Tess' Ballet Recital

Few More Virginia Beach Pics

Tess kicks back and catches a few rays at the pool.  

Drew and Ryan shoot some hoops.

Drew flashes his pearly whites poolside.  

Drew quickly found out that the two beds were great trampolines.   

Thirty seconds earlier: "I'm not sleepy!"

Apparently, we could've saved some money on this trip by reserving a room with only one bed.

We spent several hours at Mt. Trashmore, a former dump outside Virginia Beach that now features an enormous playground, complete with half a dozen slides, climbing walls, and even a skateboard half pipe.  

"I am King of the Mountain!"

Tess brought home a little mermaid that washed up on shore.  

"Tess, it's my turn to take a picture!"

Virginia Beach Trip

June 2014 Tidbits

I asked Tess why she decided to dress up as a cat with Drew.  Her response: "I was thinking a little bit cattish."  

Drew offers to help in the kitchen.  
Drew: "I wanna help at the end."
Miriam: "What part do you want to help with?"
Drew: "The eating part."

Drew: "I have so much poo-poos, I need two wipes."  

I love it when Tess finds the one black seed in a seedless watermelon, and then announces: "Watermelon-seed spitting contest!" 

I was making pulled barbecue pork in the crockpot for dinner. Tess asked if we were going to Nana's house. I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Because it smells like Nana's meat!" 

Drew and I read a book about the body at bedtime. 
Ryan: "Drew, what is a tongue for?" 
Drew: "For sticking out." 

Drew was a bit confused about Father's Day. This morning, he said to me, "Happy birfday, Dad." 

Tess and Drew at lunchtime. 
Tess: "Drew, if you want to get a present from Santa this year, you need to be nice to me." 
Ryan: "Tess, you don't decide whether Drew gets a present at Christmas." 
Tess: "Santa said that I could be his helper." 

I told Tess about a passenger spacecraft under construction that is designed to fly to the edge of space. 
Ryan: "What would you think about flying to the edge of space, Tess?" 
Tess: "There's no edge of space. Space goes forever." 


The sister missionaries ate dinner with the family tonight. They shared an object lesson about taking the necessary steps to get to heaven. Drew was determined to skip the steps by taking a giant leap. He said, "Need to be a little closer." Tess, on the other hand, took the "steps" to "heaven" and then returned to "earth." Realizing where she was, she said, "I don't want to be back here." 

Tess was moaning about a tiny scratch on her knee. I pointed out that it was very small and couldn't hurt very much. She responded, "Sometimes the smallest owies hurt the most!" 

Tess and I tried our best to convince Drew to eat his carrots at dinner. We told him that carrots would make his eyes stronger. 
Tess: "Yeah, Drew, I eat carrots and I can see through your clothes and see your underwear." 

Drew loves orange juice. "Dad, sometimes I like to call it orange macaroni." 

Drew turned around and around when I tried to scrub him in the bath (he was standing up). 
Ryan: "Drew, why are you spinning around?" 
Drew: "It's like I'm in a car wash." 

Ryan: "Tess and Drew, you need to wash your hands when you get inside." 
Tess: "Why?" 
Ryan: "Because you've been touching and picking up frogs, sticks, dirt, and beetles." 
Tess: "I didn't touch any beetles." 

Drew likes to play with my telescope. This morning, he said to me, "Dad, I want to get a tiny look with your telescope" (his way of saying a quick look). 

Tonight I was met by Super Drew and Super Tess (in costume) when I pulled into the garage. Tess said, "We've been playing around the house, looking for trouble." 
Ryan: "You've been looking for trouble?" 
Tess: "Yes, we've been looking for cats and dogs and other animals in trouble." 

May 2014 Tidbits

Tess made an Eiffel Tower out of blocks. When Drew saw the tower, he said, "Tess' favorite is the Eiffel Tower. Mine is Big Ben." 

Drew told me that he wanted to make "Ikea" out of play-doh. 
Ryan: "Drew, how do you make Ikea out of play-doh?" 
Drew: "You have to make a store and parking lot." 

Drew's remote-control Thomas train was rather sluggish in its movement. 
Ryan: "Drew, maybe it needs some new batteries." 
Drew: "Probably it need more coal." 

While recounting the events of the day, Drew indicated that he had had a run-in with a another boy at playgroup.
Drew: "I going to be mad at him." 
Ryan: "Why are you going to be mad at him? Don't you think you should be nice?" 
Drew (not getting the hint): "A 'cause I going to spit at him with my mouth and get him yucky." 

Tess and Drew have had great fun catching baby frogs. Tess commented: "Catching frogs is one of my talents." 

Ryan: "Drew, I want to get a bite of your toes. What do your toes taste like?" 
Drew: "Like stinky socks." 

Ryan: "Drew, can I take a bite out of your toes?"

Drew: "No."

Ryan: "Why not?"

Drew: "Cause I need them to walk."

Drew has been making more than a few messes lately. 
Ryan: "Drew, did you put this candy on the carpet?" 
Drew: "It wasn't me." 
Ryan: "If it wasn't you, who was it?" 
Drew: "Probably a sneakin' chicken." 

Drew: "I have an owie on my foot. I kinda 'barrassed." 
Ryan: "Drew, what does 'embarassed' mean?" 
Drew: "It mean I have an owie." 

Drew: "I faster sleep in my bed. I know how to do that." 

Tess came up with a creative way of sharing her lollipop from church with Drew: they each get their own side to lick. 

Drew was unhappy about distractions while he was dancing to music. With a stern look, he said, "I don't like you talk cuz it's dancing time!" 

After Miriam and Drew passed a clock tower in Lorton while driving on I-95, Drew said, "That London back there." 

Miriam: "Tess, can you believe that in a year and a half, you'll be going to Activity Day Girls?" 
Tess: "Yep, and I'll get to drive too." 

I took Tess with me to Michael's to purchase a frame for Miriam's Mother's Day gift. When she realized that Miriam might be in the store at the same time (Miriam wanted to buy a frame as well), she devised a plan to avoid spoiling the surprise. "Dad, if Mom asks why we're buying a frame, we can say, 'Oh, you never know when you might need a picture frame.'" 

Drew and a friend took a ride in a park swing with room for two. Drew said, "Mama, this swing have room for two bums (pause)...Or one wheelly big bum!" 

Tess has learned a new game. 
Tess, "Mom, can we play 'rock, paper, scissors, shoe'?" 
Miriam (confused about the shoe reference): "What is that?" 
Tess: "You know, the shoe you wear." 
Miriam: "I think it's 'shoot.'" 
Tess: "Can we just play shoe? 'Cause I like that better."