d'you think he's trying to tell us something?

Two moments in my older son's life this week:

One:
Last night, he turned to his father and said, 'when will it be Chanuka again?' His father paused, and asked carefully, 'why?' The child explained: 'I like the presents! When,' he pursued,' when will it come?' The father, working hard to maintain a straight face, explained that Chanuka comes only once per year. The father then tried to explain that Chanuka was not about presents, but was really about lights, about being with family, and about an amazing story of triumph against the odds. In the other room, the mother flung her hands up and went off to play with the baby's toes.

Lesson of the day: you can't fight commercialism. It always has a bigger budget than you do.

Two:
He's doing backwards somersaults off the sofa, he's determinedly working on getting and keeping his feet in the air, his favorite position is a yoga-inspired pretzel - d'you think he's trying to tell us something?

Yup. Someone get this kid to a gymnastics class! Clearly, it is time for the mama and the papa to sit down for one of those talks with numbers in them. And quick, before the child discovers that the stair railing is a great balance beam...