Conversations

Conversations with Atticus:

One day, we were talking about something in the car and it led to me to somehow discussing with the kids how thankful we are to be to God for everything. And Atticus says, very thoughtfully:

"He does a lot for us. Yeah, he's probably the best person I know". Is was just so sweet.

Another day, Atticus was helping Everly, who had knocked over a kitchen chair. As he is getting it back up, he reads the bottom and says:

"Look Everly! Made in China. You are going to learn that everything we have is made in China!" He just said it so matter-of-factly and almost as if it was a burden she was just going to have to accept. I could not stop laughing though! I mean - what does he know about things being made in China? hahaha!

A Conversation with Grace about husbands

Today, Grace stayed home from school because I had to pick her up yesterday afternoon early, due to a fever (she actually had fever off and on this weekend too). Well, she hasn't had fever since and has been perky all day, so of course, she talked to me all day long. Conversations with Grace are so funny; she has lots of thoughts! Here is today's 2 part conversation:

She was talking about wanting a pet and then...
Grace: "When I grow up, I want to have 2 kids and one pet."
Me: "Well, first you will get a husband and then you can have kids and pets."
Grace: "Oh yes. But I will only kiss my husband ONE TIME when we get married."
Me: "Okay. So do you want girls or boys when you have kids?"
Grace: "I want girls that are twins and I will name them Blayke and Hazel. But, first I have to live in a house with my husband. But, I WILL NOT kiss him."

Later, in the car, on the way to dance class...

Grace: "When I grow up, I want to live in New York! But, first I will have to have a conversation with my husband so we can agree on that. Is that like when you and Daddy has a conversation to agree to live in College Station?"
Me: "Yes, we did that."
Grace: "But, maybe I will live in Paris! But, then I will have to speak Paris. I don't know if I can do that."
Me: "Actually, Grace, in Paris you speak French."
Grace: "Well I don't think I can do that. So maybe I will just live in New York. But, first I have to see if my husband will agree to that."

I LOVED her saying "conversation" and "agree" over and over - she sounded so grown up!

School Conversations

On the first day of school, I picked up these two cuties in the car line and we headed home. We sat in the kitchen and heard all about their day.

Things Grace told us:

• The second she got in the car, she told me that she and Ellie K. had the same backpack! The funniest part of this is that in Kindergarten, Atticus and Greer first bonded because they both had PB Star Wars backpacks too!
• Also, she immediately told me that "A kid in my class took the Lord's name in vain." This is a big NO NO for us, so she knew it was bad!
• At home, she told us she saw both Abigail and Brynn.
• She went to computers and learned that her computer teacher has 2 cats and they are so weird because they eat oranges!
• She went to PE where they played Noodle Tag.
• She got an entire book of coloring sheets and she really wanted to bring them home, but she couldn't.
• She was so excited to tell us that she could bring books from home to read ANY DAY. She cannot wait to learn to read.
• She also told us she played The Floor is Lava on the playground with Luc's Ellie. (Side note: because we have two Ellie's, who also have two older brothers that are Atticus's friends, she tends to call them "Luc's Ellie" or "Greer's Ellie".
• She saw Atticus at school, but he didn't see her.
• Her favorite thing of the day was coloring and being at the Crab Table (her room is beach themed).
• She saw someone else with "ambliance" shoes (shoes that light-up, ha!)

So, the first day was really fun to hear about. Here are a few highlights we've heard about in Grace's world these last 3 weeks:

• She got to go to Art Class and loved it. She came home the first week of school with pictures she drew of apple trees and was so proud.
• One day, she got into the car and told us her class had to miss recess because even though her table, the Crab Table, was quiet, apparently, the other tables were not. But, she assured me over and over (even though I believed her in the beginning) that her table was quiet. She does NOT want to be in trouble! ha!
• She tells me constantly that she has SO MANY friends. I reminded her it was more important to just be a good friend than to worry too much about having lots of friends. 
• She, along with 2 other girls, who had the best behavior, when walking in a line, got picked to feed the class pet, a bunny. She gave the bunny broccoli.
• On her first "lap day" (where they just run laps during recess), she fell down on the track. She said she just laid there until the "doctor" came to get her. She said she could not walk. I wondered if she was being a little dramatic, but I can't see her tell the coach that she refused to walk, so we finally thought maybe the nurse just comes to the playground since the Kindergartners may not know where to go yet. Who knows? But, she kept saying "doctor" instead of "school nurse" and Atticus could not get past this. He corrected her every time. Thankfully, she was fine and just ended up with a band aid for her scraped knee.
•  One day, they talked about how many letters they had in their name. She was SO proud to tell me that only she and Mrs. McGarr had 5 letters in their names (Becky is her teacher's name).
• They have thought of words that start with letters A thru E. She has come home on those days telling me that she told her class Atticus and Everly started with those letters. AND her teacher included them on their board. I was so proud she spoke up in class!
• This past week, she was starting to come down with a little something and was cranky and tired and she told me she could not go to school the next day, a Friday. She loves school, so I don't think she was trying to get out of it; especially when she cried and cried and told me "Today is a bad day but tomorrow I get a tray (at lunch) and get to go to the library so it will be a good day. (side note: lots of tears and wailing during this conversation). But, it's just a hard life!!! You woke me up so early and I had just gone to sleep. Why do you have to wake me up so early?" So, clearly her exhaustion was really allowing her thoughts to make sense. But, my favorite part was "it's a hard life!". Really, Grace? :)
• Just this past Friday, I let the kids get pizza in the lunch line. I have sent their lunches everyday so far, and even made them every night before bed! (way to go me!). And since Grace is so picky, I do not expect her to want to go through the lunch line much, but she was SO excited to "get a tray".  However, when I picked her up that day, while she liked her lunch, the funniest thing she said was that "the room where you get your trays smells like plastic". I know the exact smells he is talking about, so I just laughed!
• Other fun things she has talked about are: learning the National Anthem and "even if you don't know the words, you can just stand with your hand on your heart"; she loves her class promises (be a good friend, follow directions, keep hands to herself, and listen) and her morning song called Good Morning Neighbor ("Hello Neighbor, what do you say? It's going to be a happy day; greet your neighbor, boogie on down, jump, jump, jump, jump, all around.") She said everyone hops for that last part, but she just does her ballerina moves. :) 
• Also, in Kindergarten, they do "King or Queen of the Day" and she has been waiting and waiting to have her name drawn for Queen of the Day. This means that they tell the class about themselves (by a bag of things they had to bring to school), wear a crown, get to be the line leader all day, and the whole class draws pictures of them. She has come home each day with information about whoever is King or Queen each day. She just can't wait to be the Queen! And, I am just so surprised because being the center of attention is NOT what Grace usually wants to be.
• One last thing - one day, when GG was still here, she was talking about school and told GG that she doesn't really talk at school so she just has to do her talking at home. I totally believe that because she never stops talking at home, but in preschool she was very quiet and while she is having fun in Kindergarten, I expect that she is still nice and quiet. I am curious to find out more when I see her teacher for the 6 week teacher meeting.
• I just love all of these little things and know how fast the year goes! So, I'll jot down when I think about it!

Things Atticus told us:

•  On the first day of school, Atticus had much less to say. In fact, of everything we asked him, ALL he could tell us was that they talked about rules. Rules in PE, Rules in class, Rules at lunch, Rules at CAMP, Rules, Rules Rules. He was being so funny about it - he would answer our questions seriously and with no enthusiasm as he just told us, with a defeated attitude, that they talked about rules. hahaha!
• He did tell us that Mrs. Parker was the computer teacher last year and this year she was the other PE coach. He said he and Lance (who, ironically is a 2nd grader in his class, but also Mrs. McGarr's son), drove her crazy and told her the Razorbacks were terrible (apparently, that is her favorite team).
• When I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he said it had to be recess because that was the only thing they did besides talk about rules. 
• He also said in PE, they played the quiet game. However, I know they actually played Noodle Tag like Grace.
• He said the only other thing they did was draw a picture and his was of Sonic and ice cream.
• He said overall, it was a normal school day but just had lots of rules. 
• He said Mrs. Haas told them, "Come back tomorrow for more rules!" (of course she didn't say that!)
• And when I asked him if he likes 2nd grade, he responded "not the kind of 2nd grade where we do rules" and then he asked "are we done here or not?"
• We were so amused by this hilarious rendition of the first day versus Grace's. We knew Atticus was playing up the "only rules" thing, but it was just so funny!

A few other things throughout the last 3 weeks:

• One day, he came home from school and was clearly, in a silly (but acting serious) mood. He told us that nobody wanted to play with him on the playground, so he played with an ant. The ant was his best friend and he played with him with a stick. But, then the ant bit him and he had to drop a rock on it's head and it died. He acted totally serious.
• However, later, this story made Grace laugh when a couple of weeks down the road, she said she didn't really have anyone to play with on the playground one day (this was also her "life is hard" day) and he reminded her to just play with an ant because they will be your best friend until they bite you and you have to drop a rock on their head. Such an encouraging big brother! She laughed and laughed.
• One day, he came home and told me he learned in a book that in Vietnam, you can order up a live, beating heart from a snake, from a restaurant! Gross! But, later I looked it up and he was right - that's a real thing they do in Vietnam.
• He also has two top loose teeth and he told me that he went to school and had 4th graders punch him just to see if they would fall out. But, they didn't.  Oh Atticus! Something tells me that just isn't true.
• His favorite subject is ELA (English Language Arts)
• He loves to tell me when someone talks about his sisters. Mrs. McGuire will ask him about Hazel and I think it's so sweet. He told me he talks to the other kids about his little sisters too.
• One day, Grace was so excited, because Atticus saw her in the hallway and gave her a big hug. I mean - she was so proud. And I was so proud of Atticus for showing her love this way. I tell him all the time, but she looks up to him so much.
• Also, in the mornings, I am proud of him because he walks with her into school. They changed some rules about Morning Assembly, so I have been just dropping them off in the car line. She looks so tiny walking side by side with him, but I love that he doesn't just up and run ahead of her. Oh I love him so much! 

I bet there will be many school funnies to come!

Conversations Lately

So, every once in awhile I will write down a conversation or funny thing the kids said. Well, I think it's been 6 months since I've blogged any. So, here is what I have for the last 6 months:

Phrases:
Grace always says "just so know" and then starts her sentence. And yes, she leaves out the "you".

Grace says "rest-naunt" instead of "restaurant". And she says "kank" instead of "thank". And one day, she saw the mole above the corner of my lip and asked what it was. I told her it was a beauty mark. A couple of days later, she tells me she has a "cutie mark" on her leg! She was so excited!  Sure enough, she had a little freckle on her leg. And on My Little Ponies, the decoration on their hip is called a cutie mark, so I think she remembered that instead of beauty mark and now, when she sees a freckle, she will call it a cutie mark.

Grace has also always said "I think so I didn't/don't" and then starts her sentence. So, instead of "I don't think I want to go to the park today", she will say "I think so I don't want to go to the park today" or "I think so I didn't hit Atticus". I haven't worked too hard to correct it, but I think I need to work on this before Kinder!

Grace also doesn't enunciate her words. So, she will say "furture" instead of "furniture" or Pa-i-ngton" instead of "Paddington" or "carval" instead of "carnival". So, sometimes we have to work on those and once she slows down, she will say them correctly. And then she will randomly say the words so I can praise her for them being right! Ha!

Grace also can't do the "th" sound yet. It always comes out as an "f" sound. Except for "thank". She still says "kank". No idea why. I have started working on this and she tries, but just can't get it. Sometimes, I think about taking her back to her speech therapist that she went to for a few months when she wasn't talking at all, for an updated review and see if she needs any speech before Kinder or not. I just don't know if these things will work themselves out or not?

Grace and Atticus both still say "ree-dic-lee-us" instead of ridiculous and I love it.  And Grace says "flamily" instead of family.

I always tell Atticus and Grace that I really don't want them to turn whatever birthday number is next or go to Kinder/1st/pre-K, etc. just to get their reactions. On this day:

Me: "Grace, do you have to leave me one day and go to Kindergarten?"
Grace: "Mommy! It's ok! I'll still be in your family!"
Me: "You will? Will you be in my family when you are grown up?"
Grace: "When I'm a doctor, I'll still be in your family."
Me: "Will you doctor me?"
Grace: "Well, you will just have to rest in bed. If you throw up, you just need to get a bowl. Mommy, does your throat hurt? You just need to rest in bed if your throat hurts. Don't worry, Mommy, I'm going to be a mommy and take care of you when I'm a doctor when I grow up."

This story came from Vic:
One day Atticus was looking at pictures of endangered animals, while Grace is talking about Shopkins. Atticus says, "Grace! Shopkins are not important! These are endangered. There are dying animals out there!" (He's very serious). Grace looks at him and says "Atticus, it is NOT about the animals; it's about Jesus." And walks away. And basically drops the mic.

One day in the car after school, when things had recently been all about Mackenzie, I asked him:
Me: "How was Mackenzie today?"
Atticus: "Good, but can I tell you a secret?"
Me: "Yes"
Atticus: "It's not Mackenzie anymore. Now Lilly is in L.O.V.E. with me!" (and spells it out)
He smiles and then stops and says, "But wait. Why is the "E" in love silent?"
Me: "I'm not sure, Atticus" and I realize that I'm in good shape if he's just as concerned about the silent E as he is about girls!

Another story about girls:
Atticus gets into the car after school one day and says, "Mom! I am going crazy at school right now!"
Me: "Why?"
Atticus: "4 girls want to marry me!!"
Me: "Who?"
Atticus: "Reagan, Presley, Mackenzie and Lilly. I try to run away and keep playing tag with my friends but they just keep following me!"
I just remember how serious he was as if this was really making his life hard!

The kids get really confused about how marriage works. Right now, they know that you grow up, go to college, get married and then have kids. Atticus says he is not getting married because it's too expensive (since when does he have any idea the value of a dollar?). But, when they do talk about getting married, Grace will always say she wants to marry Daddy or Atticus and Atticus will sometimes say "ok, I'll marry Grace" to give in to her but usually he will tell me that you CAN NOT marry people in your family. Whew. Anyways, one day, Grace told me she was going to marry Daddy so we could both be mommies and then Everly could be our baby. And lately, she has told me she wants to be a mommy just like me when she grows up. Oh, sweet kids!

When playing one day...
Grace: "Mommy, I need these tools to fix my toys. I'm really good at fixing toys."
Me: "I know you are. You are the smartest girl in the world!"
Grace: "No, I'm not. I'm not he smartest. Atticus is."
Me: "He is? Why is he the smartest?"
Grace: "Because Jesus told me in my heart."
Seriously, in Grace's life, Jesus wins every time. As he should. :)


Waiting in the car line for Atticus one day...
Grace: "Look! It's a purple car! It's my dream come true! When your car is always broken, can we get a purple car instead? Please? Pretty please?"

At the house one day...
Me: "Y'all go back into the playroom."
Grace: "Oh Mommy! I'm going to give you a kiss on the cheek" and kisses me twice. "I feel so kind!" and cocks her head to the side sweetly. Then she gets very serious and says "Now, you get all of your work done and I'll give you a My Little Pony and let you play with me."

The kids are REALLY into Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes for about the past month and a half. (thank you Whitney for our Looney Tunes DVD from a long time ago! - it's on repeat in the car!). Anyways, they had watched something and although I don't remember what she was referencing, Grace runs up to me and says "Mom! Atticus got it on Tom & Jerry! He's the best boy in the world! I won't even call him a baby! I'll call him a big boy! I'm a lovely girl!"

One day...
Me: "Atticus, I love you more than anything!"
Atticus: "More than scrapbooking?"
Me: "Yes."
Atticus: "More than cookies?"
Me: "Yes."
Atticus: "More than HGTV?"
Me: "Yes."
Atticus: "More than Grace?"
Haha! You are a sneaky one, Atticus!

One day, Grace was smelling me. I know, sounds crazy. Kids are crazy. She tells me that I smell like roses and is so proud to tell me that. Then, she smells my feet and says they smell like dead roses. ha!

Grace will ask for "cuggles" which is a combination of a snuggle and a cuddle.

And, finally, here is True Love's Kiss, in case you were wondering how that worked. Sorry for my Iphone camera skills. I really need to invest in a real video camera!  My favorite part is where she pricks her finger on the spinning wheel (like on Sleeping Beauty). I didn't even catch that until I watched it back later! https://youtu.be/qE6QtfcULy4

I think that is all for now! I'll try to be better about writing these things down!

Friday Favorites: Magnolia Market, Conversations, Breakfast, Swimming, & Everly

ONE

This past Saturday, we took our first official "Family of Five" outing. We took a day trip to Waco to see Magnolia Market and to go to the Mayborn Children's Museum on Baylor's campus. As we had been told, the area around Magnolia Market was super packed and we had to pay to park close. But, we put Everly in my wrap, held little hands and off we went to check it out. 

Honestly, it is a really neat place. The shopping is great and the prices were not as expensive as I was expecting for the Fixer Upper's store. The outside has a big turf area with balls, cornhole games, and hula hoops for kids to play. There are two shaded areas to sit and eat and there are food trucks for lunch. They just opened a garden store and are working on a bakery. If it was just me and Vic, we would have shopped, eaten, and hung out awhile. But, the one problem for our little family that day? It was SO HOT. It was ok inside in the a/c, but I was worried about Everly getting too hot in my wrap and getting sunburned outside when I tried to give her some air. And Atticus and Grace were doing the best they could, but they were just so hot too. So, after 45 minutes of checking everything out, we got back in the car and headed to lunch at Torchy's Tacos. After that, we surprised the kids with the Mayborn Museum. It was great! The bottom floor has normal museum rooms where we learned that Waco was grounds for many Plesiosaurus's and Woolly Mammoths at one time. The top floor is all for kids and had great rooms for kids to play and explore; they had a pioneer room, a dress up room, science rooms with bubbles and magnets, a room with old phones and typewriters, a weather room where you could stand in front of a green screen and see yourself doing the weather, and best of all for Grace....they had a Tea Party room. Grace is really into tea parties lately and this room was so cute. She was enthralled and she and I stayed there at least 25 minutes just letting her setup her tea party and then move it and set it up again. We were there 3 and 1/2 hours but we would go again! It was a great first outing for our family!

TWO

This is my new favorite breakfast to eat and it's healthy, so I have to share! First, scramble 2 eggs. Then, cut an English muffin in half. Split the eggs and place on top of each muffin. Add a little shredded cheese on top. Then, place a slice of tomato on top of the cheese and top with a little more cheese. Put in the oven on 450 degrees for 5 minutes to toast and melt. Oh my goodness! This is so delicious!

THREE

A couple funny things Atticus has said:

Atticus: "Hey mom look! That is the place you and Daddy used to eat when you were falling in love!" as we drove by a Taco Cabana recently. Technically, we used to go to Casa Ole, but it was cute that Vic had told him that story and he remembered it.

When he was setting up his dinosaurs and had me come check out his amazing setup:

Me: "Atticus, this is the best setup you've ever done! I don't even know what to say!"

Atticus: "It's ok Mom; you can just say 'good job Atticus!'

He and Grace both love Everly. Atticus will constantly ask me where "my sweet baby" is and tell me he wants to eat her toes for breakfast or give her a million kisses. And, he really does love to kiss her all the time or ask to look at her. Grace also loves to check on her, but mostly she wants to touch her. I have to constantly remind her to be gentle. But, the funniest thing she will do is say "coochy, coochy, coo Evewee!" all the time!

Oh and a couple other kids things: So, Atticus has told me he loves sorting and has been sorting toys all week. He has also been into watching American Ninja Warrior with Vic! As for Grace, she has been memorizing Doc McStuffins songs on the Disney app on my Iphone. She will try to sing the songs and the moves and is so proud. She has had her microphone out a lot more lately too to practice her singing!  

FOUR

We finished our 2 weeks of swim lessons yesterday. This is our 4th year to do them with the City of College Station. This year, Atticus and Grace were in the same age group of 3-5. When they get in the pool the first day, the teachers have them do a few things to determine what level they go into. So, Grace went to the youngest, least experienced group and Atticus was in the middle group. They have 1-2 teachers per 3-4 kids so they get lots of attention. The first day, Grace got scared and cried the entire time and would not stay in the water. But, the next day, they sucked her in when they gave the little kids tiny pitchers to pour water onto their teachers' heads. Grace loved this so she was happy to go each day. She did good, although she would NOT even try to blow bubbles in the water. They would ask her to try and she would just shake her head politely "no". By the last day, she would get down and blow on top of the water and that was it.

Atticus, however, thrived this year! He still cannot swim on his own yet, but from day one, he put his head in the water and was so proud! He did it anytime they asked and sometimes just for fun. He worked on floating and swimming with help and I was so proud of him. However, let me tell you the funniest part. Although I was proud of his excitement to put his head under the water, he had me laughing so much when he did it. He has a very dramatic, choreographed method to do this. He starts out standing up high with his arms flexed and in the air and then he squeezes his eyes shut, holds his breath, squats up and down a couple of times and then maybe repeats this whole method again until he gets his courage up to go under and THEN he finally goes under the water. He comes back up and rubs all of the water out of his eyes. It really is hilarious in person because when the teacher asks them to do 5 bobs in the water, (which should take about 10 seconds), he goes through this entire process which takes longer. It's no big deal but it's cute and funny! 

 

Also, the last 3 days of swim lessons, his class put on life jackets and got into the big pool to practice. On the last day, they let all the kids go down the big log slide. Again Atticus surprised me with not hesitating at all to do it. However, I did notice that he let all the other kids go first and then when it was his turn, he took a few seconds before he would slide down. His face was hilarious though! And he was so proud!

FIVE

And last but not least, Everly turned 2 months this week!

Happy Friday everyone!!

Friday Favorites: Neighborhood kids

ONE

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Pop! 

TWO

Conversations with Atticus:

The kids have been playing outside a lot the last couple of weeks with the neighborhood kids. We have some great kids on our cul-de-sac, but we have one that is a little more to handle. Generally, when the kids are in the front yard, at least one parent is sitting out to watch them. This tends to give the other parents a chance to go in and out to check on them and not have to stay every second which is really nice! Well, this one particular kid is a few houses down and his parents are NEVER out to watch him. He's almost 6 and he has two older siblings so maybe his parents are less cautious. So, basically we have an extra kid to keep an eye on while they play. This should not be a huge deal, but this kid makes us and our neighbors a little crazy. A few things that have made us question and/or laugh/cringe about him:

• He comes down at least 2 times a day and will even come as soon as you pull in the driveway to ask if Atticus can play. It's almost always a no until Vic comes home because with 3 kids, I can't sit out there the entire time. But, he is persistent and I've even had to send him home from my porch where he sat, for at least 30 minutes, to wait on us. 
• He will look through the little skinny windows on each side of our front door whether he is waiting for us to come to the door OR to see if we are home. One day, he knocked, looked through the windows and made eye contact with me while he waited. I was nursing, so Vic went to the door but by the time he got there, the kid was gone. Vic thought he heard the gate open. He went back to the backyard where he and the kids were playing and sure enough, this kid comes into the backyard and said he saw Atticus in the backyard playing! He could see through the front windows to the back and just came on around! Vic sent him right back out.
• He comes into the house to make himself at home in our toy selection. We have a rule among our other two neighbors that kids need to play outside and not in and out of our houses. But, again, this kid's parents are NOT around.
• He hangs on the small branches of our smaller tree. We've told the kids not to do this because it they will break...but he has to be told a lot.
• He uses language that is not nice. I'll explain in one of the conversations below.
• He has a pocket knife. Seriously. It's been taken away since the first few times we saw him with it, so I'm thinking his parents must not have approved it.
• He gets mad and throws toys at kids...hard toys. This has happened more than once, but it was happening A LOT one day while I was watching them in my front yard. I had to get onto him pretty good after trying to nicely ask him not to throw toys. He told me "You're the meanest one!" ha!
• I honestly feel kind of bad for him. I know he wants to play and while I'm sure his parents are not bad people, they just let him roam free and our neighbors and us have to deal with him. It's not a really big deal yet because most of the time, the group of kids have fun together. And, Atticus has even come in on his own when he thinks the kid isn't playing nicely. And, Atticus and Grace are not always perfect when playing with other kids, but it's almost comical to wait and see what will happen when this boy comes down to play! And, he's just not a kid I will invite to come over for a play date!

So, while the kids were setting up to play "camping" one day, I see this kid get a pocketknife out to work on a stick for their pretend fire. As I realize it is a REAL knife, we have this conversation:

Me: "Is that a knife? Do your parents know you have that knife?"
The kid doesn't say anything as he is working on his firewood.
Atticus: "It's OK Mom. His mom and dad said he's ready for it."
Me: "Okay, but Atticus, you are not ready for a knife yet so I do not want you to hold it."
Atticus, states proudly: "No, but I can use a spreader!"
Me: "A spreader?" as I wonder if he is talking about a butter knife.....
Atticus: "A spreader can cut things too and I can use it."

Yes, he was perfectly happy and content knowing that he was old enough to use a "spreader". Ah; I love that he is no naive.

Another day, only he and this kid were playing outside when all of a sudden, Atticus comes into the house with all of his guns he takes outside to play with the group each time. He doesn't look very happy.

Us: "Atticus, are you done playing?"
Atticus: "Yes; but Aaron didn't want me to come inside."
Us: "Well, what happened?"
Atticus: "Aaron was saying things that that the devil made him say!"
Us: "He did? Well, what did he say?"
Atticus wouldn't tell us at first but we told him we needed to know. It looked like he was afraid to repeat them, but he said "He said stupid and dumb and words that the devil made him say. Why did the devil make him say those?"

Whew. But, after, Vic and I couldn't stop laughing at how serious he was when he told us this. We were so proud of him for walking away from something that made him uncomfortable! And while sometime in the past, we have discussed that the devil tempts you to do things you shouldn't, we thought it was so funny that it stuck with him and he said it! This same type of incident happened again last night, when the kid called him a "stupid dumb face". So, it may be awhile before we let him play one-on-one with this kid again.

THREE

Checkups with Grace have been a constant this week. She sings the Doc McStuffins song to me while she uses all of her doctor tools to check on me and tells me "it's time to get a "diag-nos-ees". She tells me what to say and how to react whether I should be sad or cry or tell her the medicine is yucky. She's hilarious!

So, that's about it for this week! We've had swim lessons, playdates, gymnastics and even naps. And Everly even slept from 9:15 pm to 5:30 this morning! We are ready for the weekend!

Friday Favorites: Weather, Recipe, Gymnastics, Conversations, and more!

Here are some of my favorite things from this past week:

ONE

After an afternoon of thunderstorms and tornadoes and watching the news constantly on the computer, Atticus and Grace decided to make a shelter for their legos and princesses and ponies. The next day:

Atticus: "Daddy are the storms over yet?"
Vic: "I think so, why?"
Atticus: "I need to know if my legos can go back to legoland or if they need to stay in their shelter."

During the storm, out of the blue, I hear:

Atticus: "Mommy, we have two options: we can take shelter or we can panic. I choose panic!" and then he runs around like a crazy 5 year old.

And a couple other funny, non-weather related statements:

Atticus (talking about Everly): "She's just so cute I can't keep my eye off her." (note that it is a singular eye; not both. Every time, he says it this way.)

Atticus talking to Everly from a few feet away: "Oh Everly; look over here." (as Everly bobbles her head around and doesn't look at him)
Me: "Everly probably can't see you very well. Babies can't see very far away when they are little."
Atticus: "Yeah, but they do have their instincts."
**um...what?"
 

TWO

These kids are really into using their imaginations lately. They will play so well together or apart and I haven't heard too many phrases of "What can I do? I don't know what to do." The funny thing is that sometimes they are SO proud of how well they are using their imaginations and will tell me. And Grace will say "ima-ination". And sometimes when they know is having fun, the other will tell me so sadly that they do not have ANY imaginations and the other one does...as if it's a tangible object.

THREE

This week, we started gymnastics for the kids at Power Sports in College Station. Or as Atticus sometimes calls it "Nim-gastics" and Grace calls it "Nim-Nastics". I get it; it's a tough word. So, we attend at 4:15 for 50 minutes every Wednesday for 6 weeks. They start out stretching together and then they break up each year (2 thru 5) into groups. This week they rotated and did trampolines, balance beams, somersaults, and hopscotch. The kids had a great time! And while Atticus isn't very limber, I was SO proud of him for trying something new, although at the end he told me "Balance beams aren't really my thing." ha! But, he really liked the trampoline. The only bad part...we were soaked through with rain when we arrived. It started POURING a few minutes before we left our house and even after trying to wait it out in the parking lot, the rain didn't stop. And, Grace fell asleep on the way over. So, after I get Atticus out and have him holding an umbrella, I get sleepy Grace out. And keep in mind it is not just raining, but POURING! Then, I tell them to start walking the long sidewalk to the covered area. I grab Everly in her carseat and thankfully have a carseat cover that kept her completely dry. So, I start walking and the kids have barely moved. Grace is getting wet and doesn't want to walk and when I do get them walking, they must think that you have to walk slower under an umbrella. Oh my goodness! I was getting drenched because I didn't have an umbrella and thought "oh I don't mind getting a little wet as long as the kids stay dry". I didn't think we would ever get to that covered area and door. Then, we get inside the door, dry off and I ask where we are supposed to go and they tell me it's the second building for their classes. Oh my. So, back under the umbrella, walking slowly, with carseat in hand, we head to the second building. At this point, I'm nervous Grace is so overwhelmed because she just woke up and is wet and cold and confused, that she may not easily go into the gym class. But, thankfully, she and Atticus were together and Atticus put his little hand on her back and led her in there. By that point, he was excited, so she was fine too. And, then the class was great! The building is two story so you have lots of windows to look through to see them in each area of the class and even on a TV monitor upstairs. So, when Atticus spotted me, he smiled and waved. But, when Grace spotted me, she smiled really big and then put her fingers in her mouth and gave me her "token silly face". It was so funny because the other kids were doing their thing and she is looking like a crazy kid! Hopefully there will be no rain next week because this week was really fun for the kids!

 Here they are stretching in their class.

 Here is Atticus on the trampoline.

 Here is Grace on the balance beam; we could watch her on the TV screen.

FOUR

We started Family Book Club this week. We read the book The Day The Crayons Quit and did a bunch of activities associated with it. I copied this exact idea and every activity from a blog I follow. I plan to do some more this summer and just copy her ideas. I have these grand ideas to get on pinterest and dream these up on my own, but let's be honest here....3 kids. Anyways, I am going to blog about Family Book Club in a separate post. But, it took 3 hours of our day and was a success!

FIVE

One of my favorite things this week involved conversations with Grace. She is hilarious. The other day, while she and Atticus were playing, I heard them calling each other "Sweetie" and "honey". And, yesterday while I went to check on Everly, who was crying and up from her nap, Grace followed me in there and said "Evva-wee, sweetie, what's wrong?"  

Everything she can try lately is said with pride: "I do it myseff!"

She also knows what a selfie is. And yesterday she brought me her toy makeup mirror and said "Mom, wetts take a seffie". 

SIX

The kids have been playing outside a lot lately with neighborhood friends. So, yesterday, I took a photo of Vic in front of our house. Check out the difference in both trees. The tree on the bottom is the same tree as in the top picture on the right. We moved into our house 7 years ago in July and this is how much it has grown. Vic loves his trees and really does a great job trimming them each year and helping them grow!

SEVEN

Meals. We had 13 people bring us food after we had Everly. I was shocked. We got evening meals, breakfast muffins, desserts, and some even brought Atticus and Grace gifts as well. And, it was amazing! Knowing that dinner was coming or having a sweet or treat for the kids was just so fun. If you know someone who is having a baby, do something for them. They will appreciate it so much! Anyways, this recipe is my favorite this week. Someone brought it to us as one of our evening meals and it was so tasty. I even made it for a friend this week who had a baby. It's easy and still filling for an evening meal...especially if you eat as many in one sitting as Vic and I can eat. Plus, the kids liked it! Here it is:

Hawaiian Ham and Swiss Sliders

Ingredients:

1 large packages Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls 

1 package deli sandwich ham (or about 3/4 pound)

12 Swiss cheese slices (we also have used provolone)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. brown or dijon mustard

1 tsp. onion powder

Slice tops from rolls and place bottoms in baking pan. Layer ham and cheese on rolls. Replace tops. Combine butter, poppy seeds, Worcestershire, mustard and onion powder and mix well. Drizzle over rolls. Refrigerate until butter is firm or overnight. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 additional minutes. Serve warm or cold. 

EIGHT

And, finally, my last favorite of the week is this little 7 week old girl, who by the way, has slept 12 to 13 hours in a row starting at about midnight to about 1 the next day and only waking for about an hour and a half in the middle to nurse. Amazing! The other two did NOT do this. Fingers crossed that it will last! However, the not so easy side...from about 6 to midnight, she is only happy when held, eating or asleep in your arms and if she's awake, she prefers that you are walking her around. She knows it's the end of the day and we have two other kids, right?

"My Best Fiend" and "You be; I be" and some of her other phrases

Grace is really into best friends these days. If you ask her who her friends are, she will tell you from preschool. There is Hallie, Emily, Ryder, Crosby, Taylor (who she always says is grumpy) and her teachers Mrs. Thuh-Thuh (Elizabeth) and Mrs. Sumar. She will tell you that she and I are best friends and Atticus and Daddy are best friends. Vic said when I was gone scrap booking one weekend, that she would tell him he was her best friend, but as soon as I got back, he was reassigned to only Atticus's best friend again. I will ask her who other people's best friends are. She will match up any couple that is married and then for Melbo, Pa and GG, she must count them as one group, because they are all best friends. And sometimes she will add Bubba the cat into their group or pair him off with one of them as well. And honestly, there is NOTHING better than her wrapping her little arms around my neck and telling me I'm her "best fiend". And many times, when she talks to someone about Atticus, she will tell them he is "my fiend Atticus" and just recently has started calling him her "bwudder".

I've mentioned before that Grace is really into imaginative play with all of her princesses, Lion Guard, ponies and any other toys. Well, she is also really into pretending to be someone else. Most recently, she will come to me and with this little excited, shy grin, she will say "Mama, you be Mrs. Sumar and I'll be Hallie" and then we will play. We will play with her toys or preschool but if I mess up and call her Grace, she will quickly correct me and say "No, I not Gwace, I Hallie". She will act a little different and sometimes use a little different voice to show she is pretending. One night, she even had Atticus be Crosby. It's the cutest. She will do the same with her princesses. She will have me be Rapunzel and her be Jasmine or whatever. It's so cute!

Some of Grace's other recent phrases, as she talks all the time now, are:

"Mama, Check Diss Out!"
"Oh! Dat a good idea!"
"Oh! Dat's so sweet!"
"Good luck!"
"I not know my magic words" when she is saying something that I just can't figure out and I keep asking. She will get so upset and then tell me that phrase. I don't know where the "magic" part came in?
"Oh yeah!" when she agrees to something.
"Good job Dad!"
"Goodbye!" after you put her on the potty. She needs you to put her up there but then she happily sends you away.
"Be careful!" to whoever she thinks might be in danger.
Recently, she started this "a little more, a little more" when you are doing something for her or getting her something. She is very encouraging, I guess.
"Mama! Look at this trick!" and does something silly.

She also loves to play "I Pie" (I spy) at any given moment. She loves Simon Says and her favorite thing to be told to do is jump rope. And she likes to tell Knock Knock jokes but doesn't understand how to do them at all!

Right now, Grace cannot say "You" and "Y's" come out as "W's". So she will say things like "Woos play with me" instead of "You play with me" or "I need Woos" and it's so cute!

She also likes to match her bows. I tried to teach her this recently and was shocked when it stuck. So, when it's time to pick one out, she will tell me "that bow match me" or if it doesn't.

At nighttime, Atticus still tells us he hopes we dream about dinosaurs doing something each night and we think of something for him to dream about in return.Well, I think I've said before that Grace fell right into that routine and included herself in telling what she wanted Atticus to dream about and waiting for him to tell her.She always talks about princesses, ponies and pooping on the potty (her daily life right now). A couple weeks ago, she decided she was too tired one night and when Atticus would ask her over and over what she wanted him to dream about, she would pretend to snore and not say anything. I lay there in bed with her until she falls asleep each night, so I told him she was sleeping and couldn't tell him. Then, a minute later, she pipes up and tells him. Well, this has continued each night. She doesn't want to do it on his command, but she will do it when she is ready. What a stinker!  Then, about a week ago, she changed it and instead of telling him anything or pretending to snore, she just says "My Knees Hurt" when he asks her and that is her excuse as to why she cannot tell him what to dream about. She did scrape her knees up a couple weeks ago too and they did hurt for a couple of days and she would tell us, but that is her excuse? She is a rascal.

That's probably it for now, but she is just too funny!

A Grace Update: Conversations, Imagination

I feel like Grace has changed the most lately, so I'll do a little update on her today. Here are some things I hear out of her mouth all the time:

In regards to potty training, which is going, but I'm not working too hard at it yet. Some days I do, but some days we are out and about too much to really get a start. I need to work harder...

Grace: "Babies wear panties; Big Girls wear diapers!"
Me: "No Grace, that's not right. Big Girls wear...
Grace: "Stop talking, mom." (with her little hand up like she thinks she is the boss)

Grace: "I poop in my panties; I get to wear my diaper!!!" (thrilled)
But, no Grace, wearing your diaper is NOT a reward for pooping in your panties. 

Just in general conversations:

Atticus: "Grace is a little baby!" (being sweet, but comparing himself to her)
Grace: (feelings hurt) "I not a baby! I a big girl! I tiny." (she loves being tiny, but does not want to be a baby)

Other Phrases we hear all the time:

When looking for something, "I use my owelette eyes!" (from the show PJ masks)
"Oh boy!"
"Thanks guys!"
"Nahhhh!" (with an "are you kidding me look on her face")
She calls the grocery store "supah-mahket"
"scuse me"
"Follow me, mom" 
"Yay with me" every single night at bedtime.
"Shoo Cass Shoo!"
"I miss daddy" every day Vic goes to work.
"I hope so" is a new phrase she started about a month ago and she is so serious when she says it.

Her latest phrase is how she describes anything using the word "Double". She is always "double hungry, double happy, double sad, double grumpy, double fast". I don't know where she got this from, but everything is "double".

"Shhh....my titty seeping" is what she says when she wants us to be quiet. Every single time.

She brings me two things and says "pick one" but keeps saying it until I pick the one she doesn't want.

"Daddy Poopoo" or "Mommy PooPoop" - I get that these are gross terms and she only adds PooPoo because we tell her we do not use potty words unless we are in the potty, but she does it so endearingly and smiles and thinks she is so cute. She doesn't do it in an ugly way, but while it is so gross, it is strangely funny....and that's only because she is my daughter! I wouldn't expect anyone else to think it is cute!
 
She is really into the stop lights and every single time we stop in the car, she will first tell me to "go!" and then we go through what light we are on and which one is go, stop or slow down. She always tells me what each means and is right, but it sure takes up a lot of our driving conversation.

As I've said, she is just a happy girl. She will tell me, after something that's made her happy, "You a best, Cass!" or Mommy or Daddy or whatever. She will also say "U amazing!"

Vic caught her in our closet the other day pulling clothes around her saying "I yook fabulous!"

The way she says her name right now is really cute. If you ask her what it is, she will say "Cah Sida Gwace". (Caroline Seidel Grace). She will not rearrange it at all and will rarely just say her name is Grace.

When Vic had the kids while I went to a meeting one night, Vic said Atticus was in trouble over something and Grace picked up her hand, put it to her hear and called me and said "Cass made big mess; in big trouble, okay, bye!" and hung up.

When she gets up in the morning, she will point out the window and say "double sunny mommy!"

I'm sure there is more that I may add to this post later, but those are Grace's daily words for the moment.

Otherwise, Grace is really stinking cute right now. She is generally happy and when she does get made about something, I am learning to just kind of ignore it and she will get happy a few minutes later. So, that is a nice change on one end of the spectrum. The other end is the terrible fits, but honestly, we have not had many of those yet. I know age 3 is coming, but they usually revolve around her wanting me to pick her up (which is less and less comfortable to do these days) and when I tell her no, she goes into full on stubborn mode and fit throwing mode. Eventually, she might have to have a spanking and be sent to her room and that's when she knows I'm serious. But, even yesterday, when she came out, she wanted something and I told her she needed to apologize first and of course she wouldn't. Even Atticus was really trying to help both me and her and kept telling her he would help her say she was sorry, but she would not budge. A little while later, we all loaded up to take a meal to a friends house and she got in her carseat and told me "I sorry I cry!" and all was well. She was happy as could be. That girl!

She has also recently opened up her imagination! She will happily take any two toys and start pretending in her own little world and play by herself for an hour or more at a time. Mostly, she is loving her dollhouse right now and all of her princesses and Paw Patrol and tiny kitties. I will see her just talking away and making them talk to each other and go to bed and play and drive places and anything else you can imagine. I love, love, love, this stage. It's so cute to see what she makes them say. Things like "follow me!" or "no, no kitty!" or singing to them is just so cute. I try to just let her be because 1) I like to watch her when she thinks nobody is watching and 2) If I interrupt, then she requests I join her and sometimes if I have a minute without kids needing something, I take that minute! She will play with non-girly things too like Atticus's dinosaurs or trucks or airplane or the little knights for the castle. She will usually pick a few items and slowly, they join her collection of dollhouse toys. She and Atticus are different because Atticus has always been into setups since about age 2 1/2 or so, but would rather set them up or organize them than spend lots of time pretending with them.

Also, Grace has really not taken any interest in baby dolls or stuffed animals until around Christmas time. She has them and we will play with them and occasionally, she will have a day of carrying something around, but as far as pretending with them or loving on them, she hasn't been interested. But, at Christmas, she got even more stuffed kitties and now she loves them so much. She puts them to sleep, carries them around, feeds them cat food, covers them up, and just loves them. As for babies, she has recently started bringing them to me to tell me they are "adorable" and giving them bottles and rocking them. This makes me excited since we have another baby coming and she can be my big helper and love this new little sister or brother! At church, she immediately walks into the nursery and goes straight for the baby in the crib to hold and love. So, this makes me excited to see how she is with babies when our 3rd baby arrives!

Grace loves to swing outside and will for as long as she can. She loves to be pushed "higher and higher and faster, mommy or daddy!" And she really loves playing with "Cass", unless she is into her imaginative play or has me all to herself to start with. But, Atticus is such a good big brother to her (I'll tell you more reasons why when I post their new bedtime routine) and I really enjoy listening to them play and talk and do things together. Such a fun age!

I have been so behind in these kinds of updates with the kids, so I'll do a quick bullet list so I remember for myself:

Just shy of age 3, Grace...

• being potty trained 
• says "ew" and "yucky" to most things we give her, but does like toaster strudels, cereal without milk, bananas, apples, cheesesticks, cheese toast, homemade breads and muffins (like banana bread, raisin bran muffins, etc.), porkchops, uncooked baby carrots, grapes, graham crackers/teddy grahams (which she calls gummy bears)/goldfish, chocolate (of course!), suckers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken strips, rice, beans, and ONLY water to drink; sometimes she will randomly eat a plateful of roasted cauliflower or lettuce or my taco soup - she is just funny with her food these days
• she is barely fitting into 2T these days and I'll only buy 3T from here on
• her hair is still soft and getting longer, but still fine and wispy all around her face where new growth is; I like ponytails right now, but look forward to braiding it one day
• she hates baths; well she hates to get into them but sometimes gets happier if she and Atticus start laughing and giggling and playing; but generally she does NOT want to take a bath
• she still doesn't take naps regularly and while the kids have a 7:30 bedtime but she still wakes once a night and is up around 6 most days
• she still loves to dance and sing
• she loves preschool and talking about what she painted or the artwork she did, her "fiends Emmy, Tay, Cwosby, and Hawwie), and her teacher "Miss Thuh-Thuh"

That's it for now!

Things that have made me laugh this month

This is their conversation this month...
Atticus: "Gwace Seidel! Go to your room! Or you will be a big spanking!"
Grace: "Cus Sida! Go woo! Get big panking!"

Snuggling on the couch. I love when Atticus asks me to do this.

Both Atticus and Grace have sung Christmas songs all month. Atticus will just be singing them as he plays with his toys. Grace will break out into song as well which is pretty impressive since she wasn't even saying anything 8 months ago! Mostly, they sing Rudolph, Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Deck the Halls. Some of the words get changed and my current favorite is Atticus' version of Jingle Bells which is all correct except this one little part..."Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way; Hustlin Fine it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!"

They both love Santa, but Grace loves Santa about a year earlier than Atticus did. She will say "Santa Cause!" every time she sees a picture or a yard decoration. She does the same with when she sees "Fosty!" and "Wudoff! Wed Nose!" and "Moe Wights Mom!"

Atticus loves to look at presents under the tree, and this year, when I finally put some out with his name on them, he was excited. But, of course, he would ask me what was in them. So, one time I told him one was underwear. And another was soap. Well, expecting him to complain, he said "Oh thanks mom! I love underwear and soap!" and every time he looks under there, he will tell me he is so happy he is getting underwear and soap. He is trying to be grateful because I've tried to explain to him that it's not all about the toys. He's growing up so much! Oh and it is fun to see him figure out whose present is for who based on the letters he has been so into learning. He knows anything with his name on it and can also pick out Grace's sometimes.

They are both really into a few Christmas movies - mostly cartoons. They ask for Mickey Christmas everyday and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Earlier this month, they wanted Frosty the Snowman every night.

I love asking Atticus what Christmas is about - he always says "giving". And even Grace will say it's Baby Jaze Birthday when you ask her.

Atticus is also really showing his age these days and little things that make me realize he is growing up. He will do some things and be so proud of them....like today, at Chick-Fil-A, he went up to exchange the kids meal books for his and Grace's ice cream. He has done this before. But, he was still so proud and then got their spoons. And he put his little placemat down and opened his own ranch packet. I know these are tiny things, but sometimes it is the littlest things that I've totally missed him learning that seem to be a big deal. He is always in charge of plugging in all of our Christmas lights around the house. He is also our dust buster guy. And this week...he started taking showers all by himself. I'm sure the fun bathtimes are not over, but I was still surprised. He's already a great big brother to Grace, but he's going to be a great big brother to this new baby too!

I have also loved how much Grace knows that "Santa Cause" is at the "No Poh" to "make us toys!" and that when I ask her what she should buy Atticus for Christmas, she tells me a truck everytime. On the other hand, when I ask Atticus what he should buy Grace, he says "baby dolls and ballet slippers". I just had to jot some of these things down....we all know my terrible memory!

December 3rd Conversations

Today was a preschool day and one that I tried to get 100 things done in. I think I got 8 things done. But...progress. The best thing about today has been the conversations. Most days we have funny things said in our house, but I never write them down and I really need to so here we go:

After school as we were getting buckled into our carseats:
Atticus: "We really need to pray for Casen."
Me: "Why?"
Atticus: "Because he had a bloody nose because the air is dry today."
Me: "Ok. We can do that."
Atticus: "We also need to pray for Maddie because her dog named...I don't know his name but her dog DIED. (said very dramatically)."
Me: "Oh Atticus, that is so sad. We will definitely pray for your friends."
Grace: "My fwinds hit."
Me: "Your friends hit?"
Grace: "Yes. My fwinds cwy."
Me: "Okay Grace. We can pray for them too?"
Grace: "Txks (thanks) Mommy."
I have no idea where Grace's contribution came from but I think she just wanted to talk about her friends too? It was hilarious. She was so serious!

Around 4:30, after a day of preschool and running errands with the kids, we left HEB and I had just grouched at them about fighting with one another in the basket. The last thing I said was that they needed to not say another word until we got home. So, we get into the car and get settled and head out of the parking lot.

Atticus: "Mommy, I'm sorry that I was fighting with Grace."
Me: "Thank you Atticus."
Grace, following suit (which is too funny that she even followed what was going on and wanted to contribute): "Mommy, I saw-ey I hit Cuss. I saw-ey I pushed Cuss."
Me: "Thank you Grace."
Atticus: "And bited me."
Atticus: "And kicked me."
Me: "Okay Atticus; she said she was sorry."
Atticus: "And I think she broke my bone. But maybe she just cracked it."
If you give him an inch, he'll take a mile.

Tonight, Atticus, out of the blue, decided to give me his Christmas list and even brought me paper and pen to write it down. Here is it:

Atticus: "Mommy, I decided I don't want an Imaginext T Rex anymore."
Me: "What? Why not??" (we bought this thing over a month ago because it's the ONLY thing he has asked for)
Atticus: "You said it was too expensive for Santa."
Me: (feeling terrible but so impressed with his thoughtfulness or maybe I should be sad that he is already giving up on his dreams at age 4): "Oh you can still ask Santa for it; maybe he will have enough money to make it."
Atticus: "Okay, I also want a honey badger. And a falcon. And a mouse that is hard and a blue stuffed animal mouse. And I want a rope. Maybe a blue or green rope because those are my favorite colors. And I want a star or angel for my Christmas tree. And I want a Giganotosaurus. And I want some puzzles in a box that are zoo or safari animal puzzles."
Me: "That is a great list Atticus."
Atticus: "Wait. One more thing. I want my own scrapbooking stuff."
Me: "Really? Why?"
Atticus: "I just do. And one more thing. I want a...(and he points to our big nutcracker on the table) (and I tell him it's a nutcracker) to put on my dresser. And one more thing. I want Skya, the dinotrux. And one more thing. I want Dinotrux clothes and Bugs in the Kitchen game."
Me. "Okay, that is a good list."
Atticus: "And one more thing. I want new cowboy boots but Pop is going to buy these for me for my birthday." (I may have had to tell him we needed to get fitted for boots so Pop could maybe get them for his birthday one day). "And I want a dinosaur book and a book about safari animals. And that is all. Oh wait. One more thing. I want a book about fruits and vegetables. Okay, that is all."

So, it was a fast conversation but I was so shocked that he finally came up with a list. And for those of you shopping, don't take everything on this list seriously and know that some of this stuff has already been bought. But, it was pretty funny.

Also, side note, but when he talks about his stocking, he has been calling it his "beanstalk". Just tonight, he asked me if when he woke up in the morning, would Santa have put toys in his beanstalk? Sometimes he will correct himself and tell me he means stocking. But, it's just like last year when he called Santa, Noah. He just gets a different word in his head and it sticks.

Okay, that's all for tonight. I'm sure the conversations of both kiddos will continue and I will try to share them!

"I hope you dream about dinosaurs" and other conversations

Atticus has said some hilarious things lately. He is just very articulate when speaking about certain topics and can get into a conversation about anything. A few winners lately:

Awhile back, one night as I put him to bed, I told him I hoped he dreamed about dinosaurs. Now, each time I put him to sleep, he will say so sincerely as if he really hopes that I do, "I hope you dream about dinosaurs" and it is just sweet and thoughtful and you can tell that he thinks that would be the BEST thing to dream about. And then tonight, he embellished it a little. As I started to close his door, he said "I hope you dream about stegosauruses riding bicycles and dinosaurs dancing in the rain!" with the sweetest, most sincere grin. Hmmm...I love that little boy! 

He's recently started noticing commercials on TV and remembering them. In the past month, he has come across three that totally caught Vic and I off guard.

1. Recently, when he was having lots of allergy issues, he heard a Nasacort commercial and they used the word "allergies". Well, as soon as he heard it, he told me we needed to get him some Nasacort to help with his allergies. Ironically, Vic was bringing home new eye drops for him that night, so we just called them Nasacort. Occasionally, he will tell me he needs some Nasacort to help make his allergies better. Then, just today, he pinched his finger in the car window (it was no big deal but it scared me to death so he reacted to my fright more than any pain) and when he started to cry, he said "Mommy, all of my Nasacort is coming out of my eyes!" I explained to him that it wasn't the Nasacort coming out, but just tears.

2. One day I was in the bathroom about to wipe his bottom. As I reach for the toilet paper, he calmly asks "Mommy, is that Charmin Ultra Soft?". Why, yes, Atticus, it is.

3. Vic was putting some clothes in the washing machine, and Atticus told him "If you want your shirts, shorts and underwear brighter, you should be using Oxi-Clean." What? Who is this kid? And where did that thought come from?

So, clearly, if he is in the midst of our TV shows on regular channels (as opposed to kids channels), we are going to have to start paying more attention to the content. He hears EVERYTHING! And he remembers it!

He is also a bit of a copycat. My legs were really sore from working out this weekend and Vic said, at one point, he got up and said in a strained voice, "My legs are really sore from exercising!" He has also mimicked Vic and told us his "back is really hurting today!".


He and Vic were playing with his toy cash register which he calls his "cashery bank" and he said they had "pennies, nickels, diamonds, and quarters." 

When sitting down to eat cauliflower and broccoli, he said "but I don't want to eat that garlic and broccoli!" Vic corrected him and said that he was not eating garlic and Atticus replies: "What is it? cauliflower or something?" Oh Atticus - you are "or something".

He also really likes telling Grace what to say lately to help her learn to talk, so all day long I hear things like:

Atticus: "Gwacie! Say Applesauce!"
Grace: "Bah!"
Atticus: "No Gwace! Say Apple. Sauce."
Grace: "Bah!"
Atticus: BIG Sigh as if he just doesn't know what to do with that girl.

I'll try to keep this kind of post happening more. They are both too hilarious!