Sweet Hearts

One of the things I love about Anna and Howie is their sweet hearts.

I bought the kids some new socks and showed Anna.  She said, "Thanks, Mom, that's so generous of you."

As if I never buy her socks or clothes.  As if it weren't my Biblically bound duty to feed, house and clothe my children.  As if I wouldn't take care of her needs.

And, yet, she calls me "generous" for supplying her with socks.

They make me pull out my hair at times, but they can also fill me with so much love I can barely stand it.  And, I thank God daily I get the honor of being their mother.

Random quotes from July 17 2010 to Dec 31 2010

Watching pig butchering show on cooking channel at breakfast (we do things diff here), and Anna says, "What if the government takes it?" I'm like, huh? Then, light bulb. "Oh, like Government Pork?" yeah.

overheard...
Howie: I'm gonna ask for Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Anna: I don't think she wants to spend money.
(Anna's picking up on my penny pinching ways of late!)

Anna (in her Candace busting voice): Mom, Dad, Howie's trying to control the story I'm telling him.

Me: I don't know what to do with that.
And I really don't.


Weaning my kids off TV hurts my ears.



Me: (in bed, asleep) zzzz...
Anna: How do you spell "build?"
Me: uhhh, b-u-i-l-d.
5 minutes laterrr (SL SpongeBob announcer)
Anna: How do you spell "monkey?"
...Me: G-O-A-W-A-Y!!
Happy last day to sleep in! (They were trying to access careerbuilder's Monk-e-mail, fyi.)



Anna is my storm barometer. The little cold hands and feet in the middle of the night alerted me.


So, Howie's scared of dogs (got bit a while back) and Libby's hubby gave his hat to Howie to wear and said it was a special non-dog-biting hat, and if he wore it and did okay around the dogs (great dogs, btw), Howie could keep the hat. Let's just say by the end of it all, Howie didn't want to leave because he was having such a fun time playing with the dogs! Thanks for the hat, guys!



My son brought a toy gun to school today. Luckily, we homeschool so I didn't have to suspend him or call the police.



Kids were interested in the "no campaigning" line leading into the polls. They were so cute and left me alone to fill out my ballot because it's "private." Howie got to feed the ballot into the the box. We all got stickers! Fun field trip!!



They're fighting over a hair brush. A hair brush? We only have about 10 of them. sigh...in 19 days I will be on a beach, in 19 days I will be on a beach, in 19 days I will be on a beach...



Anna's doing a project on the US Presidents, and Howie's doing a project on North American snakes. I'm thinking, what's the difference? ar ar.



Watching "Cars" for the 978th time and enjoying the attention to detail: contrails shaped like tire tracks, car bugs leaving tiny tire imprints on a dirty window, etc., I love the care they took in tiny moments.



Vollmer Farm yesterday, and Maple View Farm today. My kids are turning into farm hands!



Receptionist to my daughter's guitar teacher: "I don't know what you're talking about dude, I'm not old like you, I wasn't born in the 80's."



Cacophonous thunderstorm last night, three of us up in our bed, Howie snoring pleasantly in his. I swear, that kid could sleep through anything!



Me: what can I put on my fb status?

Anna: we're going to a birthday party at 4
Howie: fart
Me: I'm an adult, I can't put fart, that's not funny when you're an adult
Howie: butt crack.

tidbits

Funny things about the kids...

Anna is quite a good reader and she can really read just about anything. She was attempting to read a book above her level, and the words of a fairly long sentence were "naval vessel." Keeping pace and not missing a beat, she said, "nasty verb" and kept going.

Howie and Anna got a T-Day letters from Grampa and Gramma Schmidt. Anna happily read aloud her name and address on the envelope. Howie looked at his and howled, "Hey, I don't see my name!" He was looking at the back of the envelope.

We were talking turkey (literally, not figuratively) and asked the kids if they wanted to see the turkey. Howie ran over the fridge, and Anna stood back in trepidation. She wouldn't come into the kitchen. She obviously thought she'd be seeing feathers and head, the whole gambit. I told her, "Don't worry, honey, it's wrapped in plastic." Of course, after seeing it, all excited, she asked Papa, "Did you kill it?" With kids, it always comes down to the gory denominator.

Here's hoping you have a gory-less day! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

booty dance

Another proud moment in the household...

We host a church group in our home every Thursday evening. One night, after all the parents with kids had departed, a few adults lingered to talk. During the conversation, Howie, who was supposed to be getting ready for bed, came into the hallway. Wearing nothing but a t-shirt, he proudly did a "booty dance" for our friends.

Snippets

Howie: "It's not on the M.U." (It's not on the menu)

Anna was crying hysterically after losing her balloon into the sky. She was inconsolable and sobbed speaking to her floating away balloon, "I remember the fun times we shared."

moneybags

Howie ran around the house today collecting all the loose change. From dressers, pockets, desks, rooms, you name it, he found it. His yellow plastic bucket was nearly a third filled with all manners of coins. I came upon the scene after he finished. (Thanks, honey, for letting me sleep in today!)

Howie reached his hand into the bucket and rattled the silver and copper goodies. "Mom, can I buy a toy?"

"Howie, where did you get all that change?"

He didn't miss a beat: "The Internet."

Oh, greaaat.

love letter

Anna, "Dad, we're writing you a love letter."

Howie, "Yeah, a love letter."

Anna, "How do you spell 'stink?'"

Howie, "How do you spell 'poop?'"