I'm Your Family

Today I was crying a lot about wanting to go home (back to Iowa) for Christmas. Rebekah asked, "Mommy, why are you crying?" I told her that I don't know....I just think I miss my family a lot.

She wisely responded: "But Mommy, I'm your family."

That made me cry more....but at least it was a good cry.

Young Love

Since the first day he laid eyes on her, Alex has been "in love" with a little girl named Gracie from his church class. Really we just thought they were the best of buddies, but all of the sudden they seem to be getting a little silly about things. Today, while Gracie was over here, this happened:

Alex: (whispering to me, but Gracie could hear)  "Mom, I'm gonna tell Gracie who I am going to marry!"

Gracie: "I know! Me!"

Lots of giggles from both kids, red faces, etc....

Alex: "How did you know I was going to marry you?"

Gracie: (giggling uncontrollably) "Well because you are my boyfriend and if you are my boyfriend then  that means we are going to get married."

More giggling and teheeing....

Gracie: "My brother Nathan has like 20 or even 40 girlfriends! There is one named Shirley and he is totally IN LOVE with her!"

Alex: (giggling hysterically now) "IN LOVE?!"

Gracie: "Yes, in love....and he even KISSED her!"

Alex: "Ewwww, gross!"

Gracie: "It's not really that gross."

Hahahahahaha  It was SO hard to keep a straight face.

Pretend Hair

Today in the car on the way to our friend's house, Rebekah started listing off that Mommy has hair, Alex has hair, Rebekah has hair, Kaitlyn has hair...etc. I asked her, "What about Daddy?" She replied, "Daddy has pretend hair."

Brother's Day

Last night at dinner Alex started talking about what he wanted to get for Joseph and I for Mother's and Father's Day coming up. He then said, "AND, I bet you can't guess what I want for Brother's Day!"

Someday he'll realize that every day is Brother's Day.

I Wuv Cwothes

This morning Rebekah came downstairs with a huge arm load of her "new-to-her" summer clothes. As she rounded the corner and saw me she said, "Mommy! I WUV clothes!"

And so it begins.....

Judge Quaker

Some pre-story notes so this makes more sense:

Alex's new favorite cereal is Quaker Life Cereal.
He is also learning to read .
Joseph's boss is named Judge Baker and Alex loves to ask questions about him often.
Soooo.....
Yesterday while sitting at the breakfast table with his cereal box next to him he sat there staring at the box. He then looked up at me and said, "Mommy, did Judge Baker make this cereal?"

M: "No, why?"

A: "Well, look! It says 'Baker' right there. And look! There is his picture."

M (trying not to laugh since the Quaker guy looks nothing like Judge Baker): "Oh, wow! You did a pretty good job reading there. You just got a couple letters mixed up. It says, 'Quaker,' not 'Baker.' But, Good job reading Alex!

I think that's True

When Alex went to the ER to get stitches on his head, this happened:
After the numerous numbing pokes were done, the doctor said, "You have a very brave boy. Usually for a child his age, it takes 6 or 7 nurses to hold them down and then sometimes they still need to be tied down. I knew the minute I met Alex that we wouldn't need that. He has a very good disposition."

I then turned to Alex and said, "Did you hear that? He said you were very brave. And you know what!? I think you are even BRAVER than Superman!"  To which Alex replied... "I think that's true." :)

Like Da Birds

We were all walking out to the van and Rebekah was walking with her head down and her shoulders slumped. She eventually stopped right under a big tree about 10 feet from our van. I said, "Rebekah what is wrong sweetie?"

To which she replied, "I sad."

I asked her why and she said, "I dust wanna fwy up in da tree just yike da birds." 

Don't Wear Underwear

Today during breakfast Alex's superhero figures were "talking" to each other. Alex chimed in and said, "Hey Superman, who do you think I should dress like today?"

Superman replied, "Like me. But, don't wear any underwear until after school. You need to be modest."

Too big for you

Joseph and I like to look into our kids ears when they do something smart and check to see how big their brains grow each time they learn something new. They love it. Last night Rebekah came running out of Alex's room and said, "Wook Mommy! I made a "L"! I went into look and sure enough she had made the letter L with the puzzle pieces. So, I grabbed her and started pretending to take some of her brains out and put them in my head.

She looked up me very seriously, with her eyebrows furrowed and said, "Mommy Bekah's bwains too big for you!"

