Cedar: Look at this one daddy.

Dad: Whoa! The Donnas. Nice pick.

(I put on track 1, Rock N’ Roll Machine. The kids start dancing around like crazy.)

Cedar: Cora dance over there! Too smelly over here.

(Again! Insert a long break where I frantically try to deal with the mess.)

Cedar: Did you know some people aren’t real?

Dad: Really?

Cedar: Like Zombies. They aren’t real. Bad guys ARE real.

Dad:  What made you think of that? 

Cedar: I don’t know.

(I give up on containing the diaper blow out and ultimately just toss them both into the shower.)

(We start the record over.)

Dad: So why did you pick this one out?

Cedar: Because it’s got two ladies and two girls. With the same shirts (he points to each of the shirts) but that are different.

Dad: They are all named Donna. Donna C., Donna F., Donna A., and Donna R.

Cedar: Where are their feet?

Dad: (laughing) You can’t see them because they are up close.

Cedar: Why didn’t they draw them small like that one? (points to the Hall and Oates album that is still out.)

Dad: What? They aren’t drawn. This is a photograph. If I have a camera and I take a picture of you from far back, I can see all of you and all the things around you. If I come closer, then I can only see a part of you. 

Cedar: “Up close” means only a part?

Dad: No. It means you are close to someone. Not far back. Make sense?

(He nods but he is clearly still processing everything.)

(later in the week, after he continually puts on this album)

Dad: So buddy, you keep playing this record. Do you like it?

Cedar: Yeah.

Dad: So it’s in the “play again pile”.

Cedar: Yes, play it again.

Dad: What does this music remind you of?

Cedar: Rock n’ roll machines.

Dad: Well I guess that makes sense.