July 30, 2010
Terri
Allison is really into calling me by first name lately. Sometimes she'll start off with a "Mommy" and then escalate into "Terri" if she doesn't get a response. My mom thinks it's funny since I did the same thing to her. The big difference is I was a teenager and Allison is 2. Oh, and to add insult to injury, Allison calls Ms. Brenda (the lady who watches her) Mom.
Good thing I'm not sensitive about stuff like that. Plus, the way she says "Terri" is super cute, it's kinda like "Tear-EEE!".
Posted by terri at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
vanity
The anomalies of a 6 year old male...
Lately Quinn has been very self conscience of having a clean face. Before getting out of the car, he'll ask "Is my face clean? Do I have anything on it?" and make sure I attentively check his front and profile views. It's seemed most obvious to me when I'm dropping him off at Kumon, so maybe he's got a little crush on someone? He has also declared he no longer likes donuts because "they are too messy". He had a "handsome" moment in the bathroom mirror the other night, followed by closer inspection to see if a red mark (kid pimple?) had gone away. It had, whew...
Now keep in mind, this is the same boy that comes out of the bathroom with his pants pulled up all twisted, shirt half stuck in his shorts.
Perhaps his vanity is starting from the top and slowly working it's way down? LOL
Posted by terri at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2010
the dream of perfect attendance
Quinn discovers tonight that we are "making" him miss two days of school for a short trip to Myrtle Beach:
Q: "WHAT? I'm going to miss school days? AGAIN?!?"
Me: "You are only going to miss two days. I'll talk to Mrs. Baucom and we'll take your work with us."
Q: [after a short silent treatment] "Can you just promise me that when I'm in 2nd grade I can go to school EVERY DAY and you won't do this to me another time?!?"
No parenting awards for us this year...
Posted by terri at 12:46 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2010
song critic
In the car with Allison tonight I was singing "Zippity Do Dah" loud and probably obnoxiously off key when I hear from the back seat
"top it. TOP IT!"
Me: "Did you just tell me to stop it?"
Allison: "Thank you"
LOL
Posted by terri at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2010
Art Camp
A chat with Allison as I was getting her ready for bed this evening:
Me: "Did you have a good day?"
Allison: "YEAH!"
Me: "What was the most fun"
Allison: "CAMP!"
Me: paused and puzzled because she didn't go to 'camp' today...
Allison: "DUCK!" as she mimes painting.
Me: duh... we went to the Clay Studio where Quinn took art camp. She never actually went to drop off or pickup so I didn't expect her to get any correlation, but my was she proud of herself for having gone to 'camp'. That's either really cute or pathetic... or probably both... poor thing!
For the record she was a NIGHTMARE at the pottery place. She worked hard decorating a plate until "accidentally" dropping it on the floor (when I turned my back for literally less then a minute to help Quinn). To keep her entertained while Quinn finished up she moved onto a ducky. Let me just say it's going to be a 'colorful' ducky. Then she saw Quinn doing handprints on his plate so of course she HAD to do a[nother] plate WITH handprints. In between painting the two plates and duck she painted the table, tray, her clothes and mine. Her arms were pretty messy too but I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt that that was avoidable for a 2 year old.
While we were there a set of grandparents and grown grandchildren were commenting how fun and relaxing it is to decorate pottery (this was before Allison broke the plate). I was sure we (Allison) were annoying everyone in the store but on our way out the grandmother called out to me "Thank you so much for bringing them in. They are so precious. It made my day.". That made me feel a ton better but I'm still not taking Allison back to another pottery place until she's at least 5!
Posted by terri at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
already preparing me for an empty nest?
We picked up Quinn's sculptures (from Art Camp) today and he informed me on the way home "I made one for you so you can keep it and remember me when I don't live with you anymore."
I can't bear the thought... what will I do when that day finally comes around. Especially since he also informed that he is going to live by Theo Billy (in Santa Monica, CA). Or if that doesn't work out, in Florida by Mickey's house (Disney World).
