Just call them twinkletoes

3Po and CleanBoy finished off their spring tap/ballet class with a special tap performance set to "Take a Little One Step" from the musical No, No Nanette. The class actually danced it without any coaching from the teacher. Also, the mirror was behind them, so they couldn't copy any of their classmates. At least, not without turning their heads and looking around, which is what most of them did. Which made it even cuter.

My kids can shoot

Now that we have our new digital SLR camera, we've become less concerned about the well-being of our old point-and-shoot camera. So this afternoon I gave in to the boys' pleas and allowed to them to play with the camera for a little while. I looped the camera strap around 3Po's wrist and told him to take a photo of whatever he thought looked nice, as many photos as he wanted, then did the same for CleanBoy.

The resulting pictures were quite interesting. It may have been luck, but I thought some of their shots were very well framed. At the very least, it's an interesting glimpse into a 4-year-old's aesthetic sense. So in keeping with this week's Photo Hunter's theme of Thirteen, here are 13 of 3Po and CleanBoy's best photos:

A Valentine for you

To celebrate this wonderful day, here are some thoughts on love, by two people I love most in the world (3Po refused to play):

What is love?
CleanBoy: It means someone wants to kiss you,
Pea: Something you have in your heart when you really like people.

How old do you have to be to get married?
CleanBoy: 25
Pea: At least twenty-something.

How do people decide whom to marry?
CleanBoy: You have to find someone; you have to look as hard as you possibly can and tell them that you want to marry them.
Pea: You go around looking at all the boys and you try each boy and then you pick the nicest one for you.

When is it OK to kiss someone?
CleanBoy: You can kiss anyone, but no smacking people after they kiss.
Pea: If you love each other or if you're married.

Is it better to be single or married?
CleanBoy: Married, because you get to be loved forever.
Pea: Married, because if you're single you won't have anyone to be with and you'll get bored.


Love is sweetest when it is as innocent and pure as a child. Their love is sweeter to me than any box of chocolates. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

A brief anatomy lesson

Pea: I'm made of sugar and spice and everything nice! That's what little girls are made of. Do you know what you are made of? You're made of slugs and snails and puppy dogs' tails, 'cause that's what little boys are made of.

CleanBoy: No! I'm made of toothpaste and juice and rice and everything nice.

(check this out, here's what little boys are really made of!)

Guest blogger of the day: CleanBoy

I now present to you a story written (actually dictated to Alfie) by CleanBoy, age 4, entitled Power Rangers.
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Once upon a time, there were two bad people who were Power Rangers -- and they had guns! And they shot a bad guy and the Power Rangers had claws. When they were done, they went back home. And on the way home they saw another bad guy and shot him out of the window. But there was a nice rainbow -- and they accidentally shot the rainbow -- because they were doing computer and they didn't know what they were pressing.

Then they were rowing a boat and they shot underwater, and then they went far away back to their house where they shot the wires. They were running in the house and they jumped on a ball and slipped.

Then they were ice skating, and they bumped into some people because they were going too fast! When they were in the shower they slipped because it was dark.

The End

Proof that I'm raising confident kids

Me: CleanBoy, please don't touch Pea's beads!
CleanBoy: Yes, I can play with her beads, she will let me.
Me: But you need to ask her permission first, otherwise she might get angry.
CleanBoy: She won't be angry. She loves my cuteness.

Too many birthdays

CleanBoy and 3Po had 2 parties and 2 cakes this year. The first was held in Manila with family, on their actual birthday,



and the second was with their schoolfriends after we got back home.


After all, I thought, they are 2 separate individuals, so if they're going to share a birthday and a cake, why not give them 2 parties? I didn't realize that CleanBoy saw it quite differently:

Me (after the second party): CleanBoy, how old are you now?
CleanBoy: Five.
Me: No, four.
CleanBoy: No, five.
Me: No, four.
CleanBoy: No, I'm five!! In Manila I turned four, and now after this party, I'm five!

Jammy's new name

Jammy has come up with a new name for himself: CleanBoy. Just like 3Po, he suddenly came up with the name out of nowhere, and now he insists that we address him as such. There is a catch, though: usually it's Jammy for most of the day, then after he has his evening bath he transforms into CleanBoy. Today he has been CleanBoy for most of the day.

Who am I to argue? CleanBoy it is. Even though his shirt is stained with oatmeal and his mouth has KoolAid juice stains that no amount of scrubbing seems to remove.