Vermont for the Weekend

The Rowe family was on the road again this weekend, heading up to Vermont to visit with Nana, Gramps, the uncles, and cousin.  Beyond that, we got to see all sorts of Rowe relatives and family friends at a great big celebration of the life of the girls' Great-Grammy, who died back in April, just shy of 100!  The girls loved doing all their favorite Vermont activities, including boat rides on Lake Champlain, buying fresh donuts, and exploring outdoors at Nana and Gramps' house. 

Now, the girls are ALWAYS naturally curious, but a weekend trip allows much more car ride - and other - time for asking lots of questions. 

Some completely random:

MADELEINE: (as we rode in the to Grammy's service) Mama?  Why do sneakers have to go in BOXES?
ME: Uh...

Some questions were more relevant to the situation and people at hand:

JULIA: Mom?  Are people allowed to marry their cousins?
ME: Well, first cousins aren't allowed to get married, but second cousins can. 
JULIA: What does first and second cousin mean?
ME: Your first cousin is the child of your mom or dad's brother or sister.  Your second cousin is the child of your mom or dad's cousin.  So you CAN'T marry any of Uncle Mike or Uncle Dave's kids.  The main reason why is that to make a healthy baby, you need genes from two different sets of people.  But because first cousins share some of the same genes, it can cause problems for a baby as it grows.  But second cousins don't have as many of the same genes.
JULIA: Well Mom. Is it also that you can marry your second cousins because you DON'T have the same last name as them?

Yes, Julia, that's it.  You have unlocked the key to rules of incest.  Just as Julia insists that she and Madeleine can't get married because they share the same last name, she seems to apply the same assumption to which cousins can and can't marry.  Julia seems convinced that sharing the same last name is what can make for a sticky situation, rather than, you know, the whole in-breeding factor.

Anyway, the most ridiculous set of questions came from Madeleine at bedtime.  On our first night in Vermont, as I was putting Madeleine to bed, she asked for the book with "that crazy cat and the bumblebee."  Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, because I don't tend to remember specific books I have read to our kids on only one occasion, many months ago.  But Madeleine sure remembered; she was referring to a book I had read her during our last visit to see Nana and Gramps, and after some hunting through the bookshelf, I was able to locate "Skippyjonjones."

This book, for those who haven't read it, is basically the same story as "Where the Wild Things Are."  In the case of Skippyjonjones, he is a Siamese cat who dreams of being some other sort of animal, and thus winds up in time-out in his room.  His mom tells Skippyjonjones that when he is ready to recognize that he is, indeed, a Siamese cat, he may come out of his room.  While in time-out, Skippyjonjones imagines he is a chihuahua, and travels through his closet to a land of Mexican dogs whose arch-nemesis is a bumblebee.  Skippyjonjones is, of course, the hero, who pops open the bumblebee, unleashing all of the various sorts of Mexican beans the dogs are looking to reclaim.  Suddenly, the story cuts back to Skippyjonjones' room, wherein all the toys of his closet, including a bumblebee pinata full of candy, are all over his floor.  His mother grudgingly accepts his eccentric side and he is lovingly put to bed.

After I read the book to Madeleine for the third time, she piped up with a question.

MADELEINE: Mama?  WHY did the animals in Skippyjonjones' closet not hear his mom when she said: "You are a Siamese CAT?"
ME: Well, I think the animals in his closet were actually just toys.  I think Skippyjonjones was just PRETENDING to travel to Mexico.

Madeleine was NOT having any of that.  It was seriously as if I had cracked the surface of her sphere of reality.  She couldn't handle my interpretation, as it apparently questioned the entire world as she knew it.

MADELEINE: But Mama?  If he's PRETENDING, then WHY do you see all the EYES peeking out of his closet?
ME: Well, I don't know.  Maybe they're just the eyes of his toys.  Or maybe he's pretending to see them.  Okay, honey, it's time to stop talking and get to sleep.
MADELEINE: (lapsing into sleepy silence, yawning and fluttering her eyes)

Five minutes later:

MADELEINE: But Mama?  I need to get the book because I need to SHOW you something in the picture.
ME: No, honey, we're not going to get the book right now.  It's time to go to sleep.
MADELEINE: But Mama, I need to SHOW you all the eyes.
ME: I remember the eyes, honey.  I think he was imagining that his toys were peeking out of his closet.  Go to sleep now.
MADELEINE: (lapsing back into sleepy silence)

Five minutes later:

MADELEINE: Mama?  But WHY do you think that Skippyjonjones is PRETENDING?
ME: Well, just because all his toys are on the floor at the end of the book.  So I think he was using his imagination.
MADELEINE: But Mama, I need to show you something.
ME: No, honey, we need to go to sleep now.
MADELEINE: But Mama?
ME: Shhh.  Time to sleep.
MADELEINE: (once again lapsing into sleepy silence)

Five minutes later:

MADELEINE: But Mama?  Why does Skippyjonjones have EYES peeking out of his closet if he's PRETENDING?
ME: Honey, don't worry about it.  Maybe you're right.  Maybe he really did have a real passage to Mexico in his closet.  Go to sleep now.
MADELEINE: (settling back into quiet)

Five minutes later:

MADELEINE: But Mama?  Maybe there are TWO Skippyjonjones books, and in ONE book, he's just PRETENDING that he's a chihuahua, and in-
ME: Shhh.  Go to sleep.  Don't worry about Skippyjonjones.
MADELEINE: (settling down again)

Five minutes later:

MADELEINE: But Mama?  Skippyjonjones-
ME: Okay honey.  No more talking.  You're right.  He DIDN'T imagine it.  I made a mistake.  It wasn't all just pretend.  Now you need to stop asking questions and go to sleep.

Why.  Why.  Why did I open my big fat mouth about Skippyjonjones in the first place??  Sheesh.  I'm pretty sure I delayed Madeleine's ability to fall asleep by about a half hour because she was having such an existential crisis about Skippyjonjones.

At any rate, after a weekend of fun in the Vermont sun, we are now back home and hopefully ready to get a good night's sleep!