Bringing up Geeks

I'm taking care of my niece (age 3) and my nephew (age 4 1/2) this fall while my sis-in-law does her student teaching. That means that for this week, while the teachers are at work but the students still at home, I have six kids under the age of 11 in my house. I'd have to describe the atmosphere of my home today as "busy."

So as I'm dishing up lunch for six, the following conversation starts:

Bookworm: I love pasta!

Buzz: Me too!

N (my nephew): Me three!

Aslan: Me four!

(Continues until eight or nine)

Me (can't resist joining in): Me thirty-nine!

N (getting into the spirit): Me eighty-one!

Bookworm: Me one hundred! (afraid she hasn't sufficiently established supremacy) No, wait, me a million!

Buzz: Me a billion!

Aslan: Me a quadrillion!

Bookworm: Me a zillion!

N (doggedly refusing to yield): Me a kadillion!

Buzz (always looking for the competitive edge): Me a googol!

Bookworm (could do this all day): Me a googol and one!

Buzz (did I mention competitive): Mommy, what else comes after a googol?

Between the continual hunt for new words and the ever-present thirst to one-up each other, I never know what they're going to come up with next!