Mesa Verde

These pictures are going to be in no particular order but they do a good job of capturing our 

Fall Break trip to Mesa Verde.

The desert sky was gorgeous every day!

It was amazing!  The fall scenery and the cliff dwellings were unbelievable.  I seriously can't wrap my head around the fact that mothers raised their babies...on a cliff.  I would have had a heart attack.  

Climbing ladders to get to Cliff Palace

at the entrance to Cliff Palace (notice my death grip on Lucy's arm). Any time we were near a cliff...which was often...I was so worried that my kids were going to go over the edge.  Chad asked me if I really thought that they were going to just suddenly fall off.  

My response was a solid, "Yes. Yes I do."

Luckily no one did.  It was a miracle.

See the crowd of people off to the right?  The scale of this place was unreal.

More ladders.

I won't lie, after our full days of exploring the Park, there was an excessive amount of Disney Chanel going on in the evenings.  We did manage to force (I mean fit) in some games of Code Names and pool time. I'm fairly certain that on family vacations, the kids like staying in a hotel just as much...if not more than the actual things we came to see and do. Not pictured...about a million cups of hot chocolate.  The kids were THRILLED with the 24-hour self serve hot chocolate bar.  Strong work Holiday Inn Express.

One night at dinner the kids bet Gracie a dollar that she couldn't eat one of Jack's spicy fries dipped in spicy sauce.  She did it.  Then very calmly and collectedly PUKED onto her plate.  Dis.gus.ting.  I apologized profusely to the waitress and offered to clear the plate myself.  The waitress just laughed, Grace got her dollar, and everyone was happy!

More cliffs...yay!!!!!...

On road trips we pass the time rotating between books on tape...hah!  I mean audiobooks, taking turns playing our favorite songs, listening to podcasts- 6 Minutes is our VERY favorite and watching movies.  Apparently whatever they were watching here was hilarious! 

 It always cracks me and Chad up when our children who have been silent, bust out laughing in unison.  This trip I started making my kids listen to Stand'n Tall songs that I used to listen to when I was really little.  They are short songs and stories that teach values like; gratitude, happiness, honesty, love, obedience etc...  I LOVE them.  My kids can't STAND them...but I think they are getting the message.  A little cheesy 80's kids music won't hurt them too much.

Me: Grace let me take your picture
Grace: Ok, but take one with me doing my "Can you believe this face"
-True story

Highlights:

• Everyone practicing their Spanish with the waiter at the Mexican restaurant in Cortez
   

• Chad saying "CORTEZ" with a Mexican accent every time.  It never got old. Seriously.

• The kid's reports that I made them write before we left on our trip.  Jack did a report on Ancestral Puebloan culture (he informed us that the term Anasazi is offensive), Marian - Four Corners, Grant- Cliff Palace, Lucy- Ancestral Puebloan food, and Grace- Mesa Verde in general.  Their reports were short and simple, but still, I was glad that at least knew something about what we were going to see

• Grace taught us in her report that there was a USS Navy Warship named after Mesa Verde National Park and was very excited (hard to tell with that hat...gotta love it) to see a replica in the visitors center. 

• Getting another stamp in our National Park passports.

• Picnic lunches out of the cooler in the trunk and games of catch with the football afterward.

• Grant asking if we'd just driven through a "poop force field" when we drove passed what was actually just a boring old herd of cows.

• Four Corners

A lifelong dream fulfilled!

Our picture taking skills are top-notch!

• Have everyone stare directly into the sun- CHECK!
• No one look at the camera. In fact, turn away if you want to - CHECK!
• Cover your face if desired - CHECK!
• Ask a random person with no picture-taking skills whatsoever to take our once in a lifetime never coming here again photo. CHECK! (Why HELLO random woman in the background :) )

 I am so glad I didn't hold to my previous vow to NEVER take a family road trip again because 

Mesa Verde was super impressive and being with my 6 favorite people made it something I will never forget.  And thank you, kids, for not falling off any cliffs!  

