Cassanova & the Cat Fight

Noah is a boy of many faces. We call him many things around our home. Some in love, some in jest, and others, well others in pure frustration. One of his popular nicknames as of late around our house has been "Destructo." That child can come into a room and within 10 minutes it looks like a war zone. Another frequently heard one is "Clepto." He likes stuff. Any kind of stuff. Stuff to play with. Stuff to eat. Stuff to work with. All kinds of stuff. If he sees stuff he likes, he takes it. Doesn't matter if it's his stuff or not. He takes it and hides it in his room. The latest nickname though is "Cassanova." Noah is in love. Call it puppy love or preschool love, or maybe even forbidden love since we're talking abount a preacher's son and an elder's daughter. Call it whatever you want, but he's in LOVE. We're talking huggin', kissin', hidin' out in dark rooms alone LOVE. He's got a real thing for Kaela and it would appear that the feeling is pretty mutual from what I can tell.

But alas, in finding this new love, he has cast aside his summer love, Karlee. If what happened in Sunday School class yesterday is any indication, Karlee is not liking her new role as the jilted woman very well. It went something like this:

KARLEE (to Kaela who was hiding under the table with Noah): I hate you!

ME: Wait a minute. We don't hate anybody. You guys need to play together.

KARLEE: But she's stealin' my boyfriend.

KAELA: He's not your boyfriend. He's my boyfriend!

KARLEE: He was with me last night! (He wasn't. I'm not sure where that came from)

KAELA: We're gonna' get married and live here forever and ever!

At this point Karlee goes over and kisses Noah (who is standing quietly beside Kaela) on the cheek.

KARLEE (looking at Kaela): I kissed him!

KAELA: He's my boyfriend!

By this time I was laughing so hard I was nearly crying. I would have given anything to have had a video camera. And from what I understand from the nursery staff, the same kind of exchange went on all through church as well. Of course, for those of you who don't know, you have to understand that Kaela is 4, Noah is almost 4 (next week), and Karlee is 3. I don't remember my other two ever behaving like this at this age. I guess it's true that they start younger all the time.

But every player has to pay the piper at some point. Kaela was home sick from church last night with a fever. With all the kissin' that's been going on I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Noah catches the bug....and I'm not talking about the LOVE BUG!