brain yet again?

Probably after one too many Scooby-Doo stories:

Liam: Mammy! Don’t tell me stories about vampires because they make me scared. I had a dream in my brain and it was really strange...

brain again

In a moment of headcold frustration:

Liam: I have “mocos” (Spanish for mucus, i.e. snot) in my brain.

death

Liam spent quite some time musing over the death of his granddad's beautiful dog Saoirse.

-But HOW did she die?

-So has she MELTED now?

-Did she do this? (hands making movement from wide to narrow... symbolising her getting smaller and smaller until nothing is left)

-I know where Saoirse went. She went were dogs and cats go. To Barcelona like Chili.

-If Saoirse died because she was sick, when I'm sick am I going to die?

-If you die when your really old, is great-granddad going to die?

pet

After stroking Liam's head affectionately for whatever reason...

Liam: Mummy, did you just pet me?!!

Mummy: Huh!?

brains

Liam: Malachy! You hit me in the brain with that! Mummy! Malachy hit me in the brain with that! Now I have no remember. I can only remember a few things! Mummy? Did I see a cat when I was in Barcelona?

Me: Hmmm I think so.

Liam: Oh, yes, of course! It’s ok, I remember everything now. I got my remember back!

dress up

In the middle of January:

Liam: Next year for Halloween I want to dress up as a ballerina, an egg, a pirate or a bee!

imagine

During Lorcan's nap:

Liam: Did you hear Lorcan?

Me: No. Did you?

Liam: No. I was just using my imagination. That was all.

tiptoe

Liam: Mummy, last night when you were asleep I crept out of my bed and I tiptoed down the stairs because I was hungry. I took this chair and I pulled it over to there and climbed up on top of it and opened that door there and took out one of those cookies and ate it all up!
Pause And it wasn’t a dream. It was REAL!!

two and a half days into Daddy’s 8-day absence

Liam: I’m not glad about Daddy going ALL around the planet on a plane...

at the library with granny...

Liam -Granny?

Granny -Yes Liam?

Liam -You know, nobody here at the library will think that you’re a granny. They’ll think you’re just an old mummy.

food

Me -Are you hungry, Liam?

Liam-Yes. My tummy is telling me that it wants food.

ball games

Laim -What’s rugby?

Me -It’s a sport you play with two teams and a rugby ball... and... um...

Liam -And what do you have to do?

Me -I’m not sure of the rules but you have to try to keep the ball and run around the pitch and score a try... um... I think...

Liam -Ah yeah, I know!! You have to get the ball into a basket thing!

Me -No, that’s basketball!

Liam -OK. So where do you put the ball in rugbyball?

Me -Maybe you should ask Daddy!

dress secret

Liam: Can I tell you a secret?

Me: Sure

Liam: Today I’m going to dress myself. But don’t tell anyone. It’s gonna be a surprise.

Me: Great! OK. I won’t tell anyone.

Pause

Liam: Do you promise?

Me: I promise.

Pause

Liam: Mammy when it’s 6 o’clock I gonna….

Me: Do that secret thing?..

Liam: SSSSsshhhh!!!! (running over to hush me)

Liam: (whispering in my ear) Don’t even say “secret thing”. OK?

Me: OK

Liam: You promise?

Me: I promise

Liam: OK

Walks away and plays as if nothing had happened. 6 o’clock comes and goes and he continues playing, oblivious.
So much for really important secrets!

worlds

Liam: Is that story about a different world?

Me: I suppose you could say that, yes.

Liam: I wish I could be in that world. Because it’s so easy to make things in that world.

knowing

Like a lot of 4-year-olds Liam almost never shuts up. In the car one day, he was going on an on and on an on.... asking question after question after question... We're normally very patient and answer as many questions as we can... but after a while that day, exasperation took over and we began to cheat:

Liam: Mummy, what's ***?

Mummy: I don't know.

Liam: Daddy, what's ***?

Daddy: I don't know.

Liam: Mummy, what's ***?

Mummy: I don't know.

Liam: Well, you must know something!!!

always mummy

Liam: Mummy?

Mummy: Yes?

Liam: You know, when I’m big like daddy, you’ll still be my mammy.

Mummy: I know *smile*

Santa Claus is coming to town....

Me: So, Liam, what are you going to ask Santa Claus to bring you this year?

Liam: A surprise!

Me: That's a really great idea. What do you think he'll bring me?

Liam: Hmmmm (thoughtful pause).... I know! He could give you a rainbow!

Me: (in awe) A rainbow... wow!

Liam: Yeah! Santa Claus just goes like this (big sweeping movement with arm) and makes a rainbow for you! 

the king

Liam has been cast as one of the Three Wise Kings in the Nativity play at his school! I brought him this fabulous Wise King costume back from Barcelona yesterday and I must say, no sooner was it on his back when he began to really get into character:

Me: Wow! You look gorgeous Liam!

Liam: Don't call me Liam Mammy!! You have to call me King Liam! (Pause)... Or Your Majesty...

Me: Oh! Why, yes of course, your majesty!

 

the big difference between boys and girls

Malachy: Uuuk, Mammy!! (Translation: “Look, Mammy”).

He holds up a little toy figurine to show me. It’s a figurine of a little girl with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a sunhat and a swimsuit and holding a bucket in one hand and a spade in the other.

Me: Yes, Malachy. Is that your little friend?

Malachy: Yep.

Me: She’s lovely!

Malachy: May-de isa durl (Translation: “Maybe it’s a girl”)

Liam: (Butting in) Of course it’s a girl! This is the boy!

Liam shows me a similar little figurine of a boy with short blonde hair wearing football gear and holding a ball.

Me: But how do you know which one's the boy and which one's the girl?

Liam: You know that Mammy!! (looking up to the heavens and sighing in exasperation). Because of the EYES!! Look?!

Pointing to the tiny little eyelashes on the girl doll and the lack of eyelashes on the boy doll

Liam: See?!

Malachy: Yep.

I miss...

When we were away on holiday in Bilbao and San Sebastian last week, after about two days Liam said...

Liam: Mammy, I miss Granny and Granddad

After 3 days he said...

Liam: I miss Miss Cooney (his teacher)

After 4 days he said...

Liam: I miss my friends from school

His order of priority seemed so touching to me…!