January 2013 Tidbits

Frequent new Drew phrase: "Me too! Me too! Me too!" That has to be the second child's anthem.

Tess' response to the dusting of snow we got last night: "Oh wow! The earth left us a surprise last night! Sure hope we have some carrots!"

Drew's response: "Ooooo! Ice good!"

I've talked with the therapy clinic for Tess and her therapist is supposed to call soon. Every time I think I'm overreacting, Tess has another episode or bad night. It just reconfirms she needs more help than we can give her.

"Juice drink."

Drew's new favorite phrase: "Down dere." He uses it to point out the location of objects. However, it's not particularly descriptive because he uses it no matter where the object is located. "Drew, where's the moon?" "Down dere."

Tess: "I feel like I'm in Utah" (i.e., on Utah time--one of the countless reasons that she gives for not being able to sleep)

Tess has been in need of new church shoes, but we haven't had any luck finding ones that will fit her narrow feet. She was complaining before church that her shoes were too small, they didn't feel good, there's no way she could go on. She slowly limped her way into the church with dramatic flair. I told her to stop being so dramatic and that she could take her shoes off when we got inside. When she took them off we discovered that her heel was bloody from being rubbed raw. I had to send Ryan home for her summer sandals. Proud mothering moment.

We were pulling out of church, when Tess said, "I bet the people in all the other cars a wondering why our clothes look so pretty."

Tess has a new name for her baby doll: "Riz-anya." That rhymes with lasagna.

We were getting ready for a Family Home Evening lesson on Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I was having Tess dress up like a sheep and told her we were going to play a surprise game.
Tess: "I just want to know one thing for the game--do they have to kill me?"
Um...no. We'll save that for an Old Testament lesson.

Drew has fallen asleep every afternoon this week. He dropped his nap ages ago--he must be going through a growth spurt or something.

I went to a birthday lunch at a friend's house today, and my children are impossible. All the other kids are perfectly content to play with toys in the other room. Mine are clingy and climbing all over me. Drew erupts into tears if I so much as take a few steps away from him. I don't know what I do to make my children like this.

Lots of new words from Drew these days: squirrel, pig, bunny, couch, just to name a few. Anything I want him to learn, I just set Tess to task on it. She's great teacher and he loves learning from her.

Drew can now tell you that he is "TWO!" and Tess is "FIVE!"

Any time Drew spots a flame, fireplace or candle, he yells out "Birfday! Birfday to you!"

All of our coaching is starting to pay off. Drew now knows animal sounds for a cow, dog, kitty, bird, duck, and chicken. He also knows the colors green, red, orange, blue, purple, and sun.

Drew has perfected the art of the pout. He lets you know when his feelings are hurt by dramatically casting down his eyes and poking out his lower lip. He may let it tremble a few moments before starting in on the tears. If he still doesn't have your attention, he may drape his body over you in a languid swoon. If the case calls for instant reaction, he can do a dead drop to the ground in seconds flat, as his whole world just popped like a giant balloon. If he gets what he wants, it's amazing how quickly he recovers with a happy, "K!"

Tess had sudden outburst of a meltdown on the way to school. "There's something I don't like about school!" Apparently a teacher she doesn't know keeps saying "Hi" to her in the hall. She sounds like a pretty awful lady. Sometimes Tess pretends not to hear her, or Tess runs into the room so she won't see her. Tess wishes she would just "go away and stop saying hi." I suggested a better alternative might be to give a smile and say hi back, but that suggestion didn't go over well. When I dropped her off, Tess was in full-fledged tear overdrive. Should be a good day at school.

Tess: "You can give signals for what food you want for dinner. This is pizza [she draws a triangle in air], this is macaroni [she draws a smile in the air], and this is spaghetti [she draws a swirling line in the air]."

Ryan: "Where did you learn those signals?"

Tess: "From TV. I learn almost everything from TV."