magic tricks and knock knock jokes

 To say my kids like jokes and magic tricks is a bit of an understatement.
This morning I spent forty-five minutes watching Nick's "tricks,"
and on a daily basis Ellie tells this joke:
"One day there were two muffins in an oven. 
One muffin said 'whew it's getting hot in here.'
The other muffin said, 'ah! a talking muffin!"
Oh, about thirty times.
Every single day.
And she laughs hysterically each time. And I'm expected to laugh each time too, naturally.

If I don't laugh at their jokes, they're offended.
"Why didn't you like my joke, Mom??"
And if my laugh is too forced, too fake, they notice right away.
"You're just pretending! You didn't like my joke?!"
I'm getting to be a professional fake-laugher. I'm adding it to my resume.
It's super duper fun, guys.

Today Nicholas gave us a show. He makes things "disappear."
We have to close our eyes. Of course. The magic won't work if we're looking. 

 He also makes things get "hard and strong."
He'd smush the pillow, then wave his hands over it, and magically, the pillow was then too hard for him to press his hand into! 
Incredible.
And hilarious.

 He told me that he learned how to do magic in preschool.
The only way they could get to the next level, he said, was if they learned how to make themselves disappear.
He was the first one to make himself disappear. His teacher, he said, told him he's the best at it.

But he couldn't show me that trick today.
"It's still loading.
I can only load two tricks a day, Mom."
Of course. What was I thinking?

This is the life, guys.
Little kids are the best.