Cartoons, the pretend and being good

Jason: How do they make the show Phineas and Ferb?
Me: Phineas and Ferb is a cartoon - it is a drawing.
Jason [outraged]: So they are pretend - even their costumes?? I am never watching cartoons again, only real shows with real people.
Me: OK, but you really like cartoons.
Jason: What is a soul - is it the part of me that is who I am?

Sydney: How do people be bad? Like, how do they learn bad things. Like to say "stupid" or "shut up?"
Me: They usually learn bad things from other kids or from TV. Kids really just want to be good, but then they learn other things that can make that hard sometimes.

Shadows and distance

Jason: Why does baby Nathan's eyes only see by shadows?

Sydney: Why is Oregon so far away from Maryland?

[Note: As you probably already know, Nathan is Jason and Sydney's new cousin who is about a week-and-a-half old. Also, we just flew back home to Oregon on Friday, after visiting family and friends in Maryland]

Numbers and nature

Jason: Is octillion a real number? I love nature, everything in nature and I never want to hurt nature.

Me: yes, octillion is a real number. It comes after septillion and before nonillion

Sydney: Mommy, do you know that sometimes I wish it was only me and there was no boy? Because Jason sometimes be’s (sic) bad to me. I am sorry that you have to sleep lonely tonight – you can sleep with me if you want.

[Note: The last comment of Sydney’s refers to the fact that Eric returned to Oregon yesterday, and the kids and I are still here in Maryland through Friday]

More Nathan...

Jason: Do you know what I liked best today? Seeing the baby, Nathan, again. I love newborn babies. They are very special to me.

Sydney: How do babies grow in the mommy's tummy and come from little eggs?

[Note: the kids seem to still be reeling from Nathan's birth yesterday. In fact, they were able to get into Jen and the baby's room today, even though only siblings are technically permitted]

Oh baby!

Jason: I had fun today with Noah swimming at the indoor pool, but my favorite part of the day was seeing the baby. He looked so cute, his eyes were closed. How do babies come? How does electricity come?

Sydney: Why do hospitals not let kids in to see a baby after it is born? I am glad we got to see the baby anyway.

[Note: Aunt Jen gave birth to Jason and Sydney's new cousin today: Nathan Max Weil! The hospitals in Montgomery County, Maryland don't let kids other than siblings into the Labor and Delivery Ward, but Jason and Sydney got to see Nathan when they wheeled him and Aunt Jen out to transfer them to their room on the maternity ward]

Racing and avoiding messes

Jason: When will we be big enough to ride the level two race cars - because I really want to? Maybe next year when we are six? But I'm ready for it now, I can handle it!

Sydney: Why do storms knock out electricity? How do storms knock over trees and make wires fall down? Why do these bad things always happen in Maryland when we aren't there?

[Note: Jason is referring to the go-kart race track that he and Sydney rode today - the "level two" cars he mentions are really super fast and nobody less than 56 inches can ride them. Sydney is referring to a storm in Montgomery County, Maryland today that knocked out the power at the houses of several people we know, like my super-pregnant about-to-deliver sister in Gaithersbrurg. Since we moved from Germantown, MD to Hood River, OR in January, we have managed to miss 5 feet of snow, the hottest July on record, an earthquake, and at last two bouts of massive power outages - for this most recent one we are in Rehoboth Beach, Delware].

Haunted houses

Jason: In the haunted houses ride, did you see the floating skeletons and did you see the Frankenstein that popped up? I loved it! The Frankenstein was my favorite part of what we did today. But, I also loved finding all of those sand crabs and beautiful shells on the beach - the scallop shell and the white twirly shell were the best.

Sydney: How do they make haunted houses? Why do they make scary things? I just like castles and princesses - why don't they make rides about that?

[Note: We are at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and went to the rides on the boardwalk after dinner tonight. Jason was all excited to go on the haunted house ride after he talked about it and imagined it for months, but Sydney had to be talked into it]

Infinity and the sky

Jason: I think I know what's bigger than infinity - infinity plus one! Is infinity a number, or does it just mean something that goes on and on and on?

Sydney: Why is the sky all painted blue? What makes some things alive, and other things not alive?