Arkansas State Fair

With the Hutch family, practically in-laws already!

Robyn and I always say (and we are laughing but it's not really a joke) that our friendship was forged in the fires of affliction.  new city, Big city, no income, double strollers, public transportation, worst winters in the world (exaggeration?), spirited children, expensive/questionable schools, dishwasher-less, basement laundry, busy husbands, scary neighborhood, haven't these people ever heard of customer service?, new babies, world-class museums, parades,Wisconsin Dells, cvs/hyde park produce, playgroup, Obama's house, tot lot, tot lot tot lot, tea times, lpf's, recipe nights, baby showers,

uh, the good and the bad, we did it all together.  So it was a given that when the State Fair happened in Little Rock, their new home, we would pack up our strollers and give that cultural event a "what-fer".

And we did.  It was awesome.

and it has taken me hours of attempts to upload photos for some reason, so before I give up forever, here are the pics that did upload, with no captions because I'm tired of trying.  But know this, we had a most wonderful time, we love the hutches, and spencer, matt and I all rode the mechanical bull, and of course, I rocked the socks off of it.  Although I don't think I left bruises over 12 inches long on the bull, I did ride it into the ground, basically.  Yeah, I'm a cool mom.

okay, pictures:  kids, rides, food, and even one of me and robyn (which never happens!)

The World According to a Kindergartener

Excerpt from Spencer's Journal:

Cadence started Kindergarten in the middle of Mardee's sick days, which left me with no time to document her first impressions until now.  She was obsessed with the "cafeteria" (she will correct you if you call it a lunch room), and was convinced that by the end of the first week of school she was the world's foremost expert on the subject. After asking her how her first day of school went, 90% of her answer was details about the cafeteria including the fact that the kids had their choice of Pasta or Hamburgers, and that 9 kids chose pasta while only 2 chose Hamburgers.  She explained with excitement about how kids would have to walk in a line holding their trays with TWO hands so it wouldn't spill.  Note: Cadence brought a packed lunch, and was only an amazed observer for the phenomena that occured in the cafeteria.  By the end of the first week she was insisting that the food in the cafeteria was free, and was rejecting our underinformed argument that it was cheaper to pack a lunch. 

A couple weeks ago I made the time to go eat lunch with her (at 10:30AM!), and everything became much more clear.  First off... school teachers are geniuses and have figured out great systems for controlling an army of kids who are inept at following simple instructions at home.  All the kids wear these colorful lamenated crowns to distinguish who their teacher is and where they should sit.  These crowns also have their name and a 6 digit account number.  When I showed up, Cadence was in the middle of eating her Lunchables creation... 7 slices of cheese stacked between two crackers (see picture below).  It was inspirational.  She was also drinking a carton of chocolate milk, which oddly, I did not pack for her.  I asked about it, and she immediately retorted that it is free and all the kids can get milk.  I was thinking something about our taxes being hard at work to give kids chocolate milk, when she quickly started giving me orders on what I needed to do to get the cafeteria food.  She led me to the line, showed me where to get my tray, started to instruct me on which combinations of food were allowed (1 vegetable dish and a fruit dish, or two of either kind, etc), and showed me where to get the chocolate milk.  As I walked out, a lunch lady at the register asked if I just wanted to put it on Cadence's account.  Sure, I replied.  She glanced at Cadence's headband and punched in her account number as Cadence was just walking by.  Bingo.  I figured out their game.  It's like tatooing credit card numbers to five year old's foreheads and allowing them to do all the shopping they want without thinking they are spending money.  Cadence and I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.  She really enjoyed excusing herself from the table of her friends because she had to go eat lunch with her dad, and walked me over to a mostly empty table where a few other parents were having lunch with their kids.  She was glowing.

School has been a great boost for Cadence's responsibility. She is much more independent about many of the daily routine things.  She is great about getting herself ready now, but it was not always so easy.  Within the first month and a half she was tardee about 11 times.  We actually got a note home saying that if she continued to be tardee that we would be reported for a case study with Child Protective Services.  We told Cadence that if she was on time every day of the week, then on Fridays she could buy lunch from the cafeteria.  It was like a miracle.  I don't think she has been tardee since.

