The Artist...

...being watched.

Super Oden Thursdays

We have been having all sorts of fun Cousin Oden times on Thursdays!

 We do quite a bit of snuggling and lounging when he shows up in the morning...

These two almost melded into the couch together!

LOVE this picture!  That hair...and those cheeks!  Does anyone else see Papa Scott in this kid?

Ione Train Ride, 2012

On October 20, our family went on the Lyon's Club Train Ride to Ione and back.  It was a fun time in cozy, BEAUTIFUL surroundings.  Lunch afterward amidst 50 trophy animals on the wall almost beat the train ride.  :)

These [Fall-ish] Days...

Gracie, these days...

• Is trying to say, "I have no preference," instead of "I don't care."  We both agreed that the former sounds better than the latter.
• Is just discovering Tic-Tacs.  I got them for her because sometimes her formula gives her stinky breath and we are in too much of a rush to brush teeth before we leave for the morning.  She likes them, but today toward the end of the Tic-Tac experience she thought it was too minty tasting, so she gave it to Joshy to crush up in his mouth and swallow.  Sort of defeats the purpose, I suppose...but if they share, I may save money in Tic-Tacs!  :)

• A few months ago, during an early morning snuggle/snooze, Gracie must've heard me say, "Five more minutes," one-time-too-many...because she sternly replied, "MOM! It's time to engage!"  I started cracking up as I rolled out of bed, thinking that we'd been watching far too much of "The Incredibles." :)
• Is trying to manipulate the yard rules...  We say that whenever the kids are out front, a parent has to be with them.  One day last week when she didn't want to wait for me to come out with her, she said with exasperation:  "Mom, no one will SNITCH me!  Everyone knows where I live!"  Apparently we need more practice in personal safety...

• Is writing her name!  She surprised Jeff and I the other day by bringing a colored page to him with her name on it!  Eh, just a little trick she picked up...no big deal.  She's also getting into those fine motor skills I was convinced she was delayed in...coloring, chalk drawing, sticker manipulation, writing...something has just clicked!
• She loves reading her "Highlights" magazines.  She'll pick those over books most days.  The Silly Pictures, stories with Spanish words in them, the Hidden Pictures...she loves them all!

Joshy, these days...

• Is blossoming into quite a ham.  He loves to crack himself up...by calling Uncle Drew "Uncle Rico," by calling Oden "Mrs. Oden," by putting his jammie bottoms on his arms each night, by replying, "I love G'MA JOAN! (and Mommy...)" when I tell him that I love him...  A common phrase coming from his mouth is, "I'm SILLY," or "Just kidding!"  We are beginning to think that the writing was on the wall with this kid when we found out his due date was April 1.  We may be in for it...
• Coming down the stairs after nap one day, he asked to be carried and I replied,  "No prob, Bob."  He didn't miss a beat and replied, "No prob, Elastic Girl" [pronounced, "e-wastic go-wa"].  It took me a few seconds to realize he was making a connection to one of his favorite movies:  The Incredibles.  Mr. Incredible is BOB, and his wife, Helen, is otherwise known as, "E-wastic go-wa!"

• Is completely into little figurines, or characters.  He calls them his "guys-es."  "Where are my guys-es?"  he often says throughout the day.  His favorites right now are his Toy Story figurines.  He has "Little Woody," 3 Buzzes, Emporer Zurg...and the day he found an ALIEN at the free bin at Other Mothers was probably the best day of his 2-1/2 year old life.  How exciting that God arranged a special treat just for Joshy that day!
• He made his daddy's day one Saturday morning when he stood at the top of the stairs--that lead to our TV room--and said, "I want to watch football!"  He is so cute in his Seahawks jersey--best $1 deal at a yard sale YET!--and he's been trained to raise his arms to shout, "Touchdown!"

• Is having fun pretending to be Swede.  I know this when he crawls up to me, panting, and starts licking my shirt sleeve.  He's decided that he can play fetch with a tennis ball, just like Swede, and we spend several minutes tossing the ball in the living room to give him a little exercise.  
• Just turned 2-and-1/2 OFFICIALLY last week.  He's started saying that he's "two-and-a-haff" and BOY is he ever playing the part!  He is often saying, "Do it mySELF!" or "I do it!"  We are quite excited that he's becoming such a big boy...and our patience is tested daily as he exerts his independence in climbing into his carseat, opening the door himself, taking off his own pull-ups at potty time, and putting on his rain boots--all at a two-year-old pace.  Joshy is helping Mommy and Daddy to slow down a bit...and we are teaching Joshy to focus on the task at hand, THEN be silly.  Some days are better than others...  :)

Sweet laughter...

I love how families all have their "inside jokes."  Growing up, my family was always referring to ourselves as the family who "lives close by, OF COURSE,"--all because one year in G'ma Caroline's Christmas card, she was listing what each of her kids were up to, and when it came to Dad's turn she wrote, "And Greg's family lives close by, of course."  I think it was the ending clause that boosted that phrase into infamy from that day forward--surfacing in conversation whenever an unsightly G'ma chore (or fun outing) came up.  We also say that our family is "eunuch" because someone mispronounced "unique" at one point.  And we all say that our dad is "buff" because when Ben was little, we overheard him telling this to his friends.  Ah, the stories and phrases that family members share...

I'm just starting to notice a few of our family phrases that, to an outsider, may appear strange.  When I wash the kids hair in the bathtub, they often say, "Ooooh, feels good, Miss Fanny!"  This is all because of a book that we read where a 90-year old lady gets her hair washed once a week by her daughter, Wanda.  Often we reply back, "No problem, Wanda."

One night the kids asked what vegetable we were having for dinner.  After listing a few and mentioning corn, I replied, "Corn is a possibility."  Apparently this tickled their eardrums, because they now run around giggling, "Corn is a possibility!" whenever they're feeling silly.  And of course, whenever we really DO have corn, this phrase surfaces again and again.

And wrestling time brings out the phrase that Gracie coined:  "I'm keeping you forever!"  She'll wrestle and suction herself onto Jeff and giggle these words.  Josh will jump on Daddy and say these words.  The kids will run away from Jeff and he'll capture them back and he'll kiss them while growling these words.

As these little phrases make their way through our family days, I wonder which ones will "stick."  Which ones will they remember as adults?  I keep writing a few down so we don't lose them...