The bright orange pumpkin

a poem by Emma Joy, age nine

On a bright summer's day,

I opened my cupboard

Just to find a bright orange pumpkin,

Round and fat and broad.

I asked, "Ms. Pumpkin,

What might you be doing here?"

She said, with a voice like honey,

"I have come to say that autumn is near."

I looked outside, and before my eyes,

The trees, oh my! The trees!

What a beautiful sight that met my eyes!

'Twas red and orange and gold.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "'Tis the perfect time for pies!

I shall make pumpkin, apple, and cherry pies.

But I won't use you, Ms. Pumpkin,

For I think you are quite nice.

Most pumpkins that I've met before

Are rude and cold as ice."

And from that day

And up till now,

Ms. Pumpkin is my friend.

I think that you

Should meet her,

When you see me again.

oh, children. {#4}

Emma, to her little brother: "oh Bennett, you're not actually human. You're an alien and you come from the planet of cute."
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Annabelle, upon hearing talk of the Superbowl: "so, this bowl, it could save your life, right? What are its powers exactly?" (she was kidding. I think. She's a comedian, this one.)
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Rosalie found a snail outside one day, and brought it to me, wondering where she should put it. I told her to put it on the grass, since snails need green things to live. She did, and I considered the matter over. Only a few minutes later, however, she came back to me, worried and concerned. "mommy, I think the snail is dying!" I quickly reassured her that he would be fine on the grass, but she insisted I come and see. She led me to it and pointed, "see? It's dying!"
I looked. Oh dear. "Um, Rosalie, did you step on it after you put it on the grass?? "
"Yes..."
She wasn't wrong... it was definitely dying. Poor little snail, all smashed to bits.

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Recently, there was an old power plant here in our town that was blown up so they could take it all down. one day we happened to be driving down the road on which it was located, and I made sure to point it out to the girls, since it was kind of a big deal.
As we drove past it, I heard Annabelle say, in a jeering tone, "hey, power plant, you got blown up real good, didn't  you? Yeah. take that." 

.... did my 7-year old seriously just TAUNT an exploded building?

yes. yes she did. 

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We were at the dinner table one night and Rosalie was eating an orange. She looked up at me with a mildly concerned expression and informed me that she had eaten a seed. I quickly responded with "oh, it's ok. it just means you'll grow an orange tree in your tummy, and the branches will come out your mouth and ears." (oh come on, we mamas have to have a little fun teasing sometimes!)
But then I reassured her, "Don't worry honey, nothing bad will happen... seeds need to grow outside of our bodies, where there's dirt and sunshine and water." 

Emma chimed in, "Yeah... but if all you eat is dirt and water and sunshine, then you're in trouble."
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Annabelle, upon overhearing a conversation about digital camera and photographs: "Mommy, what's a mega-pickle?"

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Silly kids of mine. I'm so grateful for how they make me laugh and smile! Sure, they most definitely drive me crazy sometimes....but I wouldn't trade them and their funny little selves for the world.

bathtime with Bennett

As I was going through some of the pictures I had uploaded, intending to use them for blogs, I realized two things: one, I am woefully behind and shall never properly catch up. two, Bennett already looks so much older and less like a baby from these pictures (sobsob, sniffsniff), which were taken maybe three months ago. So, yes, these are old pictures, in baby-time (they grow and change much too quickly)... but I want to use them anyway, because bathtime with him as a baby is one of those things that I want to remember and be able to look back upon here on this blog o' mine.

 

(please pardon the fact that these are all different colors and styles, and all a bit blurry. I just happened to have my phone in there with me, and wasn't about to leave the room for a minute in order to get my better camera, even though our bathroom lighting is less than perfect for phone pictures. Safety first!)

 

This boy loves his bath. Something about being in the water makes him so happy. Silly. Gleeful.

 There are nights when I really can't help but feel like giving him a bath is the last thing I want to do... I'm tired, I'm done, I'm just ready for all the kids to be in bed, it's been a long day. And I'll be honest, he doesn't have a bath every night. But some nights, he desperately needs one (boys, even little boys, can be so dirty and stinky!), and so I'm left with no choice. Into the tub he goes.

 

The really wonderful thing is that as soon as his little bum hits that water and he begins to splash and play and chew on toys and washcloths, I find myself loving bathtime just as much as him. 

 

 

No worries, no cares, no exhaustion, just lots of smiles and giggles and noisy yells of delight (his, not mine). He slaps and splashes the water, he stands up by the edge and we play peekaboo. He gasps and then grins as I pour water over his head, I grin at the sight of his chubby roly-poly thighs and adorable baby bum. (he's really going to love this blog someday, isn't he? Sorry, son.)