Everyone should have a twin

{Overheard while driving in the car yesterday}

Grace: Grant, I wish we could just marry each other then we would always be together

Grant: It's ok Grace, when we live in apartments, we can tell each other what number we are in.  Then we can still see each other.

Grace: Ok!  I'll totally tell you my number.

Seriously, everyone should have a twin.  These two have the cutest and most fun relationship I have ever seen.  Yes there is plenty of tackling, shoving, body slamming and tears...but more often than not Grant and Grace get so much joy out of being together.  When we are grocery shopping they pretend they are secret agents and hide behind the produce bins until one of them determines it is "all clear."  They use their toy cars as walkie talkies and have code names for each other.  

Grace tries to help Grant with his reading and would love to help him learn to ride a bike...if he were interested.  Grant helps Gracie find her Boston hat when it is missing and gives her a hug when she is sad.

They are both full of so much joy and creativity that sometimes it just makes my heart burst with joy to hear them laughing or make-believing together! 

(Ok- pretend Grant's eyes aren't closed) He was super focused on showing me the mud on his knees and socks.  They love to cheer each other on at their soccer games and then rank order who they think the best players on their team are.  Not at all competitive (sigh).

 Side note: Grant couldn't get over how muddy he was so during the game he ran over to where I was sitting, kicked up his foot to show me how muddy the bottom of his cleats were, which flung a giant wad of mud right onto my face!  Smack between the eyes.  Awesome.

Even Costco trips are more fun with a twin.  I seriously had to drag them away from this thing. They were so excited anytime one of them made a shot.  That doesn't mean that they weren't super aware of how many points they each had.  They insisted we could not leave until the score was tied.  I can not wait for Jr. Jazz season to start up in a couple of months.

Overheard

Grace: Are you coming boss?
Grant: Yeah I’m coming. 
Grace: The map says we’re going to North Dakota. Why the heck are we going to North Dakota?
Grant: I don’t know. But we’d better get goin!

From the Mouth of Babes: Grace edition

Jack:  Grace, you are so cute!

Grace:  I NOT CUTE!!!!  I'M AWESOME!!!!!

Grace:  I not happy at you mom!  (said WHENEVER she is denied a request)

Me: Grace if you hop right into your car seat I'll let you climb in and buckle yourself

Grace: I'll get right in I PWOMISE

.....grace proceeds to climb PAST her seat to the back row of the mini-van

Me; Ok Grace I'll buckle you myself

Grace: NOOOO!  I have to get something

Me; what do you have to get

Grace: SOMETHING OK!!!!!? Pwomise!

Me; why do I fall for this Every. Single.Time?

Grace: Mommy!  The sun is awake so you have to be awake!  (said regardless of whether the sun is actually up or not)

I don't want to forget...

There seemed to be an extra amount of cuteness and sweetness in our home this week.  Maybe I was just paying better attention or maybe the stars aligned.  Either way I want to capture it here because I don't want to forget the little things that happened like...

• Lucy, standing in the hallway doing the "hula" with her eyes crossed in an attempt to make me laugh while I was rocking Gracie to sleep.  (Lucy totally succeeded)

• Marian spending hours,  and I mean HOURS people in front of the mirror trying to extract her loose front tooth without inflicting any pain on herself.  She was adamant that no one could be in the bathroom with her while she was working on it.  I swear it was the loosest  still attached tooth ever.  She finally lured that tooth out and Marian's toothless smile is about the cutest thing ever.

• As I was cleaning up dinner this week I casually said to Grant, "ok buddy let's go take a bath".  He threw both arms into the air and yelled YES! with as much enthusiasm as a 2 year old can muster.  (for those of you who aren't familiar with 2 year olds...that's a lot of enthusiasm

• Jack has been cooking up a storm and for two days in a row has been  whipping up delicious fresh off the stove quesadillas for lunch.  He eats about 8 himself because apperently he is getting ready to grow about 2 feet.  The boy has been a bottomless pit lately!

• Grant came into his room this week just after I'd converted his crib into a toddler bed (being in the crib contained him for about 0.5 seconds then he'd spend the rest of the night crying on the floor because he couldn't get back into the crib...so it was time)  He immediately climbed into the bed, lay down on the pillow, pulled the blankets over himself and began to snore a very convincing snore.  (I think he's been listening to Chad.  Sorry babe it's true, you totally snore).

