Juicy, freezing, slimy hands

Ellie and I were snapping green beans for, geez, I think Thanksgiving dinner.  After a while, she said, "My hands are getting juicy."
Me:  Yeah, I don't like snapping green beans either.
Ellie:  Then why are you doing it?
Me:  Well, because I love Mommy and when you love someone you help them, even if you don't like to.  That's why you're helping me, because you love me . . . and because I made you.
El:  Well . . . Mom really made me because I was in her belly.
Me:  No, because I made you help me.
I was not ready to have any such conversations with her yet.

Our whole family spent the night at Bob and Kay's a while ago.  I was sleeping on the second floor and Anderson was sleeping in the basement.  At about 4 am, he woke up and, convinced I was in the garage, put on his shoes (no coat, ~20 degrees outside) and walked out to find me.  Their garage is detached so he was outside for a little while, knocking on the door, I guess.  Fortunately, Kay got up when she heard the door shut and found him walking back to the house, upset that I didn't come to the garage door.  Needless to say, he got to sleep in my bed with me for the rest of the night.

Anderson, at the breakfast table yesterday:  Dipping toast in water is fun and yummy!

Pretty is for Girls!

Anderson was making something, and I told him it looked pretty.  He looked at me kind of disgusted and said, "Mom, pretty is for girls.  Cool is for boys."

Speaking of pretty, my pretty little Caroline is talking up a storm these days.  She went through a period of about 2 months where she did nothing new, so I guess she's making up for it now.  In the last few days she's said or done the following:
-bath, hi, up, hot, all done, ho-ho-ho, uh-oh (with the oh instead of just the uh)
-shakes her head "no"
-lays down upon request (to get diaper changed)
-points to nose, eyes, belly

Ellie just had the flu, so that was no fun.  I'm really hoping we all aren't sick for Christmas.  Time will tell. . .

What's up with these kids, yo?

Anderson told Caroline not to be a Gigolo.

Ellie just did some five-year-old-white-girl freestyle rapping.  She started with Rock-a-bye Baby, then she flowed it like she knowed it and the people done voted.  Yo.

Caroline woke up at 2:30 this morning and didn't go back to sleep until about 5:00.  She was completely inconsolable.  She squirmed in my arms until I let her down, then she ran out in the kitchen, sat down, laid her head down on the floor, and sobbed.  I offered her goldfish and milk, which she refused.  Then we went and watched Leno, Law and Order SVU, then the Cosby Show.  She liked SVU but cried during the others.  I guess she's down with the murdering but likes neither terribly unfunny nor hilarious entertainers.  I mean, seriously, having other people cut out newspaper clippings and mail them to you so you can sit in a chair and read them does not make you funny.  It makes you lazy.  Anyway, then I offered Caroline oyster crackers, which she devoured.  Then she finally went back to sleep.  Women.

Anderson, after every bath he ever takes, to whomever's drying him:  Can you put my towel in my towel?
That means he wants you to wrap him up with it and tuck it in so it stays on.  He also likes to use the tie on my bathrobe to go fishing in our bathtub.

Carla told the kids to clean or something the other day and Walker said, "Mom, aren't you going to wink me out of it?"  He meant he wanted Carla to wink at him when she told them to clean so he wouldn't have to do it but everyone else would.  Good try, buddy, but mommy can't wink.

File under miscellaneous

Anderson, wanting to see some Christmas lights:  Dad, can we see some sparkly houses on the way to Grandma's?

Anderson put a toy story paint by numbers book in the cart at the store the other day.
Carla:  Anderson, we can't buy that.
Anderson:  Yes we can.
Carla:  No, we can't.  I don't have any money for that.
Anderson:  Yes you do!  We're buying it!  Because it's cool!
She did not buy it.  So far, we've been successful in telling our kids no without having to beat them at Walmart. 

Anderson says Sanks instead of thanks and Wiff instead of with.

Anderson wore his bike helmet and elbow pads all day at the sitter's house today.  Well, she made him take off the helmet for lunch and nap.

Caroline now has 3 teeth and 0 ear infections, finally.  She still says "uh" instead of uh-oh.

Walker went to bed at 6:45 tonight.  He was up late watching the return of LeBron to the Q last night (embarrassing all the way around - cavs embarrassed themselves, lebron embarrassed himself, game 5 all over again).

Ellie's version of "I'll handle it" - "I got the handle, mom."  She also won a Thanksgiving coloring contest sponsored by Hostess.  She got a bag full of junk food as a prize.

I brought some wheat bread home from the store the other day and showed it to Carla.
Me:  You like this kind of bread, right?
Carla:  That?  That's like the white bread of wheat bread.
I'm not sure but I think that makes her racist . . .