Jesus, Mommy? Is dat Jesus?

As Clinton's mind, vocabulary and curiosity expand, so do the interesting conversations we have daily. Here are a few examples.

--Rodney was playing "This Little Piggy" with Clinton's toes the other night. Clinton listened very intently all the way through once.

"Again! Again!"

Rodney started again going carefully through each piggy making sure to get the most tickle out of each toe. Clinton responding little as he patiently awaiting the announcement of one pig in particular. Rodney finally got to, "This little piggy had roast beef..."

"STOP!!"

"What's wrong, Clinton? Don't you want me to finish?"

"Dat piggy want pa pies!" (french fries)

--With spring FINALLY drawing near, lots of people around here have been cutting their trees back. On one road in particular, there have been lots of big trees cut back. When we see these we always have this conversation...

"Mommy! Da trees! Dare broten."

"Yes they are. They've been cut down."

"Who cut dim?"

"I don't know. Who do you think cut them?"

"Da monsters do it." Growl.

--Clinton loves the movie The Iron Giant. There is a scene where the iron giant gets caught up in all the electrical lines. So now, every time we pass one of those enormous, steel power line supports that have the four "arms" extending off of them Clinton reports to everyone in the car, "Look! ...giants!"

--Right now everything in our house to Clinton is, "I can't like that." or "I can't want that." or sometimes it's like the following bullet point...

--We've been discussing that the cross symbolizes Jesus, but more of what Clinton hears is that the cross is Jesus. So every time we drive by a church, which is about every 1.435 miles (or less), he brings this to the table of topics to discuss. A recent conversation went like this...

"Jesus, Mommy? Is dat Jesus?"

"It sure is, bud. That cross is a symbol of Jesus. "

"Oh." A moment of thought. "Jesus can't like me."

"Yes he does. He LOVES you. He loves everybody."

"NO! Jesus can't love me."

At this point I begin singing two of my best and most heartfelt renditions of "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children". Clinton screams at me the entire time to stop. I sing louder. He screams louder. I sing louder... I finish and Clinton is sitting in the back seat with a sour look on his face and a huge bottom lip hanging out. He cuts his eyes over to look at me through the rearview mirror, takes a deep breath, and says,

"MOMMY! Jesus can't love YOU!"

Feelin' the love,