• Before heading to the BYU Blue and White game we stopped at Ripples in Provo for burgers and hot dogs Friday night.  Marian was completely devastated to find that they had put ketchup mustard AND relish on her hot dog.  Oh the humanity!  Without saying a word Jack took her hot dog, scraped off all the offending condiments, and sweetly coaxed her into eating the entire thing.

• Grace has become a bit of a parrot.  It's especially hilarious when she mimics Chad while he's on the phone with someone.  Grace does a great Chad impersonation

• Every week when we walk into our church's sacrament meeting Grant immediately starts yelling for his 10 year old cousin Abby who is in our same ward (congregation).  Grant loves Abby.  We all love Abby. If you knew Abby you'd love her too.  Just not as much as Grant does.  We quickly made it too our seats with only a few shouts of "Abby!!!" from Grant before he hurried up the aisle to where Abby was sitting.  When he got to her he couldnd't contain his excitement any longer and let out one last ABBY!!!  only this time it was so loud the entire congregation started laughing.  Including me.  It was awesome.

From the Mouth of Babes

Lucy: For my birthday I want a Sofia the First dress...and a Sofia amulet...and Sofia shoes...oh and her crown.  I would look so beauuuuuuutiful in her crown mommy!  Oh and a scooter and...and ...and etc... (continued for 5 uninterrupted minutes...I know because I was timing).
Me: vague smile which clearly indicates that she will not be getting everything on her list
Lucy: Well...let's just talk about this later


Gracie: Ah-dun ah-dun ah-dun!  {translation: I am done being stuck in this high chair and would like to get down NOW!}


Grant: Goalie-goalie-goalie {translation: ??????____but it clearly indicates feelings of happiness- really it is the CUTEST sound}


Jack: Mom! What is with you today? (remarked rather loudly while I was teaching actions during singing time)
Pretty sure I embarrass him sometimes!

Lucy: Mom do you play with my toys in your tub or no?
(she ends just about all of her questions with the phrase "or no?")

Gracie:  eh?  eh? (her response to almost any question we ask her)

Chad{wearing his usual BYU sweat shirt}:  Lucy what does it say on my sweatshirt?
Lucy: (pointing to each letter) B...Y.... ummm B...Y...ummm what's it again?
**this goes on for an uncomfortably long time and she appears to be thinking very hard.  Eventually with excessive hints she gets it only to be completely stumped again the next time! This  happens several times a week at our house.  A house in which BYU is talked about non-stop and the all the kids make Chad cards decorated with BYU all over it.  Should we be worried?

Marian: Mom did I make my goal today?
Me: I don't know what was your goal? ( I honestly didn't know anything about it)
Marian:  To be good the whole day and not talk sassy to you!


Lucy:  DADDY!  Don't forget your hug and kiss!!!!
(Said every.single.day!  The mornings when she does forget she breaks down in tears until she can give Chad his morning "loves" over the phone.

From the Mouth of Babes

Lucy:  Calling all mommies...calling all mommies!


Me:  Time for bed
Lucy:  I don't want to go to bed!!!!!!!
Marian: (in an attempted whisper) Lucy, we don't have to go to bed...we just have to say we'll go to bed.



Lucy:  Mom!  How do you spell L-U-C-Y?



Marian (talking about a computer game character): She doesn't like to loose.  She hates the taste of the feet! (I think she meant defeat)


Lucy (taking her sippy cup from me): Thank you your majesty.



Jack:  Who did Adam and Eve's kids marry?
Me: _______
Jack: Maybe a family sailed from Palau and their kids married Adam and Eve's kids....but then who did their kids marry?



(While I was busy with I can't remember what)
Lucy: Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom.  Ok, I think she's not listening to me.



