Out of the mouths of babes--January

This month's edition is sparse.  And you could call it "The Whitney Show."  I didn't get a single quip from Brandon.  Hope you enjoy 5-year-old girl humor.  

1/10--At church today, Whit was sitting between Caroline and another adorable baby girl.  She said, "I'm surrounded by babies!"  Then paused and added, "I like babies."  Phew.  For a second there, it sounded like she was frightened.

1/11--Whit has a couple of imaginary friends.  There is a butterfly named Pinto and a miniature pony, also named Pinto.  She visits with them in her closet and sometimes in their "underground playhouse."  Today she told me, "My necklace is my iPod charger.  It's a clear iPod, so you can't see it.  Pinto's clear, too.  But if you whistle, he'll land on your finger." 

Pinto is smaller and less visible than this horse

1/11--W was playing on the computer this afternoon.  She gets very impatient if things don't load immediately when she clicks.  I was asking her to be patient and said, "Just wait a second.  It's thinking."  She said, "Computers can't think!"

1/17--Whit was talking to daddy before her bath tonight.  She was using her dreamy voice and said, "I love everybody in the world.  But I love Jesus and my family the most.  And I DON'T love Satan.  I don't like him one bit."

 

Loves her brother!

And everyone else.

Except Satan.

1/20--Caroline can be such a little badger.  While I wasn't looking, she managed to grab a clementine off the counter.  How do I know?

Because I found these peels on the floor.

And juice on my piano bench.

 

Oh, and she decided to share her spoils with Elmo.

Hope he likes citrus!

1/22--We went out for ice cream after dinner tonight.  Whit spilled some on her shirt.  When I mentioned the spot to her, she said, "That's not ice cream.  It's a birthmark."

Does Tide remove birthmarks?

1/30--Deep thoughts by Whitney: "Bread is toast...but colder."

Bonus Brandon pics

Self-portrait at his Dad's basketball game

Working on a science experiment for cub scouts.

 

Received 4 belt loops, a pin, and a golden arrow at pack meeting.

Way to go, B-train!

Bonus Caroline pics

Learning to dress up at a YOUNG age

Learns new words every day.

Her latest favorites:  Collin, orange, Mia, baby, Cuca,

a bar (for granola bars), and she calls her 

Baby Einstein videos "Two Apples"

Also this month, she learned the words "candy" and "money."

She knows exactly what they mean and uses them frequently.

We may have another Brandon on our hands.

Wanted: The other 49 socks

You've got to be kidding me.

How does this happen?

These are the contents of my "missing sock" basket on top of the dryer.

This was AFTER I had done all the laundry in the house

and matched every pair I could find.

Seriously, where do they end up?

Profile 2010: Me

Andrea 

Since I'm the blog author, my personality, quirks and opinions are scattered throughout my posts.  But it didn't seem right to leave myself out of the profiles, either.  So here we go.

Age:  32

Grade:  19th?

Is really good at:  having fun

Wishes she were better at:  disciplining my kids without getting mad at them

Favorite treat:  cheesecake

Favorite meal:  Grandma Cuca's chicken and rice served with beans and homemade tortillas

Best things about staying home:  getting to play with Caroline while the big kids are at school; experiencing B's and W's classrooms through volunteering; watching them run home from the bus to tell me about their days; meeting Andrew for lunch once a week.

Favorite pastimes:  reading blogs and books (latest favorite--Hunger Games); playing Singstar with Andrew when the kids are in bed;watching LOST, Survivor, and SYTYCD; hot tubbing (never thought I'd say that, but it's true!); taking a bazillion pictures of my kids; and my newest favorite:  bike riding

Favorite smell:  clean laundry


Favorite season:  spring

Trials endured in 2009:  English 312:  Persuasive Writing (but I just found out that I got an A!!!  All of those hours spent fretting over my keyboard were worth it!), frantically accumulating continuing ed credits to renew my dental hygiene license because I procrastinated until the last minute, fearing that Andrew was going to die during recovery from kidney stone surgery and then again from heart problems

Hopes for 2010:  Complete another independent study course for BYU (only 25 credits left to go), get exercise at least three days a week, take another summer road trip to meet FOUR new nieces and/or nephews that will be born this year, continue to find joy in my marriage and motherhood.

Profile 2010: Andrew

Dennis Andrew

Age:  35

Grade:  AA?  MBA?

Favorite Sport:  Football to watch, basketball to play

Is really good at:  Fantasy sports

Wishes he was better at:  Playing the guitar

Favorite treat:  Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins

Favorite meal:  Big, fat, meaty crab legs

Best part about work:  Completing a large project that I thought was impossible

Favorite pastimes:  Hanging out with Andrea, watching Panthers games, and playing NCAA football on the PS2

Favorite smell:  The inside of a Subway restaurant

Favorite season:  Fall

Trials endured in 2009:  Herniated disc, sprained ankle, kidney stone, heart problem, and numerous changes and uncertainty and work

Hopes for 2010:  To not visit an emergency room; get in better shape by getting more sleep, snacking less, and bike riding; that the Panthers get a decent QB. 

