New Year's Eve Day - Family Style

The Mama spent the day on the computer. Working.

Sometimes with a Giant Squid on her head. Which was, of course, transplanted there by a very tricky and sneaky little boy.

Trev took the picture.

"It looks like a kingdom to me...." said little son with a bit of wonder in his voice. He and daddy built this one.

.

Little Son: "What's a tup?"

Me: "A tup? I'm not sure..."

Trev: "You know.... Yankee Doodle keep a tup?"

A smiling me: "Oh, I see. That song actually says "keep it up."

Trev: "Oh. Was Yankee Doodle a real person?"

Me: "Er... I have no idea. Let's check that out."

Now I had a reasonable idea that there wasn't an actual person named Yankee Doodle, of course, but I really had no idea how or why the whole thing came about.

After a brief investigation I think I learned (I was really hurried, cause I'm on a deadline today) that the first Yankee Doodle song was from a Broadway play. (though there are various stories about the Brits making fun of Americans and calling them Yankee Doodles, etc.)

"Maybe you could look up the person who created that song..." Little Son says.

Let's put that on the Things To Do list.

Other snippets from the day:

"Did you know that empty leaellynasaura eggs have lots of nutrients in them?"

"Are greedy and generous both the opposite?"

"Yes."

"Are mean aaaand.......... nice the opposite?"

"Yup."

Daddy gets home from his day of skiing.

"I did a front flip today!!" He exclaims.

Now understand that I do not ski. Frankly, I don't care for the cold that much. I'd be the one sipping at first cocoa and then a $12 draft beer by the fire. Or two.

I know, however, that my husband is an expert skier. He's skied his whole life, and has mastered form, and has worked ski resort jobs year after year, blah blah blah. He's very good.

"On purpose?" I ask with one skeptical eye-brow raised.

"No," admitted the darling man.

"Hmmph. That's what I thought!" said his adoring wife.

Enters a boy of six...

"Trev! I did a flip today!"

"Cooooool!!!" exclaims the dutiful little worshipful son.

I acually appreciated this second seeking of admiration, because this time during the conversation I got to entertain myself with visions of Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show doing a slow-motion summer-sault down the stairs.....

"It was more like a somersault, Trev", I hedged...

"Yup, it was. I landed half-way on my head, then flipped back over to my feet...." confesses his Papa.

"A flip is a flip," I am conviced little son was thinking loyally.

All that flipping and daredevilling warranted a nap, and here are the results of that peaceful pastime...