(overheard during breakfast)
Jack: The tooth-fairy didn't come last night.
Marian: Jack, I think the tooth-fairy didn't come because mom was sick.  You know about that right?
Jack:  What?????
Marian:  Jack!  Santa Claus, the tooth-fairy...they can't be real.  It's mom and dad.
Jack: No, mom and dad couldn't fly all those places.
Marian: (exasperated sigh)


Lucy:  Mom, I'm the youngest.  I need more.  Don't you trust me?

From the mouth of Babes: The Lucy edition

Lucy:  (playing with the phone)  Hi dad it's me Lucy...do you remember me?   I remember you!

Lucy:  (after spitting food on the floor)  Uh-oh...somebody spilled!

Lucy:  Mommy, why you sleeping again?   I not tired!

Lucy:  Mommy, you feed Gwant and Gwace and be so careful.  I go play ok?

Lucy:  Oh they're so little!   Oh they're so cute!  (Talking about Grant and Grace)

Lucy:  Hey Gwant da man!

Lucy:  Sorry Gwant!  Sorry Gwace! (used on many, many occasions)

Lucy:  How's you tummy mommy?  The babies aren't kicking you any more!

Lucy:  I not feel so good.  (Said when she is either tired or hungry)

Lucy:  Mommy, can we do my paint nails?  (can we paint my nails?)

From the Mouth of Babes

Jack:  Our house smells like England

Lucy:  (with a mouthful of cookie and hands behind her back)  Daddy?  Can I have a cookie?

Chad:  Yes

Lucy: (showing hands full of cookies)  Thanks daddy!

Me:  Marian are you excited to hold the babies?

Marian:  Nope!

Me:  Why not?

Marian:  I don't want to touch something that just came out of your body!   Will they wash the babies before I have to hold them?

Lucy: (stuck in her crib) Jack I wake!  Can you get me out of my crib?  Jack?  Jack?  I watch Octonauts (Jack's favorite show) with you!

Lucy:  Mommy, I not having such a good day.

Jack:  How many more days till I can play "Plants vs. Zombies?"  (That game on Chad's i-phone is the ultimate button to push to get Jack to mind. If he ever loses it for a few days he can think of nothing else till he can play it again!)

Lucy:  NO SCRIPTURES!!!!!  (We've been trying to do family scripture study in the morning but Lucy is NOT a fan.

From the Mouth of Babes

Jack:  It is SO hard having parents

Mary:  If you guys eat all your dinner we can have ice cream cones for dessert
Marian:  Can we have ice cream on them too?

Lucy:  So pretty (when she saw my newly highlighted hair)
           Thank you Nicole for bringing your salon to my kitchen table!

Lucy:  Ta-la!  (I think she meant Ta- da!)

From the Mouth of Babes

Lucy:  Daddy, DADDY!  SHHHH!
(Said when she was trying to watch her new favorite show "Doc McStuffins".  We are all thrilled that there is another show besides Caillou she will watch.  Especially since we were down to only 3 episodes on our DVR and Caillou isn't in Utah PBS.)

Marian:  Mom!  Why do I always have to be under your command?

Lucy:  (on the phone with Aunt Kate) Hi Kate...I want to see Rich (Kate's husband)

Chad:  Lucy if you get out of your big girl bed you'll have to sleep in your crib
Lucy:  No way Jose!  I stay in my bed.

Marian:  Give it all you got girl!  (said to herself when she was cleaning up the family room)

Jack:  School is so hard.  They only want us to work.  We never get to play.  School is just supposed to be fun!

Lucy:  No daddy!  That's mine (said while Chad leaned over to kiss me on the cheek)

Marian:  The Cosby's sure are a nice family (we've been watching a lot of Cosby Show re-runs around here)

Jack:  Do you want me to say a prayer that the babies turn around right now?  (after  I mentioned that I sure hope these babies turn head down because they are ALWAYS breech when I go in for ultrasounds).

Lucy:  I want my LIPS!!  (meaning MY lip gloss)

*This isn't a quote but I didn't want to forget that the other night when I couldn't sleep I walked across the hall to peek at my sleeping kids.  The girls' room was totally empty, so I went into Jack's room and saw Jack and Marian cuddled up together in Jack's bed with all their stuffed animals.  They stayed that way all night.  Still no sign of Lucy so I carefully crept downstairs and saw her asleep on the couch with Chad.  I made myself some hot chocolate (1 part cocoa powder, 2 parts pure maple syrup, lots of parts warm milk = perfect mid-night snack), crept back upstairs and while I sipped my hot chocolate in bed I thought how much I love this family of mine.

