"Guys, get a pen and paper, and let's make a list of what you need in your carry-on bag."
"Okay. How do you spell Halloween?"
(??)
"Why do you need to spell Halloween?"
"Because I'd like to take my Halloween costume in my bag. Maybe wear it once I'm on the plane."
Well, little girls wear their princess dresses on their way to Disney World. I can see his train of thought, and it was worth a shot. But for Halloween last year,he was a werewolf.
"Do you think they would let you wear that on the airplane?"
"It sure would be fun, wouldn't it?"
It would. For a little while. Perhaps for the shortest while ever.
* * *
"Lovey, please. You've been talking and talking and talking all day."
"I don't have to be quiet."
"No. You don't have to be quiet. It would be so nice if you would though, for just a few minutes." And then he responded with the most true and honest words of personified punctuation.
"Mommy, I can't help it: I'm an exclamation mark."