On the way to pick up Mom for her labs and radiation appointment this morning:

Jonah: We're taking Grandma to the doctor again?

Mary-Beth: Wow. She's always sick.

Jonah: No she's not, Mary-Beth. She's not always sick.

Mary-Beth: Yes she is.

Jonah: No she's not.
Mary-Beth: Yes she is.
Jonah: No she's not!
Mary-Beth: (giggle) Yes she is.
Jonah: No she's not infinity!

Mary-Beth: Oh yeah? Then why do we always take her to the doctor? (tongue out at Jonah)

Me: We take Grandma to the doctor for a special medicine she has to use every day. She has something called cancer. Mary-Beth is right, Jonah. Grandma is sick.

Mary-Beth: Oh. (pause) So does she cough a lot? Or sneeze a lot.

That must be it.

Ashley this morning: "Hey Mom, the neighbor lady across the street, her arm's in a sling. What happened?"

Me: "Oh wow, I don't know. Surgery? Or maybe it's broken. I wonder what happened."

Jonah: "Maybe she fell off her roller skates. Then (insert crashing sound)... y'know... broken."

My hero!

Mary-Beth bounded into my bedroom this afternoon sporting Jonah's red superhero cape. Standing there, chin up, hands on hips, she says to me in her best superhero voice, "Mom? Can I go outside and save! the world!?" I kissed her on both cheeks and said, "Yes, you may. Please go and save the world in the back yard." She replied, shoulders now slumped, "But there aren't any people in that world."