Heaven on Earth

John - Mom, did you know we live on Earth?
Me - Yes.
Katie - Does Yia Yia live on Earth?
Me - Yes
John - Does Drew live on Earth?
Me - Yes
Katie - Mitch doesn't live on Earth.
Me - Yes he does.
John - Russ doesn't live on Earth, right Mom?
Me - Yes he does. We all live on Earth.
Katie - No Mom. Jesus lives in the sky and so does Grandpa Larry.
Me - Ah, yes Katie. When we don't live on Earth any more we go live in Heaven.
Long pause...
John - Mom, is Michigan Heaven?

A rose by any other name...

Froggy - John & Allison speak for cloudy or misty days. "Mom it sure is froggy out here!" To which Katie always responds, "Be careful Mom! It isn't safe to drive in this bad weather."

Allison's recent diatribe as she sat in her carseat on her way to the grocery store with me: Mommy, I HURT my finger! I hurt my finger a lot. I need to go to the doctor and the doctor needs to give me a lollipop! Note to fellow moms - Lollipops cure better than Bandaids! Those DumDum pops only have 25 calories and 5 grams of sugar per and they don't contain any awful ingredients.

Katie is never thrilled with new experiences nor interactions with new people. She and John recently went in for their 4 year old check up where they both were required to stand behind the line and read the eye chart. John went first, stood alone and loudly called out each letter the nurse pointed to. I had significant doubts about Katie's willingness to participate in the test... When it was her turn she grabbed my hand and pulled me along next to her. I knelt quietly beside her, wondering how the whole thing would play out. When the nurse pointed to the first letter Katie turned to me, took the time to push my hair to the side and whispered the answer in my ear. Her voice was so quiet I asked her to repeat herself several times before I understood. She went through the entire chart like that, stopping just a few times to hang her head and shake it back and forth, almost imperceptibly, when she could not read the letter. The nurse and I fought to maintain our composure - it was too darn cute not to laugh!

Allison has many nicknames. Most recently John told her Allison, you are red and roses are red so your name is Rose. She accepted that explanation and now I have a little girl names Rose!

Would you like a cone with that?

Every Thursday night after the kids' gymnastics class we go out for ice cream. Recently the DQ drive through has been our destination of choice. (It is too cold to get out of the car unnecessarily!) We place our order and drive up to the window where Spence requests a small empty cone for Claire to gnaw on. She is just old enough to realize that everyone around her is having a treat and she isn't and she makes it very clear that she wants one too! Last week when we ordered the plain cone the young man behind the window commented on the fact that we are Thursday regulars... This week when Spence was finished ordering and was waiting to hear the total before pulling forward the voice came through the intercom and asked, "Would you like a plain cone with that?" :)

While Mitch and Heather were visiting Katie gave them her bed and slept with us. Last night Katie was snuggled up in the middle of our bed with NiNi (her new stuffed Hello Kitty) and Brown Bear. She had been asleep for hours. Spence crawled in on one side and I climbed in on the other.
Spence to me, with sarcasm - I don't need any blankets I have NiNi to cuddle with.
Me to Spence - And I have Katie.
Katie, in a quiet sleepy voice - I'm OK too. I have Brown Bear.

Happy 1st Birthday Claire

Today she happily ate cake and opened gifts. She was tempted to move away from the wrapping paper long enough to play with the Jack-In-A-Box which is a big hit... When she can wrench it from the hands of Katie, John and Allison.

Her big skill right now is standing alone. Her favorite place to do it...? In the middle of the bed or on the couch, of course! She also likes climbing up on the low tables and calling out to us to rescue her.

Her favorite playmates are Mommy, Daddy, Katie, John and Allison.

Her favorite toys are big bowls and spoons from under the sink.

Her favorite things are her lovies - any number of silky blankets that she sleeps and travels with.

She is sweet and still a baby which won't last much longer so we are enjoying every moment of it. She is a doll!

Moments

Katie is fascinated by smells. It isn't odd for her to walk into the kitchen and declare, "Mom, that is a wonderful smell! What are you making for dinner?"

Claire is standing without help often. Maybe she will take steps soon...?

John took a shower this morning, dried off and dressed. While dressing he said, "Mom, it is your turn to take a shower. I'm all done because there is no more hot water." Gee, thanks John!

Later I asked him to make me a cup of tea. He found a tea bag, opened it and placed it in a cup of water. He handed it to me so that I could put it in the microwave (nothing fancy here!) and said, "Here is your English Breakfast tea Mom." :) Thanks John! (No sarcasm this time.)

Allison is still enthusiastically keeping her big girl undies dry. No matter how often I explain that they were given to her by me, Grandma Elle and Yia Yia she insists that Santa brought them. Note to me: Make sure there are undies in her stocking every year. Evidently that is the best gift Santa will ever bring!

Where do my kids get their wit?

I admit it... I was having a BAD hair day. Then I took a nap which only made my bad hair worse.

I was cooking dinner with four active kiddos under foot when Spence arrived home. He greeted me, kissed me and stepped back to take a good look. His eyes lingered on my hair and a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Spence, to me - Is that the Aniston?
Dramatic pause; I have a perplexed look on my face...
Spence, unable to hold back the smile - SEASON ONE?

