Things that have been said in our family recently:

Me: Mirra, what are you going to ask Santa to bring you for Christmas?
The child that is nicknamed "Maintenance": Anything Santa wants to bring me is fine.
Aaaaawww!



Mirra to the 16-year-old cat: Sit, Chubby!



While in the car Mirra was singing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Drew: That's not how it goes!
Mirra: I can sing it however I want!
Drew: No you can't!
Mirra: Don't touch me, Drew!
Me: Serenity now.



While at the indoor pool
Drew to Andy: I want to surf you
Ever the awesome dad, Andy will crawl along the pool floor while he lets his children stand on his back.



Mirra: I know all about clouds.
She also told me that her multi-lingual skills have expanded to include Chinese, Spanish, and dolphin.



Me to Andy: Is that toothpaste on the ceiling?



Mirra: Mom, how do you spell 'Dear Mary, may you come to my house for a sleepover and play with me and have pancakes for breakfast'?



Drew and I were playing Wii and he got upset because I didn't choose to be the pink team.
Drew: You're a girl!
Me: Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I have to be the pink team
Drew: Yes, it does.
Me: I don't like pink.
Drew: Yes. You DO!



Drew stayed home from school today with a stomach ache. Since he didn't have a fever I kept my dental appointment and brought both kids along. It didn't take long for them to survey the proceedings at a distance of 4-6". Mirra felt it necessary to occasionally pinch my nose while having my teeth cleaned. At one point Drew leaned over me, looked me in the eye and told me "It's OK, Mom. I'm here for you."

The dental hygenist endured Mirra's interrogation with good-natured amusement. Then Mirra approached the tray of tools and asked "Is this toothpaste?" The hygenist replied that it was. "What flavor is it?" Mirra asked. "Cinnamon" she answered. At that point Drew tuned into the conversation and announced "I like cinnamons. I learned about them at school. They are two things that are opposite." The hygenist smiled and told him that she thought that a synonym was two things that were alike. "Oh, yeah." The thought of that one will carry me through for days.

The Little Cardinal Fan

As game 5 of the World Series plays I would like to say how proud we are of our St. Louis Cardinals. They made an amazing and unpredictable comeback to make the post season and have become fierce competition.

Next I would like to share that Drew has become a very avid Cardinal fan. He has watched as much of the playoffs as we would let him. He asks when the games are on. He has committed the players names to memory. He keeps track of the scores,our wins and losses, and the teams we play. And he has asked many good questions in an effort to understand the game better.

He has become such a fan that I am sorry to say I have had to lie to him tonight, knowing he would never go to sleep if he knew they were playing. I told him they were playing tomorrow.

So to the Powers That Be, please forgive me for lying to my sweet boy and THANK YOU for TiVo and the unrivaled enthusiasm of a child.

Quotes

While snuggling this morning, both kids started talking to me at the same time. Finally Mirra said "Drew! Stop erupting!"


Drew asked me to read Green Eggs and Ham. After I completed the book we talked about the point. I told them it was good to try new foods, because even if you think you won't like them you just might. At that point Mirra emphatically told her dad "See, you need to try peppermint and peaches because you just might like them."

Andy exhibited a very enthusiastic example of flatulence. Mirra yelled "Ewww, gross!" Drew told him "Dad, don't EVER do that again!"

Miss Doolittle

She's at it again. Some of you long-time followers might remember when Mirra was two or three, she told me she spoke Possum.

Today as we were leaving for preschool, we spotted seven turkeys in our yard. We watched them in amazement. We had heard rumors, but had yet to see them ourselves.

As I started to drive away Mirra informed me "I talk Turkey."

"Really?" I asked in amusement.

She demonstrated.

Then she informed me that she also speaks Kangaroo, Cow, and Tree.

Mirra's Latest Observation and More

Mirra: Can we have a movie, pleeeease?
Me: If you and Drew get dressed and brush your teeth with enough time before Drew has to get on the bus, you can watch TV.
Mirra: Mom, you have the bad ideas. WE have the good ideas.