 

My very favorite part of bathtime is when I take him out and wrap him in his big blue polka-dot towel, and he snuggles up to my shoulder as I carry him out of the bathroom, his face peeking out from the hood like some little parka-wearing eskimo, his eyelashes still wet and dark, his skin smelling of baby wash. Is there anything more wonderful-smelling than a freshly-bathed baby? I maintain that there is not.

 

 Someday, probably all too soon, he won't be a baby anymore and baths like this will cease to exist. So, until that day, I will enjoy every splash and smile in the tub, even at the end of a long day.

Bathtime with Bennett. It's another one of those funny little things that's good for the soul. :)

oh, children. {Rosalie edition}



Normally, these posts feature all three of my girls, since they all say and do funny, silly things. But just this once, I thought I'd do one only about Rosalie. It's not that she's funnier than Emma or Annabelle, it's just that she's three-almost-four. And that, in case you didn't know, is a rather hilarious age. The things this girl says... oh lordy. She not only keeps me on my toes and drives me to distraction, she also keeps me laughing. I love her little voice throughout my day, and would bottle up all the fun things about this age and keep them forever, if I could. So, here is just a small taste of our Rosalie-roo and the funny she brings into our life.

The girls and I are making no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, and of course the most important part of making any kind of dessert together is the licking of the bowl and spoon at the end. Rosalie grabs the wooden spoon and licks off as much chocolate as she can. As she hands the spoon to one of her sisters, she rolls her eyes in ecstasy, clasps her hands in front of her, and sighs dramatically. "Oh, clock-ett (how she says "chocolate"), you are the best and I love you. Will you please marry me?"

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I'm helping Emma study for a history test, asking her questions to see how much she knows. Rosalie is nearby, having made herself comfortable in a laundry basket (yes, really), listening in to our conversation. Here's how it went.
Me: So, Emma, who founded the city of Detroit?
Emma: Ummm... you mean, like, which type of people, or someone specific?
Me: You know, was it the English, or the French, or the Indians, or...?
Rosalie: ....or the zombies, or the ghosteses (her plural for "ghosts"), or maybe pumpkins. No, no, not pumpkins. They're not really scary.

I'm not quite sure what she thinks Detroit is..... but her idea of history is quite intriguing, you must admit.

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She comes to me, crying. "What's wrong, baby?" I ask.
Through her tears she tells me, "I hurt!" When I ask her specifically where, she says "I think my heart hurts."
"Oh dear," I say, "that sounds serious! Why does it hurt?"
"Well, I might need to go poop."

I'm guessing she meant her stomach. Let's hope so.

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Rosalie is always coming to me and saying things that start with "when I get bigger..." or "when I grow up...". What follows is always sure to be very specific and usually entertaining. Here's just a few:
"....I'm going to wear high heels, like the black kind, and I will walk and it will make the clicking sound."
"...I will wear perfume and smell really good, like a mommy."
"...I'm going to be a fairy. Maybe a garden fairy like Rosetta. And I will dye my hair red."
"...I will ride a horse. Like, a really big one. It will go fast, and I won't even fall off."
"...I'll wear lip gloss whenever I want to, and I won't even need to ask." (the girl looooves her lip gloss.)
"...I'm going to be a princess. And I will have long hair, and always do it in a braid. Because princesses have long hair. Except... when Rapunzel's turned brown. But mine's not brown."
"...I will write letters and use a lot of stamps."
"...I want to grow flowers. And then I will paint them." (I'm thinking this has more to do with wanting to be a garden fairy than an aspiring artist. ha.)

I wish I could remember more of them... almost every day she has a new "when I get bigger" to add to her list. These aren't even the best ones!

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Rosalie likes to sing. In fact, she sings a lot. All day long, little snippets of songs, sometimes whole renditions with their own unique Rosalie twist. One of my personal favorites happened in the van one day on the way home from somewhere. I listened as she sang a very spot-on version of Jingle Bells (and no, this wasn't around Christmas-time), and then couldn't help but burst out laughing at her grand finish:
"....oh what fun it is to ride, in a one-horse open sleigh, CHICKEN NUGGETS!!!!!"

Every once in a while I throw that on the end of a song, just for fun. Try it sometime.

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One day, after we had finished reading our Bible story: "Um, I want to give God a hug. Can I?"

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Rosalie begged for raisins in her oatmeal one morning, since Emma had some. Then she decided after a few bites that no, she didn't like them after all. After proclaiming that they were simply "in her way", she grabbed a nearby piece of paper and pencil and passionately declared "I am going to write in letters that YOU MUST NOT EAT RAISINS!"

So there you have it. It has been declared and written, Rosalie has spoken. Raisins are an awful, evil thing and have now been forbidden.