I said, "WHAT?! Your brains are too big for ME?!"

She smiled slyly and said, "YES! Bekah's brains too big for mommy!"

I'll make the Rules

Today while at the store Alex wanted to buy two kites, one for him (the one we were buying) and one for Rebekah. I told him we could only buy one today for the whole family to share and that we would talk to Daddy about buying another one for Rebekah later. He replied, "When I'm a Daddy I'M Making ALL the rules!"

A Bed Like This

Last night the kids were playing on mine and Joseph's bed and Alex said, "Mommy, when I grow up and me and Ali get married can you buy a bed just like this one for us?!"

Cleaning up Pee

I was wiping up pee off of the floor where Rebekah had had an accident and Alex said,

"How can you touch that pee with your hands!?"

M: "Well, I just have to wash them really well when I am done."

A: "Gross! I am never touching pee with my hands!"

M: "Well, you may have to when you are a daddy."

A: "Well, maybe my wife can just do that. I will just go to work all day (pause) every day."

Toy Land

Today, while I was talking on the phone to a lender about our options for home purchasing, Alex decided it would be fun to dump every single toy we own out all over the floor in our living room/playroom/family room. I gently reminded him, "Alex that is fine if you want to dump all those toys, but you know what that means for you right?"

A: "Oh. Well, you see this is called Toy Land. In Toy Land kids never clean up any toys. If they did, it wouldn't be Toy Land anymore."

M: "Hmmmmm......well, kids who live in Miller Land do clean up toys because if they don't then their parent's won't have any time to read them books at night because they will be so busy cleaning up toys in Toy Land."

A: "Oh. Well. I guess I can clean them up."

How to Get Rid of Monsters

We read a monster book tonight about how monsters are born under kids beds. Weird I know . . . on a side note . . . I often wonder how some of these kid's books ever got published in the first place?? Anyway, when I went to tuck A, age 4, into bed, he pulled the covers up to right beneath his little chin and said with fear in his eyes, "Mommy, what if a monster is born under my bed tonight?" To which I responded, "Well, then you can take your two fingers and just squish him up." Then this conversation ensued:

A: "But my fingers aren't big enough."

M: "Oh yeah. You're probably right."

A: "Are monsters real?"

M: "Nope."

A: "Then why did somebody make that monster book?"

M: "People like to make pretend things so we can use our imagination."

A: "Well, whenever I think of scary things, I always think of monsters and then I hide under my covers like this!"

M: "Well, let me tell you something about monsters.  Now, it's a secret, so are you sure you want to know?"

A: "Yes!"

M: "Well, there are very few things that monsters are scared of, but I can tell you the ones I know for sure."

A: "What!?"

M: "Monsters are very very very scared of Mommies!"

He then got really wide eyed and a huge smile on his face.

A: "Why? What do mommies do to monsters!?"

M: "Well, monsters are afraid of mommies because they know that if a mommy catches a monster then she will grab him and bake him in the oven and eat him right up for dinner."

A: "Whoah!! That would be disgusting!"

M: "Yep . . . that's why monsters don't ever come where a mommy lives. They do not like to be baked and eaten up."

A: "Who else are they afraid of?"

M: "Babysitters!"

A: "What do babysitters do to them?"

M: "Babysitters grab them quick and pop them in the microwave which makes the monsters explode!" 

A: "Really!? Wow! Are they afraid of anything else like dragons or super heroes?"

M: "They are only a little afraid of those things. BUT, there is ONE more thing they are very very very very afraid of!"

Again . . . realllllly wide eyed and excited!

A: "WHAT?! 

M: "Boys named Alex!"

A huge smile spreads across his no longer scared face....

A: "Why!?"

M: "Well, you don't know why?!"

A: "No. Why?"

M: "Well, it's because they know that boys named Alex are really really good at Karate and that if they come anywhere where a boy named Alex lives, that boy named Alex will karate chop him right up!"

Very very wide eyed now.....

A: "How do monsters know that?"

M: "Well . . . somehow they just know...."

A: "I think they know that because boys named Alex can kick harder than anybody and punch harder than anybody. That's how they know."

M: "hmmmmm . . . . ya know . . . I think you might be right. Good night Karate Boy."

Happy contented smile . . .

A: "Good night mommy."

