January 2014 Tidbits

The nature documentary on butterflies showed that tomatoes grow from flowers. And as Drew added: "Tomatoes grow into pizzas."

I thought we'd watch a nature documentary on butterflies. As the giant butterfly on screen swooped down to pollinate a flower, the music swelled dramatically. Tess: "Why is this music getting all loud like it's a MIRACLE or something?" The rest of the movie was interspersed with Tess' mocking commentary: "It's a MIR-R-R-ACLE!" Drew followed in suit: "It a MEEEEEE-CLE!"

Drew bonked himself on the side of his head and insisted on a bandaid. When he saw himself in the mirror, he then insisted he needed another one. "Me be a robot." When you push one bandaid, the robot flies. The other button transforms the robot into a tractor.

Tess: "Sometimes when I sing, I sing so good I can't even hear myself because I think I'm on the radio."

Nana gave Tess a rainbow loom, which you use to make bracelets out of small colored rubber bands. It's a little tricky, but she's catching on to it. This morning before I woke up, she had completed the first step of making a zig-zag pattern with the rubber bands. She told me, "When I make it I kind of feel like a dentist putting braces on someone's teeth!"

Wendy's French teacher came back from Paris with a "big boy Eiffel Tower" for Drew. It is a large glass Eiffel Tower statue that was filled with candies. He's been carrying it around everywhere. He insisted on sleeping with it last night, snuggling it like a stuffed animal.

This morning Tess taught Drew how to say, "Bonjour!" "Ca va!" and his age, "trois."

Tess spent this morning singing, "tres bien, merci, tres bien, merci, au revoir, au revoir." Later, Tess and Drew sang "Thomas Jefferson" over and over in a sing-songy voice. They thought it was hilarious. (I asked Tess who Thomas Jefferson was, and she told me that he was a president.)

Today, Drew saw his sled and commented, "My sled happy to see the snow." He then moved his sled over to the glass doors in the basement. "My sled want to watch the snow."

Drew has a new expression: "Nah, nah, nah nah, nah." We're not sure where he picked it up, and I don't know that he entirely understands its meaning. After sledding down the hill in front of our house today, he cried out with delight, "Nah, nah, nah nah, nah."

Drew is in love with his new green sled, and he has insisted on playing with it in the house. While playing in the basement, he placed one foot on his sled and his other foot on Tess' sled and shuffled his feet forward. He said, "I a walking penguin!"

Drew likes to watch the TV show "Caillou." For many months he has consistently referred to the main character as "Paillou," despite our repeated attempts to correct him. Today he fessed up to Miriam that he knows the boy's name is Caillou. After she told me, I decided to test him. "Drew, is his name Caillou or Paillou?" With a slight smile, Drew responded by making the "k" sound twice and then said, "Paillou."

Tess and Miriam read some verses in the Book of Moses that mention Satan. Tess asked who Satan was, and she seemed surprised by the explanation. When Miriam told Tess that it was time to stop reading, Tess protested, "But Mom, I love reading about Satan! Can't we read more about Satan?!"

Tess and Miriam read about Moses' vision of all the inhabitants of the earth. Tess was impressed. "Did he see me?"

Drew is not a fan of thunder. After he heard a thunder clap, he said, "Thunder too loud. Thunder scary. I need to hide in a basket."

Tess tried on a dress from her cousin Kate that has 3 little girls on it. "How come all of them are white? Some of them should be black."

We attended a convert baptism on Saturday, so of course Tess came home and planned an FHE baptism lesson. She made various targets and we had to throw a beanbag at the one that said "baptism." Then we had to make a baptismal scene using legos.

Drew often likes to report to us that certain things make his toys "happy." Seeing another motorcycle makes his green motorcycle "happy." Watching Thomas makes his train "happy."

Amazing Sunday, as the whole family was together in Primary: Tess in her class, Drew in Sunbeams, and Ry & I together teaching the other Sunbeam class. How wonderful is it that both kids go to their classes now without a huge fuss?

I'm afraid to say it out loud, but I think Drew may officially be out of diapers during the day. He even does a great job at church! Hallelujah!