Tuesday, January 28, 2014

2 More








Arctic Vortex


























Thursday, January 2, 2014

November/December 2013 Tidbits

At the Temple Visitors Center we were watching a short video clip on Jesus' baptism.  It showed the outline of a dove symbol descending, to which Drew <loudly> responded:  "It's a chicken!  A Jesus chicken!  A Jesus chicken is comin'!"  Of course, Drew figured out this was one of those videos you can watch again with a simple press of a button.  "It's a Jesus chicken!"

Tess' advice as I was trying to hang a picture on the wall:  "Mom, if you want it to be straight, you should use Command strips."

Drew: "Mom, I heard 'over the river and through the woods' song!"

Ryan: "Drew, did you sit on Santa's lap this year?"
Drew: "No. I smile at Santa."

Tess asked Miriam why we didn't have more stickers on the back of our car. Miriam replied, "Because a lot of stickers make your car look like a cheap scrapbook." Tess: "Or a race car."

Tess: "Drew, can you scratch my eyeball?"

Ryan: "Drew, what sound does a train make?"
Drew: "Clickety-clack, clickety-clack."

Drew: "Dad, my tummy want crackers!"

After watching me do 95% of the work making a snowman, Tess tells me, "Dad, I'm going to take a break inside."

We've been making our way through classic Christmas movies like Rudolph and Frosty this month. Tess' commentary: "Mom, were those movies really made in the '19s'? No wonder they look so old."

Tess' favorite response when I (Mir) ask her where she learned something: "T dot V dot. Because that's short for something, you know."

Tess' top item on her Christmas wish list: a throne.

Drew's top item on his Christmas wish list: a green motorcycle. "I paint it green," he says.

Tess: "Dad, Rudolph is real. He is."

Drew likes to talk trash. He says, "Dad [or Mom], you can't do anything."

Tess: "Drew, you're so funny. You're hysterical."

Tess (after pulling all the items from a refrigerator shelf to clean it): "Boy, I am glad that's over with!"

I asked Drew about some friends who came over to play. 
Ryan: "Who came to play with you?"
Drew: "Liam."
Ryan: "Who else?"
Drew: "Cat."
Ryan: "Cat who?"
Drew: "Cat in the Hat."

Tess is mastering church lingo. After the closing prayer at family home evening tonight, she said, "We now turn the time over to chocolate pretzels."

Tess: "Hooray, Mom, it's Hanukkah!"
Miriam: "I know! It starts on Thanksgiving this year!"
Tess: "No, Mom. It starts at sundown."

Poor Drew was less than thrilled about the cute Christmas shirt Nana and Papa gave him for his birthday: "Where my other present?"

Tess, while Miriam was making cookies: "Can I be your big helper by being the taster?"

Favorite Drew phrase about just about anything: "Dat my favorite," as in "Dat my favorite green car!" "Dat my favorite digger shirt!" "Dat my favorite show!"

I've learned not to worry when we're on a long drive and Tess tells me she's carsick. To Tess, "carsick" means that she is sick of the car, not that her stomach is upset. "Carsick" is a Tessism for being bored in the car.

Tess (while we are stuck in traffic): "I'm so bored. I need some help here!"

Today Drew spotted some snowflakes: "It's snowing! It's CHRISTMAS TIME!"

While looking at the rainfall, Drew said, "I saw itsy-bitsy spider outside! I did!"

Tonight Drew placed a raspberry on his finger and said, "I do it like a puppet show."

Drew's favorite phrase these days: "really fun," as "This car is really fun" (it sounds like he is saying "way fun").

Tess has been practicing writing her letters. Today she said, "I love making the little 'f.'. I'm glad they invented it."

Drew's expression when he is displeased by something: "fire on your head!" Example: "Tess, stop singing. A fire on your head!"

Drew's complaint of the day: "Mom, Tess copying me. Tess a grumpy boy."

Drew was upset because Tess wouldn't let him play with her delicate Eiffel Tower figurine: "Mom, I need a big boy Eiffel Tower!"

Drew was sad to come in after a day of playing with Dad outside with in the leaves. "I need leaves inside my house!"

Tess is getting excited for Thanksgiving: "Nana and me are going to pull the fishbone!"

Tess on our way home after dance class: "The sky is so dark that I could paint it with ink and no one would see it."

Tess and Ryan were singing Frere Jacques together. When they finished Tess asked: "What is the point of that song?"

Funny Drew locution: "uh-something-uh." As in, "What kind of birthday party to do you want?" "Uh-something-uh Mickey Mouse!"

Silly Drew phrase of a late: "Uh-cock-a-doodle!"

Ry asked Drew who was coming to his Mickey Mouse birthday party. "Uh-Bastian, uh-Ezra--but no Ezra doggie!" Drew is NOT a fan of the big dog that lives at Ezra's house.

Drew picked up some fake vampire teeth as a prize at Chuck E. Cheese. Ry asked Drew about vampires: "They have pillow fights at night. They take guys and put them in a fire!" I'm not sure what kind of horror films he's been watching.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

National Harbor

We spent our last day of Christmas break at National Harbor. It was our first visit and it was fun!




We stopped by the Peeps store (aka the Mike and Ike store).






We played at the former Hains Point "Awakening" statue.


Then we took a few turns on the awesome Wild Kingdom carousel.















We almost made it home without seeing the Peeps train inside the resort hotel. Once we saw it, we knew we weren't going home until the kids had a ride.



Welcome 2014!