Darren is such a fun, loving, spontaneous kid with a great desire to choose the right! He brings so much life and adventure to our family, and I just wanted to share a few recent highlights of things he says/does.
His day typically starts with he and Joseph giggling at each other - I have NO idea who wakes up who, but Darren takes it upon himself to make Joseph laugh every morning, and it works quite well. Honestly, sometimes I delay going to get them because I love hearing them have such a good time with each other and I hate to interrupt.
Today, we had 2 stores to go to. At the first one, while I briefly turned to look at something, Darren decided he would try to do a sommersault out of the cart. It didn't go so well! He has a giant goose egg on his forehead to prove it, too. I didn't have to tell him to sit down anymore, though.
The commissary was next on our list. I learned today, that the shelves there do not actually sit on the ground. There is about 4" of "crawl space" underneath them. Darren accidentally dropped his favorite car, and it was such an amazing car, that when it hit the ground, the wheels were still turning, and it drove ALL the way under the shelves. I'm sure I made quite the sight lying on my belly in a crowded store with my hand under the shelf (It was gross). Unfortunately, I couldn't reach it. Darren insisted on trying to get it - so then it was his turn to lay on the floor, only he let his face touch the ground, too. EWWW! Of course, he couldn't reach it either, so we ventured over to the cleaning isle and grabbed a broom. When we got back, I once again found myself on the floor - only this time the broom did the "dirty" work! And work, it did! Out drove that little car, and Darren looked so happy and relieved, it was worth it. The broom was returned to it's place, unscathed.
Being the day before Thanksgiving, the Commissary was quite crowded with people gathering last minute items for their feast. When a section of an aisle was impassable, Darren would blurt out, "Excuse Me!" before I had a chance to. People saw his adorable, smiling little face, and gladly moved their carts for him! Then, while I was grabbing an item from the shelf (with no one in front of us- though the store was still crowded), he farted. Once again he blurted out (quite loudly) "Excuse Me!" But then he added (still loud) "That was MY bum!!"
One of my favorite parts of the day is when he wakes up from his nap. He quietly and slowly creeps his way down the stairs in search for Mom. As soon as he sees me, his still sleepy looking face quickly becomes alive with a huge smile, and runs into my arms for a great big hug and kiss! Then he curls up on my lap for some Mommy/Son snuggle and chat time. I LOVE that, and will be so sad when he outgrows the need for a nap.
Tonight, while he was playing with his toys, he suddenly looked up at me and said: "Mommy, I want to be baptized." I told him that was great, and I was proud of his desire, and that he could be baptized when he was 8. Then he said again: "I want to be baptized. Jesus was baptized. I want to be like Jesus." What a special boy.
Now back to the fun..... These next couple things didn't happen today, but it's been within the last couple of weeks. One day while we were out as a family, we were stopped at a red light. 2 motorcycles stopped in the lane next to us. They were obviously buddies, and Darren admired them. Then, talking to the motorcycles, he said, "Ready? On your mark, Get set... GO!!" Just as he said "Go" the light turned green, the bikers revved their engines, and took off! He was thrilled!
Another day at the store, he had been eating a cookie. An elderly lady came up to us, and asked Darren if he had eaten a cookie (there was still evidence on the corners of his mouth). He responded with "Yep! I ate it Allllllllll Gone! ...... Now it's going to come out my bum!" The poor lady looked shocked, and didn't know how to respond. I explained that he had been learning about what happens to his food when he eats it. It was all I could do to keep from laughing hysterically!
About a month ago, Darren tried to follow his Daddy into the bathroom, but Daddy was too quick and shut and locked the door. Darren remained by the door. Here's the dialogue that followed:
Darren: Daddy, what 'cha doin' in there?
Dad: I'm going potty.
Darren: Are you going poop on the potty?
Dad: Maybe. Maybe not.
Darren: You can do it, Daddy!
A loud fart is heard from within....
Darren (clapping his hands): Hooray, Daddy! You did it! You went poop on the potty! Hooray!
I absolutely LOVE this kid! He keeps us in stitches all the time!