From the Mouth of Babes

Marian:  Mom!  The doctor gave me shots today!

Me:  Oh no.  I bet that hurt.  Were you so brave?

Marian:  Nope!

Jack:  I'm not good at basketball
Me:  Well what do you think you could do to get better
Jack: I have no idea.  I will never be able to make a basket
Me: Whining about it isn't going to make you any better
Jack:  It doesn't make me any worse

Lucy:  I want popcidules!  (popscicles)

Jack: (after spilling root beer IN HIS EYE...don't ask how that happened)  Oh great!  Now we all have pains!
Me: what do you mean?
Jack:  You have pains from the babies (I had just sneezed and it really really hurt my sides), dad has pains from work, and I have pain from root beer.
Chad: what pains do I have from work?
Jack: it makes you so tired

Lucy:  (from her crib at 6:45 am)  Daddy?  Daddy?  I wake now.

Jack:  At track today...if it had been a real race...I wouldn't have won the gold or the silver, but I would have won the BRAWN!

From the Mouth of Babes

Marian: (talking to me while on bed rest) Why do we have to do all the work while you just sit there?
Jack:  (in a sincerely cheerful voice) Don't worry Mares, some day you'll have kids and they can do all the work for you!
Marian:  I'm never having kids!
Jack:  You're a girl so you have to have kids.
Marian: But I'm going to be a cow girl and if I have kids I can't ride my horse whenever I want to.
Jack: But kids will do all your work.  That's why you have kids.
Marian:  Ah!  I'm just going to be a cow girl


Lucy:  Stupid Jack!  (Although I was glad Lucy has mostly given up the phrase "poopy head"  to express any frustration she feels, it is really REALLY unfortunate that she has replaced it with this.  Especially since he rarely has anything to do with her frustrations.  Poor Jack!  He really is so good to her.)

Jack: (after spending the day at the lake with cousins)  Mom, I know what I want for Christmas.   I want Wave Runners...oh but not for me.  I want them for dad. (Sure you do Jack!)

Lucy:  Oh my heck!

Marian:  Jack!!! I am sick and tired of your lies! (yelled at a bagel shop because Jack was telling "stories" (aka lies) again.  I think he was telling his cousin that Chad drinks 3 sodas for breakfast every morning.  The nerve!

Lucy:  I want my go cougars!  (her BYU t-shirt)

Marian: Preschool is the best place on earth

Lucy:  No!  I not nap.  I go down my slide.  (Lucy would live in our backyard if we let her)

Jack: (at 7 a.m. dressed and bike helmet on)  Mom...mom...mom..are you awake?  I'm going to take a quick bike ride.  I'll be back later.

Lucy:  Oh man!  (can you tell she is experiencing some frustration these days?)

From the Mouth of Babes

(These were from back in April and I came across them as I was sorting papers that I had packed in our suitcases...enjoy)

Jack:  Mom what did I do when Marian was born?
Marian (interrupting): You LOVED me!  You just totally loved me!

Marian:  Mom! There's no more room for that think.  I've already had too many thinks!
               (I was trying to get Marian to think about choosing the right)

Jack (talking to Chad):  We got the car so clean it was as shiny as bell!  But not like the bell that was broken but didn't used to be broken.
                (I think he was referring to the Liberty Bell)

Jack:  There's nothing better than a sweet little sister

While watching Cinderella together-
Mom:  Don't you wish the birds would come clean OUR house?  Just the birds though...not the mice
Marian:  Oh I would want the mice too!  Look! They're so helpful!

Marian (yelling to Jack as he walked into school):  Remember who you are!


After finding out that we were moving to Utah:

Jack: Yes! Yes!  Yes!  It's like I'm in a dream.

Marian:  Now will our cousins turn into our friends?

******

These are random things I've overheard since our move...hopefully I'll be better at keeping track once we move into our house.

