I Didn't Play/That;s So Embarrassing

We have friends/relatives who have kids who are always talking about the "funny" things their kids do or say. The story always starts with, "Oh so-and-so did the funniest thing! I have to tell you about it! You're gonna die!". They always say "You're gonna die" at the end. This seems appropriate since we would usually rather be dead than pretending to be amused by their un-amusing story.
The little humans that belong to us, on the other hand, actually say/do funny things. Like, things that would even be funny if grown ups said/did them.
For instance, I was driving Eden, our 4 year old, to spend the night with his grandparents and found myself involved in a complicated conversation about biological relationships and the intricacies of the food chain. Long story short; Eden made the remark that something was "so embarrassing".
I said, "E-man what does embarrassing mean".
He replies, "You know. It's like when a crocodile eats meat."
I say, "E that's not embarrassing that's how crocodiles roll."
Then he asks if alligators roll like crocodiles. He figures they probably do since they look a lot like crocodiles. This discovery leads to a conversation about biological classification (family, genus, species, etc) and an explanation of why the crocodile always goes for the weakest zebra.
The animal thing is a reoccurring topic. A few days ago Eden informed us that he wanted to be a vegetarian when he grew up.
Chelsea said, "E, what's a vegetarian?"
To which he replied, "You know, mom. It's like a doctor for animals. They help them when they're sick."
Chelsea said,"You mean a veterinarian."
Eden said,"Whatever."
Example number two: When Chelsea returned from an attempt to become less pale while floating in the "honesty pool" with her cousin/bff, she was greeted by a very energetic Caroline. As always, the first question Chelsea asked Caroline was, "Did you have fun with Mammy while I was gone?" Caroline immediately started laughing and replied, "I didn't play, I didn't play." We laughed at the time but didn't realize until later that our 19 month old daughter made a casual joke. She knew what she did while Chelsea was gone, she knew what Chelsea was going to ask and she thought it would be funny to tell Chelsea that she didn't do what both of them knew she did.
In conclusion, you might not think our kids are as funny as yours are. You might not think our kids are as funny as we think they are. But the bottom line is that our kids are funnier than your kids.

(jae)/~Chelsea

Hello, We Are From Jupiter.

While enjoying our weekly kidless lunch, I overheard a girl who appeared to be around 10 years old tell her parents "This brings back old memories". This killed me. I mean, what "old memories" could this kid actually have? "Oh mom I remember when you used to set my carrier right here! And dad, remember when I pooped out of my diaper over in that booth? Good times, good times."
My brain is huge. I mean like Jupiter. But I still couldn't comprehend this wee tot having memories past the last episode of iCarly. It wasn't until I analyzed the appearance of this creature that I understood.
This kid was wearing an over sized t-shirt that featured some nonspecific event and/or organization that she probably didn't attend or participate in, Nike running shorts and flip-flops. (This outfit will be worn in some variation 8 years from now during some non-descript sorority shenanigans.) Her only accessory was a 16G iPhone with an adorable pink and black Otterbox.
I realized that this girl was probably not a leader. I also realized that these "memories" were not something that actually existed inside her brain. They were just floating in the air between her and whomever she was talking to. It just seemed appropriate to say something nostalgic when they visited Mi Toro for the first time in 2 weeks, so she did.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this. I'm sure this girl will do well in the future. This event just made me question whether I existed inside my head or in that empty space between heads...
I definitely live inside my brain, my head. I always have. I have never felt the need to do anything other than observe, analyze and, sometimes, engage. Chelsea is like this too, although she is more capable of surviving in social settings. I can't help that though, if you tell me a joke that isn't funny I can't make myself laugh. And if your story isn't interesting, I can't help it if I change the subject or stare blankly into your mouth. I can't be interested unless I can tell that what you are saying is coming from your brain and is not just something that stuck to your face when you passed through the empty space between two humans.
Chelsea and I pray that our children spend their lives observing and reacting from within their own brains. Living in that empty space means relying on the actions and reactions of others to dictate one's own actions and reactions. What is more pathetic than that? That is to say, if one can't think for oneself, and one can't think for anyone else, then basically one can't think. :(

(jae)

Toilet Water Soaked Princesses = Epiphany

I have always wanted to blog,I just never thought that I had anything to blog about. Wait. Who was I kidding? I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old. I have tons to blog about. I had this small epiphany while I was pulling Ariel and Snow White out of the toilet, which seems to be the ideal swimming pool for Disney princesses in the mind of an 18 month old. I was trying to figure out exactly what to do with these toilet water soaked princesses, all the while Caroline was enraged that I had busted up the pool party and was screaming "No! No! No! Swim!Swim!Swim!". Then it hit me: God has a huge sense of humor.
This thing about God having a sense of humor is no new thing to me or my husband, but more on all of that later. When I sat down to create this blog,I drew a blank about what to call it. I called Jae at work and proceeded to tell him what we were doing, notice I say we because while on the phone it hit me how great it would be to have two perspectives of our crazy life, and then I gave him the task of coming up with what we should call our blog. Jae called me back a few minutes later, with the name Laughter From Above, and a little explanation of what to put under the heading. Well, in light of the events that had already occurred before eight o'clock, I knew there was not a name that could be more fitting for my, or, should I say, our blog.

-Chelsea