One of the main reasons for Cadence being tardee is her insistance on how she has to look.  Even before Cadence started school she has been known to say things like "I have more fun at parties when I'm the prettiest one there."  That has set alarms off in both Mardee and I, as neither of us were raised in environments where that would fly.  Cadence would not wear anything that was not a dress, and insisted on cute open-toed shoes.  Several times I would give her specific instructions on what shoes to wear after serving her breakfast, and after I'd get back from taking a shower she would be wearing exactly the opposite and claim she forgot.  As I'd drive her to school she would talk about how the boys at school were "judging her" by saying she is not pretty, and was clearly on a mission to prove them wrong every day.  Since she realized how much that was making her tardee, and since it has cooled down a bit, she has been more amenable to a broader wardrobe selection which includes pants. 

On a recent Saturday, we mentioned we were going to go bowling as a family activity and she lost it.  She insisted she didn't like bowling because they make you wear bowling shoes, and bowling shoes don't look good with any of her outfits.  Every other time she has gone bowling, she has had a great time, so this didn't make sense.  In a great parenting moment, I told her that whether or not she has a good time depends way more on her attitude than on how she looks.  I gave her two options: 1) she could put on her prettiest clothes and go to bed, or 2) she could put on ugly clothes and we could go have a good time.  She put on the "ugly" clothes (which were just workout shorts and a plain T-Shirt), and off we went.  We went to Fast Lanes, but upon realizing that it would cost $30 for our family to bowl and that it wouldn't retain our kids' attention for more than 15 minutes we left... but not before Cadence zipped around their track on a go-cart.  We went to Chuck E Cheese where the kids had a great time and Cadence ran into a friend from school who was celebrating her birthday.  We were assimilated into the birthday party group and Cadence had a fantastic time.  It was a great object lesson in how important the attitude is, and how little your looks make a difference in whether or not you can have fun.

Speaking of great parenting moments, a couple weeks ago we were driving and Cadence was insisting that she knew something better than Mardee did and that Mardee was wrong.  Cadence relishes it when she can claim her mom is wrong.  I stop her in her tracks every time.  This time, though, Cadence took it a step farther and mentioned that she knows more than Mardee does because she is smarter than her.  I stopped her politely and said, "Cadence, let's see about that.  We'll have a quiz.  Cadence, what is 20 divided by 4?" 
Cadence - 7?
Me - EERRRR (incorrect buzzer sound).  Mardee? 20 divided by 4?
Mardee - 5.
Me - Correct!

I asked a couple other questions which Cadence would not know, and Mardee got right.  After the third question Cadence was crying that she was wrong after all three and I said, "See, Mom does know more than you because she is 29 and has learned everything from first grade, second grade, all the way through high school and college.  You will know all those things too after you go through those classes."  Cadence was bawling, "It's not nice to say other people are smarter than you!"  Me - Then don't say that to other people.  Also, you should know that you can trust your mom because she is very smart and knows a lot.  Mardee and I were pretty proud of that little seemingly abusive parenting moment.

Finally I wanted to share about Cadence's class where she learned about drugs.  Why any 5 year old in Bentonville, AR needs to know about drugs is beyond me, but sure enough, Cadence came home last Monday having learned about drugs.  Mardee and I were really curious what she learned so we had her give the family night lesson about it.  She said, "Drugs are VERY bad things you do. Worse than not sharing. Stealing is a kind of doing drugs. Uh oh dad... I think Luke Skywalker does drugs because he cuts people's arms off!" It was funny. We tried explaining them to her a couple other times, but she still didn't seem to get it. That's fine by me.  On a sidenote, I've been having a great time with the kids over the past 3 weeks watching bits of the Star Wars movies with them.  Cadence is getting to a new stage where she is not interested in the little kid shows anymore (Caillou, Super Why, etc).  It is fun for me to relive my childhood with them by showing some movies that left a big impression on me as a kid, and are more entertaining the Barbie's 12 Dancing Princesses for me.  Not to mention that Princess Leia 1) doesn't care what she looks like 2) has a can do, brave attitude, and 3) is tough as nails.  A much better example for the girls than Barbie in my view.

