Tag: Zander

The Magic Alley

We were on our way home when we noticed the fireworks. The closer we got to the house, the closer we got to the fireworks. I don’t know why they were lighting fireworks, but we pulled over to enjoy them. Zander and I love a good fireworks show – Actually, I think I love any fireworks show, even a bad one. At the end of this one, they lit up several large colorful fireworks and Zander yells in a very excited tone – “Its the magic alley, Daddy – the magic alley!!!”. It took me a second to realize what he was saying, so I asked him to be sure – “Zander, do you mean – the BIG FINALE?”

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Foggy Fog

There was recently a lunar eclipse but we weren’t able to see it due to an unusual overcast. Zander and I were watching the moon when it started but just as the eclipse started, we lost it behind the clouds. While explaining the eclipse to Zander, I told him that the moon was ducking behind the Earth – when it went behind the clouds, Zander says, “no daddy – it didn’t go behind the earf, it went behind the foggy fog.”

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God’s Camera

Zander was very interested in the thunder and lightening, during a recent electrical storm. It was right over us and more intense than I think I’ve ever been through. It was so intense, I actually was concerned about standing outside during the storm. Several times the lightening lit up the whole house, including down the hall ways! The following thunder would crack and bang so loudly that it rattled the windows and set off car alarms in the neighborhoods.

When I put Zander to bed, he was concerned about the storm and said he couldn’t sleep while it was happening. He kept saying “the lighting is going to die God, Daddy”. I was tired and just wanted him to stay in bed. After several times of explaining that God is in no danger, I snapped “the lightening is God taking pictures, Zander! He isn’t going to die from taking pictures.” (I know, I know, not a good way of dealing with it). Regardless, it seemed to work because for the next fifteen minutes Zander was quiet and stayed in bed. Then my wife heard Zander praying, “God, stop taking pictures, I can’t sleep!”

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Zander’s Prayer

In the car on the way home from church, Lexi started to cry and wouldn’t stop. I reached back to give her a pacifier but she was not interested. Zander is very compassionate toward Lexi most of the time, but he does get frustrated at her as well. Between her crying, his idol chatting, and the radio, I was getting audio overloaded. So, I turned off the radio and I asked Zander to quiet down until we got home. Lexi continued to cry. A few minutes into the Lexi only sound track, Zander says, “God, help Lexi – she doesn’t know how to be quiet… AND she is fragile.”

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Zander the chauffeur

On the way to church, Zander is chatting away as he often does about whatever is going on in his mind at the time (I wonder where he gets that from…hehe!) Usually his noises don’t bother me, but he kept making this clicking sound by sucking on his teeth that was really starting to get to me. I was going to ask him to stop, but thought I would take a look in the back seat at what he was doing first. His hands were in front of him as though they were on a steering wheel, moving back and forth a little, and he would ‘honk’ the horn which appeared to be beside his steering wheel instead of on it. Then whenever I would pull up to a stop and turn on my turn signal (yes, with the tic, tic, tic sound the car makes) Zander would start his ‘clicking’ sound.

I asked him what he was doing – he said “I’m driving you around Daddy!”. I’m glad I didn’t ask him to stop…

Today Zander turned 4

years old.

Here are a few Zander moments that you won’t want to miss:

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Smells like…

We had just gotten to church and were walking up the sidewalk to service when another group of women all wearing perfumes happened by – Zander sniffed the air a couple of times and stated “Daddy, I think I smell church!”

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Too much TV??

Zander spends most church service with the children’s ministry class, but one service when there was no classes I brought him into the main service with me. Zander enjoyed the song service, he sat quietly through the offering, and was truly on his best behavior. Then during the offering, the church started an announcements video loop on the big screens – all scrolling text with upcomming events while the choir sang a lively chorus. Zander looked at the scrolling text and asked “Is it over Daddy?”

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Too Smart for that trick any more!

Stephanie and I trade off putting Zander to bed and he sometimes puts up a fuss about going down. We have a routine like going ‘potty’ and brushing teeth so when we say, “Zander, go potty” at the end of the night, it raises questions like “Am I going to bed?” If we answer with a simple “Yes”, we sometimes face a fit of “But I don’t want to go to sleep” so we often defer him with simple comments like “Not yet, right now you are going potty” Once he is in bed he will ask to stay up or to play. We defer him with comments like, “Well, I will come in a check on you later and we’ll see” and then check back only after we know he has fallen asleep.

One night, Stephanie said to him “I’ll check on you in a bit” to which Zander replied, “Mommy – are you going to check on me when the sun is up?”

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New Mommy?

We’ve been telling Zander that he is turning four in a few days. Today, while riding to the store with Stephanie, Zander asked if he was four yet. Stephanie said, “no, its not your birthday yet”. Zander replied “its very exciting” Then Zander thought for a moment and asked “will I get a new mommy when I turn four?”

Stephanie replied “No – do you want a new mommy?”

“No” he replied

“What do you like about your mommy?” Stephanie asking hoping he would say something good

“She’s beauuuuuutiful” Zander cooed.

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First Window Please…

Stephanie took Zander with her to the grocery store to pick up a few items we needed to finish dinner. “We need to get some food, Zander” she explained. When they got to the store, Zander argued, “I thought we were going to get food mommy, I’m hungry”

“We are getting food, Zander. This is the grocery store – they have food – they have lots of food” she replied

“No mommy, we get food in the car”

Apparently, we have gone to fast food way to often lately.