Posted by terri at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
too much reality tv
Yes, it's true... I've scarred my kids...
On the way home this evening:
Quinn: "Mom, do you want to be on TV?"
Me: "No"
Quinn: "I am. That's how you make a lot of money. I'm going to have 10 or maybe 15..."
Me: "15 what?"
Quinn: [in a condescending voice] "kids! that's how you can get on TV. actually, maybe 23. You know baby Josie is sick because she came early... not because her mom had too many kids. i'll just have my life (aka wife) keep my babies in day longer then she did."
Sidebar: too much "Jon and Kate Plus 8" or "19 kids and counting"? You think?!?
And now for Allison...
Allison's favorite show is "Raising sextuplets" which is about sextuplets (duh) that are about 1/2 a year older then her but probably about her age in the episodes we are seeing. She LOVES it and asks for it all the time. She calls it "babies".
Posted by terri at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2010
God bless poop butt
I always end bedtime prayers with "God bless: " and Allison fills in the blank. She does a pretty thorough job covering her extended family and friends. Tonight right after mentioning Quinn she said "pooh bah"... it took me a second to try and figure out the translation and then I repeated "Boohbah?" (a character that Quinn was nuts about but whom she doesn't really know). Her reply "uh-uh". Hmmm... oh.... no... "Did you say Poop Butt?"! Allison with her eyes glimmering and her mischievous grin fully spread across her face "Uh huh!".
I guess that's just how things go when you have a 6 year old brother. So for any Poop Butts out there... you are protected for tonight.
Posted by terri at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
wrinkles
Quinn is drawing a really detailed face on a punching balloon. He asks "Now what am I missing? Let me take a good look at your face." After a studied glance at my face, he goes "oh, I need these thingies." as he proceeds to draw wrinkles along the forehead of the balloon face. I don't remember laughing so hard. Aging with an artist in the house is going to be fun... but maybe not the best for my self esteem :-)
Posted by terri at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2010
No Shop!
So, at least at this moment, Allison doesn't appear to be very into shopping. On our way out of the mall last night (for our anniversary dinner and stop by the new toy store) I took the kids through a shortcut via Sears. Allison started freaking out as soon as we were about to enter the store. "No Shop! No Shop!..." It was quite funny, especially since she hasn't really been to the mall very often (she's a HORRIBLE shopper). Well come to think of it, she has been on some marathon trips to Kohl's, so ok, maybe it WAS justified... I will note that she seems to really enjoy the baby girls clothes section at target. She loves to grab clothes for herself and seems to really favor them once we get them home. I'll have to put up another post about the bikini she picked out and LOVES.
I transgress, back to the story...
So we make our way through Sears with a quick stop to check out their pajamas for Q and A when we notice some little girl outfits that come with matching baby doll dresses. Allison was mildly interested but Quinn was insistent that we get at least one. He nagged insistently during a lengthy pit stop to the restroom (potty training is fun) and so I relented (no real surprise). He wanted to buy all 4 variations but I was able to get away with getting just one after I pointed out that the other 3 were not EXACT matches. The differences were insanely insignificant but enough to sway him and his OCD :)
Posted by terri at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2010
thank you
Allison: "peeing!" (independently on the potty)
Me (to Allison): "You're awesome baby!"
Allison: "Thank you"
lol
Posted by terri at 06:10 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2010
the value of money
I thought we were doing a better job at teaching Quinn the value of money and that it doesn't always just magically appear. He now has various ways of earning money and most often is required to use his own money if he wants to purchase something. Today's conversation makes me question if maybe we are paying out a little too generously?
Quinn: "We need to buy Kyle Disney Silly Bands. He wants some."
Me: "Sure, if you want to buy them with your money."
Quinn: "How much are they?"
Me: "$5"
Quinn: "WHAT? Five dollars? That's SO EASY? Just five dollars? Really?!?"