This week Mardee went to a parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Asplund and heard fantastic things about Cadence.  She was told that Mrs. Asplund does not have a single concern about Cadence and that she is the model student.  She sets a good example, learns things very quickly, shares well, and is socially astute.  She said that she tells the other teachers that the "baby" in her class is her model student (Cadence is the second youngest).  That was great to hear.  Since Cadence has been on a soccer team it is obvious what a huge difference the age of the kids makes on the field. Cadence is the youngest and smallest out there most of the time, and doesn't quite get the competitive dynamics that exist on the field.  She also can't run as fast or last as long out there yet.  Some of the kids out there are 20% older than she is!  Seeing what a big difference that made had me a bit nervous for the classroom, but apparently it is not slowing her down a bit.  What a terrific kid!  As we keep her "know it all" attitude and aesthetic competitiveness in check, it really seems like that kid can do anything.

Culture Corner

Yes, the last few weekends have been filled with Arkansas culture! And yes, it's basically what you are imagining..

Last weekend was the famed Pea Ridge Mule Jump competition in the nearby town of Pea Ridge.  It was veeeery exciting to see mules jump over a rope over and over and over again..... or apparently it should have been.
Cadence was a serious spectator.

 It was so exciting that somebody in the stands had a heart attack right then and there.  Truly!  And although only yards away from the crowds were the Medics, it took about 3 minutes for anybody to get there! 

This was much more fascinating to watch than the mule jumping.  Somebody shouted, "Are there paramedics in the house!?! and then everybody around started shouting for help.  People were running toward the medical trailer, people were shouting, it was clear something was going on.  So they sauntered out of their trailer and over to the ambulance.  "Hurry!!" People were shouting.  One guy finally yelled as loud and clear as he could, "SOMEBODY'S HAVING A HEART ATTACK OVER HERE AND DYING AND YOU AREN'T IN A HURRY!?!"

What really  had me puzzled, though, was why nobody got down off the stands in all that time so that the medics could actually get to the poor soul.  Note to self: if you think having a heart attack is somehow safer when attending an event where paramedics are close at hand, you'd be wrong.

Happily, we ran into our new friends Jill and Mark, and got to share the food-glory with them.  See:





That's two hot-dogs wrapped in a spiral-cut potato, deep fried. I wish I could explain to you how spooky it is to eat a deep fried hot dog. It's like having lunch with the grimm reaper.  (don't worry, spencer told me right out that my hair "looked like I was trying to look homeless".  Yes, he's that good friend who will tell you if you have food in your teeth.  Or if he hates-with-all-his-heart your shirt.)

we drove a little further out afterward for giant ice cream cones. See that? Bigger than their heads. and they don't have small heads, just saying.

that's the kid's size.



she couldn't look up for a picture, too busy.


And tune in to my next post about the Arkansas State Fair (subtitle: If I ever see the Hutchisons again, it's Zion to me!)

BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS!

Birthday season has come to an official close.  e-e-e-e-e-exha-a-a-a-a-ale... inhale, repeat, two more times.... there, I'm back. 
It's been a stranger than usual birthday season in our house, since I've not been well for most of it, but I'm here to report that it seems that the world continues to turn.

It wasn't an epic failure, except Spencer's birthday, but I'll get to that.

Cadence's birthday was a full-on 2 months ago!  and here I am to report on it.  Five.  Can you believe it?  Did you think she was sixteen based on the stories I tell?  Five.  My little perfect baby is five.  She can shower herself, make her own lunch, and ride the bus home from school!  She is, as always, full of surprises and the most wonderful mix of sugar and spice that there ever was.

Here are some pics of her birthday:

cupcake pinata found by Spencer, cupcake sand/sea scene by Spencer (under my creative direction, thank you!), mermaid cake by me (my first creative cake. eeeeeever.)

I was really happy with this cake.  Oh, and so was Cadence, which is what matters, right?

It was a backyard beach party, so fun in the sun with a splash was the order of the day.

Birthday girl gets the first whack.

notice Layla's little fingers, as well as Cadence's adorable haircut.

