food network star

We were in the produce section when I saw some nice broccoli. I said to the girls, "How about some homemade macaroni and cheese with broccoli this week?" Ella stood with one arm on her hip and the other extended toward the adjoining display.
"How about we shake things up a bit . . . and go with cauliflower."

have you ever . . .

Lauren and I were snuggling on the couch when she said, "Mom, have you ever seen a caterpillar knit?"
"A caterpillar net?"
"No. Not a net, like a capture net. Knit."
"Oh. No, I haven't seen a caterpillar knit. Have you?"
"Yes."
"Really? Where?"
"On TV."
"Oh," I said, imagining Slimy on Sesame Street. "Was he using knitting needles?"
"Yes!"
"That's so silly. Caterpillars don't knit with knitting needles do they?"
"No!" she said, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "Sometimes they use their hands."

happy father's day

Kim purchased two fancy, new golf clubs for himself for Father's Day, but I think the cards the girls made him are even better.

The card Ella made at school is absolutely covered in glitter (picture hopefully coming soon) with multi-colored zig zags decorating both sides. As I admired every garish detail she explained, "I tried to make it as Mexican as I could."
"Really? Why would you do that?" I smiled.
"Because Daddy's Mexican."

The card she made at home shows the growing creativity that's been really fun to see in her drawings lately. On the front, she drew a Jetsons-inspired space vehicle, complete with bubble canopy, powered by rockets and suspended by a huge bunch of balloons. On the inside, it says, "I love you to Mrse -- anD Back."

The dictated content of Lauren's card included heartfelt appreciation: "Thank you for inviting me to go with you to your work house. I hope you had a great day at work with me, and another day when you go to work. I love you giving me some hugs and kisses. And thank you for letting me watch movies all the day. From, Lauren." When we finished she said, "Oh, and we can't forget thank you for making homemade bread!" I suggested she draw the bread, so she did -- a lovely, purple loaf.

Today after church we had a U.S. Open barbeque picnic in the living room, complete with Kim's favorite cheddarwurst, kettle chips and Dr. Pepper in his new, huge plastic cup big enough to fit an entire tray of ice.

Happy Father's Day. We love you, Kim. xoxo

hardware

As I cleared some clutter from the bookcase, I picked up Ella's recently acquired t-ball trophy -- a small figure with raised bat, standing atop an engraved base. "Do you want to keep this?" I asked.
"Sure," she said. "It's a ring holder."

school's out

Isabella has had a great year. In fact, a few days ago, she asked, "Can I do kindergarten twice?" I'm really happy she's enjoyed herself, and started her school career with such a good experience.

Today we said our thank yous and goodbyes to her teachers, and then, as we have on every other mild day, settled down for an hour on the playground. "Well," I said, "You're done with kindergarten. Is that exciting?"
"I'm happy to be done with school," she said, then paused. "But it's hard to let go off your teachers."

The girls played for awhile, then I watched as Ella trotted to the school entrance and disappeared inside. I waited for her to emerge from her unannounced drink or restroom visit, then asked her where she'd been.
"Ms. Carter's classroom," she said. "I just needed one more hug."

feeding frenzy

Audrey has officially reached the phase where no meal is complete until she has wiped the remnants of her food completely from both hands onto both sides of her head. On any given day, she conditions her lovely locks with oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt, sweet potatoes, bananas, and chicken with vegetables. Mmmmm, fun. For her.

gratitude

I love it when Lauren thinks out loud; especially when she shares how grateful she is for someone, or something. She'll often surprise us by proclaiming, "I love you!" or telling us how much she enjoyed something we did with her.

Today on the way home from church (two days after our first-ever trip to Chuck E. Cheese) she said, "Thanks for taking us to Chuck E. Cheese. And letting us get pizza. That was really fun."

After lunch and naps we went on a little walk along a trail in our neighborhood, and at dinner, in the middle of an unrelated conversation, Lauren said, "Thanks for taking us on a nature walk today. And letting us play on the playground." I said,
"You're welcome, Lauren. It's really nice that you say thank you."
She replied, "Thanks for saying you're welcome, Mom." Then she raised her little hand in congratulations. "High five!"

photographic memory

Today at lunch I asked Lauren what she learned in Primary. She replied, "Sister Betsy told us a story."
"Oh, fun. Tell me about it."
"I don't remember."
"Okay."
"Except there was a picture of a little boy who was playing on the train tracks and he had his shoe stuck in the tracks and luck-i-ly (she slowed for dramatic effect) he was a very smart boy and he undo'ed his shoe so he could get away before the train came."

new tricks

In an effort to keep three little girls busy while I finished getting ready to leave the house I suggested Ella and Lauren play with Audrey by letting her crawl after our new bouncy ball. "Look," I said. "If you roll the ball, Audrey will go get it." Ella's face lit up.
"Audrey plays fetch! My first dog is a human!"

licked

Lauren chose a push-pop sucker from the check-out stand and patiently, over the course of almost an hour, worked its original cylinder shape into a small triangular mound. "Look," she said. "I turned it into a mountain. I'm a genius."

flight plan

We were on our way to the airport to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Humble. Ella said, "When we see Grandma and Grandpa, let's run to them!" Lauren replied,
"Okay. But, remember, we have to run slowly because Grandma and Grandpa are really old."