*Note*: If you don't know what Silly Bands are consider yourself lucky :-)
Posted by terri at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2010
sick and loving it
Allison has been running pretty high fevers for the last 2 days/nights. She isn't really acting too sick, in fact she seems to be relishing all the attention. Last night she ended up in our bed for most of the night and took turns sleeping on Jason and then me. This morning Quinn came in looking for some cuddles and she threw a major fit. She didn't want him on the bed or anywhere near us. She's a jealous little thing.
Posted by terri at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
our little charmer
You know when Allison is about to do something wrong... she turns and gives you this huge, charming smile - complete with batting of the eyelashes.
... oh my are we in trouble!
Posted by terri at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
who loves you?
I think this is so funny:
Me to Allison: "Who loves you?"
Allison: "Me!"
Me: "Who else loves you?"
Allison: "Mommy!" (followed by Daddy then Quinn).
It's always the same. I guess she feels she loves herself the most. I suppose that's a good thing?
Posted by terri at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
my 6 year old teenager
I recently bought Quinn this video recorder that can also play mp3's. He had a lot of fun making videos while he waited for us to get some music uploaded. Since then he's been inseparable from it. You can find him just hanging out on the couch listening to "his" music and of course whenever we are in the car. On the way out of the pool yesterday he was singing and bopping along to it (quite loudly). It was so cute but also seemed to be a peak into the not so distant future when we would be tuned out more then we are tuned in.
Posted by terri at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
booking
Allison has a least 20 books gathered around her. When I asked her what she was doing she replied "booking". Maybe that should be a new word for pre-readers :-)
Posted by terri at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
June 01, 2010
lego builder
Quinn declared today that he is going to be a lego builder when he grows up. I thought that was pretty cool since that is also what I wanted to be when I was younger. When I explained to him that lego architects have to live in Germany. He told me he is going to make a new job then. He will work at a lego store by my house and people can pay him to build their legos for them. It's for dads or kids who don't like to do the building. He will even design special things if they ask him to.
Posted by terri at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2010
electronicals
Jason called to tell us he had landed but the call didn't connect and so I kept saying "hello, hello, ...". When I finally gave up and hung up Quinn said: "He's on the airplane. I bet they told him to turn off all his electronicals." lol
Posted by terri at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)
God bowling
We had crazy thunderstorms this weekend - some of the most intense I think I've ever been through. I mentioned to the kids that my mom used to tell me that Thunder was just God bowling in Heaven. The next day as the storms started back up again, Allison turned to me and pointed upwards out the window and said "God. Bowling." It was so cute :-)
Posted by terri at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
miracles
Eavesdropping while Quinn was helping Allison put on her shoes this morning:
Quinn: "Do you know what a miracle is?"
Allison: "uh uh"
Quinn: "It's something really special. Don't worry you'll know when one happens to you."
Posted by terri at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2010
hi... Baboo?
So for some reason Allison is really into Baboo right now. I've heard this same conversation numerous times coming from the play room:
Allison's imaginary conversation on my old cell phone:
"ello?"
"hi"
"Baboo?"
"uh huh"
"vv you"
[kiss]
"bye!"
[snaps the phone closed]
[repeat]
Posted by terri at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
Chicago girl
Jason leaves today for Vegas so I told Allison to go say goodbye to Daddy since he was going on the airplane. She shook her head and pointed to herself.
So I asked her "Who's going on the airplane?"
Allison: "Me" (while raising her hand)
Me: Where are you going?
Allison: "Fly"
Me: Where to?
Allison: gibberish that kinda sounded like "go"
Me: Are you going to Chicago?
Allison: YEAH!
Me: Who are you going to see?
Allison: Baboo!
Posted by terri at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
stealth escape artist
Allison discovered last night that there's nothing physically keeping her in her bed anymore. Usually she goes down fairly easy but for some reason last night she had a really hard time falling asleep. After 3 trips downstairs she finally fell asleep on the couch.
I'm hoping this was a one time deviation but I guess time will tell...