(she actually really likes raisins and will happily eat a box of them. But apparently when joined with oatmeal, they become horrid and despised. I don't know.)

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Once when we were sitting on the couch I reached over and pinched her nose, just to mess with her. She pushed my hand away and calmly stated, "Mommy. You are going to make all my snot come out."

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That's it for now, as I've sat here racking my brain, trying to remember some of the other countless times she's cracked us up... I wish I would have been better about writing more of them down!

Because, seriously. This child. She's funny, bossy, argumentative, adorable, hilarious, stubborn, cute-as-can-be, sweet, affectionate, cuddly, naughty, loveable, frustrating, clever, and I can't fathom life without her.

And, I might add, thankgoodness for the moments like these that make me laugh with her, for they make everything else totally worth it. Lord knows I need them. :)

noodles and noodles

She always giggles when I say it.

But first things first.

I sit beside her small bed and she leans her curly blonde head against my shoulder as we say our prayers together. Her voice is precious, and so are her words. "thank you God for bless, and thank you for God, and thank you for..." and here she launches into a list of every single family member she can think of, each one with their own special name pronunciation.

She lays back on her purple hippo pillow pet, her tattered blanky under her cheek, and looks at me with those large brown eyes. "Mommy, can we sing?"

I can't say no.

and so, we sing. First, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Then, Jesus Loves Me. She knows every word.

Now, it's time.

I tuck her quilt around her, and I say "Good night, Rosalie-roo, I love you so."

"I love you so" she replies, and a smile begins to appear, because she knows what is coming next.

"Well, I love you oodles and oodles and oodles!"

Her face lights up and there is the giggle. She tries her very best not to laugh as she says "I love YOU noodles and noodles and noodles!

"Oh, really? Well, I love YOU oodles and oodles and oodles and oodles and oodles and oodlesandoodlesandoodlesandoodlesandoodles!"

"That's a LOT!" She is breathless with giggling. But she says it back one more time, always, trying her best not to laugh too hard. "I love you noodles and noodles and noodles and noodles and noodles and noodles!"

I can't help but laugh with her. I brush her hair from her forehead as I say "oh my! That's a LOT!"

She nods emphatically, her eyes wide and her face still lit up.

"Good night, baby."

Another bedtime, another lovely gift. No matter what the day was like, we have bedtime and prayers and singing and giggles and smooches and cuddles and love.

Noodles and noodles and noodles of love.

and just in case you didn't know, that's a LOT!

oh, children. {#3}

I can't believe it's been since October of last year that I posted about the funny things my girls say! Sadly, I know there have been many moments that made us laugh that didn't get written down for this blog, but here is a collection of some of them.

Annabelle is standing at the fridge, playing with some magnets, and Emma comes up behind her, stands for a minute, and then spanks her behind. Annabelle turns, surprised, and Emma politely says, in a thick French accent, "Merci, for letting me spank you. Eet was lovely."

It made the whole thing so classy, that I don't even think Annabelle minded.
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One morning I applied a thick green face mask before I took my shower. Rosalie came into the bathroom, took one look at me and exclaimed, "Mommy, you look like dina-soar!" teehee. Rawr.
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Emma and Annabelle are eating lunch, being their usual silly selves, and I'm listening from the sink, because it's always entertaining, and this is what I hear:
Emma: Guess what, I'm inside an apple right now.
Annabelle: Really?
E: yes, and guess what else. THERE ARE WORMS IN HERE.
A: That's disgusting. You should leave.
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I'm sitting at the table after breakfast, when Rosalie comes running up.
"Mommy, mommy, can I have some ooh-ooh-x-y-z?"
I stare blankly at her, trying to figure out what in the world this might mean.
She points to the mug in my hand. "can I have some? ooh-ooh-x-y-z?"
Then it clicks. "Oh! You want some of my tea? Is that what you mean? Tea?"
She nods. "Yes. T."

I love how in her little brain, it obviously made complete sense. X, Y, and Z are letters. So is T. How could I not understand? Duh, mom. :) (not sure why the ooh-ooh is there, but I'm sure she had a good reason for that too!)
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We had just gotten home from church one Sunday and were walking through the garage to go inside, when Annabelle says, out of the blue:

"so, what's going on with this short ladder?"

There WAS a stepladder she had just walked past. But it was so random, so casual, so completely unexpected and irrelevant, and so FUNNY how she said it that we all burst out laughing. Maybe you had to be there. But trust me. This kid is funny without trying.
Now, "the short ladder" is kind of a running joke around our house!
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One Sunday after church I was asking the girls what they learned about in Sunday school, what they did, were they good girls, etc. Rosalie, who recently joined the youngest class, had to pipe in her share too, of course. "Um, we learned 'bout a baby." Pauses. "Then, we all gave God a hug!"