HA HA HA

When Mom and Dad were visiting over Christmas Spence went into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee only to realize that the pot was empty. Without missing a beat he turned to dad and said, "Are you familiar with the old Army adage - you kill the joe you make some mo'!" Dad was too amused to snap back quickly. Weeks later I am still laughing about it!

More Anderson-isms

It seems that (almost) everything toddlers say is cute.

Allison, regarding my new comforter - Ohh Mommy, that is so beautiful!

Allison, playing with the Geo Trax police car - very loudly! HELP IS ON THE WAY!

John - Mom, I have something to tell you...
Me - Um, OK?
John - I wanted to turn on the big light in my room and when I touched the switch it striked me!
Me, momentarily at a loss and very concerned... - Oh, that's static electricity.
Later, after getting shocked by me, John - Mom, why did you strike me?
My thoughts - Please don't go to school and talk about Mommy striking you. :)

Even with her recent string of ear infections Claire is picking up language. She likes to play the say as I say game. The words are less words and more sounds; it amuses her. She thinks it's great fun to clap when she hears applause. She waves hi and bye. She nods yes and no. She is so sweet! And now she is calling to me...

Somethings are just better with Daddy

Anything bugs
Chase
Horse back rides
Shoulder carries

John to me Mom, will you please build me a pillow tent?
After the tent is built Mom, why does it keep falling down?
A few minutes later When will Dad be home to build it for me?

Not so healthy!

Claire has a double ear infection. She started new antibiotics yesterday. I think her eardrum ruptured tonight. Poor baby girl.
Allison is cranky and running a fever. Ear infection tomorrow, no doubt!
John seems to be in perfect health.
Katie is definitely good.
50% isn't bad! :)

No poopie on the road!

As I worked my way around the back of the van (minivan - though I dream of a much smaller car I see a full size van in my future!) buckling children in carseats John announced, "Look Mommy! That sign says no poopie on the road!" I was so proud of his early reading skills, interpreting the handicap parking sign as well as any 4 year old can! I was extremely amused by his conclusion! What am I teaching my kids? :)

Katie to John, "Mmmmmm. I love trans fats."
John, emphatically, to Katie, "No! They are not trans fats. They are organics!"

To go or not to go...? To the doctor that is!

I miss Nurse Susan and Dr. Alvarado. (If you are heading to the Fort Hood area I highly recommend them!) They made the decisions so easy. Well, they made the decisions. Period. I just called and spoke to Susan and she told me what to do. She'd even call back in a day or two to check up on the kiddos when they were particularly sick.

Now we are on our own. Sure, we have a doctor and he has nurses. It isn't the same. :(

John has a fever, 104. And a rash from head to toe. Katie fell off the back of the couch and bumped her head on the concrete floors. Claire is cranky and sticking her finger in her ear. Allison is dripping nasty green stuff from her nose. (Pardon me while I gag. Snot is the only thing I don't do well!) Spence is snoring and complaining of a monster headache. My lymphnodes have been enlarged for weeks - no doubt working overtime to fend off all of my family's germs. Am I exaggerating? No! Together we have had 6 visits to the doctor since Christmas Eve. We have 2 more scheduled this week. Only Allison (the snot, which has thankfully cleared up) has escaped an exam.

Today Katie's x-rays look normal, John and Claire take their last dose of antibiotics and Spence's head feels good. We are back in good health and we will do our best to stay this way for a long time!

Word Ban

Listening to Katie, John and Allison speak using the same sentence structure we regularly use has been eye opening. I am working on banning the worst of the worst. Perhaps I will succeed before Claire is old enough to pick up on them.

got - as in "I got it." None of the others has permeated our language like this one has. I hear myself saying it. I hear others (the kids, friends, personalities on TV) saying it. I read it in children's books. The alternative: any appropriate verb. It's a great opportunity to teach or reinforce the use of a new big word.

can't - as in "I can't..." This is the only one we address directly every time. I can't is not acceptable. Instead try, "I would like some help please." "I need to practice doing this more."

like - as in "This word is so like Valley Girl!" OK, we don't really sound like this. Still, it sneaks into our sentences occasionally and it is very over used in general. Skip the simile altogether.

but - as in "I am giving you a compliment but following it up with a criticism." "No offense intended but..." Reference Tongue Fu by Sam Horn.

want - as in "I want to watch a movie. I want a water cup. I want an apple." If I never hear "I want..." again it will be OK by me. No requests granted unless they are phrased, "May I please..."

Finally, using manipulative speech to receive favors of any sort is not allowed. A great example, "Mommy, I'm so hungry!" when ice cream is spied in the freezer. They have been corrected so many times that all I need to say now is, "Say it directly." No explanation required.

Updating to add:
let me - as in "Let me do that." We prefer, "May I please do that with you." I hear myself saying this often and I'm working hard to stop it.

2009

Good bye 2008. Hello 2009. This year I will...

finish the scrapbooks
spend less money
record more of those moments
stop taking long breaks from exercising
dust more often

...and revisit this list at the end to see how well I did.