When you're four - and a half

 When you're four - and a half - all you want to do is understand the world around you. To accomplish this, you ask questions. And when you get the answer, you ask more questions to clarify.

For example, here's Mr. B playing with a wrecking ball from his Phonics train set. Nevermind the train, he's fascinated with the wrecking ball. He uses it to knock down anything - Lego men, blocks, his glass of chocolate milk -- whatever is handy is fair game for the wrecking ball.

"Umma, which is stronger - a wrecking ball or you house?" "Which is stronger - the wrecking ball or your car?" "If the wrecking ball hit your house would the Lego guy get hurt?" "If the wrecking ball hit your house could the Lego guy jump out of the way?" "If the wrecking ball hit your house and it fell over on top of the Lego guy, would he get hurt?" "Umma, which is stronger, the wrecking ball or a rock?" And on and on and on and on...... You get the idea.

And if you take a four - and a half - year old outside to collect leaves to do a leaf rubbing, be prepared for questions. "Umma, why do the leaves fall off?" "If the leaves all fall off, won't the tree get cold?" "Where do the leaves go that fall off?" "Can a squirrel hide under the leaves?" "Umma, which is stronger - a wrecking ball or a leaf?" "Which is stronger, a wrecking ball or an airplane?" "Can a wrecking ball knock down an airplane?" "If there was a Lego guy in an airplane and the wrecking ball reached WAY way way up in the sky, would the Lego guy get hurt?"

Can you tell I've been trying to explain the difference between "real" and "make believe" and what he sees on TV and video games vs what is real. Somehow the Lego guys got used as an example (that even when it looks like someone gets hurt on TV, they don't really - it's camera work), and now he compares everything to what a Lego guy can and can't feel.

This photo is a little haunting. Mr. B doesn't really look this old in person, but for some reason the angle and the lighting all add up to give us a glimpse of what he's going to look like in three or four years. He's an exceptionally handsome boy!! When I looked at the photo the first time, my heart skipped a beat -- I saw the "2008" wording on his t-shirt and, for a horrifying second, thought my grandson had on an Obama t-shirt!

Mr. B and Joey the Killer Cat have been getting along a bit better lately. Mr. B is big enough now that Joey can't run across the yard, jump on Mr. B's chest, and push him over. He did that for four years, mind you. Mr. B does not trust Joey and, honestly, is developing a fear of cats, which makes me so sad for Mr. B and so MAD at Joey!

Joey has been mellowing a bit with age. He hasn't bitten me in a few months, and I've actually heard him purr for the first time -- and he is five years old! He has never been a lovey-dovey, curl up in your lap kind of cat. He is a hunter with an attitude. He prefers to be outside, and graces us with his presence every few hours to eat a little something-something, then he's off again, hunting. So imagine my surprise when he actually climbed up on my desk, plopped down on top of the mouse, and wanted me to actually PAT him - and he purred!

I'm hoping Joey the Killer Cat will soon actually let Mr. B pat him and, Mr. B's goal in life, touch his nose. It's good to be four and a half and have your life's goal to be to touch the cat's nose.