Profile 2010: Brandon

Brandon Trey

Age:  8

Grade:  Third

Some of his favorite things to do:  build legos, read Fablehaven and Harry Potter, play video games (Bionicle and Lego), and play football and basketball

Favorite part of school:  recess--playing ball-tag-hide-and-go-seek

Favorite sport:  football

Is really good at:  math

Wishes he was better at:  eating broccoli and pasta

Favorite treat:  three chocolate ice cream with chocolate and M&M's

Scared of:  Whitney when she pops out of nowhere

How tall he wants to be when he grows up:  7 feet 0 inches

His dream job when he grows up:  Lego Technix set designer

If he could eat only one food for the rest of his life:  any flavor of ice cream

If he could choose a different name:  James

One rule he'd eliminate from our house:  doing chores and homework before video time

If he had a million dollars, the first thing he'd buy:  Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon set for five hundred bucks

If he could choose one subject to teach:  Math.  I bet I could teach a math class right now...for kindergarten.

My take on him:  Brandon is super smart and witty.  He is fiercely independent.  

He laughs easily and often.

 He can spend hours wrapped up in a good novel and is just as happy shooting hoops in the backyard. Caroline has earned a soft spot in his heart and he is a great helper with her.  He eats PB&J for lunch almost every day.  We never have to wake him up for school--he gets himself up, dressed, fed, and packs his lunch.  It is wonderful.   He wishes he still had friends in our neighborhood--all the boys his age have moved away.  He is enthralled with family history and researches it every time it's his turn to teach Family Home Evening.  He just learned to tie his shoes after years of lace-less ones.  He is full of life and we are never bored when Brandon is around. 

And for his adoring fans (read:  grandparents) here are the highlights from last week's b-ball game.

Profile 2010: Whitney

Whitney Amelia

Age:  5 1/2

Grade:  Kindergarten

A Few of Her Favorite Things:  jumping rope, watching PBS kids--especially Maya and Miguel, eating cookies that have M&M's

Is really good at:  writing

Wishes she was better at:  riding my two-wheel bike without training wheels

Favorite treat:  Cookie Crisp

Favorite game:  Zooreeka [by Cranium--like a kid's version of Settler's of Cataan]

Is scared of:  sharks

How tall she wants to be when she grows up:  18 feet tall

What she wants to be when she grows up:  I want to own a bank.  I'll have to give away a lot of money, but still, I want to.

If she could eat only one food for the rest of her life:  Mac and cheese

If she could pick another name:  Lily

One rule she would eliminate from our house if she could:  Do all the boring stuff like homework and chores before my video time

If she had a million dollars, the first thing she would buy:  all the toys in Target

How many kids she thinks she'll have:  Two.  Twin girls named Lucy and Lily.

My take on her:  Whitney is very loving and nurturing.  She is quick to compliment and makes those around her feel good.   Reading has come easily to her and she spends lots of quality time with books.  She is an indoor girl--would much rather color or play with dolls than go outside.  Music is a big part of her life,

 always singing

and dancing.

It's easy to forget that she has Duane's Syndrome.  When she was diagnosed five years ago, I feared that it would always be her defining characteristic--what people noticed about her first.  But with the help of Dr. Buckley, it has become a minor inconvenience at this point.  (Let's hope it stays that way!)  She is such a blessing in our family.

Profile 2010: Caroline

I thought it would be fun to start the new year with a little snippet of each member of our family.  I hope to print our blog in a book--make that several books--and thought this would be a valuable addition. 

First in the spotlight:  Caroline Rose

I interviewed the bigger kids, but since Caroline's reply to most questions is either "No," "Wa Wa," or "Pom Pom," I filled in the blanks for her.



Age:  19 months

Is really good at:  climbing, giving hugs, smiling, going to bed, and

walking around in shoes that are way too big for her

Wishes she was better at:  fastening buckles and putting on her coat [gets very frustrated with these tasks, but is in that do-it-myself phase]


Favorite treat:  ice cream

Favorite game:  Ring-around-the-rosie

Something she's scared of:  the vacuum cleaner

If she could eat only one food it would be:  cheese or popcorn

She even tries to eat shredded cheese with a fork

If she could change one rule in our house it would be:  that she's not allowed to climb on the top bunk bed

My take on her:  Care Bear is so much fun.  She is happy from the moment I take her out of the crib in the mornings.  She is an early bird.  Usually up between 6:30 and 6:45.  Spends quality time with books--especially lift-the-flap ones.  Likes baby dolls.  Enjoys trying to dress and undress them, pretends she is feeding them.  Is a milkaholic and would drink it nonstop if we'd let her.  Loves watching Elmo and Baby Einstein.  Is over her separation anxiety so enjoys going to friends' homes.  Takes a 2-2 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon.  Is obsessed with silverware and is learning to use her fork and spoon.  She even helped set the table last night.

