Arthur shares a lot

We went to the zoo during Labor day weekend. Arthur got a sheet of animal stickers from the souvenir store. The next day, Minglun wanted to help Arthur with the stickers. In the past, the stickers they got normally ended up on their chairs or desks.  So I asked Minglun to "supervise" Arthur to put those stickers to the good spots.

After a while, Minglun wanted to get a few stickers, but Arthur refused him.  "They are all MINE."  He said.  Minglun was not too happy.  So I went to talk with Arthur, telling him that he needs to share, just as Minglun is helping him to make his room look nice with all those animal stickers.  Arthur kept quiet and didn't say anything.  Minglun was sad and almost cried.  So I took him away with me to the living room and let him play something else there.

The house was quiet.  Then Arthur came to the living room with a big smile on his face, "Mama and Minglun, come look.  I made Minglun's room look pretty."  We went there, and saw Minglun's room's door, closet doors are full of stickers.  Arthur put All, yes, All of his stickers to Minglun's room.  I was so touched and I held both of them in my arms and said, "You know what, you two made Mama so happy."

Arthur's Naive Question

One day I was driving with Arthur, another car all of sudden jumped in front of me. I quickly pressed brake and said "Shoot".

Arthur must be opening his eyes big at the back. He exclaimed, "Mama, you just said 'Shoot'". I said to him, "Sorry, Arthur. Mama was not supposed to say that." Arthur was still amazed, "Mama, your car has shooting power??"

(No. Arthur.  Mama's car doesn't have shooting power.  It is not a transformer either.)
(For some reason, the two kids keep on thinking Papa's truck is a hot wheel and it runs faster than my van.)

Minglun's Happy Times and Sad Times

Minglun's answer to a school assignment -

Happy times: 1. When I go asleep.

2. When my dad snores like a baby.

3. When my little brother does NOT play with me.

4. When I go to store with my mom.

Sad times: 1. When my brother Arthur screams at me.

2. When I cannot go to grandma's house.

3. When I get timeout in school.

4. When I cannot watch Star Wars.

A Serious Talk with Arthur

Arthur is almost three and half now, but he can still get into toddler mood sometimes and make some big noise in the house, such as the roars, "DON'T TOUCH MY BIKE." "This is MY toy!"

Last Saturday morning, after he screamed at Minglun, I found myself start talking to him like this, "Arthur, you have to try to control your temper." At the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Does he know the word control or what it means?" Arthur looked at me quite unhappily and said, "I cannot, because I am too little."

Since he answered, I felt that I need to keep the conversation, "You need to change." Arthur looked even unhappier, and said, "I don't want to."

Minglun had been listening carefully since our conversation started, and now he threw himself to the couch and hit his head against it repeatedly in frustration, "Arthur is never going to change. Arthur is never going to change."

Arthur and Wrinkles

This summer, we played a lot in water. Minglun is five and half and Arthur is three and half and I finally can take both of them to the pool all by myself. The only difficult part was to get them out from the pool. Arthur is the more difficult one and he wouldn't listen sometimes. I tried different things and the one worked really well was telling Arthur that he got many wrinkles on his hands and he cannot stay in water any longer. Arthur will talk in his baby voice, slowly but clearly, "Oh my gosh. I got so many wrinkles. Hurry, hurry, we have to go wash my wrinkles away."

I think I played this too much. Then later Arthur wouldn't like to go to the pool any more. He would say, "I do not want to go swimming because I will get wrinkles." And I found myself talking to him, "Arthur, you are only three years old. You don't need to worry about WRINKLES..." So we still go to the pool but now I have to be careful not to mention wrinkles to Arthur any more.

Henry and Gordon

At bedtime, Minglun and Arthur were reading a new book with Mama, "Henry and the Elephant" fromThomas and friends series. Both boys are quite into the stories about Thomas and his friends. Especially Arthur, who has a set of little trains. Each of the trains has their name at the bottom. Arthur asked Mama before for each train's name and he requires other people to remember them too. Such as, if he asks his Grandma, "Grandma, can you bring Percy to me?" and if Grandma doesn't know who is Percy, Arthur will not be very happy.

