Over and Out

Emmett and Liliana camped out in the back yard with David this weekend. They had a walkie talkie in the tent with them and while David was still inside finishing up some work, Emmett kept using it to call inside and ask questions or share random thoughts and comments. When David first gave the kids the walkie talkie, he told them that when they are all done talking and want to let the other person know that they are ending the conversation, they can say, "over and out." Emmett didn't quite remember the phrase, so he would finish with "Good night. Love you. Out and in." It took us a few minutes to realize what he was saying and why, but it was so cute and sweet that we couldn't bring ourselves to correct him right there and then. Love that kid.

A date with a toddler

For Valentine's Day, David and I sat down with Liliana and Emmett and scheduled a date with each of them over the following few weekends. Liliana and I went to see a movie (Paddington Bear) together and Emmett asked to go to Dairy Queen for treats, followed by perusing a store nearby. Liliana scheduled a swimming date with David, and Emmett is going with David to see a movie. As the older kids began to go on their dates last week, Edison, the 2 year old, decided he wanted to go on one as well. When asked what he would like to, Edison said, "Get a cupcake." I told him he and I would go out for a cupcake on our date this weekend. Almost every morning and after most naps this past week, Edison has awakened saying it was time for his date and his cupcake and has been sad when he found out he still had to wait. This morning he woke up crying about it, and luckily I could tell him we'd be going after nap time and dinner. When we parked at the mall where there is a cupcake shop and I opened his car door, Edison giddily said, "I'm so excited!" He was so happy to finally get out on his date. We wandered our way through the mall towards the shop and Edison stopped to check out fountains, lights, store displays, and even the sparkly design swirling through the floor. Once inside the shop, he picked out the most frosting and sprinkle covered cupcake available. He then proceeded to eat the cupcake... one sprinkle at a time - hopping out of his chair to pick up each sprinkle he dropped (which I quickly snatched away before he could put them in his mouth). After awhile, he decided he wanted the cake more than the frosting, and started eating bites from the bottom. He made it about halfway through and then we took the rest home for later, stopping to check out anything eye-catching on the way out - including a puddle to jump in outside. Luckily Edison was ready for the puddle, since he had put his rain boots on to go with his Micky Mouse PJ's that he wouldn't allow me to change before leaving the house. To top off his date outfit, his hair was sticking pretty much straight up because David had blow-dried it that way yesterday and Edison didn't want it combed today.
He had a great time and I enjoyed being able to give him my full attention and let him lead us along in our activities, so I'd say our first official date was a success.
......

Understanding Yogurt

Liliana: Mom, does this yogurt need to be stirred?
Me: Does it say, "fruit on the bottom"?
Liliana picks up the yogurt and looks at the bottom of the container.
Hahaha! After David and I chuckled, we clarified what we meant. Kids are awesome.

Edison and the airplane

Edison headed out the sliding glass door to the back yard with a small toy plane in his hand. As he went, he told me, "I go fly the plane in the clouds."
"Ok. Have fun!" I called after him.
"Bye bye!" he replied.
I watched him through the window as he reached up as high as he could and stood on his tiptoes, straining to reach the clouds. After a good 30 seconds of effort, Edison returned to the screen door and announced, "I can't reach it."
How adorable is that? He thought he was literally going to be able to fly his toy up into the clouds! This kid is such a sweetheart and he brings so much joy to our family.

Emmett's Reading of Matthew 7:9

Our family recently finished reading the Book of Mormon from beginning to end and moved on to reading the New Testament together. Last night we were reading in Matthew chapter 7. David was helping Emmett read verse 9, which says, "Or what man is there of you, who if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" To help the kids understand what was being said, David asked, "Emmett, how would you feel if you asked me for some bread and I gave you a stone?" ...Emmett smiled and nods his head. I figured maybe he didn't know what a stone was, so I rephrase the question, "If you were hungry and asked Daddy for some bread and he gave you rocks instead, would that make you happy?" Emmett's smile broadened and he exclaimed, "I love rocks!"
After David and I stopped laughing, we tried asking if the rocks would help him not be hungry anymore. I'm not sure how much he got out of that, because when we moved on to the next verse that says, "Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" and explained that serpent means snake, Emmett responded with, "The caterpillar ones are my favorite!"
I guess this particular scripture is one we'll have to revisit when Emmett's a little older.

Edison Plays Hide and Seek

As I was cleaning up after this evening's meal, I hear Edison - who had shoved his way behind the ottoman - say, "A, B, C, here I come!" He then dashed out from behind the ottoman, raced around the kitchen island, and laughed at Liliana, who was still seated at the table. He's so much fun!

Edison's first complete prayer

We have tried to help Edison say prayers several times before, but he usually just says, "no" and that is that. Tonight Edison actually repeated the words of our family prayer at bedtime. All was going well until David said, "We thank..."
Edison repeated, "We thank..."
David: "thee..."
Edison: "thee..."
David: "for..."
Edison: "five..."
Laughter ensued -especially from Liliana and Emmett - and it took awhile to get everyone calmed down, but he did manage to complete the prayer. It was a sweet and silly moment.