Mommys Don't have Big Muscles

Today while I was on the ground doing push ups and working out, Alex looked over at me and said,

"Hey. Mommy's don't have big muscles."

M: "They don't huh?"

Later in the day . . . . we were walking out of the library and I was carrying Kaitlyn, our diaper bag, and a bag full of library books. Alex was carrying his bag, also fullllll of library books and said,

"Mommy . . . this . .. is . . . so  . . . heavy. Can you carry it?"

M: "Sure!"  PAUSE   "Soooo, mommy's don't have big muscles huh?"

A: "Well, they do have bigger muscles than Daddy. Annnnd, I guess they do have a little little little bit bigger muscles than me."

It Worked!

Today during sacrament meeting, Rebekah began taking off her panties right there in the pew!

We asked her to put them back on and she said loudly, "No I have to go poopoo!"

Joseph quickly took her to the potty and when they came back and were trying to quietly sit down in the pew, Rebekah YELLED out,

"Mommy I went peepee!!! IT WORKED!!!!"

Heavenly Father's House

I took Alex to the church last night (Saturday) for a free babysitting activity the Young Women were doing. He had been wearing his pajamas for quiet time cause they were comfy and before we left I asked him if he wanted to change. He didn't, so we left.

We got to the church and were about to go in the primary room where the activity was taking place and he stopped dead in his tracks, shut the door, and said, "Nope. I don't want to go in."

M: "Why?"

A: "I don't want them to see my pajamas."

M: "Oh Alex. It is just a fun activity. No one will even notice."

A: "No. I don't want them to see them!"

M: "Why are you so worried about them seeing your pajamas?"

A: "Well. This is Heavenly Father's house and it is a special place. I shouldn't be wearing these. I should be wearing nice clothes."

M: "Oh. Well, Alex I am so happy that you understand how very special Heavenly Father's house is, but can I tell you a secret?"

A: "Sure."

M: "Heavenly Father likes to let his children use his house for acvities during the week too. Not just on Sunday. On Sunday, that is His day, so he wants us to dress our best and be extra reverent. But, during the week he loves for us to come here in other modest clothes to be with our friends. On these days we can wear what we want to as long as it is modest."

A: "You mean we can wear what we want to?! Are you sure?"

M: "I am sure."

A: "Okay. I'll go in . . ."

Made in China

We attended the temple this week. Before we left I put on a dress I have that is the style where it criss crosses at the chest. I went into Alex's room to put him to bed and he looked at me and said, "You look so pretty Mommy!" I thanked him and he continued to stare at me. A bit later he said,

"Where did you get that dress?

M: "At the store a long time ago."

A: "Where did they get it?"

M: "They made it."

A: "I think they got it in China."

M: "Why do you think that?"

A: "Well look . . . it has to be from China because it looks like my karate uniform."

Then pointing at the criss cross part of the dress, he said

"See . . . it crosses over . . . just like karate uniforms. They are from China ya know."

What is a Prince?

Today  for FHE, we were talking about being a child of God or being the Child of a King and what that means. He explained that we are princes and princesses because we are children of a King. He asked Alex, "What is a Prince Alex?"

A: "A Prince is someone who saves princesses."

J: "What is a princess?"

A: "A Princess is a girl who is always in danger."

Poo Poo Rocks

Rebekah has now mastered going poo poo in the potty. To the point that every time it is just pee, she gets upset and said, "Hey where Bekah Poo Poo Rocks?!"

I say, "You just went pee pee. It's okay."

R: "NO! Bekah want poo poo ROCK!"

Can you just sleep more?

The other night I was reading to Alex and I could not keep my eyes open. I would catch myself slurring my words and closing my eyes. When I finally finished and as I was leaving the room, Alex said, "Hey mommy, could you please just sleep more tonight so you don't fall asleep when you read to me?"

Why can't I...

This afternoon while I was cleaning up lunch, Alex was quietly drawing a picture for a new friend and he said exasperatedly from the other room, "Mommy, why can't I just do everything by myself?"

I grabbed a piece of paper and made 4 marks on the bottom of it and said, "See, you have only been learning how to do things for this long." I then made 30 marks right above his 4 and said, "I have been learning for thiiiiiiiiis long!" You learn more every day and every day you can do more and more by yourself!

A: "Yeah, see like I can write my numbers." he wrote them. "I can write my letters." he wrote those too. I learn lots don't I mommy!