Naturally. Why, what do you do in Sunday school?
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While shopping, in a store that was quite hot and stuffy, Emma says to me, as she fans her hand in front of her face vigorously: "I am so hot right now that I would happily and in a heartbeat visit the place where the penguins live!"
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When my brother, Uncle Elijah, comes to visit, there are always lots of funny jokes flying around (well, maybe only funny to us... but still.), and the kids especially always have a hilarious time. One afternoon when he had come up for the weekend, and we were trying to convince Rosalie to take a nap, he happened to us the word "nappy-poo." As in, "don't you want to go take a little nappy-poo now?" Coming from him, the older girls thought this was quite amusing.
So, that night at dinner, when going to bed was mentioned, Annabelle looked at her uncle and asked, "Yeah, don't you want to take a little bedtime-poo?"
Just say it out loud. Doesn't have quite the same ring as "nappy-poo", does it??

We laughed a lot. I know, our maturity is astounding.
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Me: "Rosalie, do you want to go somewhere with Mommy tonight while Emma and Annabelle are at AWANA?"
Her, with an excited smile on her face: "Yeah!!!"
She thinks for a moment, her face more serious, and then she lights up again. "Oh!!! Are we going to DISNEYLAND??"

I couldn't help but feel that telling her our destination was, in fact, Target and Yogurtland would be a slight let-down...
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Emma and Annabelle were in the bathroom brushing teeth and combing hair, when I overheard this conversation:
E: Hey, have you ever been to Fairyland and seen all the cupcakes?
A: No, I haven't. But I did go there and I did see Tinkerbell.
E: Well, I went there and saw the cupcakes (there are soooo many of them). But guess what else I saw.
A (eyes wide): What???
E: I saw a BALD Tinkerbell. She had no hair!
A: Oh my goodness. I can't believe that. Are you sure it wasn't just pink or something??
E: Nope. She was definitely bald. I felt bad for her.

I.... have no idea what to say about this. heh.
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These crazy, silly, wild, imaginative, weird, funny kids of mine. What goofy girls I have.

Life with kids.
It's never short on laughter, thank goodness!

snippets.

~it's been three weeks since I last blogged! THREE WEEKS! I could have sworn it was only one or two. hmmm.

~today wraps up our first full week of school. I'm fully worn out, but also very thankful for how well things went. It's so good to feel like we accomplished a lot and are finding our groove. God is good! (and yes, I do plan on blogging more in-depth about the start of our third year of homeschooling. THIRD year! I could have sworn it was only one or two. hmmm.)

~my kids crack me up sometimes. yesterday while Emma and Annabelle were taking a shower they started beat-boxing and rapping. sadly, they seem to have inherited their mother's white-ness. the beat-boxing was followed by their rendition of an operatic aria. oh, beautiful.

~I ate Cap'n Crunch for breakfast this morning!

~my mom is coming to visit on Sunday. and we are very very excited! I miss her, the kids miss her, we all miss her, and we are going to soak her up every minute she's here.

~there's a delicious breeze running through our backyard this morning, that makes me think fall might actually maybe possibly be almost here. oh I hope, I hope, I hope.

~I have no pictures for this post, because every picture I've taken in the last few weeks, except for the ones I'll use for my school post, have been on my cell phone. and I'm too lazy to upload them right now. so. my sincerest apologies.

~my blog page needs a major update... I just realized I've had the same design for at least a year and a half. that's just sad.

~cinnamon rolls. I'm making cinnamon rolls later today. yes.

~I love people. and I love the variety of people God has given me in my life. I'm trying to learn better how to love them all in the biggest and best ways I can.... only by God's grace, of course. Loving isn't always easy, is it?

~my google account won't let me comment at all, not even anonymously, on certain blogs. Quite a lot of them, actually. Now, I'm usually not a great commenter these days anyway, but this little problem has actually stopped me from leaving lots of already-typed-out comments. See? I'm not neglecting you! it's the internet's fault. blame the internet.

~The number of times I yawned while writing this post: 12. I need coffee.

~this: "and let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9. a mantra of mine.