Jack:  Are you kidding me?  Are you totally kidding me?  Mom!  I'm going to do everything for you.  Go lie down I'm going to take care of everything. (His response to the news that we are having another baby...before we knew it was twins).

Marian:  How many babies are we having again?  (Asked the morning after finding out we are having twins.)


Lucy:  Poopy Head!!!!  (Ok I am pretty mortified about this but it is something she picked up from somewhere and she says it ALL the time when she is mad. It is SO hard not to laugh when she says it because it is such a shock to hear such a phrase come from a sweet adorable little face.  Hopefully she will stop saying it soon...even so I didn't want to forget it.

From the Mouth of Babes

Mom:  Marian don't jump on the couch!
Marian:  I'm not jumping on the couch!  I'm jumping on Jack ...(who was on the couch)

Mom: Jack, I'm excited to talk to your teacher at parent teacher conference this afternoon.
Jack:  She'll say I'm awesome
(he was right)

Lucy:  'mon Mayen.  Mayen 'mon!  2, 9....2, 9!!!
(translation: Come on Marian.  Marian come on! {don't make me count!}1, 2, 3,

Marian to her Grandma:  You're slow because your face has all those lines on it and Jack and I are fast because our faces are smooth! (luckily grandma did NOT throw her out of the house after that!)

Lucy:  Bapa Bapa!  (the interchangeable phrase for grandma and grandpa)

Marian:  Mom, have you seen my pol-nailish?

Marian:  Mom could you please stop teaching me mean things?   
(said after being sent to her room for talking disrespectfully)

Jack's teacher:  Jack you seem so sad today, what's the matter
Jack:  I miss my mom
Teacher:  Where is she?
Jack:  She's in Italy
(If only that had been true!  I could use a good Italian vacation)

Marian:  (pointing to a tall stack of books) Mom can you take out all these strange and interesting books?  They are taking all of my good brains and leaving only my bad brains.  (I would offer explanation...but I have none!)

Lucy:  Look it Daddy!  (said 100 times a day when she wants Chad's attention)

Marian:  I'm so whiny... because people don't give me everything I want!

From the Mouth of Babes: December Edition

Marian: When I grow up I want to be a Dr.
Jack: When I grow up I want to be a....well what's the easiest?


Jack (during family prayer): We're thankful that dad has his new iPhone so we can have fun.  Amen


Lucy: Help you?  Help you?  (translation- help me help me!!!)


Marian:  How old will I be when I grow up?


Jack:  At recess we played super spy.  Then Celia turned into a wolf- but don't worry mom, not a real wolf


Mary:  Marian you are awesome
Marian: MOM!  don't call me that
Mary:  What should I call you?
Marian: a Rock Star!

Marian:  Jack!  Why won't you marry me?
Jack: Because I'm too busy

Lucy:  Jack... Marian...Daddy...where are you?  (every day when we come home after dropping everyone off at work/school)

Mary: Marian I can't leave the light on.  How can you sleep with the lights on?
Marian: I just close my eyes

Lucy: Yeah, Yeah! (accompanied by major head bobbing to show approval)

Mary: Ok here are three things I loved about you today (our bedtime routine)
Marian:  No!  I want to know about 4 things you love about me.

From the Mouth of Babes

This should be titled the "Marian edition"  It could be because Jack is in school all day and Lucy isn't completely verbal yet.  But Marian's abundance of quotes is most likely due to her spunk.  I LOVE IT!

"Do I have preschool today?....I do?  AWESOME!!"

-Marian

"Mary, you look tired.  You should go lie down and watch Lark Rise.  I can just grab dinner for me at McDonald's then I'll clean up the house.  Do you want one of my Gatorades?"

-Chad during Mary's seemingly endless pre-Christmas cold.  It was music...really heavenly music to my ears.

"Mommy, if you said I could be done cleaning right now then I would get a smile on my face."

-Jack

 "Lucy likes your born sister"

-Marian talking to a friend who has a little sister that Lucy is enthralled with and is expecting another baby sister in March.