Bekah Rocks

Rebekah is trained to go on the potty, but even though she has already pooped on it, she is afraid to do it every time and therefore keeps holding it in!! Today I was trying to encourage her to go poo poo on the potty and she said,

"No Bekah Rocks!! Just a toot Mommy! No Bekah Rocks!"

Just a Toot

Rebekah is potty training today. She is now telling me when she has to go pee pee. However, she thinks she has to go pee pee every time she really only has to toot. So, she always says, "Mommy I need go peepee!"

We go and she sits down and only toots. Then says,

"What's that?!"

M: "You just tooted."

R: "Oh, just a toot!" "You toot too mommy."

What Happened?!

I am toilet training Rebekah today I think she has expressed some of the cutest things in the history of mankind. :)

She started making a "poo face," so I looked at her to see if she would say anything. I gave it about one second and said, "Does Rebekah have poo poos?"

R: "Yes!"

M: "Okay, fast! Let's go to the potty!"

We run to the potty and sit down. She starts to push. Stands up quickly with a scared look and says, "No poo poo."

M: "It's okay Rebekah. You can poopoo in the toilet. We will just dump it out and flush! Just like peepee!"

She slowly and hesitantly sits back down. Begins to push. Stands up quickly again.

R: "No Poo poo mommy."

M: "You can do it Rebekah. It's okay. Try again."

She sits back down and pushes.

R: "Owie."

She stands up, turns around and sees a little turd in the toilet.

R: "What happened?! What's that rock?!"

M: "Oh that is your poo poo. YAY REBEKAH!!! You did it!"

She starts to make the poo face again.

M: "Do you have more poo poos?"

R: "Yes."

M: "Okay, sit down. Its okay."

She goes the rest of the way (after popping up and getting scared a few more times). She stands up, turns around and

R: "Whoah!!! What Happened Mommy!!"

She continued through the rest of the morning saying, "What happened?!" every time she had an accident.

So cute!

That's What Saving Is....

We have a very tight budget right now, so we talk to the kids a lot about how we don't have money for this or that. Alex is old enough that he does some extra chores around the house and therefore earns an allowance. We had been giving him 10 dimes a week (easy for teaching about tithing). We then, about 5 months ago, switched to giving him 10 quarters a week since he was doing more and harder chores. Well, we are broke, so we did had to cut it back to 10 dimes per week again. To break it to him we decided to have our FHE last night about finances and listened to part of a talk by Elder Robert D Hales called "Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually." After it was over we explained a little and then asked Alex what he thought this talk meant....

A: "Well, like if I want to buy a dog and there is one that is lots of money. Then, I need to wait and save more and go to different stores and find another dog that is like the money I have for it. That is called saving."

I'd say that is a pretty darn good understanding of money for a 4 year old!!

John Taylor was Third We Know

We read the Book of Mormon in the mornings as a family and then in the evening we rotate themes. We have done Jesus Stories, Book of Mormon Stories, and now we are doing Latter Day Prophets. Before we talk about a prophet and his teachings we sing , "Latter Day Prophets are Number One!" John Taylor was the third prophet of the church and Alex's favorite. I wasn't sure why he was his favorite at first, but had an idea. So I asked him:

"Alex, why do you like John Taylor so much?"

A: "Well, because he got shot four times with a gun trying to save Joseph Smith." 

I guess John Taylor is sort of like a super hero to Alex. 

But You Are

We were in the kitchen making Turtle Bread and Alex said, "Hmmmm, This Aint Gonna Be Pretty!," then turned immediately to me and said, "But YOU'RE pretty Mommy!"

OKAY!!!

Rebekah has artfully taken on being a "mommy" to her doll babies and tonight after we put her in her crib for bed, we hear her over the monitor having this conversation:

"Now Mommy. You need go night night. OKAY!"

"Daddy. You go night night too. OKAY!"

"Alex. You don't push! OKAY!"

"Buggy. No bite. OKAY!"

"Baby, GO NIGHT NIGHT. OKAY!"

Love. Her. 

I Go Anyway

This morning when I told Alex it was Sunday he said, "I don't want to go to church!!!!!"

On the way to church we read about the prophet Isaiah who said, "Here I am, Send Me."

Joseph began talking about how that relates to doing things the Lord asks us to do . . . even if we don't want to.

Alex responded, "Yeah, like going to church. I don't like it, but I do it anyway."