Campbell, two weeks later, had a smaller birthday celebration, since we figured she would rather have her close friends there and we hoped she would appreciate that more than a big crowd.  And since I was feeling a little low, we went the exciting route and did it at good old Chuck E. Cheese's.  I think she was happy with the whole thing.
Campbell turned 3.  Three!  That little thing has really blossomed this year.  She is a true friend to all and sometimes shows it through head-locks.  She loves the color red.  Can you guess how this makes her mama feel?  Mmmmhmmm, that's my girl.  She is every bit as gregarious and intense as she's always been.  And she still uses a pacifier.  Agggh, I don't dare to take it from her.  She's not such a good sleeper.  I keep waiting for a time when I can afford the sleep loss... hasn't come yet.  But she is loving becoming a big girl!  She is learning to write letters, she plays more interactively with friends, and she is becoming a better eater.  And she's in preschool!  Wowza.  Campbell is just jam-packed with spunk and and fun and love.

Here are the pics from her birthday:

Spencer decided to be orginal with his traditional birthday pancake stack and add a Barbie.  It's a pretty cool idea for a dress, no?

Of course, their birthdays are so close that what I do for one, I must do for the other.  Not that I minded.  It was fun :)  I liked the way this one turned out, too.

I love this one.  looooove it.

Just before she leads her own birthday song!

The girls could NOT understand why Chuck E. was being so aloof.  No matter what they did, he wouldn't resond or even look.  What's his deal!?!

Spencer's up next.  By the time his birthday rolled around i was on week three of having noooo energy and that had been joined by headaches and pain in my muscles/joints.  I always fail on his birthday, but this year was the worst.  I didn't get him anything, for one.  I made him brownies, rather than a cake.  I slept most of the day, and even week.  I did take him out for lunch, which would have been pretty cool except I was so sleepy that it was like having lunch with a stack of sticks.  So happy flippin birthday, Spencer.  Next year is your year...

Let's see if we have pics of his birthday:

Okay, well we have one.  I don't think we had enough candles but we used all that we had!  He requested brownies so that I wouldn't go all out and make him a mermaid cake :)  See how happy he is?  He is hard to bother, I tell you.

My birthday is the end of birthday season, being 3 weeks after Spencer's.  My birthday traditionally starts two weeks before and lasts for a week following.  Because I reeeeally like to celebrate myself :)   Normally I like to plan a big hooplah and have some fun but this year, of course, is different.  So we went with some close (wonderful!) friends to a quick dinner and to see "The Help" (have you seen it?  go.  now.  I mean it.  I'll wait...)  Spencer shed a tear or 10 and that was all I wanted for my birthday (okay, not my exact wish but I knew he'd like it if he gave it a chance).  Walking out of the theatre was a little embarrassing as I walk an awful lot like an elderly person when I'm not feeling great.  Tara keeps offering to push me in a wheel-chair...is that because I'm embarrassing to be around when I'm walking? hmm?  :)

On Sunday, my real birthday, my goal was to make it to church.  I made it to the last hour and even got to hold Michelle's brand spankin' new baby boy!  It was worth the work to get to church!  Then I heard a kid yelling in the halls.  To everybody else it just sounded like a nursery kid being brought to a parent for a diaper change but I heard perfectly: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!"  And I knew it was Layla.  And then she found me and what every body DID hear clearly was, "I poopy, mommy!"

Here are some pics of my birthday. 

Cadence worked really hard on this birthday card for me.  Can you read what it says?  "Check out Dad's Junk in the Trunk" (or "Juck in the Chuck" if you prefer).  One of my presents was too hard to wrap so they planned to leave it in Dad's trunk until it was present time.  Are you dying?  I laughed ALL DAY about it.

The great thing about having so many little clivelings is that I don't have to do any of my own birthday stuff.  I have servants who blow out my candles, unwrap my presents, eat my cake...

here's the "juck in the chuck" :)  I never knew I'd be so happy about food storage.  yay!

okay, out of order, too tired to care.  Spencer and Cadence top of my mucho chocolate cake that Sam made (as in Sam's Club).