"If your mom wants her baby now she should just go to the Dr. so they can give her some medicine.  Then she just has to rest and rest and rest till the baby comes out!"

-Marian -spoken to the same friend as above.

*This story was shared with me by the Primary music leader.  

Marian was learning a new song in Primary with these lyrics "It shouldn't be hard to sit very still and think about Jesus..." She was sitting there with a very concerned look on her face.  Finally the teacher asked her what was wrong.  Marian said she didn't think they should be singing that song because it wasn't very nice.  When asked what wasn't nice about it.  Marian said, "we shouldn't say a bad Jesus because I don't think that is right."

As we sat down to eat Hootnanies (German Pancakes):

Where are our puppies?  You said we could have puppies when we had pancakes!  Oh....puffy pancakes."

-Marian

NOTE:  I have had Marian's hearing tested.  She passed...but just barely.

"JACK!!!  When a woman says 'let me use your violin,' you let her!"

-Marian

"Daddy!  I guess you really are a magician!"

-Marian, in awe and wonder after watching Chad make a quarter disappear through his head.

"I'm sorry I can't marry you.  I already said I would marry Elijah."

-Marian, trying to gently turn down a marriage proposal...apparently not her first.

From the Mouth of Babes

"Don't worry mom, I know what to do if Lucy's eye gets poked out. We could just roll up some tape and tape her eye back in.  I think that's how Heavenly Father does it."

-Marian (after being told not to let Lucy hold a pencil)

"No, no no!"

-Lucy

"Mom, next time you need to pay me in cash!"

-Jack

(after throwing up several times during the night) "I guess if I am sick I'd better not go to church.  Cause if I got sick, every other kid would get sick...then the whole church would be a mess."

-Jack

"I won't miss you.  I have other friends so I will forget about you."

-Marian

...said to our wonderful family guests as we dropped them off at the airport.  Her ability to know the exact right thing to say seems to come with a dark side.  (Don't worry Brian and Liz...she says the same thing to me all the time when she packs her bag to run away...about once a week.  I like to think that she doesn't mean it).

"Mom, when you get a foot hurt, lie on the couch, watch a movie and read a magazine."

-Marian

From the Mouth of Babes

"Kindergarten is awesome!"

-Jack

"I'm 4... I'm 4...I'm 4!"

-Marian

"Wow"  

(pronounced Wowwwwwww)

-Lucy...when given a sticker, nutella, and anything with chocolate

"Dad, to play this game you have to read...you can read right?"-Jack

"Yes" -Chad

"Really, well then, what does this say?"

-Jack

"Now Jack has a goose egg just like me!"

-Marian (said as if this was the best thing in the whole world)

"Mom, don't worry if you don't know what to do for my Halloween costume.  Just give me some white fabric, I'll color black circles for eyes and Boo!  I'm a ghost!"

-Jack

"Why aren't all the neighbors bringing me birthday presents?"

-Marian

"Mom!  I Order you to do this thing!" (make blue frosting)

-Jack

*Needless to say there was quite the lecture on respect after this comment

"I knew this was not too hard!"

-Marian after completing her new puzzle

{sung} 

"I am 4......  bigger than I was, 

I am 4, bigger than I was before"

-Marian (sung ALL day on her birthday!)

From the Mouth of Babes

I'm not sure if my kids had less amusing things to say in August or if I was just  less successful in remembering to write them down.  Either way...here is what we've got.

"I'll invite all my friends who aren't moving"

-Marian when I asked her who she wanted to invite to her birthday party.  Poor girl, a lot of her friends have moved away this year

"Mom, can I wear your ring so dad will marry me now?"

-Marian

"Marian, you should wear your tie shoes like me. Because if your class goes on a safari you'll be glad you had on tie shoes."

-Jack

"Day doo" (pronounced Thank You)

-Lucy

"Mom, you make the best black beans, the best cheese, and the best popcorn!  Now if you want to write that on the blog you can ask me to repeat it."

-Jack  

Glad to know he is impressed with my ability to open and unwrap food.  

Also good to note that Jack is aware he is being quoted.

"Mom, you're the best cleaner"

-Marian