Opposite End of the Dental Spectrum

As I was trying to open a Popsicle package with my teeth, Andrew
yells, "Don't use your teeth for a tool!"

If You Need Dental Help, Ask Ryan

Yesterday I had to drop something off at school so we had to go in to pick up the boys instead of going through the carpool lane. As Luke and I were walking in, the Mom of one of Ryan's friends came over and said to tell Ryan thank you. She wouldn't say for what but was smiling very big.

When we got in school, I found the boys and then headed for the office.

I could tell Ryan was dying to tell me something but he waited until we were outside.

Here is our conversation...

Ryan (said with glee): Guess what?! Christian got hit in the face today with a soccer ball and it nearly knocked his tooth out! It's just barely hanging on and there was blood!!!

Me: Oh, that must be what his Mom was talking about. She told me to tell you thank you. I guess you were a good friend and helped him when he was hurt?

Ryan: No! I'm the one that kicked the soccer ball!!!

Apparently Christian had been hoping to lose a tooth and this was a good thing!

Fun Winter - a short story by Ryan Stout

The mouse ate a piece of a snowflake.
After he ate he got frost bite when he slid.
It was cold and windy and snow covered his house and it got so warm that the snow melted.
He had marshmallows and cocoa.
It was fun!

- This was an assignment at school. Kind of reminds me of The Stupid Pumpkins by Lori Miller.

Andrew's Random Thoughts

"Our neighborhood is safe since the houses aren't close together. If the houses were close together, people would show up in your house and you'd have to say, Hey go back to your own space!! Our neighborhood is safer than anything. Except Heaven."

It's Not All Coming Back to Me Now

Conversation between Don & Andrew -
Don: Hey Andrew, there's your friend Seth.
Andrew: Who?
Don: Remember the kid that was on your tball team last year? He was
your buddy!
Andrew: Was he the kid that had a rainbow shirt that he wore sometimes?
Don: I think he did have a rainbow shirt!
Andrew: No - I don't remember him.

Wouldn't Want to Waste His Time

Yesterday on the way home we started talking about organ donation. Don't ask why. I think it started with talk about an earthworm.

Normally when a touchy subject comes up, I try to distract them by yelling, "Look - a squirrel!" (You'd be surprised by how often that works.)

But I wanted them to know that it is important to be an organ donor so I told them that I was. And if something ever happened to me, at least I could hopefully help someone else who maybe needed my heart or another part of me.

I should have known that they would then start in about death and dying.

Andrew got very upset and I started to yell about the squirrel when he said, "But Mommy, if you die, we'll have to stay at school forever until Daddy gets off work! I don't want to sit in the carpool line that long!!"

So he won't necessarily miss me, but will someone just please go pick him up early?!?

Ryan is Multicultural

For some reason, Ryan has been under the impression for sometime now that Don is a black man. Once, I was talking to him about how sometimes kids don't look like their parents - especially when they are adopted. (His best friend is black and was adopted by white parents). He nodded and said, "Yeah, just like Daddy is black but we are white."

I told him that Daddy has darker skin than us, but he's not black. I thought he had it down but when he brought home a recent portrait he did at school, I realized maybe not! Here's his picture he made of his Dad...

A Moment of Silence, PLEASE!!

Ryan and Andrew woke up early again this morning - big surprise. I told them that I was going to use the treadmill and Luke and Daddy were still asleep so BE QUIET!!

Of course, I got a bunch of promises about how that would be the case.

After about 20 minutes, I heard a ton of racket in the living room. Mind you, this is over the noise of the treadmill, the 20 fans I have going and the TV.

I go in the living room and Andrew is pretending to be a horse, Ryan is on his back pretending to be a cowboy and for some reason, Ryan has a microphone and is yelling at the top of his lungs.

They saw me and panic set in and they both started blaming the other one for the noise.

I never did get an explanation as to why a cowboy would have a microphone but needless to say, everyone was awake!!!

Random Quotes

Random quotes from yet another snow day...

Andrew: "No, Luke!! We aren't having a sword fight right now!!"

Ryan: "Andrew, are you deaf?? Don't you see that??"

Ryan: "Help Help - Luke is robbing me!!"

At this point, I see Luke flying by me laughing hysterically with a quarter in his hand.

Stop in the Name of the Law!!!

Conversation while driving...
Ryan: Why do we have lips?
Mommy: They help us keep food in our mouths while we eat.
Ryan: I guess that's a good thing!
Mommy: Yeah and they also are good for kissing!
Andrew: I wish kissing was illegal!!!

