I think this was the nicest day of my whole life.

Can we please listen to some Irish tunes? I need some Irish tunes.

I know a lot of tunes. Baba thinks they all sound the same, but they don't at all. They're completely different.

I want us to have a laughing party. The goal is to have everybody laughing at the same time about the same thing. First, you have to get your tummy muscles warmed up!

I had a funny dream. We were hiking and saw mushrooms floating in the air. The kind that have dots on them. When they were babies, they were in the ground. Then they started floating...

It's funny how shoelaces are really only shoelace.

I think this was the nicest day of my whole life. [Mama gave him a haircut, then took him to get ice cream at The Scoop except they were intercepted by a free horse-drawn carriage ride through town first. Later, they went to a big pierogi-making party with Janusz's band of Poles.]

I like to burp as much as I can.

This pocket is soundproof.

I know how to tell if the tooth fairy is real. First, you don't tell your parents when you tooth is wiggly. Then, you don't tell them when your tooth falls out, and put it under your pillow.

Mama, how does this (something on the stereo) work? Oh! Wow, by just following my brain a little bit, I figured it out.

In wonder if those dials (car speedometer and RPM-ometer) have motors, or if they work by pressure.

This pocket is sound-proof. Really, it is.

(At Mama's office): Your work is like magic.It's like magic to me, Mama. I might work here when I'm old.

It's three to two. I hope you win the next game and then we'll have a tie again. That was fun.

(Referring to his first adult tooth coming in, and the fact that it's more jagged than his baby teeth): It shouldn't be like a pizza cutter--so smooth--it should be more like a wood saw.

Bonus exclamation from Mama's visitng mom: Oh Golly Moses!

We are scientists.

We are scientists. We see interesting stuff where other people see yucky stuff.

(Before falling asleep): What's the tallest thing in the world? How do you squirt a tomato? Sometimes I want to talk, but I can't think of a subject to do, so I talk about the first thing I can think of, like "how do you squirt a tomato" or something.

(In Yosemite, after a very long hike up to Nevada Falls and back, Julian looked tired and Janusz said, Poor Juju. Julian replied): I'm not poor. I have a good Baba, a good family, and more than one good friend. I'm not poor.

So, who's going to win the election? Will there be some big parades when someone wins?

I wish I had more homework.

This one doesn't make sense to me. (During connect-word-to-illustration homework with the word "jet" and a simple drawing of an airplane.) Because it doesn't have any jets.

I know a way to wiggle your tooth. You put your finger on it and take a ride in the car and it get wiggled. (Lost his first tooth 10/16/12)

(During family house cleaning):  I like doing little things like polishing. It's actually kind of fun for me. I'm just that kind of person. I like the kind of things like polishing or vacuuming, but I don't really like putting stuff away.

My favorite cleaning house sport is vacuuming.

A lot of people have trouble starting to clean. But a lot of times, you just have to convince your body to do it and then you can do it pretty easily. Can I go biking now? I certainly deserve it.

If there was no gravity, people would just float around and we couldn't control ourselves. So, it would be cool if we had little jets in places so that we could turn (sound effects).

Make mine a double.

When I'm old enough, can I take one of your jobs?

Julian: I had a double ice cream today. I've moved on to double ice creams.
Suzuki: What did you have?
Julian: I got vanilla honey lavender and mint chocolate swirl. I didn't really like the chocolate one.
Suzuki: Why not just get both scoops with the vanilla honey lavender?
Julian: You can DO THAT?!!

I'm so glad you are my mom!

S: Who do you want to have over for your birthday?
J: Tobi, Cordelia, and Zane.
S: OK.
J: (pause...) And later I want to have another, bigger party with lots of people!
S: Oh, you're just thinking of the presents now...I don't think we really need to do that.
J: (smiling) Yeah.

Julian: Maybe we should wear goggles to cut the onions. (They worked great!)

(One day, Mama was struck by Norovirus, or something like it and Julian stayed at her side, providing constant care.) Mama, is there anything you need? Would you like a glass of water? I'll get you a towel.(He got me ice, made me tea, and much more. That night, before going to bed): You don't have to leave me asleep tonight. If you need ANYTHING, just wake me up!

Blind dogs and optical illusions.

Did you know that some dogs guide other blind dogs? That have a special leash between them.

Never say never...oops.

Juju: How old is your car, Baba?
Baba: 14.
Juju: It's a teenager. Do you think it will get to grow up?

