Thanksgiving afternoon I caught Andrew and Calvin finishing up the yummy Grandma Alder-inspired berry jello with whipped cream.  Yum!  I understand the desire.

The best part was when Calvin looked up, saw me and said, “We were pretending it was vegetable soup.”

Oh, okay then.  Carry on.

I know most of the past entries have been things Andrew has done/said lately, but he is just on a roll and I don’t want to forget these.  So funny, he is.

3 November 2009

When something (even semi-) crazy happens, Andrew slaps his forehead and says “Oh, Brother!”  with a big old eye roll.  Not sure where he picked it up.  I’ll update if I find out.  Anyway, this day he asked why I was going out to the other room AGAIN.  ”To do laundry bud” is what I said.  He slapped his forehead and said, “Oh Sister!”.  

I know, tell me about it.

4 November 2009

Andrew said his “billy button” has a nickname.  It is “Jelly Belly”.  We were eating yummy Coldstone-inspired Jelly Belly jelly beans at the time and I’m sure his billy button is now thrilled to have a nickname.

Andrew was trying on costumes and changing his mind multiple times – not allowed on Halloween Eve.  Especially since I stayed up late the night before making his pirate hat, sash, bandana and eyepatch.  But, nonetheless, that was his activity and entertainment for his aunty Liz.

He popped on his trusty pumpkin costume (two years running now.  Last year he wanted to be pumpkin pie though.  Cute – we went with it.  :) ).  This afternoon he sauntered up to Lizzy and said, “Do you love me?”  Her reply:  ”Oh yes, of course”.  His answer to that was “Do you want to eat me? …  Because I am a pumpkin?”

After much discussion between the two of us, it looks like this year he’s decided to be …  a pirate pumpkin.

edited to add:  Andrew decided at the last minute to just be a pirate like his brothers.  That was fine with me.  I think it might have had something to do with the very cool pirate swords we made Halloween afternoon that went in their sashes.  It still would have looked cute around his very ample pumpkin belly too.

Yesterday Autumn stared out the window at the lovely snow.  Okay, stared might not be the right description.  She glanced, let out a whoop and was ready to go out now.  I kept her inside for a whole list of reasons:  I had yet to unpack the boots, coats, gloves and hats.  Some of us were recovering from the sickies and the thought of cold was soooo unappealing to me.  Our yard is dirt right now – a lovely canvas for a beautiful new lawn in the near future – but a muddy base for snow right now.  Yup, we were staying in.

This morning the boys began discussing how exciting it was that snow was here early.  Before halloween and still on the ground from the day before.  As Autumn sat on a heater vent, she looked up at me and said, “I know Heavenly Father knows everything, but do you think he accidently snowed early?”  I assured her that he knows what is best for each of us and for the earth.  The early snow would help our garden in the spring and help other things to grow as well.  Launching into my scientific explanation of the water cycle, Autumn looked up at me with big eyes and said, “I know!!  Heavenly Father made it snow early so that kids could have fun.”

Needless to say, the late morning was spent unpacking and the early afternoon was spent outdoors building mini snowmen and forts.  Muddy snowballs flew and “icicle popsicles” were licked and enjoyed.  

p.s.  The recipe according to Autumn is to “just pick off an icicle and dip it in the snow”.

While cutting his hair this last Saturday, Andrew wiggled on the barber chair.  The noise was well, familiar, so I couldn’t resist asking, “Was that your bum?”  He immediately tried to convince me that it was his elbow tooting.  Silly guy.  

When I finished his hair cut I proceeded to vacuum up the hairy mess and asked, “Do you want me to get your toes too?”  ”No” he giggled.  Thought for a split second, and then said while shaking his head a little (a sure sign that he knooooows he’s being funny): “If you vacuumed my whole body up I would say ‘Who turned the lights out?”

Wow – I love my silly thinkin’ little man.

Naptime ….. again.  Andrew asked if he could please sleep on the floor.  Switch it up – why not.  I said yes.  He asked me to make a doggy house (he’s been a puppy for weeks now).  A simple sheet hanging from his brothers’ bunk bed over to his now empty bed.  Done.  

He then snuggled down on his pillow, looked up at me with his big ol’ eyes and asked, “Can I have lots of lollypops?”  I guess he thought it was worth a shot.  So did I:

He actually said I could have 3 shots – he was feeling generous.

Me?  Not so much.  Off to sleepy land with zero lollypops.  

He did get a really big chuckle out of me though.

Early this morning my hunny went off to work and I snuck out to the garden to get some fresh-air and dirt.  I heard one neighbor across the street getting all his camping gear together.  I saw another neighbor run by all-ambitious-like (not quite how I run, when I do ).  I got to thinking how we all have different reasons for getting up early – on a Saturday.  When you could sleep in and choose not to.  I don’t enjoy the act of gardening.  I really don’t.  What gets me up early then?  The promise of food in the future. Fresh and yummy veggies – yup!  I’ll get up early for that.

Nathan (our nephew, age 3) *looking down into the big bowl of cherries that he had just plopped a few into from his belly-hugging perch halfway up the dwarf tree *:

“I’m gonna make a NICE apple pie for dinner!”

Autumn (4 years old):

“I’m glad that Heavenly Father gave me arms to reach for cherries… and fingers to pick cherries and pull them off. … And I’m glad that Heavenly Father made fingers for nail polish.”

I asked Andrew tonight how old he will be on his birthday (2 days away). He said “2″. I said, “close, what’s 2 plus 1?” I got a blank stare. I continued “You’re two now buddy and you’ll be one more year on your birthday … so, 2 plus 1 – what do you get?” Andrew’s response, “CAKE!!!”

That’s my kind of math.
birthday=cake

Quick side note:  Tonight (5 January 2009)’s talent was preformed by Joshua – a whole series of somersaults across the living room.  So cute.  Now, on to our spotlight:

Katelyn Belle is our little sweetheart.  Daddy’s favorite thing about her is her little schmooshy dimple that appears in her left cheek when she gets a really big smile.  Katey gives sweet kisses and loves to make kissy sounds – often.

Katey’s other talents include tongue clicks and rolling over from her back to her belly.  She is especially quick at this when she is laid down for a nap and wasn’t quite planning on that yet.  At those times she is also very good with the pouty lip and big doe eyes.

Katey loves green beans, sweet potatoes and bananas (most of the time).  She does not care for applesauce or sugar-free strawberry jam.  She has fun little grabby hands and reaches for everything – crackers, spoons that are feeding her, magazine and newspaper “crinkly” paper and candy canes being dangled by her 2-year-old brother. 

Katey is a very good-natured little girly.  We jokingly called her the Primary mascot when I was in there often and all the girls – aged 8-11 – could not hold her enough.   We ended up taking turns and even then there wasn’t enough of our chubby-cheeked angel to go around.

The girls still line up after church to love on her.  

We all adore our sweet little Katey Belle.