Fly on the Wall

If you were a fly on the wall in my house you may have heard the following:



Owen and I get home from Riley.  Owen is working on a Lego set at the table.

Eric takes the kids on a bike ride.  Evie and our Safe Families toddler E in the bike cart, Zane on the trail-a-bike and Liam and Kate riding beside.  When they get back, Zane walks into the kitchen first.

Me:  How was the bike ride?

Zane, matter of factly:  Great!  But my weenie really hurts.

Evie and Eric walk in.

Evie, announcing loudly:  Mom, Zanie's Weener hurts!

I look at Eric wandering what in the world happened.

Eric: Yes, so he told us every few minutes rather loudly.


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Evie LOVES to pray before meals.   She so honestly just tells God all about her day and whatever else is on her mind.  Here's a sample...

Evie:   Dear God,  Fanks mom pick up E.  Fanks Eden take care of E.  Fanks I get to pway ipad. Fanks I get to read book wiff Mom.  Fanks I have letter movie.  Fanks I get to sweep (sleep).  Fanks I go to pool.  Amen.

The funny thing is, this is an exact rundown of the events of that morning and the previous evening in reverse order.   

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Owen had a Renal Ultrasound yesterday where they use the ultrasound on his belly, sides and back to get a good look at his kidneys and bladder.  

When I told him that's what was up first for the day this is what he said...

Owen:  Ooo, I love those!  They tickle.


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One of our friends at church gave Liam an old 10 speed bike.  Yesterday Eric taught Liam how to change speeds.   

On the bike ride Liam rides past his friend's house and sees Jared outside.  

Liam, shouting:  Hey, Jared.  Check it out.  10 speeds, a water bottle and a zipper pouch.

Jared, shouting back:  Can it get any cooler than that?!!  That's the bike of my dreams!

What an encouraging friend.

Clever

My kids are so much more clever than I ever was as a kid.

Check this out:



Yesterday.   Liam:  Hey, mom, listen to this idea for a book.  "What is it with warts?" by Alaska Toad.


Today Liam made an empty Scotch Tape dispenser into the Scotch-ness Monster.


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Yesterday at the park Kate made up this riddle:

I have a bed, but I do not sleep.  
I run but I don't have feet.
I rage but I don't have feelings.
What am I?

Answer:  a river


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A few weeks ago Liam and Kate watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 at their friends' house.  They L-O-V-E loved it!   The talked & played continually about it until it sounded like even Owen and Zane had seen it they knew so much about the movie.

Their favorite part were the "Food-imals."  Which are apparently a creature made by combining food and animals.  Foodimals.   On the movie they tell me there was a Hippotato.  A mix of a hippo and a potato.

The kids quickly became obsessed with figuring out new ways to combine food and animals.  A trip to the zoo only fueled their efforts.  

I was quite impressed with what they came up with.  They even drew pictures.  [I should post those!]

Watermellaphant

Brocolemur

Moosemellon

Lice Cream

Mosquitoast

French Flies

Tacodile

Beefalo

Juice Fox

Can you guess them all?!

Fly on the Wall

Mr. Observant—Where Mulch Comes From

Zane, Liam and Eric are sitting on the swing in the back yard.  

[Zane loves to take random observations and form them into absolute truths, whether or not they have any basis in fact.]

Zane: Liam, did you know if you mix dirt and water it makes mulch?

Liam makes the "where the heck does this kid get this stuff from" face.

Eric:  Don't you mean dirt?

Zane: No.  Mulch.

Eric:  I think you mean MUD, buddy.  Water and dirt make mud.

Zane:  Wwweeellllll, technically... it makes mulch.  [Zane likes to use the word technically to make his ideas sound "true-er."]

Liam rolls his head back:  Here we go again.

Eric:  Zane, trust me.  If you mix dirt with water you get MUD not mulch.

Zane:  No, Dad! It makes mulch.  See... [he runs over to the new tree we planted last week and which Eric put mulch around a few days ago apparently unbeknownst to Zane.]

Zane:  ....We've been watering this dirt for days now and see.... it's turned into MULCH!

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Mr. Literal

We're getting our family picture taken for the church directory.  The photographer somehow squeezed and contorted all seven of us close enough together to fit in the frame.  The kids are all doing a great job of staying still and smiling...  except Owen.

The photographer works with us for several minutes trying to get him to stay in position, keep looking at the camera and smiling all at the same time.

Me: That's it, Owen!  Now stay just like that.... just freeze.... like a statue.

Owen, proudly raising his arm high in the air and completely moving every part of his body to turn and look at us: Like the Statue of Liberty?!

[exasperated sigh from the other kids]

Eric—in his calm, "no longer surprised that this is my life" voice— patiently states the obvious to our darling son instead of wringing his neck: No, Owen.  Not like the Stature of Liberty.

...and the process started over again.


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Miss Copy Cat—Who Needs Kneeling?

Eric is doing "Best and Worst" and prayers with the girls before bed like we do every night.  Kate and Evie share their favorite moment of the day and their worst.  Eric is laying on the floor and the girls are laying in their bunk beds.

Folding his hands across his chest, Eric closes his eyes to pray:  Dear Heavenly Father...  [He hears a commotion and opens his eyes to see Evie laying down on the floor next to him with her hands folded across her chest, eyes closed.]

Evie:  What, Daddy?  I pway wike you.

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Sweet Girl

Our nephew Paul stayed with us this week while his mommy went with his daddy on a business trip.  We absolutely adored having him with us for so long.  He and Evie were buddies.  And I think she really took to the "big sister" role.

Evie, no sooner than one hour after Tim and Mindy picked him up:  I miss Paulie.  I weawy miss him.

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Mr. Ornery

We spent Memorial Day weekend camping with my parents at Amishville (Yes, Amber.  That is a real place.)  

