"Spitting smoke"

Jones has picked up a nasty habit.

That, as you might have guessed, has led to his baby brother picking it up, as well. Having smoked my share of candy cigs, however, I don't feel like I'm in a position to put the kibosh on their usage of plastic pipes.

I'm really not sure where Jones has even seen someone using a pipe. My best guess is Dennis's dad on "Dennis the Menace." Still, he's somehow not only seen it but perfected its nuances.

The first time I saw it was yesterday; he ran by me in the foyer, holding a toothbrush with its suction-cup bottom attached to the plastic water cup he uses after he brushes. "I found the perfect tools to build my pipe," he told me.

Not to be outdone, Freddie saw Jones, whom Freddie continues to watch like a movie, and stuck the suction cup bottoms of two brushes together to produce what appeared to be a giant cigarette. This was later modified to match Jones's vice of choice.

At Freddie's doctor's appointment yesterday, Jones made himself a celebrity, "using" during the visit. He bragged to the nurse, "You gotta look up, and then you spit smoke."

Allllllllll-righty, then.

All I can do is laugh at their ingenuity - and, obviously, hope this is one habit they break well before adulthood.