Stratton's Dog

I was going to do a post about decorating our Christmas tree, but none of the pictures I took while we were decorating turned out blurry. Probably too much chaos! Everyone was blurred from moving all over the place. So instead, I thought that I would write a short ode to a stuffed animal who has been a part of our lives for over 3 years. Stratton has been inseperable from this little stuffed dog since he was only 8 or 9 weeks old. He always sleeps with it and used to take it everywhere with him. And yes,it really is as gross as it looks. Runs through the laundry hardly seem to make a difference anymore.

For almost three years, we have only known Stratton's faithful companion as "Dog". Short, simple and to the point. It seemed to be all the name he needed. But Stratton is getting older and now feels the need to give Dog a new name. Now, instead of Dog, he is always looking for "Booger Dog" or sometime just "Booger". I hope Dog doesn't feel that his dignity and signifigance in Stratton's life are diminished by his new title. If anything, he should be honored. I think that for a 3 year old boy to call something "Booger" is a true sign of love. And thank goodness that the only things they get to name are stuffed animals!

The Fine Art of the 3 Year Old Insult

This summer Stratton picked up a few things from his cousins. One of these tricks was to turn around statements on us. Like if we say, "You're being silly", he says, "No, YOU'RE being silly." He thinks he's pretty slick, but I don't think he's perfected the fine art of the insult quite yet. The other weekend we were driving somewhere past a smelly factory and Brigg asked what the smell was and I commented that it smelled industrial. From the back seat, Stratton piped up. " No, YOU'RE industrial." I'm not sure what he means by that. He has continued to say it all week. Maybe when he says "Mom, you're industrial" he's trying to tell me that I'm industrial strength. Sometimes I feel like I have to be to keep up with these boys.