Suzuki: You guys should have come on that hike with me. I saw some cool tracks.
Julian: What did they look like?
Suzuki: They had three straight lines.
Julian: Oh, I know what made them: Yodas.

That (long, black) dress makes you look taller. Some people might think you grew!

Julian: I'm always on-call.
Suzuki: For your job?
Julian: Yes.
Suzuki: What do you do?
Julian: I can't tell you, it's too complicated. I can't even sleep in my own jammies because I have to have everything on at all times.

What spell should I use to cool this barszcz (soup)? Coolamah, coolamah, coolamah...FEY!

I need one more hand for putting on the ketchup. I just need one more. I usually won't use it, but for ketchup.

You're making me itchy with your voice.

We're going to have one "pretend" a night. We're going to pretend going upstairs is part of it. We will pretend to sail into my room. We don't really have a space for you in the boat, so you will water ski on the side.

If you roast apples enough, it tastes like apple pie. And I think that's what we're going to do in Yosemite. Baba is going to try to remember.

[And I just rediscovered this photo of Julian's door and his old friend Lena:]

Flash Playdates and Mama Zombies

S: Tobi is coming over tomorrow for a playdate.
J: Sometimes I have like "flash playdates." Like I don't even know about them. Like flash floods in the desert.

(Tobi and Julian, Desert Explorers. Made at school.)

It's my "specialest" thing.

Tobi: It would be good if we lived in houses right next to each other. We would build a tunnel. We'd ask the government to do it.

Let me hug you! Let me dance you! Let me kiss you!

See Julian's first ballet recital!

Mama, I love you. I wouldn't be alive without you.

Mama, when you die, I'm going to make a sculpture of you with arms up to hug that has a motor that makes it move and says, "I love you, Juju...I love you, Juju...I love you, Juju..."

S: Julian, I'm going to need your utmost cooperation this week.
J: My un-most cooperation?
S: No, your utmost.
J: I'll give you my un-most cooperation. Here it is!

(Tobi made this telescoping Lightsaver for Julian.)

J: This light saver is good because it saves the light, so it saves electricity.Wow -- 360 million -- that's how much light it saved. 360 thousand light capsules!
Janusz: How long will that last?
J: About half a day. 360 thousand million trillion hundred -- that'll last one day. 360 thousand million trillion hundred scoillion, jillian, (etc.) -- that'll last a decade!

An apple a day keeps the doctors in a different country. No, in a different universe. A different galaxy. Maybe the Star Wars Galaxy...

S: Julian, do you want to see a video of yourself in the school play?
J: No, I know what I look like and I heard myself.

See Julian's desert school play. New, improved footage taken by Janusz.

You're the "loviest" mama I've ever seen. Because you love me so much.

Janusz: Julian, your science fair certificate has the same gold star as I got on my Juniper Networks certification.
S: Wow you guys, I guess I need to get a gold star!
J: Oh, I'll get you one. All I need is a rocket.

S: I like real clowns, but I don't like it when you clown around at dinner.
J: I'll be a real clown. What do real clowns do?

Hey Mama, we were on the same pitch, but we were saying different things.

You're the boss of carrying stuff up from the car.

I sprouted from the most beautiful egg ever.

(School choir performance line-up.)

with his good friend Zane

J: Tonight I don't want a book, Baba. Let's talk. I want you to tell me something interesting. Something that I don't already know.

Janusz: I'm very tired. I'm not sure I can think of something off the top of my head. If you have a specific question, I can try to find an answer for you.
J: When cars have front-wheel drive, how can the engine turn the wheels side-to-side and still make them turn around?

S: Julian, please sit down at the table.
J: OK, I'm sling-shotting myself there.

You try the Mexican chili hot chocolate first, and then if you can't describe it in a really good way, I won't have any.

See Airplane Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style

A Day for Laughter Hath Been Proclaimed!

(Early Friday morning): Let's have today be "Laughing Day." Let's laugh as much as possible. 

(Later that day): We should make "Laughing Bread!"

(End of day): We had SO MUCH laughing today! It was so fun!

In Julian's ballet class, Teacher Lily plays a game with the kids sitting with their thighs pressed out and the bottoms of their feet pressed together. She pretends to throw treats into their "baskets." After class, the teacher quietly told me that when she asked him what he wanted in his basket, Julian said, "Nothing." She asked, "Nothing?" He replied, "I already have everything I need." She said, "I never heard that before. Usually they want candy or something like that!"