Grandpa Rohrer wanted to put some more ice in the cooler and needed to move some cases of pop from on top of it first.  

Being ornery Grandpa stacked it on Liam's lap since he was sitting nearby.

Grandpa, as he piles up Liam's lap with the heavy load:  Thanks for helping me, Liam.

Liam, grinning, cases piled up to his chin: Do I have a choice?

Grandpa, teasing: I could really use some help over here, Liam.  Could you get up and help me?  Come on, Liam, what's the problem.

Me, goading:  Yeah, Liam, why don't you get up and help him out?  What's the problem?

Liam, with a big smile, points at Grandpa:  He's the problem.

Grandma, laughing:  Isn't that the truth!


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Miss Social

Me, after first day camping:  Kate, what was your best today?

Kate:  Making a new friend at the playground.

Me, after the second day camping:  Kate what was your best today?

Kate: Making two new friends at the lake and one at the playground.  And... my second best was getting ice cream.

It never fails that her favorite part of any activity always involves seeing friends or meeting new people.  I was so not like this as a kid!

Lego Liam

the other day Liam made this handy carrying clip for his mini figure that attached to his glasses.

Where does he come up with this stuff?

Things I Love Thursday

seeing the kids help out around the house.

Things I Love Thursday

Liam and his little buddy L

cuddling during Bible time.

Olaf

While Eric was at Code Mash

and it was snowing like crazy

I dared to take the kids to a movie

with their birthday tickets from Uncle Mark & Aunt Lana.

We saw Frozen.

I have not heard Owen laugh that hard. ever.

The next day

Liam made this.

See

the

resemblance?

We took this one to send to Lego Magazine.  (need to get on that!)

Boys Halloween 2013

Sent my boys off to Fall Festival. Kate is staying home as a "consequence" to something that happened Sunday. Evie did not wake up from her nap well and has been pitching a lovely fit for the past 45 minutes. So us girls are here at home. but check out my handsome, silly boys.

Luke Skywalker

I quickly sewed him a belt out of some spare flannel.  He "had" to have a pouch to keep his Star Wars Origami in.   The kid is obsessed with these books Kristin told us about.  He bought actual origami paper with his own money, and has been an origami machine ever since.  I have had to ban them from school time.  He is so obsessed. 

Owen has been adamant for 2 months now that he would be a "Brave Knight"

He loves his sword

And his shield.

Zane, Oh, Zane.  I tried in vain to get him to wear the Spiderman or Thomas costumes I had in the attic in his size.  "No, Mom. I don't want to be something cool.  I want to be something funny... like a juice box."

He was insistent.  So this afternoon I finally made it happen.

"Shake Well"

 Scanned an actual juice box, printed out the elements a little bigger and glued them on.

 Wrapping paper roll for the straw.

 I hear he pretended to squirt people with it, making me realize I forgot the most important feature he had requested—that it squirt.

Hey, bud, you can't have everything!

"Look Mom!  I'm juice in a juice box drinking juice in a juice box!"

Oh, my silly boy!

Fly on the Wall Friday

Zane, in exasperation:  For Heaven Pete's sake!

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Zane:  How do you call the Fire Ma-partment?

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Zane started preschool today.  He got a little stuffed horse from his teacher.

Zane:  I'm going to name him B-thalomew

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We are planning a trip to the cabin in Colorado in October.  Two weeks ago Liam checked out books about all the states between here and Colorado.  He has subsequently read them cover to cover.  He has also mapped out the route with our atlas.  Every spare minute he's pouring over these.

Last week, Liam: Mom, I realized today that I better make a list of all the things I read about that I want to do, cuz our trip is a month away and I might forget.

It was pretty cute.

Here's a transcript...

To do list

Missouri

- The Gateway Arch

- St. Louis Zoo

- Laura Ingalls Wilder House

- Airline History Museum

Kansas

- Sternberg Museum of Natural History

Colorado

- Go on nature hike

- Pikes Peak

- Seven Falls

- Go down an alpine slide

- Air Force Academ

- Chilax at the Cabin (after all that traveling it makes sense)

- Have fun!

Nebraska

- Listen to books on tape

- Take a nap

- Leon Myers Stamp Center

- Eat snacks

- Don't get bored!

Iowa

- Herbert Hoovers House.

My personal favorites are:

"Don't get bored" in Nebraska.   I told him that one would be the hardest to do!

and

"Chilax at the cabin (after all that traveling it makes sense)

too cute!

love that kid.

Now to get him to understand we will NOT be doing all the things on his list!

Fly on the Wall Wednesday

Liam: "I love classification. You know, putting animals into groups. I think the peacock and the turkey must be related because of how their tail feathers can stand up." 

Came up with that on his own. 

Seriously, where did this kid come from? 

Recently he's been re-reading our science book from last year on animals. 

Love that kid.

Bible Time Jr.

The other day after version 1.0 and 2.0 and I finished our morning Bible time,  Liam offered to read a Bible story to the younger set for me.   

So sweet.

Things I love Thursday

Hearing Liam and Grandma B. compare piano repertoires.

Fly on the Wall

Liam: "Mom, I think this [99 cent] calculator is pretty much exactly like an iphone only it just adds and stuff."

Kids' Portraits - November 2012

I took the kids to Portrait Innovations Monday.

Despite the less than stellar studio behavior of my kids, we came out with some great photos!

 

voting pole

Liam's one comment about watching me vote.... 

"I only wish they would have had one of those actual voting poles. You know, that shows which guy is winning on it." 


THIS explains why he kept asking me while we were at the poling place "Who's winning now, mom?"

I took all 5 with me. 

It was unavoidable.

Luckily we got in and out in 20 minutes.

Like Liam's choice of reading material?

Nothing like real life experience!