Catchphrases (explained)

From the mouths of babes ...

Every house has its catchphrases - little things that, once said, catch on and find their way into conversations for years afterward and become in-jokes. With four kids, we have quite a few. Here are some of our favorites.

"Hello, ladies - I'm riding with you!" (Will)

This one stemmed from a 2007 trip to visit our family in Cleveland. They took us tubing on their speedboat, and Will couldn't wait to ride with cousin Lauren and her friend. When it was his turn, that was his excited introduction to the girls on the tube. We expect to hear it again when he's a teenager.

"M-m-m-m-my money!" (Brandon)

B-Man is a money hound, and he has been since he could walk. (He recently took his wallet to first grade recess to show off his "gangsta roll.") At age 2, there's nothing he treasured more than his wallet, with about two dollars in change in collected. So, of course, one of Mom and Dad's favorite punishments was taking said wallet away. The threat was often followed by that exclamation, (st)uttered in disbelief and frustration.

"Then why don't you marry it?" (Gabi)

When Gabi was, ahem, FOUR years old (way before she was able to learn it from kindergarten), she and Daddy had a conversation about dessert. Daddy stated his love for ice cream. Gabi retorted with that bon mot. The funniest thing was the way she said it - under her breath, as an almost-embarrassed aside.

"AND, Daddy ..." (Isabelle)

Before Izzy could write, we would dictate her love notes to Mommy and Daddy. Daddy's tended to go on for awhile. "AND, Daddy, I love it when you take me swimming. AND, Daddy, I like our bike rides. AND, Daddy ..."

Know-It-All

Will: "Girls know everything."

Isabelle: "Yeah, I know."

Back to Kindergarten???

As many of you know, we've been homeschooling Will while he does his neuro exercise program and therapy. But he has fond memories of kindergarten AND his awesome teacher, Mrs. Odeen. He loves to visit her, and last week, she asked him to return to his alma mater to read to the classroom.

He chose to read "Doctor Maisy" (one of Gabi's favorites) and "Just Mommy and Me."

He was nervous at first, but the kids were all really attentive and asked questions. The teacher's aide turned to Callie and said, "how old is he?" When Mom responded that he was 9, she said, "Wow, he seems so much older!"

He has his days, that's for sure. Fortunately, this was one of them. :)

Ally: Unplugged

Check out this face.

O2 levels are A-OK, and she's up to 6 pounds, 8 ounces. No more oxygen tubes. The doctor reminds us she's still a preemie and should still be homebound, but it won't be long until Cousin Ally gets to venture out into the world.

Yaaaaaaay!

Hangin' with T-Biscuit

Grandma and Grandpa spoiled us rotten again this year, but one of the coolest gifts was an overnight stay at a hotel which, of course, had a pool. This means Mom and Dad didn't sleep much.

It also gave us a chance to catch up with cousin T-Biscuit. He's getting pretty big.

But not so big that he can't sit on our laps.

Or get carried around.

Or pushed around in a box.

But not big enough to fix our new DS. So we'll let Dad do that.

A Playmobil Christmas

We spent Christmas Day with Grammy and Opa. They claimed they needed help setting up their tree, but they had a little surprise for us in the basement.

Wait a minute - the tree is up. But what are these four lumps wrapped in red blankets?

It appears there's one for everyone. Spread out and, on the count of three, "unwrap."

Playmobil sets for all - each one selected to match the things we love! Will loves reading and learning about ancient Egypt, so he got a pyramid.

A hospital set for Gabi, who wants to be a doctor, a nurse or a dental hygienist (depending on the day).

A airport terminal for B-Man, who loves that stuff.

And a circus set for Izzy, who's just a clown.

Thanks, Grammy and Opa! (And Mom, who spent eight hours one day helping Grammy and Opa set up these sets in the basement. Playmobil takes commitment, apparently.)

Home for (part of) the holidays

We spent Christmas Eve at home - which was good, because the weather outside was frightful (or the meteorologists threatened it would be). We exchanged gifts from each other that day, including some cool stuff the kids made in art class ...

... two Nintendo DS's for the kids (even though Mom and Dad opened them a few weeks early - you know, to "make sure they work") and various other good stuff. Santa left a few great gifts on Christmas Day - bikes for Gabi and Brandon, a telescope for Izzy, and a microscope for Will.

Merry Christmas, boys! Uh ... boys? Boys!

Ah, there's that Christmas cheer.

Cousin Ally

We heart her. Take a look - really, could you blame us?

Allysa was born Dec. 4 - way, way later than she wanted to. She started "arriving" early - in mid-October. Aunt Krissy had to work hard to keep her in for 10 weeks. Fortunately, she arrived safe. Her oxygen levels were a little low, but they're leveling out and - hopefully - those tubes will come out soon.

Meanwhile, she's the mellowest baby we've ever met. So why was she in such a hurry?

Cousin T-bone likes her, too. But we're more willing to spoil her rotten.