Posted by terri at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2010
sassy but grateful
Yesterday I had the luxury of going to Target kid-free. So I brought back little treats for everyone... smoothies for all, tickets for Quinn, and 4 colorful nail polishes for Allison. Allison's reaction was the best.
[huge mouth-wide open gasp of glee]
"ank You!"
And then she ran over and gave me a big hug.
Posted by terri at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2010
survivor finale
I got a chuckle from this. When they came back all cleaned up for the winner reveal on Survivor Quinn said half to himself...
"Wow, Parvati looks really pretty"
I think this might be his first non-blonde crush :-)
Posted by terri at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2010
"Yeah" we've got confirmation!
"Yeah" That's Allison's new word. It has taken forever to get her to say yes - previously it was an emphatic head shake. Now it's so cute when she says "Yeah!".
Other favorites:
"Do it" [means "I want to do it myself"]
"See it" [means "I see it"... usually a park, Quinn's school, or McDonalds]
"I... WUV... MOMMY!" [she also does other family members - both immediate and extended but this one is my favorite]
"afroom" [bathroom]
"GO!" [means keep rubbing her leg/belly/foot]
"TWO!" [in response to "How old are you Allison?"]
"Baby!" [anytime she sees someone 3 and younger]
"Mine!" [especially with the look she usually gives when saying it... like I dare you to challenge me...]
"tinky" [means "stinky" and is said for numerous reasons... someone's breath, public restrooms, hard boiled eggs, Daddy after he's been running,...]
when she sings her ABC's. I really need to video that one. It's adorable.
when she says prayers. she is very good about reminding us to pray before every meal and insists on full participation from everyone. she kinda mumbles along to our mealtime prayer. At bedtime she likes to holler out names when we get to the "God bless xxx..." part. She usually starts out with Caleb or Yia-Yia but gets everyone in there plus a couple of friends. Josh is a friend favorite right now.
Posted by terri at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
It's official... I'm the best mom ever... lol
I'm going to log this for those days in the not so far off future when I don't have a sweet 6 year old adoring me...
Tonight as Quinn was headed into bed he declared:
"You are the best mom EVER. If I didn't have you for a mom I would cry every day."
Posted by terri at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2010
IL vacation summary
As recited to me by Quinn on 5-6-10:
I went on vacation. I had fun at my Yia-Yia's house. I played with my uncles. We had fun. Theo Billy, Baboo, and Theo Jimmy helped me build legos. We had to break it when we went home. Theo Billy and Theo Jimmy went to Chuck E Cheese with me. Baboo did not go there. Theo Billy and Theo Jimmy helped me win a lot of tickest. Enough to get a exterminator (Terminator) mask. Theo Jimmy went to the museum with me. It was so much fun. After all that stuff Mommy, me and Allison went on the airplane. We saw daddy and we hugged him. Then I played at home. When I woke up I went to school.
Posted by terri at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2010
I wuv...
Not all car rides are fun with Allison but the ones where she chants
"I... wuv... MOMMY!"
are the best!!!
Posted by terri at 09:38 AM | Comments (1)
You know you are potty training when...
There's a wet spot on the carpet and you can no longer automatically blame the dog. ugh!
Posted by terri at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
back to infinity
Quinn: "Mom, what's your favorite number?"
Me: "Five"
Quinn: "Mine is infinity. Cause it's the biggest"
Me: "Oh, I forgot mine is infinity plus one"
Quinn: pauses with a look on his face indicating that I've completely blown his mind. He quickly recovers and with that twinkle back in his eye says "Well actually mine is infinity plus INFINITY."
Posted by terri at 09:19 AM | Comments (1)
knock knock jokes with Allison
While killing time on the potty...
Me: Knock Knock
Me: [say "Who's there?"]
Allison: Who Er?
Me: Orange
Me: [say "orange who"]
Allison: Eat it! (said enthusiastically while doing her mime gestures of putting something in her mouth)
Posted by terri at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
