Goodbye Fruit!

James got everything he wanted from the Easter Bunny and also thought that the "Boy Meets World" DVDs Vania got for her 20th birthday should be his. James put in his "Sports Funnies" VHS right away. He loves to watch a good tumble down a ski slope. Although scrambled eggs were part of the breakfast buffet, James couldn't eat them because they weren't right out of the frying pan and didn't smell right. He wasn't impressed by the bowl of fruit either. He yelled, "Goodbye fruit!"

 

Track Star

On Friday night James watched our mom and I put the finishing touches on the nursery for his niece who he has been calling "Rita". Then James and I went to see the movie "Mirror Mirror". James was so excited that he dumped his popcorn bucket. Not wanting to lose one kernel, James tried to shovel the popcorn on the floor back into his bucket, but thankfully, I was able to stop him. On Saturday morning James had his first track meet where he competed in the shot put. James didn't throw the farthest, but he was by far the most entertaining to watch.

Heavy Lifter

James went back to school today after a week off for spring break. He spent his break helping our mom and grandma with a backyard landscaping project. James was proud that he could do the heavy lifting. He likes to pull up his sleeves and show off his biceps, especially to cute girls at school. A typical response is, "Ohhh, very nice James."

James is anxiously anticipating the arrival of his niece and is frustrated that we can't tell him what date she will be born. We had this conversation last night:

James: When in April is my niece born?
Me: She has to decide when she is ready.
James: Show me on the calendar.
Me: I can't. It may be earlier in April or it may be later in April.
James: Earlier?

James showing off his landscaping project 

Are You Going to Die?

Like the rest of our family, James misses grandpa Jerry. Since we lost our grandpa in October, James has been trying to make sense of what death is. How do you explain something that you can never completely understand yourself? Yesterday our mom took James to the eye doctor. In the doctor's office James spotted a woman in a wheelchair on oxygen. Ignoring our mom's protests, James repeatedly asked the woman, "Are you going to die?" Our mom explained to the woman that James was autistic and was still upset about losing his grandpa who was also on oxygen. The woman said she recognized James as autistic as she had worked with autistic children in the past. The wait for James' appointment was painfully long.

I'm Like Michael Jordan

My favorite conversations are with James:

Me: James, have you been dressing out for gym?
James: Yes. We are practicing basketball. I'm like Michael Jordan.
Me: Okay, I will see you later.
James: What about Easter?
Me: I think the Easter Bunny got your stuff.
James: And Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and Tootsie Rolls? (He does a Google search like I don't know what they are.)
Me: James, I know what they are.
James: Okay, you can leave now.

But it is so Good!

James was testing our mom's patience last week. First, our mom found out that he hadn't dressed out for gym a few classes in a row. Then James was caught with a half-eaten container of frosting. I said, "James, you can't eat frosting out of the container." James said, "But it is so good!" I told James he had to dress out for gym the rest of the week or I wouldn't take him to "The Lorax" on Friday night. It did the trick. 

I Can Actually Hear You Getting Fatter

James accompanied me for some grocery shopping at Hy-Vee in Pleasant Hill on Friday night. A book of Pixar stickers caught his eye, and he said, "I need this for my niece." Public places seem to trigger James' need to recite movie lines. While waiting in the crowded checkout line, James reenacted the scene from "Tommy Boy" where Chris Farley eats french fries and squirts ketchup into his mouth. James loudly quoted David Spade, "Ugh, I can actually hear you getting fatter."

Back at my house James was glued to my new digital photo frame loaded with my wedding photos. We had the following conversation several times:

James: Val, are you married?

Val: Yes.

James: I'm single.

Val: That's good to know.

James: You lived happily ever after.