~happy Friday, friends, and may you have a delightful weekend. xoxoxo. :)

Annabelle's Big Show

Dinner was an uproarious affair tonight.
Annabelle especially was in rare form,  and the silliness was off the charts.
Emma, through her laughter, said, "Annabelle, you are hilarious, you should have a tv show!"
Auntie Lydia and I immediately seized upon this idea and began to question our resident funny girl about it.
Me: "So, Annabelle, what will your show be called?"
Annabelle: "It will be called the Crazy Wild Annabelle Show!"
Lydia: "And what will you do on your tv show?"
A: "I'm gonna do all sorts of wild and crazy stuff, like run and dance and sing and just be crazy."
M: "What song will you sing?"
A: "The crazy wild song!"
L: "Not everything on your show can be called crazy wild, you know."
A: "Ok, then I'll sing Beauty and the Beast."
L: "Will you have guest stars on your show? And who will they be? Can I come on your show?"
A: "Yes, you can! You will drink coffee on my show." It should be noted that Lydia does love her coffee.
Emma: "And me, can I be on your show?"
A: "Yes! You will be the crazy wild dancer."
E: "I'd rather be the beautiful dancer. but.... ok. Or maybe I could just dance beautifully to the crazy version of Beauty and the Beast and just look surprised."
A: "Ok. And Rosalie can be on the show too, and she will just sleep all the time, all day long and all morning and all night." It should be noted that Rosalie does not really sleep that much.
M: "What about me? Can I be on your show too?"
A: "Yes. You will just eat a lot, all the time, on the show." It should be noted that I do like to eat. But still. Really.
M: "........."
L: laughs in my face. meanie.
M: "Ok, so tell me, where is your show going to be?"
A: "Um, on the tv, of course!" Silly me.
M: "No, I mean, like, where are you going to be when you make it? Where is it going to be filmed?"
A: "At the making factory!"
L: "Well of course. And where is that? Hollywood?"
A: "No! At the movie theater. Behind the movies."
M: "Oh! You mean behind the movie screens where you watch? Is that where they make movies?"
A: "Yeah! That's where my show is going to be. And then we can watch it on the theater."

I'll be sure to let you all know when The Crazy Wild TV Show, fresh from the making factory, and starring our very own Annabelle, comes to a movie theater near you.

You won't want to miss it.

ten things.

one. Hi there!! Happy Wednesday to you, dear person!

first things first, you know.

Also, I should warn you that this post is entirely and completely random, with no semblance of order or proper segues whatsoever.

two. Annabelle is sick today. And while she is a poor sad little creature (she's hardly ever sick), and I feel badly for her of course (sick kids always make a mother's heart sad), I must say that today has been just what we needed. I cancelled all of my piano lessons, we stayed in our pj's and cuddled and watched movies on the couch, Emma and I did schoolwork while Annabelle slept, and I won't be rushing off to choir tonight. Usually Wednesdays are rush rush rush from one thing to the next, and today simply wasn't that way. A nice change of pace. Now if only my little pixie wasn't sick, it would have been perfect...

three. my brother Elijah sent me a box from Afghanistan which I received on Valentine's Day. Inside were SEVENTEEN beautiful hand-made scarves he bought over there. If you know me at all, you know how I love scarves, and the fact that these were from another country? and handmade? and from my little brother whom I miss dreadfully? Well, let's just say I was thrilled. absolutely thrilled. They're so lovely and gorgeous, and I love them all.

just a few of my favorites from the bunch.

four. that same brother gets to come home in LESS THAN A MONTH!! He's been in Afghanistan for nearly six months now, as a contracting officer for the Air Force, and I've been able to speak to him all of one time since he's been there. I haven't actually seen him since July of 2009. I miss him. A lot. I'm SOOOOO EXCITED TO SEEEEE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no, really, this sort of excitement merits capitalization and many exclamation points. Trust me.

five. When I fold laundry, I stack all of the bigger girls' underwear in their respective piles. Rosalie's new favorite thing to do is come along and take each of those pairs of underwear and put them on, one by one. Last night when I picked her up to put her in her seat for dinner, she had on no less than 12 pairs of underwear.

I'm not even sure how she managed that.

six. Confession: I am addicted to the show Psych. Shawn and Gus are one of my favorite duos of all time. Watching an episode on Netflix is the perfect little comedic indulgence while I fold laundry. They always make me laugh. "My name is Shawn Spencer, and this is my partner, Ovaltine Jenkins." Classic.

seven. My sister is getting married in thirty days! Not only am I so excited for that fact alone, but this also means I will be seeing all of my family (ALL of them!) in less than thirty days! happy dance!

eight. this:

she loves to draw on herself.

nine. and this:

this is the silly pose I got when I asked her to smile. hehe.

ten. and finally, last but not least, this:

blurry, but oh-so-darling. She was looking at family pictures and got really excited!

and voil`a! with those three (taken yesterday, when Annabelle wasn't a sickie), there's your cuteness dose for the day. tr`es bien.

eleven. (what. I felt like adding one more.) I like French. Someday I would like to learn how to speak it.

bonjour, mon ami. je m`appelle Claude. oui.

the end!

Rosalie-roo, the all-in-one amazing animal zoo!

