Thanksgiving 2012

I'm going to figure out how to do a running sidebar of funny kids' quotes, but until then:

Arabelle: "Yehaw!  I'm a fireman-boy!"

John found a heavy, cast iron drawer-pull under our house as he was remodeling the bathroom.  Arabelle picked it up and said, in a practical manner, "You could kill someone with this."

A lot of glare from the windows, but you can see some of our fun birds.  We put them up for Halloween, but I've decided they're appropriate for the entire winter.

Charlotte has been doing this funny tongue-twisting thing where she twists her tongue completely sideways.  Not an ability she inherited from me.

Cheeky Arabelle showcasing a tiny purse. As she fast approaches her third birthday, I am still waiting for her hair to finish coming in.

Another bad picture, but you can kind of see Charlotte's  wide, flat smile.  I've yet to be entirely successful in capturing it, but it's so cute!

And now on to Thanksgiving....

For whatever reason, Arabelle let me dress her up for Thanksgiving.  I gave her a choice of two outfits, and she picked this one.  John claims it made her look fat.

Never got a very good picture of all 3, but that's pretty much the status quo.

Jeffrey was very excited about eating turkey for Thanksgiving.  We had a light lunch a few hours before leaving for Thanksgiving dinner, and he was quite upset that we were eating something other than turkey, it being Thanksgiving Day and all.  When we got to Diane's for dinner, Jeffrey was intent on having the turkey leg.  Ordinarily Jeffrey is only willing to eat really "kid" types of meat like corndogs and hotdogs.  This is the first time he's ever attempted eating meat off the bone.  I know Jeffrey was mostly interested in the "cool factor" of the drumstick, but he did actually swallow a couple bites, which surprised me.

Gross.

He knew he wanted it, but he wasn't exactly sure how to go about eating it.

Kids Say Funny Things

I overheard a conversation between Jeffrey and Arabelle.  They were looking at pictures in Jeffrey's Book of Mormon.  Arabelle:  "That's Jesus Christ." Jeffrey: "Jesus is friendly.  And he's like a ghost."
 
Arabelle's nursery leaders told me they'd had a "lesson" on baptism.  They asked Arabelle, "Do you need to be baptized?"  Arabelle said, "Yes, and we have two bap-tubs in my house."

I was sitting on the carpet.  Arabelle approached me.  She held one of her play wooden kitchen knives to me and said sternly, "You!  Stand up and dance!"

Arabelle: "I want you to hurt me with that."  She pointed at my fingernail and made me scratch her knee lightly with it.  "Now, go get me some pink medicine!"  (Evidently she was in the mood for some of the baby tylenol...)

Jeffrey did something naughty and I must have raised my voice when censuring him.  In a hurt tone he replied, "Mommy, you don't yell--you're a girl!"

I was reading a book to the kids, and at what point it says, "Babies love to clap, clap, clap." (I clapped my hands with each "clap").  Charlotte saw me and started clapping.  Jeffrey was super excited and said, "It's magic!"  Then he kept saying, "Babies love to clap, clap, clap" because these were the magic words to make baby Charlotte clap.

Arabelle says she wants to have a party and invite Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto, but not Goofy, Daisy Duck, or Donald Duck.

Doppelganger?

Halloween 2012

We were invited to a fun party Halloween evening by the family of Jeffrey's friend Tenny.  We met and had a potluck meal with several families before heading out trick or treating together.

This was Arabelle's fairy costume from two years ago, although it wound up being too small and I never got a good picture of her in it. 

 

For several weeks prior to Halloween, Arabelle was confident in her choice to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween.

However, the costume didn't make the Halloween Night cut.  Instead Arabelle decided to go with the following ensemble:

Could this count as Steam Punk?

Jeffrey and his friend Tenny, whose family was having the party.

The DuToit family from our ward was also at the party.  This is little Luciana who was also dressed as a fairy.

We enjoyed a nice potluck meal before going out trick or treating.

And Here's all the kids at the party.

 We only lasted a couple houses trick-or-treating with the group because Arabelle was too slow and Charlotte was too fussy.  Arabelle was extremely tired because I hadn't been able to get her to take a nap (which is the norm these days), and after a block or two she started whining saying she was "getting lost" and she wanted to go home.  "I don't want more candy, I want to go home," she said.  John ended up taking Jeffrey out for a few more minutes and I took Arabelle and Charlotte home, carrying one under each arm for the last block.

This is the costume Charlotte wore to the Trunk or Treat at Church.  You might remember it from Jeffrey's first halloween.  She's supposed to be a Wood Elf, but people kept asking if she was Robin Hood, and I guess I can kinda see it.

Kids Say Funny Things

Recent funny things the kids have said/done:

After a messy dinner (pasta with marinara sauce and mixed vegetables in cheese sauce), I grabbed Arabelle to wash her hands.  She was in a bad mood and cried and struggled while I forcibly washed her hands.   Afterwards, she continued to cry and I asked her what was wrong.  She replied, "I don't want clean hands.  I want saucy.  And cheesy."

Jeffrey was playing with a toy drum, and Arabelle came up to him and said, "Give me that drum.  I want it!"
Jeffrey thought for a moment and then said, "Okay," holding out his hand, "That'll be fifty bucks."



Arabelle found a red cowboy hat, put it on, and stated, "I'm a little lady."


Arabelle, randomly in response to me asking her to do something, "Yes my captain!" or "Yes Mommy Captain!"


Jeffrey was upset that it was still raining and told me he wanted me to stop the rain.  I told him I couldn't stop the rain because the clouds were in control of the rain and he said, "Well, what about magic?"


Arabelle: "Hello Jeffrey boy."
Jeffrey:  "Hello Arabelle....sister."

Fall Happenings

Jeffrey and Arabelle at the "Fall Carnival" at Jeffrey's school.  It's very elaborate and a really big deal.  It's completely run by parent volunteers.  The parent volunteers do a LOT for the school--I'm not sure it would run without them--everything from fundraisers to parties to stuffing the kids homework in their folders. I know several ladies that volunteer 10 hours every week.  My contribution was bringing a baked good for the cake walk.  Here's Jeffrey and Arabelle at the cakewalk.  Jeffrey is "Bumblebee" a transformer, and Arabelle is Minnie Mouse, but she refused to wear either her ears, the bloomers, or the shoes for her costume.  Oh well, typical Arabelle.

 Jeffrey eating quesadillas on top of the Little Tikes car.  (There is a basket of clothes in the middle of the yard because I was en route to our temporary laundro-mat in the garage when I saw the photo op)

Arabelle is really into making leaf "bouquets".  She makes several a day and brings them in the house.  She calls them flowers.

Arabelle brought in one of her bouquets and said she needed "a vase and some water" to put them in.  Something else she must have learned from Minnie Mouse, because it wasn't from me.  I got her this cute little vase with some water, and she proceeded to stuff the leaves down into it.

Popsicles and quesadillas: the meal of kings.

Charlotte @ 8 months!

Here's Charlotte's new trick! (sitting)