She makes all of us smile and laugh.

Props to Grandparents' Christmas gifts

The kids got some great stuff for Christmas.  I wanted to show Grandmas and Grandpas how fun these gifts for Brandon are.  He loves them.  Actually, we all enjoy them.

Here's his iCoaster

It is a lot of work to put together, but is so fun to watch.  I get mesmerized.  I think there are twelve possible configurations.  Brandon's tried four or five of them so far.

And here's his zero gravity r/c car.

Even though it didn't work with the toy hamster attached, it works great on its own.

Thanks so much Grandma, Grandpa, Gigi, and Grandpa!

Artsy kids

Andrew and I may be sorely lacking in the culture and refinement department, but our kids seem to be thriving regardless.

Whitney entered the Reflections contest at school this year.  It was a first for our family.  The theme for this year:  "Beauty is..."  She did a watercolor of a tree and rainbow.

Our little artist made it through to the county level.  Way to go, Miss Whit!  Only two paintings from her age group went through, so we were very proud of her.

For Christmas, Brandon gave Andrew and me a book of original poetry.  Here is a sampling.

Limerick
North Carolina is my state
The people there are really great
there are mountains big and tall
at the beach we have a ball
I'm going soon and i cant wait

Triplet
 I love my family you will see
they will never buy a wii
but they take me to the sea

Clerinew
dad is the best
he never rests
we love to play
and he never goes away

Acrostic
Always at home
Nice
Dr. Dre is her nickname
Rocks at cooking
Eats only low-sugar stuff
A fun person

I love this kid.

Out of the mouths of babes--December

Happy New Year!  

12/1--Brandon and Andrew got to have a boys' night out.  They did two of the manliest things they could think of--bought new basketball shoes and ate meat. At the restaurant, Brandon ordered a sirloin. The waiter turned to Andrew and said, "He'd like it cooked...." and paused for Andrew to choose rare, medium, or well.  Brandon hopped on the question and said, "Yes!"

Not a fan of raw meat 

12/11--We were walking through a parking lot when Whit asked, "Is it S.G. time?"
Me:  "What's S.G. time?"
W:  "Smelly Gas time."
I guess it usually is SG time in parking lots.

Maybe fairies have a heightened sense of smell

12/11--Whit read a book about stars and constellations.  When we were leaving the Christmas concert tonight, she looked up at the night sky and said, "I just wished on the Dog Star!"

If she wished for a tutu that could double as a headress,

it came true!

12/12--B was enjoying a post-basketball-game slurpee.  It must've been pretty dang good.  He said, "If slurpees went to school, I'd give this one a 200% in Tasting."

Thinking slurpee

12/15--Whitney's version of the lyrics for The 12 Days of Christmas: "...and a cartridge in a pear tree."

12/25--Below is Whit's letter to Santa.

"From Whitney

To Santa

Deer Santa

I love you

Santa you are nacse" [nice]

Is that the sweetest thing EVER?

She didn't ask for anything.

12/27--We were driving around looking at more Christmas lights.  On the way Whit said, "I want to go to another Grasshoppers [baseball] game."  Andrew asked her why.  She said, "So I can eat cotton candy and play on the playground."  I think he was hoping to hear her talk about how she enjoys the nuances of each pitch or the anticipation of a home run.  Nope.

It was more about the sugar.

The lights we saw were AMAZING.  They are on Ridgway Drive between Market St and Friendly.  The whole neighborhood hangs these huge lighted Christmas balls up in their trees.  After my failed attempt at outdoor tree decorating, I have even more admiration for how gorgeous it was.  Here's a little pic, but it does not capture the magic of the scene.

We were all entranced.  It felt like we were visiting another world.  As we were leaving, Brandon commented, "That wasn't hysterical.  That was historical."

Plays well with words

12/28--We have been eating so many treats this month.  We are out of control.  When Whit asked for another one this afternoon, I told her no, because we've had enough for today.  She said, "But December means sweets!"  She may have a point there.

12/29--Brandon got a sweet remote control car for Christmas that can drive on the walls.  Whitney got a zhu-zhu pet hamster.  Can you see where this is going?

Yep.

They taped the hamster to the car.

They were hoping she could drive all over the walls,

but found that the hamster was too heavy.

The suction couldn't hold it up.

Darn.

And now for the bonus Caroline pics:

She is going through a shoe phase.

Loves to wear any shoe she can find around the house.

Especially Whit's dress up heels.

(Love that hair, girl!)

When she first started, she would get frustrated easily

because she couldn't keep them on and would whine

the whole time.  Thank goodness she's finally getting the hang of it.

She loves the click-clack on the wood floors.

 All bundled up for walking group.

Getting snowed on

And, finally, two completely random photos.

B is pedaling an exercise bike that is powering Whit's blow dryer.

How do I get one of these for our house?

There's a way to save on power bills!

This one gets my vote for strangest picture of the year