How could you possibly still be hungry!?!?

[The children in our family must be going through a growth spurt. They've been eating like ravenous wolves at each meal over the last few days -- often consuming more food than Mom and Dad. So after a particularly large supper, it was shocking when Elliot asked for a snack less than an hour afterwards. The above question, prompted by this snack request, was answered with classic child-like simplicity]:

Just because, I guess.

So you want to write another poem?

[Elliot seems to have entered a new period of unique artistic expression. Now whenever we sit down to blog, he seems to be inspired to write poetry. It's hard to say why? But at any rate, here's the latest poem:]

The chocolate went up the bushes,
but they didn't have a lamp on their heads.
And then they put a big monster on him,
and the big monster said, "Ow!"
They were taking the monster to the forest.
He was sinking -- Ha!
And then they put papers on him and papers.
And a Wham-Bam-Kam-Fram came down on him.
And then he did a bocko-flocko-wocko-jocko-flay!

So you want to write a poem?

The applesauce man...
He had so much applesauce on his head.
But then he dove right into a pond,
And then he mixed up in the water,
And then a lightbulb came in the water,
And then the knuffels [stuffed animals] fell in the pot.
And then they put a toy,
And they threw it in the bush
Where the President was.

And then a boom-belly came,
And he threw all the things in the water,
And they all went "blauw!" [blue]
And then came a chocolate factory
And it sucked out your brains.
Oscar Pereiro threw his bike right in the pond,
And then he threw a ramp with his headphones
And a ball on his head and a phone on his head,
So he had so many things on his head.
They splashed right back into the water.

The End.

How does the coffee taste?

[At his request, Elliot had his first taste of "real" coffee this morning -- a sip from Daddy's mug at the breakfast table. When asked for his opinion about this new, strong flavor, he responded:]

Hmm -- Wow. That tastes black.

[It seems to us that this is about the best description that we've ever heard for the taste of coffee.]

Do you like your new protective gear?

I got armpads -- wrist-guards, I mean.... Knee pads... Elbow pads... I like that I can go skating. I tried it. I was pretty good, maybe.

I need something to put on my ears. Ik heb geen oren [I don't have any ears]. Ik heb geen benen [I don't have any legs]. Ik heb geen buik [I don't have any belly]. Ik heb geen voeten of geen hoofd [I don't have any feet or head]. Ik heb geen hoofd [I don't have a head]. Ik heb geen wangen [I don't have any cheeks].

What's your nickname(s)?

My name is Charlie Bogantz. Because I'm fast, and Charlie Bogantz is fast. That's what my Dad likes to name me. [For the record, I (Elliot's father) have always issued flippant, spontaneous, ridiculous nicknames to my children -- just off the cuff, like "Hey Elliot, can I call you (fill in the blank)? But for some reason, earlier this summer, I asked him, "Hey Elliot, can I call you Charlie Bogantz?" and it just stuck. He accepted and embraced that nickname like no other -- to the point where he now considers it to be his official nickname.]

My Dad's name is Boominy Lollipop -- because I heard that name on television at Oma and Opa's house, when Jack and Virginia was there. Do you know when you and Mommy when with Uncle Matthew to see Matthew's little thing? That's when I saw it on television. At Oma and Opa's house. He said, "Hoi! Ik ben Boominy Lollipop!" So that's where I learned the name Boominy Lollipop.

My cousin Aydan is named Alexander Cuckoo-in-the-Head... Daddy, let's tell 'em Tobias's nickname: Carlos Sastre for short. And his last name is Carlos Sastre Karomat. And Olivia is Levi Leipheimer. And what did we call the girl at the Cleft? [Kim?] Yeah, what was Kim's name? Coco Kradago! It was something with chocolate. Coco Kradagochifs.

Well, my whole nickname is Charlie Bogantz Floyd Landis Elliot Asp. I like my nicknames because it's all mixed up together.