"Mommy, what are minions?"

Fragments from my weekend:

Destructo: What are minions?
Amy: They're like followers,
Destructo: Like Followers of Jesus? (that's his church school class)
Amy: More like people that you are in charge of. Like you can tell them what to do and they'll do it.
Destructo: Like in World War 3?
Amy: Well, we haven't had a world war 3. Thank goodness.
Destructo: But we had a World War II?
Amy: Yeah. It was bad.
Destructo: And Jesus ended the war.
Amy: No, Jesus didn't end that war. Uh, ...it was complicated.
Destructo: (Interrupting) But he'd end ww3.
Amy: I hope so....

Me: (mopping strenuously)
The Animal enters from outside and looks at me closely, trying to figure out what I'm doing. Which I thought was pretty funny because it speaks volumes about how little mopping is done in our house!
Me: (wrings out mop)
Animal: (creasing his brow and pointing at the mop) Is that your work? ("Work" is what they call all learning activities at Montessori school)
Me: Yes. This is my work! It's called mopping. :) Would you like to try it? :)))
Animal: (eyes glittering) YES!
So I set him up, helping him wring out the mop and then setting him loose. He ran around the whole downstairs, mopping with glee for almost 6 minutes. I actually had to ask for the mop back so I could get the job all done. Little darling. :)

In the last few months I've allowed myself to start a bad habit for the Animal that involves me lying down with him as he falls asleep. It's so much easier than carting him back to bed every five minutes for the hour after he supposedly has been "put to bed" and I, not so secretly anymore, relish those few minutes of snuggling in bed before he drifts away. He was particularly adorable the other night. First he yelled at me, "Get off the blanket!" and then snatched it all out from under me.... annoying, right? Well, then he lifted the blanket up and draped it over me and said, "Now you snuggle." I gave him a little squeeze and said, "You're a great snuggler." And he beamed back at me, "YOU nice snuggle."

I know I complain all the time, but oh. my. god. doesn't that just make you melt?! I love that little Animal so much sometimes it almost hurts. :)

BONUS: The Animal mopped so much today, that I actually got some video. Don't worry, it is just about 10 seconds long and includes him telling our pet budgie, Jake, that the mopping is "MY work." Just so the bird knows what the score is, yo.