You know, Spencer certainly has every right to be worn out and tired of serving on me and doing all my jobs and hearing me complain, and so do my friends around here who have really been carrying a lot of the burden along with him.  But Spencer, as well as my good friends here, act as if it's nothing.  I'm soooo grateful.  Really.  Every prayer I say, guys.  thank you thank you thank you.  And they didn't stop on my birthday.  I felt like i've been treated so well while I've been sick I didn't really deserve any special birthday treatment but I guess I did :)

happy birthday everybody.... (ugh, so sick of saying that :)  )...

My letter to this month's Orton Family Newsletter:  Thought it was a good little note about some goings on around here--


How lucky I feel that I finally thought about writing to the family newsletter today and it just happens to be the extended deadline! So serendipitous that I thought I should get up from my resting place (naptime around here is serious business) and write a quick note to say hello from the Clives.




We are happy and mostly healthy around here, school is in full swing and emotions of little ones are being tried as their schedules have been shocked and rocked. But they are loving it. Spencer is totally overwhelmed and worried sick about having teenage daughters because the conversation on the way to kindergarten between he and Cadence (our eldest) revolves nearly entirely around if she is beautiful enough and which boys at school judge her beauty to be sufficient and which ones do not. We are trying to convince her that it is NOT the most important thing, and she seems to already be of the opinion that we know nothing because we are parents. How did this happen so soon!?! But I try to reassure him that she will someday think this through a little and if we keep reinforcing the character>beauty thing, it will hit her one day. We hope. I suggested turning in all our barbie movies for the Anne of Green Gables cartoon, but Spencer said no, she's too ugly. We laughed and then wondered how our child got this way...



Campbell just started preschool and has been merciful enough on all of us to act potty trained while there. At home, though, it's a free-for-all again. How looooong is this going to take!?! She is bright eyed and excited to learn though, and has even been a little easier to manage in most senses. I thought it was because she sprained her foot really bad and so couldn't walk very well, but as it's finally healing, she's coming out a more...calm (relative, of course, to before) child.

Layla talks in full sentences now and my favorites are things like "Mommy, cheese! Yeah, cheese, okay, yeah!" She and I are enjoying some time together with her sisters at school. Unlike her sister, she's been growing MORE difficult. She was my angel baby and now is my terrorist toddler. When Cadence went through this phase, I called a child psychologist because I was sure she was crazy. Now Layla is just the same and I take a deep breath and lower my head and get ready because I know it's going to be a long, tiring, entertaining couple of years. But at least this time I can relax a little knowing she doesn't need therapy and there's not a whole lot I can do, except enjoy it while it lasts :)




For those of you who know I've not been feeling well, just a quick update: I am slowly improving. My enery is pretty good for about half of most days, and then I need to slow down and rest. The headaches and pain are improved but not gone. I'm monitoring my glucose levels now since the current thought is that I have hypoglycemia which is complicating something else. The lyme and other tick-borne panels came back negative yet again but I'm still holding on to that possibility because I do think the antibiotic helped. I'll be seeing an endocrinologist next. In general, I'm feeling really optimistic about this. I don't feel like it's as big of a deal as it could be, whatever it is. As in, I doubt there is a tumor somewhere causing it or some life-altering problem, just something that needs to be fixed or tweeked and then I can move on. Meanwhile, I'm really grateful for all the support and love and thoughts and prayers. And don't worry about it. I'm telling you- I feel really peaceful about it, in spite of wanting to have answers.

And in other news, our dog almost killed the neighbors' cat on Monday and that was a total drag. Thank goodness the neighbors are really understanding and forgiving. Although I'm scared to death to see the vet bills that we will be paying! Luckily the dog is just cute enough to be worth keeping. Barely.


___________
 
Hopefully I'll blog soon about birthdays as well as the wonderful visit from Mignon and Joel!

happy tears

I'm crying a little.   Wanna know why?  Just now, literally, I mean seconds ago, Spencer said to me the most romantic thing he has ever said to me.  And he's said some pretty sweet things.  Do you wanna know?  You wanna know what he said that made me cry happy tears, right?

Well, back-story.  I have this friend.  She is awesome.  She is sassy and she is punk-rock-y and she is educated at a fancy school, but she is also kind and good and though life has thrown some punches as of late, she has remained faithful and a dedicated, unselfish mother.  So for a lot of reasons, I look up to her.

