KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII -- YA !!

that is the sound of ten+ 4-year-olds at karate class -- the highlight of my week. i have never seen so many high-fives in my life, and i've been trying to revive the high-five (along with the word SIKE) for years.

i love this kid -- he has the best imagination. after dinner, andrew told me to get on the horse because i was a cowboy, and being the rational adult that i am, i had to ask where exactly was this horse he spoke of. then all of the sudden, there i was on a horse! AKA: sitting on the floor, handcuffed to andrew under a sleeping bag and waving a tennis racket above my head like a lasso. side note: all fun until someone gets hit in the face (me). alas, a small price to pay for the joy of being aunt kelley.

AND he knows all of the teenage mutant ninja turtles by name -- and raphael, the angry badass with the big attitude problem is his favorite, just like me. andrew probably likes him because he wears red, but this is irrelevant. AND he humors me by making great hand-noise metal signs, complete with tongue-sticking-out goodness. ... then he goes back to being spiderman and shoots webs at me -- i guess i got the apartment! so its still a good day.

i am fascinated by children. they are so SMALL, but have such a good grasp on life -- easily amused, cry when they're hungry, tired, or hurt, and get over the rest. and every movement is an accomplishment. just tickle a baby and see if you don't have a really great day afterward. although i could probably change a diaper (heidi's never made me try :), i don't know what i would do if a kid sneezed on me. or i had to use one of those giant nose bulb things -- a "nasal aspirator." it's like sucking boogers up a straw. gross gross gross. aunt kelley does not do snot. this is a huge barrier to having kids of my own -- my baby would get a cold, i'd be too grossed out to clear his nose, and he'd talk like pee-wee herman for the rest of his life. no thanks.

p.s. if it's been more than 5 years since you last read dr. suess' fox in sox, i strongly encourage you to pick up a copy and read it outloud. prior to andrew's bedtime story, i felt i had a good grasp on speaking english and enunciating properly. i am no longer so sure .... especially once i got through the tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.