Bath time has become something of an emotional and physical free-for-all.  Isaac and Ethan can, in a period of a minute, go from a giggle-inducing splash fight to crying and biting.  There is a long of craziness in the tub.

One thing that Ethan regularly does is slurp up some bath water and then spit it out.  Its not a good habit to get into, so both Bianca and I strongly discourage this behavior.  But no matter what we say and do Ethan does it over and over in the tub.

In an effort to put an end to this Isaac and I had this conversation:

ME: Ethan, do not do that.  Do not drink the bath water.

ISAAC: Why?

ME: It is dirty.

ISAAC: It doesn’t look dirty.

ME: Trust me, it is.

ISAAC: Why?

ME: Think about it.  All of the dirt you and Ethan have on your body is in this water.  Your butt and your penis are soaking in this water.  This is butt water.

ISAAC: Gross.  Why are you letting us sit in butt water?  Why are you using this to get us clean?

Touche, Isaac Anthony.  I was just cross-examined, very effectively, by my own son.  I am both a bit embarassed and incredibly proud.

This is the first year that Ethan has been really aware of Santa.  When we got our Santa pictures, he was excited, not as excited as Isaac, but still excited.  When time came to get on the Big Guy's lap, Ethan, though a bit nervous, followed his brother's lead. And so it is, that Isaac has taught Ethan a lot about Santa. Nonetheless there are some funny moments of misunderstanding.

We did our annual chat with Santa, thanks to Nanna for making arrangements, and Isaac had to tell Ethan just what was at stake--a place on the Nice List.  With that information, Ethan waited big eyed to see what the score was.  Thankfully, and not unexpectedly, he was on the Nice List.

Isaac has also schooled his brother on the actual night.  Ethan expected to meet Santa, but Isaac had to tell him Santa came when we were sleeping.  Ethan also insisted that he was getting a tractor, as if Santa were a mere delivery service.  Isaace corrected him--you HOPE Santa brings you a tractor.  It has been a delightful thing to listen to.

It is hard to describe just how exciting it is to see your boy's grow up and have fun and do things for the first time.  So when we went to Edaville this year, I got the joy of seeing Isaac do things he couldn't do before and I got to see Ethan really enjoy big rides.  Here is the best 2 minutes of video have shot in a long time: