Quote of the Day XXII

Audrey frolicking with her classmates during a field trip to the natatorium last week.
(Thanks for the picture, Karen!)

Audrey and I were making our way to piano lessons the other night and she brought up the subject of money. Quite typical for her; she seems worried about our financial situation often (even though we constantly reassure her that we are fine and that she needn't worry {see below}).

A: Mama, like how much money does Daddy make in one day?
Me: Well, he doesn't get paid every day, just once a month. And you don't need to worry about it, sweetie. We have enough money to have everything we need. You don't need to even think about it.
A: I know, but sometimes, when Daddy comes home, he just puts a few coins on the table and I think, "Is that all he got today?"

Quotes of the Day XXI

There was lots of Disney Channel viewing during the down time at our beach house last week. Of course, Disney channel means High Scho()l Musical, which my kids have never seen (but now will probably want to). Miles was watching Zac Efr()n dancing on tv during a commercial and said to Neal and our friend, Ed:

"That guy thinks he's so awesome, but he's not. He thinks he knows everything."

So true, little dude. Isn't he perceptive about celebrities already?

For some reason our kids have started making Christmas lists this week. Among the things on the lists are Miniature Dachsund (PJ) and a big book of blue construction paper (MJ). Our favorite item in on Miles' list (which Parker helped him assemble):

an "eye-patch" (iTouch)

Happy Weekend!

Quotes of the Day XX

we heart photobooth.

Neal and I were discussing, with Miles sitting on top of us, what we will do when we no longer have a baby to eat.

Neal: Miles, are you a baby?

Miles: No. I a boy.

Me: Are you a little boy?

Miles: No. I's a big boy. I got my potty trained.

Miles: You're cute, Momma.

In the car, we were discussing the fact that Daddy speaks Spanish. 

Audrey: Daddy, where were you born?

Neal: Mexico.

Parker: NO! If you were Mexican, you would have a big huge moustache!

Huh?

Me: Hey Parker, did you know that Jason (his school friend) has a doggie that's blind?

Parker: Awww, does the doggie wear glasses? 

I think he really thought I might say yes.

never a dull moment

Today, the big kids had pajama day, so Miles followed suit & wore his PJs to Gymboree and Target. Only he wore two sets at the same time, and has, throughout the day, rotated amongst several other sets. I just had to record the craziness that is him today. It's funny how toddlers can be so particular.

Miles' quote of the day: I was getting him out of his car seat, and he proceeded to pick a slimy bit out of his nose, and I said, "Eeeww!"

He said: "It's not a booger, mama. It's booger sauce."

Quotes of the Day XIX

Yet another funny early evening wrestling conversation. I'm sensing a trend.

Parker was trying to pin Audrey down, and she came up with this most sisterly of accusations:

Audrey: Your breath smells like coffee. Yuck.

Parker: What!? I have never ever aten coffee. What does it smell like?

Audrey: Gross. Like your breath.

sweet, sweet angels. ;)

Quotes of the Day XVIII

The kids were wrestling and flipping onto their fort after dinner last night. All sorts of squeals and laughter were emanating from near the piano. I was quietly reading my book in the other room, and Neal had dozed off while reading his. Then I heard this conversation. Nothin' too special, just love these kids.

Audrey, mid-wrestle: This is why it's so fun to have a brother: cuz you can get rough with them.

Parker: Ya, and it's nice to have a boy-ish big sister because she still wants to play boy stuff sometimes.

Audrey: Ya, that's what I like about myself, too.

Miles: Whadjoo guys talkin about?

Quote of the Day XVII

Before bed the other night, Miles and Parker were playing with their light sabers (or subways, as Miles calls them). Parker had fallen to the ground in a dramatic way, but was still managing to fight Miles off. But Miles wouldn't have it. He called out,

"Bawdy! Stand up yike a meeyan!"
(Parkie, stand up like a man!)

Ah, boys. Gotta love 'em.

Quote of the Day XVI

We were walking the bread aisle of the grocery store the other day, when Audrey guilt trips me by saying, out of the blue:

"Mommy, I really wish I had a sister."

Me: "I know, cutie. Me too. It's just kind of dangerous for me to have another baby. You guys all came too early, it was kind of scary."

Audrey: "What would happen if we came way too early?"

Parker: "We might have had like eight limbs or something."