Plus she died her hair pink.  Mermaid pink.  It's gorgeous.  And if you know me, you know that I look at pictures of her hair and about die with covetousness.  I know it's a sin.  I'm working on it.

And then she got married.  With pink hair.  Did I tell you-- Awesome!

Just now I took another look at her hair and made some musing to Spencer about how I wish I had pink hair, and then asked (knowing the answer), "would you have married me with pink hair?"

Like a movie, we--without saying a word--had a joint flashback to our first (and one of our only) big fights.  It was when we had only been married a few months.  Spencer was about to start his first round of recruiting, one of many recruiting seasons in our lives to come, and was very nervous.  When I came home from my stylist's house with reddish-purple hair, he flipped.  He was afraid that our future was shot in the foot by my "I-hate-my-parents-they-don't-know-what-it's-like-to-be-me" look.  No jobs for the man married to a blink-182 groupie (disclaimer: I've always hated blink-182).  It was a bad weekend.

Back to present day.  Spencer answered my question: "Back then?  No.... But now?  Well, yes."



Cue super-cheesy Josh Groban song that I can't understand why I'm the only person who sees it's cheesiness...



wow.  I mean, wow.  Do I have to explain what that means to me?  That he "gets me".  That he knows that putting up with my silly antics and love for color(ful hair) and all my other "things"...he knows that's worth having me be by his side.  and that is a good way to be loved.

I kinda liked that.


Our second anniversary. Soon after this day he made one of those comments that still gets quoted in our home, "You look really good now that your white-trash streaks are growing out!" We've covered a lot of ground with my hair, you see.



You may now go throw up. 

but I will shed another happy tear.

(and when you have thoroughly swished and wiped your nose, go click on Nortorious's link over there because you know you want to see her pink hair.  She doesn't mind.  She likes readers, and is good to them.)



This picture is up on our wall right now.  some wonderful 9 and 10 year olds have been over helping me with the kids lately and one day I watched them giggle together about the inappropriate nature of this photo.  It was cute and the picture makes me feel like giggling, too.

 I would marry you with pink hair, too, spencer.  (he just responded, "I'd take any hair at this point.")

recently heard at our house

After applying her own make-up at a birthday party.  Before the party she had meticulously picked her outfit, styled her hair, and begged for my make up.  She told me, "I want Brody (big brother of the birthday girl) to know I spent all day trying to look beautiful for the party."  "Why?" I asked.  "I just have more fun when I'm the prettiest one at a party."

While playing in the playroom the other day:

Cadence: Mom, did you know you could have a baby in your tummy but not be pregnant?

Mom: Uh, no, I didn't.  What do you mean?

Cadence: Like Sister Douglas--she has a baby in her tummy, but she's not pregnant.

(Sister Douglas is having a baby in a couple of days.  I'm pretty sure she's pregnant.)

Mom: Cadence, what do you think "pregnant" means?

Cadence: Pregnant means sick.

(True Dat!!)

Mom: Pregnant means you have a baby in your tummy, and a lot of times that makes a mommy feel sick.

Cadence: No, pregnant means sick and a baby in your tummy.

We argued about this for awhile.  this was while she was playing what I call "baby factory", where she puts a doll in her shirt, walks around for a minute, goes behind the corner (the hospital), has the baby, and then puts another baby in her tummy and awaits the big day again.

She thinks she's so cool when she gets ahold of these glasses that spencer wore as a 10 year old.

Just now as she sits on her bed for a dbl timeout:

Cadence: I hope you're happy, mom.... I mean, I hope you are sad, mom, cause I just took everything (bedding) off my bed!!

And in timeout in a different room:

Campbell:  Mom, you not da best!!!
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Cadence started Kindergarten yesterday!  Yay! I'll post pics another day.   Here are some of her comments about it:

Mom: So... what did you do today?

Cadence: I didn't read, and I didn't write.
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Mom: Cadence, tell me ALL about it!

Cadence:  Mom, that is just MEAN.  When a person makes another person remember everything it's just mean.  You are being mean.  You are mean.

Mom:  Uh, okay, how about telling me your favorite things?

