"Quote Of the Week"

Last Sunday I had an emotional breakdown and cried at Julie that she should be more loving toward her brothers and play their games instead of always wanting to be in charge. I confessed that I wish I had spent more time with my brothers, and I didn't want her to waste that opportunity.

Later in the week, I was getting after her - yet again - this time more calmly - to get along with her brothers. Her response: Mom, you were an older sister, and you know it was hard to have younger brothers. You can't get mad at me for doing something you did yourself.

BUSTED!!! She sassily stalked away. Jesse and I couldn't look at each other for fear of laughing loud, long, and hard while she could still hear us. (She doesn't tolerate people laughing at her.)

"Quote of the Week"

Josh came in to my bathroom as I finished straightening my hair. He looked in the mirror and very frankly said, "When I look in the mirror, I am cute."
I agree; don't you?

"Quote Of the Week"

James had horrible bed-head this morning, so I wet it down and brushed it straight, just for a change. The kids were upstairs playing before school so they did not see me do this. When I finally called them down to get in the van to head to school, James went upstairs to meet them. I heard David exclaim, "Oh no, what happened?!" Julie replied, "It's okay. Now he looks like everyone else."

At Odds

Julie was very upset today: Mommy and Daddy told her she had two problems wrong on the multiplication worksheet she made herself. Two issues: first, we explained the basic concept of multiplication to her yesterday at dinner; it is not anything she is working on at school, yet. Second, she takes being right way too seriously.

Back to the story - She created a worksheet with ten problems and missed two, both problems involving factors of 3. She actually cried for thirty minutes, saying she was dumb, she hates math and odd numbers, completely ignoring what we tried to point out to her: she is amazing for getting 8 correct!

I talked to her after she calmed down. I told her she was not dumb at math, that she always brings home 100s on her work. She said, "Not always. I made a 90 and a 95." Trying hard not to smile, because she does not like being laughed at, I explained that 90 and 95 means she only missed a few problems and that she should learn from the problems she got wrong. She felt better when I confirmed that 90 and 95 are still A's, and we happily made dinner together.

"Quote Of the Week"

Josh is proud of his baby brother. A lady in line behind us at the store raved over James' curls. Josh proudly proclaimed, "He is my baby brother. He has pretty hair." The next day, he got very upset at Julie. Julie was encouraging James to put on her church shoes. Josh objected tearfully to the dress-up, because "He is my baby brother!" Obviously, brothers are not supposed to wear girl shoes.

"Quote of the Week"

I made pretzels with the kids today. Each of the kids ate one, and Josh came back for a second before the other two did. He had finished his second by the time Julie and David were getting their second pretzels; as they went back to the table I told them they could only have two pretzels, so they were all done. Josh came to me, smiled cutely, and said, "I want two second ones."

"Quote Of the Week"

Josh was walking on the back of the couch. I told him to get down. He looked at me, smiled his best smile with his head slightly tilted to one side, then said, "Mommy, walking on the couch isn't dangerous for me." He posed with his sweet smile, then kept walking to the armrest.

"Quote of the Week"

Josh came downstairs at bedtime to complain, "David hit me, and I hit him, and he hit me again and again and again and again and again. . . . Oh, it's Hop on Pop." (Jesse was using the book to hide his laughter.)

"Quote of the Week"

Julie loves to read her Bible, often in books with familiar names like Jeremiah and James. While reading in James, she was excited to discover James 1:5, the scripture that led the boy Joseph to the Sacred Grove. During the Saturday afternoon session of conference, Julie quoted, completely from memory, the verse to Jesse, including the words "liberally" and "upbraideth." Jesse was very impressed and told her so. She replied, "That's going to be hung up in my heart."

"Quotes of the Week"

Josh has two older siblings; thus, he has learned that the best way to get attention is to make us laugh. He was asked to offer the prayer at dinner this evening. He started saying the prayer in a loud, crazy voice. We stopped him and asked him to say the prayer reverently. He started again, reverently this time, but interrupted himself, "Look at the big bug." Jesse explained that we also need to keep our eyes closed during the prayer and asked Josh to try again. Josh prayed again and said in the middle of his reverent prayer, "This is reverent." We were glad it was:).

Then, after dinner I made lollipops for a treat for the kids. Josh didn't finish his, so I dipped it into powdered sugar so it wouldn't stick to the plastic bag that I put it in. He said, "It's sugar. I need it!" Don't we all, my boy; don't we all!!!

Another "Quote of the Week"

We have a Christmas medley CD that we have been playing in the van. On the way home from picking up Julie from school, the piece with a part of one of the dances from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite came on. Josh said, "Mom, it's the Ritz Cracker song!" I said, "Good job, Josh," so that he wouldn't feel so bad listening to the big kids laughing at him. (Okay, I was laughing too, but I was trying to hide it, unlike Julie and David.)

"Quote of the Week"

Lollipop, Lollipop, OHHH Lolly, Lollipop . . . Lollipop! Josh will amaze you with his ability to count lollipops. (How does he fit them all into his mouth at the same time?!)

"Quote of the Week"

The weather here has been beautiful, so Jesse, the boys and I ate lunch on the porch one day. David brought his bike onto the porch and proceeded to ride to the end and then right off the end of the porch, a good 6-inch drop. He has quick reflexes and jumped clear of danger; then he started to laugh. He told us, "I was thinking in my head that looked like fun, so I thought I'd do it." The irony: just before David's daring deed, Jesse had quietly suggested we put a ramp at the end of the porch that the kids could jump their bikes off of. Obviously, Jesse and David share a desire for - for lack of a better word - adventure.

"Quote of the Week"

Julie has learned to snap her fingers, but only on one hand. She demonstrated her success, then showed me her failure. "Pitiful," she said. (Unfortunately, Julie is still very sensitive about our laughing at her clever comments, so she glared at us after we showed our appreciation for her accomplishment.)

"Quote of the Week"

Julie informed me this week that, "French people kiss with their tongues." What a great thing to know! I told her that she should never do that. Then I amended and said she could when she was married. Maybe I should have stuck with never. . . .

"Quote of the Week"

Daddy asked, "Josh what is your favorite animal at the zoo?"
Josh answered, "Me."

"Quote of the Week"

Julie comments on the fact that I turn 30 next year: "You're almost a grandma!"