Ok, so maybe this show was on our DVR for a couple of weeks and Parker got kind of attached to the idea of a parasitic twin. Pun intended.

sabotage

It turns out that Parker is the one having the most trouble with my leave-taking. He was telling me this morning that he could just come with me, he already knew what clothes he would bring. Then we were planning some morning errands and he said,

"Mama, if we go to McDonald's and CVS, would you miss your flight?"

Me: "No, it's not until this afternoon. Why, do you want me to miss my flight?"

Parker: "Ya."

Meanwhile, I'm having a hard time finishing my packing because Parker keeps begging me, with a forlorn look on his face, to come hug him on the couch. Poor dude.

Steph, we better have a serious good time (or we could just stare at Stella).

Quotes of the Day XV

Parker and I were sitting at the computer looking at the adorable pictures of Miss Stella.

Parker: Mama, is it okay if you think that a baby that's not in your family is cuter than a baby that your own mom had?
Me: Ya, that's okay. Why, do you think Stella is cuter than Miles?
Parker: Almost.

The other day, Audrey and Parker were having this extremely typical argument:

Parker, at the tail end of another conversation: Mean either.
Audrey: It's not "mean either," Parkie. It's me neither.
Parker: Mean either?
Audrey: NO. ME. NEITHER.
Parker: Me neither?
Audrey: YES! (major hint of exasperation in her voice)


Poor Audrey; it must so hard being smarter than everyone else.

Quotes of the Day XIV (that's 14)

More quotes from the fam, mostly the kids, because they're the crazy ones.

Neal, to me, while he brushed Parker's teeth one night: It looks like Parker's hair is getting a little bit blonde from the sun.
Audrey: Parkie, you're like a magical person. You're always changing colors. Your eyeballs change colors, your hair changes colors . . .

She seemed a bit jealous. And yes, Parker's eyes, which were once blue, have been a light shade of grey for a couple of years now, but lately are looking sageish greenish. He's magical, obviously.

In the car one day, after spending an hour that morning watching a show entitled "The Search for Egypt's Lost Queen," Audrey and Parker start discussing their career paths. Neal once told Audrey that she could be an Egyptologist one day, and that made her very excited. I told her, "Well, you have to go to college for a long time to be an Egyptologist, but college is so fun. You'll love it. You can even take a whole class just on Egypt!"
Kids: Whoa.
Me: Or you can take classes on painting, or math, or dinosaurs, or whatever you want!
Audrey: You mean you get to pick? I want to take an Egypt class and a painting class.
Parker: I want to take an Egypt class, too.
Me: Well, you guys might be at the same college at the same time!

thoughtful pause, some undecipherable whispering in the way back . . .

Audrey: Mama, can you choose where you sit when you're at college?
Me: Yep.
Audrey: Me and Parker are going to sit together.

Quotes of the Day XIII

The latest from our house, on today's Quotes of the Day.

Parker: Mama, when we go to Disneyland, can I go on Big Thunder Mountain?
Me: Well, I'm not sure if you'll be tall enough, Parker, but we'll see.
Audrey: Parkie, we know you're brave enough, we're just not sure if you're tall enough.

Audrey, at dinner: Daddy, this week we're talking about butterflies at school, and Mrs. Marroquin asked us if we knew anything about butterflies and I said that they drink nectar with their proboscis.
Me, after a long pause and stare at Neal, then at Audrey: Are you serious, Audrey? You said that! That's so great! Did Mrs. Marroquin know what that was?
Audrey: Ya, but she didn't know how to spell it, so I told her. Then she checked in a book to see if I was right, and I didn't miss one letter!

This is precisely why we aren't ever quite sure what to do with Miss Audrey Mae.

Just fyi. I needed a visual on that whole proboscis thing.

A Fishie Funeral & Quotes of the Day XII

Once again, Parker and I were having an endless question-and-answer session on the way to his gymnastics class this morning. He came up with this one out of the clear blue:

"Mama, do birdies have bottom cracks?"

Seriously, where DOES he come up with these things?

On a much more somber note, our little fishie Cleo died today. We bought her Tuesday for Neal's awesome little ocean tank, but she had acquired some sort of fungus (eeewww, I hate that word) during her stay at the pet shop, and met her sad end here at our house this afternoon. Audrey wanted to have a funeral, and on the way to retrieve her from the tank, asked (a little too excitedly for just having been SO sad), "Daddy, can I carry her outside in my bare hands?"