This kid knows her animal noises... I just had to get them all on video. oh the cuteness. :)


Untitled from Talia Bridgman on Vimeo.

oh, children {#2}

It's been a few months since I've written about the funny things my girls say and do. For the tickling of your funny bone, here is a sampling. And in case you missed it, here's #1.

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Emma was playing dress-up in her fairy wings and I noticed her trying to get outside through our sliding glass doors... and I had told her only minutes before that we weren't playing outside this afternoon, because it was simply too hot. So I stopped her again. She turns and looks at me, saying "But I HAVE to go outside, because I'm a sunshine fairy, and I NEED to make the sun rise!" Well then. What could I say to that? Carry on, daughter. I'd hate to think of some poor soul sitting in the dark somewhere simply because I wouldn't let you go outside.

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(just for the record, Emma will most likely hate me for this one if she happens to ever read my blog while wistfully looking back on her childhood. Hi Emma, I'm sorry. You'll thank me someday.) I found her looking quite distressed, standing in the middle of the living room. "What's wrong, honey?" She hesitates for a moment and then says "Well, it just seems like my undies are always giving me wedgies and I don't really know what to do about it."

I must say, one can hardly blame her for her perplexity. Such a dilemma.

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Annabelle comes running down the hallway, half-naked. "Light the candle, Mommy, I've gotta go pooooop!!" (again, she'll thank for me this later. I'm sure.)

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A question, posed to me by Emma: "When Gilbert (our cat) grows up, what will he be? A lion, or a tiger?" Imagine how disappointed she was when I had to tell her that housecats simply stay housecats, and don't "grow up" to become majestic beasts.

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While the girls were eating lunch (and being silly as usual), I was listening to them and couldn't help but laugh when I overheard Emma. "I'm having a really yummy dream right now. Do you see it floating up here above my head in a bubble??" She gestures vaguely with her hand. "Right now, I'm sliding down a banana, and you (Annabelle) are stuck inside of an orange. And there's a happy plum who's laughing." Seriously. This kid's imagination!

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One day, when Emma and Annabelle were playing, Emma did something which very much upset her little sister. I can't even remember what it was, but I do know that what followed was slightly over-dramatic.
Emma: "Annabelle, I'm really sorry. Look, if we do this instead it's ok."
Annabelle: "NO! it's not ok."
Emma: "No, really, look! See, this is just as good."
Annabelle: "No no NO! It's NOT good! Nothing will EVER be good AGAIN!" This emphatic statement was accompanied by hands thrown in the air followed quickly by her throwing all 26 pounds of herself face-down onto the floor.
Clearly, whatever had happened was completely, utterly, and irrevocably earth-shattering. THE HORROR.

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And then, there's this:

It rained today, really rained today, for the first time in a long time. It didn't take Rosalie long at all to discover the large puddle in our backyard and the joy that it contained. Hooray for rain and puddles!

several things: one. I don't know WHY I sound like Darth Vader in videos. Note to self: STOP BREATHING. two: I don't usually laugh like a maniac. Sorry. three: Rosalie is wearing a cloth diaper... her booty is NOT usually that large. But I kinda love it, I'm not going to lie. :)

Children are, without a doubt, good for the soul. hehe.

A date with Emma and Annabelle.

Since we didn't start school this Monday after all (our books didn't get here in time for me to be properly prepared), I decided to take advantage of a free morning and go on a mommy/daughter date with my two older girls. It'd been so long since we'd been anywhere without littlest sister... generally, we love to have her along wherever we are, but truth be told, she does make some things rather difficult to do. And, she can be rather demanding of attention. You know, like when she's running off every fifteen seconds and mommy literally needs to chase her down...
Don't feel too badly for Miss Rosalie at being left out of our venture, though... we dropped her off at Auntie Jessica's, where her sweet Auntie and cousins played with her, loved on her, and spoiled her to her little heart's content. I would say she had a pretty nice morning herself!

And so, now toddler-free, Emma, Annabelle, and I headed off for a morning of big-girl activities. Our first stop was Mimi's Cafe, for some yummy muffins, fresh and hot from the oven.


