I overheard this conversation this morning... after Andy had been telling the kids stories about the kitten from his youth, and before he left for TX on business.

K: "Papi's goin' on a trip. He's goin' to see his kitty."
A: "No he's not. His kitty is dead. It got really old and died."
K: "He needs a band-aid!"
A: "No, dead people don't use band-aids. They just close their eyes. And lay in a box."
K: "Oh."
A: "When you die you'll lay in a box too."
K: "Oh."

Keira's Bright Idea

"I'm going to put my hands in my pockets so I don't lose them!"

A shout out for Angie's List

We've known it's out there and always thought we might use it... someday. Finally got around to it because we've been looking for a painter for our doors & trim, signed up for a month. Cost $6. Andy needed a car repair, so he searched for a good mechanic near his work, found one with rave reviews, went there, the guy was a pleasure to deal with, saved us $200 (50%) on the original estimate for the repair, and now we know where to go the next time the car gets sick. So completely worth $6 for Angie's list. Wish we had done that for a roofing contractor.

Summary of the past 2 months

Thanksgiving in MN, girls got frilly dresses, which they modeled for us. We got a little snow. Kids liked it. Trim is off around all the windows, insulating behind the trim is half done, new doors and trim ordered. Spent christmas week in Hilton Head Island, SC. It was a little chilly, but we enjoyed a bike ride, a day at a great little children's museum, and a short hiatus from illness. Stopped in Virginia on the way home to see Andy's side. I got the stomach flu on the road, 3 hours from home. Not real fun, but I'm not whining too much because it negated my holiday weight gain. Now here's a few snapshots.

2 year olds with a vocabulary crack me up.

Keira can't say her 'r's, so the other morning at breakfast she made the following declaration:
"I don't need a bib. I'm just the gail who doesn't get sywup on hew showt." Her poor tongue can't keep up with her grammar.

Old houses are full of excitement. Like frantic fridge shopping with 2 kids in tow.

Our electrical box looked like this (after the electrician peeled back the melted breakers):






and my fridge now looks like this:

Lesson Learned: If light bulbs are burning out relentlessly, have an electrician check the power coming into your house BEFORE it zaps your fridge.

Change your mind and say, 'Yes'.

I hear this conversation (or some variant) multiple times a day.

Elder: "You be the baby, and I'll be the Mommy, 'kay?"
Younger: "No."
Elder: "Change your mind and say, 'Yes'."
Younger: "No."
Elder, increases volume, shrill-ness, and shows first signs of a hissy fit: "Say, 'Yes'!"
Younger, calmly: "Yes."
Elder, in a happy, sweet voice, "Ok, now you cry and I'll give you a bottle, 'kay?"
Younger: "No."
Elder: "Change your mind and say, 'Yes'."

Annika's assessment of her piggy bank...

"I have lots of papers but only 3 clinks. I need some more clinker moneys."

And here's some random shots from the past week or two.

Engineers should come with warning labels. Here's what might happen if you marry one.

A young father takes his children on a Saturday morning outing and calls home expecting his wife to be curled up by the fireplace, reading a good book. My husband? He married an engineer. He calls home to inquire about what I've done with my precious hours of peace, and the answer is... demolition.

When he left, the kitchen door looked like this:


When he came back, it looked like this:

Sorry honey. I'm just not much of a reader and we don't have a fireplace. And operating a crowbar is kinda fun. Even if 51 years worth of dirt falls in your face while you do it.

Apple Orchard 2009 Edition

The other day I took my clean, combed, and color coordinated munchkins to the apple orchard for a photo shoot. It rained the entire time. We left looking like drowned rats, the carefully chosen outfits were muddy, and I didn't get a single picture. Not one. I cried all the way home. But another day is, well, another opportunity, and off we went again... new outfits, another round of baths, fresh hair-dos. And now I'm going to make up for the great lack of pictures over the past few months in one single post. Enjoy our second, more joyful trip to the orchard. I'm off to make applesauce.

Learning about the world

Annika points at a pair of leggings laying on the floor and says, "Hey! I didn't know there was 2 kinds of tights! Some have no foots and some have yes foots!"

She also had an introduction to artificial flowers yesterday. After getting a stalk of her very own, she said, "I wanna put it in water." I explained that it was fake and didn't need water. "Are fake flowers already alive?" She asked. And then she left the room sniffing the pink and white blossoms.

Poodle

A few months ago, Keira met a standard poodle at the park. It was large, fluffy, and the color of cinnamon. Keira was delighted. She pointed at it and shouted with glee, "Lion!!!"
We all agreed that it did look quite a bit like a lion.

Ask Keira...

Q: "Would you like bread?"
A: *Nods enthusiastically* "With a bun!"

Q: "Would you like a quesadilla?"
A: "Yes. With cheese on it!"