Shooting Stars (Bang!)

There are supposed to be some great meteor showers going on all week, so we made plans to take the kids outside and watch for a bit tonight. At supper, I told C. and S. that we were going to watch shooting stars later on. Bad choice of words around kids familiar with guns. I was still trying to explain myself when we trooped outside with blankets later on.

S. brought her toy gun to defend us all.

I should have brought a tape recorder. There is no way I could replicate the hilarity that happened in place of Daddy's vision of a quiet time contemplating the clear sky.

Ow! L., what are you doing?

     Where is he?

He's on my head! No, wait...honey, don't climb on S.

     Where is S.?

Right here, by my arm. I think she's asleep already. L., don't sit on her!

                                                  (growling noises)

I don't think L. is sleepy.

***

Look, an airplane!

     How can you be sure it's an airplane?

                        Yeah, if you can't positively identify it, then it's an unidentifed flying object.

Take me with you!!!

                        Take her with you!

Hey!

                        What?

***

(exhasperated sigh) Seriously, Iphone?

     Seriously? Iphone???

I'm only listening on one side.

                         Well, that explains a lot.

No it doedn't!

     "Doedn't?"

                         You didn't know "doedn't" was a word?

     No, I din't.

***

L.!!! Ow! Where is he going? Child!!!

               (growl)

***

I'm not seeing anything.

           I think we've scared them all, and they've decided to stay up there.

***

No, C., the stars don't shoot. They aren't even stars. They are rocks that are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up in the sky, and they get pulled close to the earth, and they fall down and catch fire, and they go fast fast fast like a bullet, and that's why we call them shooting stars.

          Mommy?

Yes?

          Tell me more about the rocks.

Um...okay...when they're falling and burning up they get really small, like tiny little pebbles, so they won't hurt us.

                                                  (Daddy)  Unless they hit the moon.

                                                                                   (M.)  Not funny!!!

***

Where's L.?

     By my feet, I think...there, his head popped up. Never mind, he's moving your way.

Tank! You can't just crawl over...never mind.

     Well, that is what tanks DO, you know - roll right over things.

***


Yeah, I didn't get the half of it. But it was entertaining. We did finally see a couple shooting stars meteorites before everyone started joining S. in the land of nod. We could have slept out there all night, but for the wandering steamroller baby and the distressed raccoon that got all the neighborhood dogs worked up. C. didn't want to come in at all, but I've promised him a whole day of just kids' stuff tomorrow, last day before school starts. If that doesn't result in at least one good blog post, we will all be very surprised!