Once we were settled with our delicious treat, I decided it might be fun to conduct some interviews with these older girls of mine.
disclaimer: since I hadn't really planned this out, these questions were off the top of my head. It's harder than you'd think to be a good interviewer! :)

Annabelle Grace's Interview. age 4 1/2

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy.
Why do you want to be a mommy? Because you're a mommy.
How many kids do you want to have? Ummm... Three.
How come you don't want to have 10?? Cuz that would be tooooo many!!
Who do you want to marry? Dowen. (a boy about her age at our church) Because he is so silly.
What do you think it means to be married? I don't know. To have a husband?
What sort of things do you want to do with your husband someday? We're going to go on a date. With our kids. To Wendy's.
Do you think you'll be in love? With what??
A boy, of course! Ummm, yes! To Dowen. And we'll tickle our kids.
Where do you want to live when you grow up? Probably a house.
What's your favorite thing about being a kid? Dressing up.
What's your favorite thing to dress up as? A swan princess! In Emma's wedding dress.
Do you wish you could be a real princess? Noooo, a mommy!!
What's your favorite kind of food? Pizza, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti.
What's your favorite color? Yellow and purple and magenta and pink!
Do you like being a big sister? Ah-huh!! Because sometimes I get to watch Rosalie. I hold her hand so she won't fall.
Do you like being a little sister? Why? Yeah! So I can play.
What's your favorite thing about Emma? She helps me pick up our room. She plays with me.
What's your favorite thing about Rosalie? Tickling her! And spitting on her tummy.
Do you love God? Why? Yeah. Because He is the best. He can do the most great things.
Where would you like to go on an adventure? Ummm. A trip. To Grandma Horner's house.
What's your favorite nonsense word? klingklongcoffee!!

And then she dissolved into giggles.

Emma Joy's Interview. age 6 1/2

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to work at a restaurant, making sub sandwiches and soup. My restaurant will be called SoupSubs.
Do you think you want to have kids too? No, because I'm too scared it will hurt when they come out.
So you don't want to be a mommy? Well, I DO. I just don't want to HAVE babies.
How many kids do you want? Just two, maybe?
How come YOU don't want to have ten kids?? Umm, I think that's too many. It would be so much for me to deal with... what if they were all naughty at the same time??
Who do you want to marry someday? I don't know right now. I'll pick later.
What do you think it means to be married? That we get to have wedding cake! and food!
What sort of things would you like to do with your husband someday? We would go on a trip to the beach, just the two of us. Actually, maybe to Disneyland.
What's your favorite thing about being a kid? Going on mommy dates! I mean, mommy-daughter dates.
Where do you want to live when you grow up? The beach is really nice.
What's your favorite thing to do in school? I like to do science!
What's your favorite thing to dress up as?  Fairies and princesses.
If you could be a real fairy, what kind of fairy would you be? I would be a flower fairy. Not a light fairy, because then I might have to touch the sun.
What's your favorite kind of food? Coffee cake muffins, peaches, and nectarines.
What's your favorite color? Purple and pink and ocean blue. And, coral red!
Do you like being a big sister? Why? Mmhmm!! Because I get to hold Rosalie and cuddle her when she watches Baby Einstein. And I get to play with Annabelle.
What's your favorite thing about Rosalie? She has the cutest laugh.
What's your favorite thing about Annabelle? That she sings a lot.
Do you love God? Why? Yes! Because He gives us blessings. And opportunities to work and play.
Where would you like to go on an adventure? To the rainforest, I think, because it's pretty.
Tell me a joke. Knock Knock. Who's there? orange juice! Orange juice who? My orange juice should be called yellow juice because it's actually yellow!
What's your favorite nonsense word? Do you actually know how to spell a nonsense word? Ok, mine is Shooshakooky!

And then she dissolved into giggles too. (I think the combination of that rip-roaring good joke and such a satisfying nonsense word would have been enough to do anyone in.)

By this time we were done with those huge muffins, so we strolled over to Barnes and Noble across the way. We browsed the puzzles and games, and wandered among the shelves of children's books, finally selecting a few to sit and read together there on a bench.

Once we had delved into the worlds of a pink fairy princess and Lady-Bug Girl, I told them they could each pick out one book to buy and take home. This required much careful consideration and deliberation, but eventually they reached a decision. A fairy chapter book for Emma, a pony book for Annabelle.


I'm so grateful for the sweet time I had with these daughters of mine. They are growing and changing every single day, and I'm realizing more and more in the craziness that is life how important it is to take the time to really be with them. To talk, and ask questions, and laugh together, and simply enjoy their wonderfully unique selves as they are in this very moment. They won't always be 4 1/2 and 6 1/2... someday they'll be 5 and 7, and 12 and 14, 16 and 18, and then someday they'll be women. But right now, they're still little girls.


My little girls. I was reminded once again, after our lovely morning together, just how blessed I am. To get to be mother to these two? It's amazing, even when it's not easy. Spending this time with them gladdened my heart and refreshed me, and I came away praying with renewed zeal that God would make me a blessing to them as they are to me, that He would help me be the best mommy I could ever be for these girls and their little sister. That I will willingly pour not only my time and sacrifice, but also my heart and soul and prayers into loving and teaching them every day of their lives. 

And I hope that someday, they will look back on this mommy-daughter date and the many others I hope to have with the same joy and fondness that I will.