It's Such a Pain to Fast Forward!

We are in the process of buying a new van. It's not that we are afraid
of our Toyota necessarily, but Honda is offering some pretty great
deals to take advantage of Toyota's issues.
Anyway, Don told Andrew that we are getting a new van and Andrew
groaned.
Don asked him why he didn't want a new one and he said, "We'll have to
start Horton Hears a Who all over again!" (That's the DVD currently
playing in the van).

Beautiful Music

Ryan has been begging for piano lessons lately. We're not sure if he'd really do it for long (it involves a lot of sitting!) so we've been trying to stall.

This morning he mentioned it again and we said we'd talk about it. He started playing as only he can and he said, "I actually already know how to play. It just doesn't always sound very good."

Sometimes I Wake Up Thinking About Cake Too!

This morning I went in to get Luke out of bed and he was jumping in his crib already wide awake.

I told him that I thought he was going to sleep late today and he said, "No, I talking to my friends."

(His friends are his stuffed animals in his bed).

I asked him what he and his friends were talking about - was it just stuff?

He picked up WaWa (his stuffed Chihuahua) and he said, "No, WaWa wants cake."

Nap Child, Nap!!!

Yesterday was Mother's Day Out for Luke and yet again he did not nap. Here are a couple of aftershocks of a napless day...

We were talking about stopping at McDonald's after baseball practice. They usually love it since we don't do that very often and it's a big treat.
Ryan whooped and hollered and then Luke starts whining, "I not want Donald's. I not eat supper. I not go home. I not go eat."
I muttered, "Wow - someone is cranky tonight!"
He glared at me and said, "Yes me is."

I had to drop Andrew off at tball and then go drop Ryan off at his batting practice. On the way to pick up Andrew, Luke starts whining again. "No go get Andrew!!"
I tried to reason with him (why?) and told him we had to get Andrew or how else would he come home?
Like a loving brother, he says, "No get Andrew ever. Andrew stay there. Not bring him home!"
Those two do fight a lot but I hadn't thought it had come to this!!

Is He Really My Kid??

I made broccoli for dinner tonight and when Andrew came into the kitchen, he asked if he smelled broccoli.
I said yep and he yelled, "Broccoli is the bestest smell in the whole wide world!"

Inconceivable!

On the way home today, Andrew was talking about how they played speed stacking in PE. (I don't get it - stacking cups??)
Anyway, he was annoyed because he had to use pink cups. I told him that pink isn't that bad, it's really just red with white mixed in.
Ryan tried to be helpful and agree and said that pink is his second favorite color.
Andrew gasped, yelled "WHAT??", made a bunch of scoffing noises and yelled, "You gotta be kiddin' me!!!!"

He's the Feller.

A noxious smell was in the van so of course I asked, "Who tooted?"
Ryan said, "Andrew!"
Andrew said, "Ryan!"
Luke said, "Me!!!!"

Surprise!

I am taking Ryan & Andrew bowling this afternoon and I enjoy keeping stuff a secret until we get there. Drives them crazy. Here is Ryan trying to get it out of me before we go...
Ryan: Mommy - I like surprises when it's like my birthday present but I don't like them when it's about something we are doing.
Mommy: Why not?
Ryan: Well, what if you say we are going somewhere fun and we go to a coffee shop?
Mommy: When have I ever taken you to a coffee shop?
Ryan: I'm just exampling.

How Would He Know That??

Don: "Ryan, do you want some blackberry wine cake?"
Ryan: "No thanks. I don't like wine."

Bigger than a Bread Box

This morning, the UPS man brought a box to our house. I went out to get it and when I walked back in with it, Luke looked amazed. It was about the size of a pillow. He obviously hasn't quite caught on with the concept of size because he started yelling, "What's in there? A motorcycle? A scooter??"
He was very sad to learn it was a present for Andrew's birthday and not a scooter or motorcycle!

Well it SHOULD be a National Holiday!

Yesterday the mail was once again not in the mailbox when we got home from picking the boys up at school. Ryan & Andrew love getting the mail before we go up the driveway so this makes them particularly irritated.
It still wasn't there when we left again to go to karate. Talking to myself, I tried to remember if it was some sort of holiday.
Andrew heard me and said, "Oh yeah - tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday!!"
Ryan was quick to agree and said in his over-confident way, "Yep - that's the deal all right!"