Changming has been asking me to marry him since he was three

We were listening the music CD “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” in the car. It started with a sad music and said Beethoven has died. Rholee said to me in a very sad voice: I miss Beethoven. Then she asked me: Did Beethoven die when I was a baby? I said yes, he died long time ago. Then she asked: Did he die when there was dinosaur?

One day, Lin is bragging that he has known me for 14 years. Changming responded immediately: I’ve known mom for all my life!

Rholee was talking to her “Snowy” in the car like this: “Don’t watch too much TV, its not good for your eyes.” She then told me that Snowy is not behaving and watching too much TV. Another day in the car, she said to her Snowy: “I forgot to bring the sled, can we do it tomorrow?” Then she told me that Snowy said OK.

Changming and I had a very interesting discussion about music. He told me that there was a sign in his music classroom which read like this: The more you get into music, the more you get out of life. He told me he didn’t understand what it means, but he does not want to die (out of life) early.

Changming came with me to work one day during the holiday because there was no school. Once we got into my office, I turned on the computer and about to start to work. Changming was very surprised and said: “ Mom, how did you use computer to make medicine?” He knew that my job is to make medicine.

Rholee’s story continued: My mom came, and the monster was back, the monster scared my mom. The end.

Rholee’s story: One day when I was sleeping, I saw a monster in my bed. I scared him, then he ran away. The end.

Rholee wanted to have an Airplane party for her 4^th birthday. She mentioned a few names. I didn’t hear Amelia’s name (Amelia is the only girl she plays with at school sometime), so I asked if she wanted to invite Amilia. She answered without any hesitation: No, it’s a boy’s party.

Now Rholee goes to this new day care on Tues. and Thurs. Her secret becomes: I played with Turner and I love you.

Rholee’s dream about her future is to be a spaceman, but at the end of the year after she turned four, she wants to be an artist too.

Changming talks about his future: I want to be an artist and a pianist. I’ll have shop by our house and sell my art work there. I am also going to candies there so when kids come, there is something for them too.

One morning when I dropped Changming off at the Extended Day, I left Rholee in the car by herself. In order to come back to her quickly, I ran to the car in the parking lot. Rholee asked after I jumped into the car: “Mom, why you running?” I told her the truth that I was scared (of leaving her alone). Then she said very seriously: “ there is no Monsters, Mom”. She couldn’t understand how could I get scared when there is no monster around.

Daddy bought a new bicycle for Changming this spring, he really likes it. So we asked him what he is going to do with his old bike. He responded very quickly to our surprise: “I’ll save it for my son”. “Where is your son?” “In Rholee’s tummy!”

Every morning before we leave to daycare, Rholee always says to Dad, I miss you already.

Everyday when Rholee comes home from the daycare, she whispers in my ear: I played with David, I love you.

Changming talks about war: I don’t like war, I want people to be nice to people. I don’t want to see people get killed.

Mom and Dad were talking about dancing (Dad doesn’t dance, but Mom loves dancing).

Rholee always talks about his friend, David, from her daycare. One day when I asked her if she likes David, she said: “I like David, but I am not going to marry him”. I was surprised, and asked her who she is going to marry. She said in a kind of sad voice: “nobody, nobody else but Snowy (Snowy is her favorite stuffed snowman that she has carried around since she was a baby), but Snowy is just a toy, she can’t talk.”

On Christmas Eve, Changming asked me to put out a glass of wine and cookies for Santa and carrots for Santa’s reindeers. So I did. When he got up the next morning, the wine was gone with residual wine left on the bottom of the glass, cookies were gone with some crumbs left on the plate, carrots were gone too. When he saw all of that, he ran to me and said in excitement: Mom, Santa came, look, Santa came last night!

On a cold winter night before Christmas, when my husband was starting the fireplace for some fun and warm air, Changming said: Dad, don’t do this on Christmas eve, other wise, Santa’s butt is going to get burned!

“So, who you like the most, mom, dad, Changming or David (her best friend at preschool)?” Rholee thought for a little while, and said in a very low voice as if she was really shy: “David”. That’s not a surprise, because she keeps saying something like these: I want to go to David’s house, I want to sleep with David (What? ! I cried).

· Out of one hundred moms, I can pick you out as my mom even when my eyes are closed.

Changming got a new, 20" bike. When we asked him what he wanted to do with the 16", the answer is: Can I save it for my own son?

Throughout the whole firework show on the 4th of July evening, Rholee was covering her ears with her two little hands (to keep the noise away as she is really afraid of thunder) and keep turning her head away from the sky. When the firework is finished, she took her hands off her ears and announced: "That was fun!".

Changming's best friend at the daycare, Graeme, has two brothers. One day Changming looked a little puzzled and wondered: "When Graeme grows up, his family is going to have three fathers and no mothers." I said: "Oh, is that right? What about ours?". Apparently he doesn't worry about his family at all. He showed a happy grin and said: "I am going to be a father and my sister is going to be a mother".

One day in the car, we were listening a kid’s song about king and queen. Rholee said: “I am a queen”. Naturally, I thought Changming would want to be a king, so I asked him if he wants to be a king. To my surprise he said: “No”. “Why?” I asked him. “Because king doesn’t do anything, they just sit there all the time. I want to be a soldier, so I can fight with enemies. On the other hand, king never dies, I am a human, and I will die, so I can’t be a king.”

The teachers at my two-years old daughter’s daycare have been teaching the kids to use expressions like “thank you” and “please” and would frequently remind the children with something like “Rholee, say thank you”. One morning I was dropping her off at school. While I was giving her my usual hugs and kisses, she turned to her teacher, April: “April, say bye-bye to my mom”. So April said: “Bye, Carrie”.

Changming has been asking me to marry him since he was three. One day recently, when my husband and I were talking about getting old, he came to my side and asked: "Mom, are you going to be old when I grow up?" I said: "yes, of course". And just as I was thinking that he might get sad knowing I am going to be old, he said in a very calm voice: "then I'll marry my sister."

We were watching a home video of my ultrasound when I was pregnant with Changming. He asked a few questions:

I always lie down with Changming for a little while before he goes to sleep. One night, I was in a hurry of doing some housework, so I said “good night” and “I love you” to him after only about five minutes. Before I can get up from his bed, he asked with a very angry tone, “Mom, do you really love me?” I answered: “Yeah, very much, why?” Then something he said made me laugh out loud and ended up staying with him for longer time: “If somebody loves somebody, they should sleep together much longer than we just did”.

Changming always tells me: “ Mom, you are the best mom I ever ever….. got”, “You are the prettiest girl I ever ever ever…… seen”, and he always says so many “ever” that sounds like he has lived for all his life.

When Changming was at around two years old, he once asked me while I was sending him to daycare in the morning:

When I went to daycare to pick him up that evening, he looked at me and said something in a surprisingly logical way: