they say the darnedest things

Part I:
one of Shane's frequent "I-wanna-be-when-I-grow-up"'s is a stay-at-home dad -- despite his frequest musings that he wants a stay-at-home mom. the other night he was particularly tired and therefore particularly contrary, and as I tucked him in to bed he says, "i dont want to be a stay-at-home dad when I grow up. Or a firefighter. Or an astronaut. Or anything." "So what would you like to do?", I ask. His reply, "I want to stay home with mommy." Great, I'm raising George Castanza!

Part II:
Yesterday, I took the kids down to the lake after naps. We swam and played for almost two hours. While we were there, another dad came down with his two boys. Two older kids were there and played well with Shane. My beautiful wife saw us there on her way up the hill and stopped. While I was sitting on the bench and having a real adult conversation with this other father, watching my children playing in the sand and interacting beautifully with other children, watching my wife and her beautiful smile and laugh talking with another mother, and just soaking in the beauty of the lake and the surrounding grounds, I thought, "This is perfect. This is a slice of heaven." Later, at dinner, I relayed these feelings to Mon, gave her a kiss, and reminded her how beautiful she is.

After I took Olivia back for a bath, Shane and Mon were still at the table. Shane tells Mon, "Mommy, you are so beautiful." "Thank you, Shane," she says. "You are so beautiful, that's why I want you to be a stay-at-home mom." I guess I'm just not good-looking enough to be a SAHD...