Mama, I made something for you. You have to try it. A papaya seed and a chive wrapped in a basil leaf. Isn't it good? (It was!)

I see a lot of animals on the bathroom wall, Mama. Come look! There are two elephants, a bear, and a rabbit. Be aware, they all have eyes. Oh, there's a goldfish and I found a monkey. And I see a Saguaro Cactus!

I made a new Lego kit that has all the parts for a Pterodactyl. Do you want me to plug the vehicle into the Pterodactyl now?

Ro-sham-bo, (heart shape)! Let's say that Heart "beats" everything else, because it has love!

NOTE: Julian did a fine job in his role as a Saguaro (The Cactus, Tall and Grand) in his kindergarten play:

Click here to watch for Julian's Kindergarten Cactus Play! 

Unicycles, Surfboards, and Love Contraptions

Did you know we have switches in our body? Yes. Lots and lots of switches. Focus! Switch--not focused! And back ON--focused! ... Muscles--OFF. (collapses)

If there's enough birds, could they carry a person in the air? If there's enough birds?

God is the dad of earth and Mother Earth is the mother of earth, right?

Did you know that some people are making black hole blasters that can go into black holes and blast back out? (Suzuki: Oh, really?) Yes, people are helping me make one in the underworld.

Look what I made (out of Legos). He has a unicycle under his surfboard! He's going to ride right into the ocean.

I'm going to tell you what I wish. I wish people didn't take up so much space.

Yay! I love these cards that Grandpa makes hisself. I love them so much because they're like stories.

This space shuttle is a love machine. I'm making a real love machine for you, Mama. A lot of them are fake because they're really expensive, but I got it for you. It's a real one. This space shuttle will never deliver bills to you.

Julian (after hearing Suzuki singing the theme from Barber of Seville): You're annoying, Mama. 
Suzuki: Hey, that hurts my feelings.
Julian: I'm sorry that you're annoying and I love you very much.

I'm going to make you a trophy for the best cereal in the world.

Don't look at me when you have the stuff (dye) in your hair. It makes my taste buds feel weird.|

I love you, Mama. And I can't even tell you how much. Way bigger than anyone could describe.

Julian: (Burp.) You're welcome. (Burp.) You're welcome.
Suzuki: You're welcome?
Julian: You're welcome in my burping factory.

I'm setting up the love contraption. It sends out love and takes away the bad love...that's moldy. When love gets moldy, it turns into hate. It takes that away and turns it into love. This guy (Legos again) activates the love contraption.

Suzuki: Can you read this?
Julian: No, I'm too full for reading...and a little too lazy, too.

I have so much love that even if you put it in your whole body and Baba's body and all the stars and the sun, there would still be so much more.

I have multiple brains.

After the earth is done, it will become Jesus. Because all the planets are named for gods, like Jupiter and Pluto...

You're the heating element in my pickle.

Mama, you're the motor in my fan. You're the filament in my lightbulb. You're the paint in my picture. You're the key to my mind.

Can really hot water make a fire? If you pour it on wood?

Suzuki (after having employed the old "I've got your nose" trick): Hey, I've got your nose!
Julian: You don't have my nose. I have my own private nose and each time I get a new, improved model when you take it.

Juju (playing with legos): We're just waiting for a concept to come up...I know! This is a short-route, one-person dizzer!

I do not like what is going on with this world. Some things I like, but a lot I do not. (With a disgusted tone): In my school, almost every class has a projector!

I don't like shrimps to eat, but I like shrimps the animals. They're really cute.

Can we get a spring box for my mattress and put it next to your bed so we can all sleep together? I want to be with you as much as possible. Being together is what life's about.

Janusz: Julian, I thought you said you were dying of hunger and now you're not eating and playing with that puppet and rubber band.
Julian: I guess I was dying for something to be interesting.

Julian: I like to quietly practice other people's voices.
Suzuki: Maybe you'd like to be an actor.
Julian: No, I want to be a dancer.

Thank you for getting me a napkin, Baba. You're the best...You're welcome for saying you're the best.

A leaf was jumping down the street. It was so funny!

(On a fire road hike) Tracks are an offering to God from trucks.

I don't think I'd be a good harmonica player because after I play for some time, my breath feels weird.

Mama, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to guess in a special way--guess more slowly, so you don't just say, "I give up."

Suzuki: A speech therapist is going to come to your class.
Julian: But I don't want to lose my accent.