyone ready for the trip home, and all the teachers were kind of waiting for us to move along. Both the Lobster and one of her daughters were refusing to put coats on, so we had to switch and get the other's kid dressed. The only way to get the kids into the parking lot was to have our four kids all hold hands in a line and walk out together. Despite our frustration we both broke out into smiles as the kids - a pre-k boy, a pre-school girl, and two trouoblemaking older toddler girls - marched out in unison, happy as can be, completely oblivious to the havoc they had wreaked upon us and our tired minds.