February 2012 Tidbits

Shortly after I got a haircut, Tess looked up at me and said, "Dad, you look good.  I like your new haircut."  (RKH)

We were clapping for Drew as he practiced his climbing and he proudly joined in. Tess took objection to his self-laudatory action: "You can't clap for yourself. You not 'upposed to do that." (MMH)

Tess is in a new "coloring" phase. She spends every free waking minute coloring with markers in coloring books. She protests if she has to do something else like say, go to the store, go to the bathroom or eat dinner: "But I LOVE coloring. It's my FAVORITE!" She actually tried to talk me into letting her color in bed when she went to sleep last night. (MMH)

Tess: "Daddy, you're the tallest in the family. Mommy is the mediumest. I'm almost the mediumest, and Drewie is the smallest." (RKH)

Tess heard me on the phone with Meredith, who was almost ready to leave the hospital and still hadn't settled on a name for baby yet. Tess told me: "She just needs to pick a name! I think it should be Liam (lie-um)." I told her that Ry & Miranda were going to use the name Liam and then Tess recounted the following story: "Mom, you know the other day I had a baby and I couldn't pick a name for it. I liked Lemon, Lime and Ryan, but I just couldn't pick. I just couldn't!" (MMH)

Tess has learned how to do the dishes all by herself. She's actually really good at it. She knows how to scrub and rinse the dishes and how to put them in the dishwasher. Only problem is that it takes FOREVER, makes a huge mess and consumes an enormous amount of water. I'm a little scared to see our water bill this month. (MMH)

Tonight Tess read her bedtime story to me. It's the first whole book she's read by herself, "Bear Hugs." I'm so proud I could pop! (MMH)

After I helped place Tess' winter jacket's fur-lined hood over her head, Tess spotted her reflection in a car door. She said, "Look Dad, it look like I from the Arctic!" (RKH)

We informed Tess that since we've been passing around the stomach flu plague, the whole family is staying home from church today. Her response: "Yay! It just like another Saturday!!!" (MMH)

In the bathroom, Tess reaches up and grabs the towel bar. "Know what I pretending, Mom? I pretending I on the Metro!" (MMH)

Saturday morning and Ryan's watching Curious George with the kids. He asks Tess: "Tess, are you curious?" Her reply: "No, I know everything. Drew's curious, though!" (MMH)

Tess spent a lot of time drawing pictures and taping them all over our walls today. When I asked what she was doing, she said: "I'm playing caveman!" I was totally lost until she explained: "Cavemen did pictures on walls, too!" (MMH)

This afternoon Tess has been on high-alert-lookout status for groundhogs. (MMH)

Drew now spends a good part of every day "brrrrrrmmmm-ing" a toy car around the house. (MMH)

I was working with Tess to learn the numbers 20-30 today. When we were done, she said: "Mom, I know something else about thirty." I was excited to hear what she would add to our number-sense discussion. "It needs eyes and a mustache!" And she promptly added both to her number 30. (MMH)