Anyway, they started reading the book. Minglun was the one that was doing the reading because he was at the age of a beginner reader. The first page is "Thomas left to run the Branch lines. Gordon and Henry missed Thomas." Minglun couldn't recognize "Gordon" and asked Mama for help. Mama tried to give him a hint, "Minglun, this is the name of a train. It starts with a G. Look, what train is this one?" At the same time, Mama was pointing to a blue train on the book. Arthur said casually, "That's Gordon!" Mama said, "That's right. See, Arthur knows that train's name. It is Gordon."

Minglun continued, "Gordon and ...". He didn't know how to read "Henry" now. Mama helped again, "Now it is another train's name and it starts with an H. See who is this?" She pointed to a green train in the book. Arthur exclaimed, "It is Henry!" Mama said, "Right. Minglun, see, even Arthur knows the trains' names. Gordon and Henry." Minglun was feeling unhappy and refused to continue to read the book.

It was late alreay and Mama sent them to bed. After turning off the light, Minglun asked Mama, "Mama, can you tell Arthur that he still doesn't know every single train's name." After comforting Minglun and assuring him not to worry about those trains, Mama went to Arthur's room. Arthur was holding his blue train Thomas in bed. Arthur was still feeling so proud and hadn't fallen asleep yet. He was talking to himself, "This is Thomas, and this is Gordon and that is Henry. And that's it."

Mama says, Papa says and Grandma says

Minglun and Arthur's Mama is from China and speaks Chinese. Their Grandma from father's side is from Peru and speaks Spanish. Grandma lives close by and plays with them often.

When Minglun was little, Mama liked to play Flash cards with him in Chinese. Sometimes, Papa joined in and said some words in English. Like when Minglun lifted the card with a picture of an elephant on it, Papa would say "Elephant". Minglun frowned at Papa and lifted the card to Mama and Mama would say "Da Xiang". Minglun nodded his head satisfactorily and gave Papa a disapproval look.

From Minglun and Arthur's house to Grandma's house, there is a ranch. Many times on their way to Grandma's house, they see some cows in the field eating grass. Mama will point to the cows and say to Minglun, "Minglun, look... Niu. Hao duo Niu." However, Minglun seems to pick up Spanish first. One time, when Mama was saying, "Wow, Niu, Hao Duo Niu.", Minglun started saying, "Vaca, muchos vacas." And then sometimes he will repeat after Mama, "Niu, Hao duo Niu."

One time, Minglun asked, "Mama, why you say Niu and Grandma says Banca?" Mama said, "Because Mama speaks Chinese and Grandma speaks Spanish." Minglun asked again, "What does Papa speak?" "Papa speaks both Spanish and English."

Later when Arthur was learning how to talk, he also discovered the language differences. When he tried to count, he would say, "Grandma says, 'Uno, dos, tres.' Mama says, 'Yi, Er, San'". Everytime after he counted in English, he would say, "Mama, now count in Spanish." What he meant was in another language since he was not using the word Chinese well yet. Then he started counting "Yi, Er, San...".

What time is it outside?

In Minglun's house, there is a garden themometer in the backyard hung on a shelf. Every morning, Mama likes to look through the window toward the backyard to take a look at the themometer outside and decides what clothes to put on for Minglun and Arthur. Minglun has been observing Mama and he didn't know what is that for.

After Minglun learned how to read a clock and read the clock correctly several times in the kitchen, one day he finally asked when Mama was trying to read the thermometer in the backyard. "Mama, what time is it outside?" Mama laughed and said, "That is not a clock. It is a thermometer." Minglun asked, "What is a thermometer?" "Thermometer is to tell you what temperature it is. Not the time. From the temperature, you can know if it is hot or cold."

"Okay, then I can read a thermometer!" Minglun was so excited and started reading the number. "It is 60 o'clock." Mama laughed again, "It is 60 degree, not o'clock. But you are doing very good Minglun. Sixty degree means that it is nice outside, but just a little bit chilly. You can wear your jacket and go outside with Arthur."

So from then on, Minglun started reading the thermometer every time they need to go outside. He will say, "Mama, it is 50 o'clock outside, me and Arthur need our jackets." Or "Mama, it is 65. We can go to the backyard to play."

It took him a while to say "degree" instead of "o'clock" and Mama was having so much fun hearing him saying that.

Minglun, Mama's sweet boy, just one step at a time.