And I hope that they will know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, just how beloved they really and truly are.

you can't help but giggle too.

Here is a video for you all to watch, my lovelies. A video, in which...

...I say the same thing about 700 times in a voice that can only be described as... annoying?-- yes, I think that's the right word-- and act like a fool. (the things we do to make our children laugh!)
...you will see just how messy my living room is at the end of the day. It's not pretty.
...Rosalie laughs so hard that it makes me happy-smile with joy every time I see it.

And so, who cares about me, who cares about my living room. Just watch it for the giggles. :)



What a delight this girl is. Bless her little heart.

oh, children.

Just for funsies, here's a few of the funny things I've been writing down about my girls over the past few months. If nothing else, kids are at least entertaining. :)

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I was listening to Emma and Annabelle eat lunch at the table while I caught up on some things in the kitchen-- they have a tendency to get very silly at meal-time. It bugs me since it takes them FOREVER to get done, but, it is amusing. Today, however, they were eating nicely and calmly. I was so proud of my little well-mannered girls. Then, out of the blue, Emma turns to Annabelle and says "So, did you ever do anything about that broccoli growing out of your armpits?" This was followed of course by wild hilarity on both their parts. It was all down-hill from there.

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While coloring at the bar, Emma looks up at me and says "Mommy, when I grow up, I'm going to be an expert." I can't help but wonder if she meant on everything in general, or...??

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One evening I took a trip to Wal-mart with Emma and Annabelle, and as we were checking out the lady who had been ringing us up closed her register. As soon as she had handed me my receipt she was out of there... I hadn't even put my bags in my cart yet. I was doing just that as the girls were talking to each other when Annabelle stops mid-sentence and asks me "Hey, where did the booper girl go??" I was amused, and asked her, "The booper girl? What do you mean?" She replies, "You know... because she makes all the things go boop! boop! boop!" Imagine the "boops" in a high little Annabelle voice. Incredibly cute.

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I was sitting here at the computer one afternoon while Rosalie busily toddled around here and there and everywhere. Soon, I noticed that after every trip down the hall she had something in her mouth. The first thing I did was to make sure it was nothing she shouldn't have in her mouth, of course, and my next investigation was to see from where she was getting it... turns out the sneaky little thing had gotten into the cereal cupboard, taken a box of honey bunnies down the hall, and proceeded to dump it onto the floor of her room. Nice. On the bright side, going back and forth from her bedroom to the living room for each individual piece of cereal kept her busy for quite some time!

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One morning while out in the van, Emma got my attention. "Look, mommy, that cloud looks like an alcohol glass!" Ummm... A what?? I was pretty sure she must have meant something entirely different and just said it wrong, so I took a peek at the sky where she was pointing. And wouldn't you know, there was a cloud that was shaped almost exactly like a martini glass with a stir stick! Aside from being amazed at this fact (a cloud that looks like a martini glass? how cool is that?), I also wondered if I should be concerned that my 6-year old daughter recognizes a martini when she sees one. Hmmm.

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Overheard: Annabelle, speaking to her little sister (in her special high-pitched only-for-Rosalie voice): "You're just the cutest! yeah, the cutest! and your butt is so nice! I just love your butt! I'm going to kiss it! yeah! I'm gonna kiss your little butt!"

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That's it for now, but I have a feeling that this sort of post might have to become a regular feature here on my blog... it's such a great way to remember their funny little selves the way they are right now.

oh, children. I love them.

she's on to me.

We recently bought a kiddie pool for the backyard, so that the girls would be able to do SOMETHING outside in this heat. It's a good thing, a NECESSARY thing, to be able to send them out for some fun (and to get them out of the house) without them roasting to death in our oven of a backyard. I simply can't stand having my kids running around the house all. day. long. It's too much craziness for me-- they're kids, and they need to expend some energy, but I'd prefer they not do it inside! However, I have a love/hate relationship with kiddie pools... yes, they're great for keeping the kids entertained, but they are also a huge PAIN. The water gets so dirty so quickly, the sides start to form algae... you get the picture. And then Mommy has to empty all the water out (usually using a bucket since it's too heavy to dump), hose the whole thing off, and refill it again. Not my favorite thing to have to spend time doing.

Anyway, this morning the pool had reached that point and I hadn't yet gotten around to cleaning it out. Emma and Annabelle were, of course, wanting to go swimming today, and they were asking me every five minutes when their pool would be ready for them again. I finally told them I would get to it when I get to it and would you PLEASE stop bugging me about it, thankyouverymuch.

And Emma, who is always ready with a response, came back with this:

"But Mommy, you SAID that we could go swimming EVERY SINGLE DAY, so we don't make you go insane."

oops... did I say that out loud?

this girl, she knows me well. :)