Found!

After many weeks of wondering where some of my most used objects were disappearing to...I found them! I was putting the pressure on my son to eat his scrambled eggs before leaving for school, which he was resisting. I left the room to get something from the kitchen and heard his plate clanking around. When I came back in he happily exclaimed that his eggs were gone! I knew he was up to something...After checking the floor under the table I looked up and found a little shelf underneath the table, which can only be seen or accessed from crawling underneath. In it I found the treasures of my little Sam's heart... 9 Bobby pins, my blackberry phone holder, Dathan's favorite pen, 4 quarters, 2 pennies, and 1 very old cucumber and his scrambled eggs. The jig is up kid!

I'm honored...

Mom: Sammy, I sure love you! Have a great time at Grammy's house.
Sam: (looking deep and seriously into mother's eyes) I love you too, mommy. Um, here's some dried boogers...Bye!

Well...

This "conversation" followed after Sam was tucked into bed for the fourth time tonight.

Mom: Why aren't you going to sleep? Are you scared?
Sam: Yeah, it's too dark.
Mom: OK...Here's a little light for you now. Is that better?
Sam: Yes.
Mom: Just lay still with your eyes shut and think about all the great things you are going to do in pre-school tomorrow, and before you know it, it'll be morning!
Sam: Well......Will it be Christmas? Or Halloween? A halloween party? Maybe there'll be a piñata and I can get four candies if I hit it. Or maybe five, or six, or seven, or eight, or nine, or ten...If there is ten candies in the piñata, I could hit it and pick up one, or two, or three...
Mom: Goodnight Sam.
Sam: ...or four, or five, or six...

I can still hear him now, while I am typing. I think he is still counting...

Character building exercizes for babies...

How to build character/patience in younger sisters:

1. Wait patiently for Mom to dress unsuspecting sister in a dress with tights.
2. Find sister's favorite toy. Still wait patiently.
3. After baby is placed on ground to play and crawl, wait for mom to go out of ear shot.
4. Take saved favorite toy and place 5 feet from where baby is playing.
5. Get her attention with a sweet voice calling her to come and get her toy.
6. When sister begins to crawl towards her toy, run quickly to the back of her.
7. Proceed to step on her feet gently, only catching the extra part of her tights that hang over her toes with your shoes.
8. Step with all your weight on her rapidly stretching tights.
9. Laugh maniacally at sister all the while ignoring her frustrated complaints and NEVER letting go of her tights.
10. Jump off of tights and look as innocent as possible when hearing Mom come back towards room to see why baby is fussing.
11. Never let on that you know how the baby managed to stretch her tights 5 feet past her toes.

Our Christmas activities set to Popular Tunes...

This lovely, melodious gem is from Toby:

(Upon arriving at my sister's house in Gunnison and greeting their dog, Champ)
Ruff, ruff, bells, ruff, ruff, bells, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruuuufff. (repeated 20 times)

(While playing his new Star Wars video game)
Joy to the death! The Death has come! You Die! You Die! You DIIEE!

to be continued...

Spiritual Anatomy

Sam: Mom, Jesus doesn't live in my heart.
Mom: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Why doesn't he live in your heart? Do you not believe in Him?
Sam: No, mom. Jesus doesn't live in my heart...He lives in my neck!

An alarmingly re-occuring theme...

(This conversation was heard over the top of my husband snickering at me in the car today)
Sam: Can we go to Walmart so I can go into the bathroom and buy a diaper for Annalise? Not that she needs too many, just one, just in case she poops alot. They only cost a quarter and they are in the machine in the mommy bathroom at Walmart...
Toby: NO, they aren't diapers, I think that they are wipes for mommys.
Sam: No, mommy said that they are like diapers...
Toby: No, I really think they are like wipes that only mommys use.
Sam: NO, they are diapers. I know it. AND they only cost a quarter...I have two! We can each get one!