gentleman caller

The phone rang and it was Brother Calhoun, a sweet elderly gentleman from the ward.

"Hi, Brother Calhoun, how are you?"

"Really well, thanks. Calling for Audrey."

"Audrey! Really?"

"I sure enjoyed seeing Audrey at church today. She's such a doll. She looks at you with those eyes and smiles that smile." We exchanged admiring comments about Audrey for a minute or two before I said, 

"Well, Brother Calhoun, as much as I know you called for Audrey, I'm sure you need to speak to Kim."

"Nope. That's all. Have a great night."

Bless his heart. 

wallie talkies

(waw-lee taw-keez) noun: air vents that allow two little girls to talk to each other, from one bathroom to another. ex: "Look, Mom! We have wallie talkies!"

obamanation

Kim and I were discussing politics when Ella entered the room. In his frustration, Kim said, "Ella, when people at school talk about Obama, you tell them he's wrong."

"I can't, Dad," she explained. "It's against the laws."

top o' the mornin' to ye

We started the morning with Celtic music. Predictably, Ella ran downstairs and did a caeli in the kitchen. I'd planned on Irish oatmeal, but in the interest of pure St. Patrick's Day glee, decided on Lucky Charms instead. With green milk. And green apple juice sipped through green-striped straws. The girls loved it all, but my personal favorite was Ella's very sincere prayer: "And please bless us to have a leprechauny week." 

Of course, the girls wore green to school. Before Ella left, she said, "Mom, if you could find me a dress with a big rainbow, and a pot of gold, and a leprechaun, that would be really great." 

"I'll keep my eyes open, Ella."

funny friday

Every day is different, but some days are just strange.

Today began when Audrey woke up unusually early at 6 a.m. I fed her and put her in her exersaucer, where she began playing quite happily. When I checked on her a few minutes later she was sound asleep! Bless her heart. 

I decided to give the girls a treat and break out the contraband Captain Crunch Kim brought home recently. They were thrilled.I I poured it for them and a few minutes later, from the kitchen, I heard Lauren yell, "Hey!" and saw her emerge from the dining room with bits of cereal and milk spattered all over her face and hair. "Ella spit on me!" It had been an accident. A sneeze, apparently.

I got Lauren cleaned up and she declared that she does not like Captain Crunch (Is she the only three-year-old in the world who doesn't?), and wanted Cheerios instead. While I poured the Cheerios, Ella informed her, "You're really missing out on a lot of fun-ness." To which Lauren replied, angrily, "No, I AMN'T."

Ella remarked about her "dress" and Lauren told her, "It's a nightgown."

"No, it's a dress."

"Nightgown."

"Dress."

"Nightgown!"

"Dress!"

I broke it up; it's a nightgown.

Moments later, Lauren said, "Look! My Cheerios made a "C"! And upon consuming the "C," patted her belly and proclaimed, "My tummy is FULL of Cheerios. Heh. That's cool."

I wonder what the rest of this day will bring.

Update: Just realized this post was written on Friday, the 13th. It's all making sense . . . 

daily observer

I've been listening to a lot of talk radio lately, and the news hasn't been good. Today I listened as I did dishes, and must have seemed frustrated about something because Ella came in, propped her elbow on the counter and sighed, "What is it, Mom? Taxes again?"

somebody's got the giggles

Tonight at bath time I held Audrey while Ella got undressed. For some reason, it was (quite literally) the funniest thing Audrey had ever seen. She started giggling and could not stop herself. Ella's every move was hilarious. Every article of clothing removed made her laugh even harder. For a moment, I thought the whole episode might damage Ella's self-esteem, but then I remembered, that would be impossible. 

a balloon half-full

As we left a recent birthday party, we were given some helium balloons. Today I decided the last balloon floating around the house could be the source of some amusement. So, I gathered the girls around, cut the end off the balloon, exhaled, inhaled, paused dramatically, then proceeded to sing, "Happy birthday to you/happy birthday to you/happy birthday, do I sound/like I'm in a cartoon?" I should have filmed their faces. 

Of course, they immediately wanted to do what I had done. It turns out, the exhaling and inhaling are difficult concepts. Both girls ended up breathing into the balloon instead of inhaling the helium, with predictable results. Ella did manage a cartoon voice, but it was of her own making. I thought she might be disappointed, so I started to explain that it just takes practice, but Ella interrupted me: "Did you hear my voice? I don't need the balloon! Wahoo!"

magic cart ride

Today was a big day! Audrey sat in the shopping cart seat for the first time! Sat up in the Costco cart, perfectly content with her little toys for over an hour. We finished up just as her noggin, and her eyelids, started looking very heavy. Good girl, sweet Audrey. And hooray for me. One aspect of my life just became a lot easier. 

da da

Audrey said "da da" for the first time today. The fact that she said, "da da" even though she hasn't seen her daddy except on weekends for the past month supports the theory that children her age do not yet associate sounds with meaning. Or maybe she just misses him?

ella home evening

We've started using the Church's new children's manual for family home evening, and it is wonderful. We're using the scriptures more and, whether reading or listening, Ella is proving herself to be an enthusiastic little scriptorian. Lauren enjoys herself, too, but so far most of her participation involves sharing completely unrelated comments about Jonah and the whale. She knows they're unrelated; she just can't get over it. "He was in the whale! And he spit him out!"

Last night I read the story of the loaves and fishes, then asked Ella if she could tell me what had happened. We were pleasantly surprised to hear her retell the entire story without missing a detail. She even quoted the scriptures a few times! It was so fun to watch, and helped us realize that it's time for the Moore family to (sometimes) move beyond simplified Gospel basics. 

Equally amazing, I learned that one can be inspired to snatch cherry Nibs and Swedish fish on the way to the Target check-out. Loaves and fishes!

let them be little

Lauren is going through the same phase Ella did, refusing to wear pajamas. She stays amazingly warm running around the house in her undies, and in her little bed where she usually kicks off the covers. But most nights, at some point, she wakes up, she feels cold, and she seeks the warmth of our bed. She likes to crawl in and lie back-to-back with Kim, and stay there as long as we will let her.

There was a time when I would return little gypsies to their own beds as soon as their flopping arms and sharp heels made their presence known. And then I heard a song that changed my mind. It says:

Let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while

Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh just let them be little

So, for now, we'll just try to get comfortable . . . and enjoy it.

Update 3/5/09: Last night Lauren came into our bed, peed, and then went back to her bed. Is there a song about that?