Brotherly love?

Benjamin came to me while I was in the kitchen making dinner and Samuel was on the couch in the living room. 

"There are 3 things I like and 3 things I don't like about Sammy being a bookworm," he said. "The things I don't like are:
"1. He doesn't want to go outside.
"2. He doesn't want to play with me.
"3. He doesn't want to talk to me."
(Samuel's rebuttal: "That's because he always wants to talk and play at night when we're in bed, and I'm reading to help myself fall asleep!")

"The things I like about Sammy being a bookworm are:
"1. He's too busy reading to notice that I'm playing with his sticky hand. (Sam: "Hey.")
"2. He's too busy to notice that I'm playing with his stuffed animals. (Sam: "Hey!")
"3. He doesn't see me take the toys off his bed." (Sam: "HEY!")

Benjamin (L) and Samuel (R) showing off the awards they received at the school's annual awards ceremony.

Just telling me what I want to hear

While cleaning up her messy pull-ups I asked Makayla, "Are you going to poop in the potty next time?"

"Yes!" she said, a little too quickly.

"Did you just say that to make me happy?" I asked suspiciously.

"Yes!" came her enthusiastic reply.

What's in a name?

"Mom, I like how you say my name. Elisa. It's so pretty when you say it!"

"Thanks. That's why I gave you the name - because I like it."

Kids' Speech

I love kid-speak! It's very cute to me how Makayla says gingky for stinky. Our neighbor's daughter calls hamburgers hamgurbers. When Lisy was telling me about her adoreable freckles the other day, she actually said a-doe-able fweckles.

As a toddler Samuel couldn't make the s sound. He called himself Yammy, earning him the nickname Sammy Yammy. And Dominic had a blast when Samuel substituted his j's with d's, often asking him to say jam and jam-nation.

Speaking of replacing letters with ds, my older brother would get out of the bath and say that his dingers were dinkled (translation: fingers are wrinkled). We still chuckle about how my nephew Spencer used to call himself Der-Der.

Benjamin called Fruit Loops cereal Oot Oops, a term we still use. At the grocery store recently I said, "Let's get Oot Oops," and then put Fruit Loops in the cart. Lisy is a great reader and said, "That's not Oot Oops. It says Fruit Loops." She was upset that I had grabbed the wrong cereal.

The other day Makayla asked for a lolli-hop. I thought it was so funny that I kept saying lolli-hop, too. She corrected me saying, "No Mommy, lolli-hop." (Hee hee hee) She used to call her older sister Waychel but now says Baychel. Rachel even answers when we call for Baychel.

I love it.

Can't get past pull-ups

Makayla's interest in potty training is sporadic. She can be very successful peeing in the potty when she's in the mood for M&Ms, but she has rarely pooped in the potty. Often when I'm cleaning her up, I tell her that she should poop in the potty because it's easier to clean and she won't stink. Today our conversation went something like this:

"Remember to pee ..."
"... in the potty."
"And poop ..."
"... in my pull-ups."
"What?! No. Poop in the potty, not your pull-ups."
"Ohhh," as if it was a big revelation.

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On a quick little side note, I've discovered that the M&Ms I use for Makayla's potty treats are helpful for encouraging her siblings to get things done. From finishing chores to helping me get things done more quickly to helping their siblings, all of my children work faster and more willingly in order to get an M&M or two. I am not above bribery.

Love Those Freckles!

I'm making breakfast. Elisa is wandering around the kitchen and chattering.

"Mom, I have lots of freckles," she states.

"Yes you do," I say.


"They make me adorable!" I look up and see her grinning from ear to ear. Freckles are not the only adorable thing about her.