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...
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