Martin is developing quite a little sense of humor.  When we were at Ruttger's a few weeks ago, Martin decided that he wanted to tell a joke as his talent in the talent show.  It went something like this:

Martin: Knock knock
Crowd: Who's there?
Martin: Tico.
Crowd: Tico who?
Martin: Tico tico.

I know, it's really good, isn't it?  As with any creative spirit, it's sometimes hard to be appreciated.  When his punchline hit the crowd smack in the face, they were shocked into silence.  I broke the silence with my proud-momma applause, which is the only thing to do when brilliance like that shines.

Lately, it's become apparent to me that Martin is starting to hear and sometimes understand the humor in everyday situations.  He plays tricks on me - like last night when he said he pooped in his pants but really he had shoved a plastic cube into his pajama bottoms to look like a massive lump of coal.  He thought it was HILARIOUS.  And after I realized that I wasn't in for a big clean up job, I did too.

Right now, one of Martin's main sources for humor is Scooby-Doo.  He LOVES that show, and would watch it all day long.  Obviously I don't let him, since I think he's too young for his brain to turn to mush.  Of all the shows he could watch, Scooby-Doo is not the worst choice.  Those meddling kids work hard to find clues and solve mysteries, they travel to exotic locals, and of course, they are funny.  Taking humor from his own life experiences (watching TV), Martin is trying out some new material.

This weekend at the baseball game:
Me: See that guy?  He's getting ready to hit the ball.  He's just waiting for the pitch.
Martin: Is he trying to break the record?
Reference: What's New Scooby-Doo, Episode 13/"The Unnatural" where Luis Santiago attempts to break the all time home run record, but is haunted by the ghost of the record holder, Cab Craig.

In the car last week:
Martin: Does Uncle Ryan have his drivers license?
Me: Yes.
Martin: Did he get it at clown school?
Reference: What's New Scooby-Doo, Episode 5/ "It's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine where the van becomes "possessed" but has actually been rigged to operate wirelessly by an overzealous band mother.

He observes, finds the humor, and applies it to his own situations.  It's enough to make a mother proud.