4 kids * 5 per day * 365 days/year * 2 years per kid

Ellie and Anderson had their combined birthday party on Saturday.  Anderson's in to cars and racing and trains and Legos right now so he mainly got Cars Legos and Cars Geotrax and trucks and stuff.  He also got a bike helmet, which he wears constantly, just walking around the house.  It's pretty funny to watch.  Ellie got clothes, which she was thrilled about.  She also got clothes for her American girl doll, which she was also thrilled about.  She's very excited to go see princesses ice skating which is her present from us this year.  Today she asked if there will be bathrooms there.

Ellie and Anderson were supposed to be cleaning the toy room the other day.
Ellie:  I'm the only one cleaning!
Anderson:  Me too!

I asked Carla to marry me 10 years ago today, so that's pretty cool.  Since then we've gotten married (obviously), graduated college, gotten good jobs, bought(en) a house, had 4 kids, changed approximately 14600 diapers, started our masters's, and been to countless soccer and tee-ball games.  Still, it seems like yesterday that I was kneeling and trembling at the park after Thanksgiving dinner.  She cried and said yes and we started the whirlwind of activity that I still don't think has stopped.  It's fun trying to keep up, and it's fun looking back.  And Thanksgiving will always be my favorite holiday.

Gibbling

Anderson was passing a little basketball from hand to hand.
Me: Anderson, are you dribbling?
Anderson. No! I'm . . . Gibbling.

Anderson, while listening to Super-cala-fraga . . . : I really like the 'docious' part.

Anderson, after finding out his train broke: Who did this? I'm serious!

The furnace man came by today b/c the heat pump wasn't working quite right.
Furnace man: Well, everything's working perfectly. But you should replace these 3 parts. Actually, you should just by a whole new heat pump. That'll be $5000.
Me: Get off of my property.
Well, it was something like that anyway.

Gracie's taking 5-6 steps without falling down now. She also has her 3rd bad ear infection in 5 weeks and is therefore on her 3rd different antibiotic in 5 weeks and is therefore destroying her diapers.

Also, why didn't He-man just always stay He-man? Did he get tired of running around in his underwear? Adam really didn't have much going for him and I'm sure Cringer would have been happy just staying Battlecat. He probably just didn't like the name. He-man. What were the other choices on the wall in the writers' room that they didn't pick? Mr. Strong? Magic Muscle Man? Who rides a cat, anyway?