Oh, the tragedy of it all. Audrey loves stuff like that.

Audrey holding Cleo (in a paper towel). Parker trying to get a look. Let's count the gorgeous shades of green in this picture. Love it.

Digging the grave.

Neal got all eulogistic: "poor little cleo."

And for some reason, Miles didn't find it all that sad.

Maybe it's because today is his eight-month birthday. Eight months! It's making me a bit emotional. Please don't grow up, Miles!

Quotes of the Day XI

Parker ran into Miles' room while I was changing his diaper today, and said, in an alarming tone,

"Mommy, I thought of something weird! If there weren't ever any more june bugs, there would never be another June!"

Another Parker thought to get you thinking today,

"Mama, why don't girls ever have beards?" Except say beards like this: beeyahds.

This question resulted in a cursory discussion about these things called male and female hormones and what they do (cursory, remember), and the many ways in which boys and girls are different. He's also been very interested lately in how electricity and magnets work, how big germs are, if we live on the inside or the outside of the earth, what's under hot lava and what eyeballs are made of. Those I can answer correctly (I think), but electricity? I think I remember something about electrons, but I did get a C in Physical Science. I told Parker that these teeny little things called electrons bounce off of each other really fast and that results in electric power being created. Totally wrong, apparently. I need to start studying just so I can talk to this kid. Luckily, his daddy is a brilliant science-minded person. But then, after easily answering Parker's questions, Neal looks over at me and says, "you really don't know how electricity works?"

Nope.

A really quick one from Audrey, and actually not a verbal quote, but a written one. I was reading through her new Junie B. Jones Top Secret Personal Beeswax Journal she got for her birthday. (I totally believe in invading my children's privacy.) On the page where you're to describe your family, it prompts you to enter three words that describe your mother. And I quote:

1. Prettyish
2. Loving
3. Nice

Three words that describe your Daddy: "I love him."

Prettyish? Are you kidding me?

Quotes of the Day X

Ah yes, another installment of my favorite blog feature here at flowerchain, Quotes of the Day. This one even includes a quote by my dear husband.

Out on the trampoline, watching Neal light the charcoal grill:

Parker, to Audrey: How bad would it hurt if you got burned by that fire?
Audrey, because she knows everything: A lot. But not as bad as dying.
Parker, after a moment: I wonder how bad it would hurt to swim in hot lava.

ouch.
Parker, after discussing how we signed him up for gymnastics: Mommy, I wish daddy didn't sign up to go to work.

Me, too, Parker, me too.

Me, to Neal one evening: Did you hear that Britney Spears shaved her head? What a psycho.
Neal: Ya, I think she's gonna turn up dead soon.

You heard it here first!

*images courtesy of miss natalie and my backyard fence.

Quotes of the Day IX

Up at 5 with Miles again, and since there's not a whole lot to do but lay on the floor and chew on sunglasses, here you go:

Number Nine in the Series, Quotes of the Day, by Audrey (5) and Parker (3).

Audrey, to Parker in the tub: Parker, do you know what "carbon dioxygen" is?
Parker: No.
Audrey: It's the kind of air that's on other planets. We can't breathe it.
Parker: Why?
Audrey: 'Cuz you'll die.

Audrey and I were coloring a few pictures from the Friend Magazine about the creation of the Earth. I was coloring Adam and Eve, and Audrey was watching me and said,

I like Eve. She's so pretty. Did you know that Adam and Eve were the first people on the earth?
Me: Yep. Do you know who was here first, Adam or Eve?
Audrey: I can't remember.
Me: Who do you think came first?
Audrey: Um, Eve.
Me: Nope. Adam.
Audrey: Awwww!

The other day, Parker and I went for a walk over the bridge behind our street. It goes over what is known as Oyster Creek, but we call it the river. Parker said, "What if this river went all the way back there and then all the way to Egypt and turned into the Egypt River?"

Don't you think that would be cool? I do.

Last one: Parker and Neal were in the car, listening to the radio about a woman who was a maid.

Parker: Daddy, what's a maid?
Neal: Someone who cleans houses.
Parker: Is Mommy a maid?
Neal: No, because she cleans her own house.
Parker: Well, she's kind of like a maid!

True that, Parker!

