the detail, the squawk, and the slip-up

When you have kids you generally find out at some point that they talk. A lot. Of course they all have their own personalities in this regard, and each one goes through phases, but they are bound to hit a climax at some point where it seems like their mouths and vocal chords are in continuous motion. For instance, when Lara hit 5, she started relaying and explaining events and experiences to us. As she grew older she added things she had learned, theories she has about life, books she's read... etc. Lara's talking stems from an inherent need to be heard and validated, and an interest in that which is usually least interesting out of the endless list of 'everything interesting this world has to offer'. She is also our detailed child. Add to that an unfortunate tendency to trip over words, and you can imagine the amount of aural abuse those around her endure. Not that I perceive these things as negative mind you. I love that she notices and loves things not everyone else does, and I love the intelligence with which she approaches them.

Julia takes after her mother. Meaning that she will usually be too lost in her thoughts, dreams, memories, and over-stimulation of ideas/plans/responsibilities, to even begin to vocalize much of anything. I mean, she talks, sure. Just not a whole lot. And don't let any of that fool you; linguistically she does just fine. She simply chooses to squeak an elongated 'oookaaaaayyy' as a response to most questions. Actually it's more of a creaking. No, a skuawk. Yes that comes closest.

So then there is Max, whose vocabulary is quickly turning out to be our best source of laughter (and the reason I started writing this blog post). Laughter, and a sincere desire to invest in some top-of-the-line ear plugs. The kid simply never stops talking. Okay maybe when he's asleep, but I'll bet you that even then he is narrating every second of his dreams. His downfall is his whiny tone and need to repeat questions until he gets an answer he likes, which I am very, very careful not to give in to. But back to the laughter! Max has the rib-tickling ability to mispronounce words or phrases, turning them into some of the funniest things I have ever heard. So I thought I'd let you share in some of the giggles, and write down his best slip-ups. I'm going to see if you can figure out on your own what he's trying to say...

1. Booger King
2. Heavenly Phone Evening
3. Drunken Donuts
4. Martin Loser King Jr.

I feel like I should make a special apology to Dr. King, since my kids have not gotten his name right a single time since we moved here! He started out referred to as 'Junior Burger King'! Ah, I just had to stop typing for a minute because I was laughing so hard. Again! They never get old.