Kode, Kode, Kode

Kode is certainly the next easiest to write because he also spouts off the funniest things. This kid has such a unique mind and I love to hear what he will say next. He is 4 1/2 and goes to preschool a couple of times a week. He hesitated to go at first but now he really seems to enjoy it. He finally has a bunch of boys to hang out with. Kode loves to play computer and video games. I loved it when he would play pbskids.org or starfall.com or even nickjr.com but what he really wants to play is some random site with superhero games on it. I hate this for a couple of reasons. One is that there is suddenly no real positive learning going on and two, he needs so much more help because these games are not geared toward 4 yr olds who can't read. So one day he asked to play a superhero game on my computer and I told him that I wanted him to pick something else because these superhero games were teaching him nothing. To this he replied, "They are teaching me important things. They are teaching me to pick up my toys in my bedroom, and to help my family clean the house." I chuckle and suggest that he maybe play a Caillou game on pbskids and he says, "That game won't teach me anything good. It will teach me to kill my family." Nice, learning about manipulation at 4. Speaking of superheroes, Kode is obsessed with them. He said to me recently, "Mom, whenever you see me chewing gum, call it super gum." One night as we were hanging out in the kids' room, Kode decided to show us how superheroes do thumbs up. He stuck his thumb up, flashed us a smile and winked. Cutest thing ever. I tried to get a picture of it, but it was never quite as good as the original.


Kode has always referred to people as humans. I thought it was funny at first but have totally gotten used to it when he says it. I don't realize that it sounds weird to people until they mention it. My brother has started using it regularly because of Kode. One time I took the kids with me to drop of cookies to people I visit taught and I let Lyda and Kode each take a plate to the door with me. Ruby was quite a bit younger and so I just assumed she wouldn't care if she didn't help. How wrong was I. She was crying and I asked Kode if he knew why she was crying and he said, "She's sad because she didn't get to give cookies to any humans."
Prayer time with Kode has become quite comical lately. He has the whole thing figured out for the most part but still wants help. About halfway through he usually stops praying so that he can inform me that he would like to add something near the end. Sometimes he tells me what it is first and sometimes it is just a surprise. But either way it is hilarious as everybody can hear him discussing it with me. The other night this is what he said, "Mom, does whatever I pray for come true?" I tried to explain that sometimes, not always, it depends on what you pray for kind of a thing. He continued on with his prayer, "Please bless that hockey can be real" So then Lyda pipes up, "It already is real." Then Kode, "You mean the kind that you play on ice is really real?" I assured him that it was and he excitedly said, "Yeah!" So ya, prayer time is a little different at our house. But I like it that way.
Ruby loves to copy Kode. She always wants to drink what he is drinking and it bugs him so much. He has tried to be sneaky about it but she almost always figures it out. I try to tell him that he should be honored that she admires him that much, but it doesn't matter because she is a "baby." This is a conversation we had a couple of weeks ago.
M: Kode what do you want to drink?
K: Nothing.
M: Really, nothing?
K: (whispering) When I say nothing, that means apple juice and airborne.
M: Right, cause that's not confusing at all
K; I want nothing to drink.
(We sometimes mix airborne tablets in apple juice. We call it apple juice soda pop and I swear my kids have been healthier since we started doing it.) He has also substituted orange juice for milk and vice versa. He's even requested cockroach juice as a cover for whatever he really wanted. It is always an interesting experience trying to determine what he really wants to drink.
One of Kode's friends is named Lincoln. Lincoln has a hard time pronouncing his k's and ends up calling Kode, Tode. So one day Kode said to me, "Winkin always calls me Tode instead of Kode." This really bothered him so I said, "Do you realize that you call him Winkin instead of Lincoln?" He was stunned. He laughed about it and has never mentioned it again. Two friends with different speech impediments that keep them from saying each others names correctly.


Kode has been anxiously awaiting the start of T-ball. He had his first practice this week and it is so stinkin' cute. He is so excited to finally play a sport and have us watching him. While he is probably the most coordinated kid in our family, that doesn't extend beyond our family. He certainly has some learning to do. At one point during practice he was wearing one of those heavy helmets used when batting and he was picking up as many balls as he could. He bent over with an armload and actually toppled completely over onto his head. As if he wasn't top heavy already.
Kode is so emotional still. He gets his feelings hurt very easily and he is often in tears over little things. When he is happy and having fun it just radiates through his entire body. So much so that he will often do a funny little jump in the air accompanied with some sort of excited shout. But he also has a hard time coming back to reality. Almost always after we have done something fun and we talk about the experience, when asked if he had fun he will say, "Not really fun, because ______" There is always a reason even if there is no doubt that he just had a blast. The only exception to this was when we went to Disneyland. And thank heavens for that.
Kode is becoming so zany and fun but he is also well behaved and interested in so many things. He asks good questions and really wants to learn about the things around him. But mostly just superheroes and "bideo games".