Quotes of the Day VIII

Miles woke me up far too ealy this morning. Doesn't he know it's a holiday? Sigh, well, there's not a whole lot to do in our dark, quiet house, so here is another installment in the "Quotes of the Day" series.

Audrey has learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at school last week, in honor of his birthday today. We were listening to the Curious George soundtrack in the car, and there is a song on it in which the singer says, "I can change the world, with my own two hands," to which Parker always responds:

He can't really change the world all by himself!
This time, Audrey said, "Yes he can! Martin Luther King did!"

Another car conversation: On Sunday morning, it was really foggy around our neighborhood. As we drive to church, we pass by some beautiful green fields that are quite pretty, all misty and magical-looking. Audrey said,
"One day, when I have a horse, I want to go for a walk and ride my horse into the mist over there," all dreamy and wistful she was.
Parker quickly added, in typical 3-year-old boy gruffness, "Ya, and I'll ride my X-men scooter!"

There goes that pretty picture. :)

Quotes of the Day VII

You're gonna have to bear with me on this installment of Quotes of the Day. And I know this isn't nearly as funny since these aren't your children, but it's my blog and I think it's funny. So there.

Ok, here goes.

1. One day, I had the brilliant idea to give Audrey a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean the walls in her room. Well, as soon as Parker got wind of that, he had a little breakdown until I gave him one, too. In the middle of the breakdown, Audrey was heard saying this:

"Parker, it's not like it's the end of your life!"

2. The other day, Parker discovered that there is a member of the X-Men named "Apocalypse." This is very exciting news, but, of course, he was immediately curious not only about how to spell apocalypse, but he just had to know what that word means. I told him that, in short, it means "the end of the world." That started a whole conversation that I won't go into here, but anyway, now he knows what it means.

3. To continue with my long, convoluted story, Miles screams his head off every single time we go in the car. EVERY TIME. No joke. It drives me crazy and I don't know why he does it, but, alas, he screams. The other day, Parker and I were with him during the screaming fit, and Parker said, trying to comfort his baby brother,

"Miles, it's not like it's the apocalypse of your life!"

Ok, it was funny at the time. Maybe that wasn't worth explaining. Oh well.

Quotes of the Day VI

Audrey to Parker, while they're eating a bedtime snack of peaches and rainbow goldfish last night. I'm sitting on the couch nursing Miles. This is proof that Audrey, since the age of two, has thought she was smarter than her parents.

Audrey: "Parkie, how come you always believe what Mommy says but you don't believe what I say? I know just as much as she does!"
Me, butting into the conversation: "Um, Audrey, no you don't. You are five. I'm twenty-eight. You don't know everything, and I don't either."
Audrey: "Well, I know some of the things you know."


Parker, (who, along with Audrey, has a little obsession with all things a) Egyptian or b) related to bodies, especially the dead kind). In the car on the way home from church last night:

Parker: "I can't see the sun."
Me: "That's because it's night time, baby. The sun isn't shining on us right now."
Parker: "It's shining in Egypt. It's always daytime in Egypt. Well, it gets dark when all the mummies are dead."
Me: "Yeah, I think you're right."

Quotes of the Day V

Just some fun "mykid" quotes of late. These are mostly only endearing to Bramma and Pa, but heck, I thought I'd share:

The other day, we came home for a moment to drop off groceries before a playdate, and I noticed that the gate from our front yard to the back was open.

Me: "Huh, that's weird; the gate is open."
Audrey: "Are you going to close it? Maybe there's a doggie back there." (has happened before)
Me: "I think Daddy just left if open yesterday. I'll be right back."
Audrey: "Mama, if there's a stranger back there, are you going to fight him?"

Parker and I were leaving the bathroom at the pool the other day. The toilets flush REALLY loudly, so he went outside before I flushed it. When I got out there, he said, "why did Heavenly Father make those toilets flush too loud?"

Driving to the airport to pick up Julianne, Parker gets a contemplative look and then, using hand motions, says,
"Mommy, what's farther up than outer space?"
Me (after telling Parker that space never ends and watching his wheels turning to process that one), to Neal: "Who do you know that is 3 and wonders about the nature of the universe? I love Parker."

PS: no baby. My contractions have slowed down, but the occasional one (about 2 an hour) really hurts. What to do! This is getting very, very nerve-wracking.