Cadence (still stuck on the lecture she's giving): Sometimes a person can't remember everything, mom.  And it makes them sad when..... (and on and on...lecture comes up twice later, with no apparent reason).  (and today as I am adding more quotes, she has lectured me twice more about this.)

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Cadence:  Mom, my teacher is the luckiest--do you know why? (cuts me off to say:) Because she has me.  And I'm the goodest kid. 

-------

Mom: Tell me about the new friends you made.

Cadence: Well, Holden sits right next to me--and he's nice at school. (her tone becomes dark and ominous) And Dustin--he's the one.  He's always mean and making bad choices.  He's not mean but he's mean because he makes bad choices.

And the class clown has already been crowned.  Haha, reminds me of a Dustin I once knew :)

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She also told both Spencer and I excitedly: "Guess what!?! We don't eat lunch in our classroom, do you know where we eat it?  In a special room: the cafeteria--that's a lunchroom.  And guess what!?! In the cafeteria there is a little room filled with chefs!  And the kids can ask for what food they want!!"  Her voice is escalating to the point of nearly shreiking as she knows we will be as mystified as she is about this.  And then of course she begs to participate in the lunch-line.  It's home lunches for now, Cado. 
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Today as I picked her up from school she told me about meeting up with Brody at their usual spot on the playground.  "We love eachother.  I love him.  and he loves me.  We are friends, like a boy and girl friend."  I just let it slide...no comment from me.  I don't think she quite gets the romance/boyfriend/girlfriend thing yet and so I'm just keeping my lips pursed against anything that might interest her dramatic side (which is her whole self).

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"reading"

Campbell:  Everything Campbell says is funny.  Because she speaks so deliberately and poignantly, but also has several speech impediments: a slight lisp, no R's, no L's, f=th, etc.  It's impossible to represent on paper (or in writing, I guess) how adorable her speech is.  Just know that it is.  Her eyes open wide, or squint tightly, pierce you to the very core or look away disdainfully, her lips are either puckered out front or pulled tight in a beautiful smile, and her little dimple and curly hair make her look like the angel she is (15% of the time, that is). 

Here is an example of her prayers of late, with an attempt to capture her speech.  I know it's annoying to read baby-talk, but you've got to hear it like she says it:

Dee-ah Hefuneee Fafa (Dear Heavenly Father),  Fank you fo dis day, an' I don' want to be sthick, but I waaaant to be sthick, but I don' want to be sthick.  An' I don' want to be sthad, an' I wan' da Ho-weee  Ghosth no I don' want da Ho-weee Gosth, becausth da Ho-weee Ghosth isth sthcaiweee, but I want da Ho-weee Gosth no I don'.   An' hewwp usth to be bedda an' I want to pway in da naaaame of Jesthusth Chwistht, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmen.



Not kidding.  Not exaggerating.  And then when she's finished she smiles so big and her dimple comes out and her eyes get all smile-squinty and she is so proud of herself I just have to give her a big hug and a kiss and smother her for a minute until she says, "Mommy, ah we a happy famiwee?"  Yes, mam.  I believe we are.

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Layla:  This girl never stops talking!  If you knew Cadence as a baby, you aren't surprised at all.  She speaks in gibberish-paragraphs and soliloqueys.  But she also speaks a lot of english, too.  Like how last month she said to me, out of the blue: "Mama, I pirate: aaarrrrr!!"

She is speaking in little sentences now, like "Mama, push me higha!!"  and "Cama, you gotta owie?"  Stuff like that.  She mostly speaks in commands, "SWING!" or "DRINK"!  But at least 3 or 4 times a day full sentences come out.  Oh, I love this one-word sentence: "Fummy! hahahaha!"

I find them like this all the time.  They have a special relationship.

Every once in a while, she'll make her sisters laugh by retelling Campbell's favorite joke, which is to say "watch dis!"  and then grunt loudly while using both hands to do a heimlich-like maneuver on your own tummy.  Try it; it is, apparently, hilarious.

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These pics of the girls in these dresses were taken by Special Moments Photography.  Should probably give credit...

What in the world will I blog about when my kids stop saying hilarious stuff?  I'll have to get another hobby, and post tutorials.  Man, I'm not ready for that.