Pointing to a photo, I told Mirra that she was in my tummy in that picture. She said "Yeah, I know. I was really comfy in there."

Favorite Quote of the Week

While talking to my friend, Jody, about roller coasters she said "I'm not going to let terror stand in my way."

Photo Shoot

We wrapped up summer vacation with a trip to the zoo, swimming, and an informal photo shoot at the park. We had a wonderful summer! We visited family, went camping, rode bikes, saw friends, watched Drew race, had dance classes, VBS, and one camp. We visited our art museum (more fun for Drew than Mirra), went bowling, and to Six Flags...twice! And once again we watched the kids grow like weeds. It was probably our most relaxing summer in recent memory with lots of moments to treasure.

Even More Mirraisms

On the drive to Gammy and Papa's house Mirra had more questions and comments. The wheels never stop turning...

"How does God make it dark?" I tried, while driving to explain the Earth's rotation without hand gestures in terms that a 4-year-old would understand. Afterward Mirra surmised "so the sun sleeps in the night time and the moon sleeps in the day time." You could say that, Honey.

At exactly the halfway point between our house and my parents' house Mirra told me that her tummy hurt. I asked her if she was sick. She replied miserably "yes." I told her that she would not be able to stay at Grammy and Papa's if she was sick. She said "Yes, I can. Grammy will give me a popcicle and my tummy will feel better." I told her that popcicles don't fix sick tummys. She became distraught and asked me "don't they have anything that will make my tummy feel better?" For the record she was feeling much better after a few minutes.

She then put her bare toes on her brother's lap and told him to say 'you have big, stinky toes.' Drew was watching a movie, but he humored her and said distractedly "you have big, stinky toes." Then Mirra informed him that that was not a nice thing to say.

And last but not least she asked "Why do we have two holes in our nose?"

I really need to fall back on my stock answer of "what do you think?"

Mirraisms

She was on a roll this morning.

Drew combined two different cereals in his bowl for breakfast. Mirra asked me seriously "do you know what that's called when you mix two cereals? Squidies."

Then the conversation changed to driving race cars. I asked her if she wanted Santa to bring her a quarter midget for Christmas. She said yes. "But I can't drive it in the rocks because rocks would get in my engine."

Then we shifted gears to getting ready to visit Grammy and Papa. Mirra suggested "Maybe you could stay home and go grocery shopping and we could stay at Grammy and Papa's. Does that sound like a good idea?"

This child of mine certainly keeps things entertaining.

Party in Pixie Hollow

For months Mirra told me that she wanted a Tinker Bell party theme for her birthday. She never wavered. So I began the planning months ago.

The first thing we did was ask our amazing neighbors if we could use their beautiful woodland garden as a setting for Pixie Hollow.

I thought of all of the waste associated with birthday parties, so I began making decorations out of paper that could be recycled. I also tried to keep the plastic favors to a minimum.




We were graced with a beautiful day. There were fairy skirts and wings for the girls and elf hats and felt satchels for the boys.




Andy made gumbo (yum!) and we had lots of fruit and some veggies to eat.



The Tinker Bell cake Mirra picked out and some flower cupcakes





After eating and opening presents, the kids jumped into a wagon and were escorted to Pixie Hollow.





Once we arrived in Pixie Hollow, there were different areas for fairies of different talents.

Tinker fairies 'fixed' the tractor


Water talent fairies made bubbles.







Baking talent fairies made their creations out of homemade playdoh




























Animal talent fairies put the details on paper bugs






























Garden talent fairies made roses































And the most popular...
















It was a wonderful time watching all the kids run about together all day. We were so happy to share the day with our wonderful friends and family.

I want to send out a HUGE thank you to the fairies that helped bring Pixie Hollow to life. Thank you Debbie, who shared my vision! Thanks to the household fairies who helped us pull it all together and take it down again, my mom, Andy's mom, and Anita. And thanks to Rebecca who captured the joy on the faces of our little pixies.

Drewisms and Mirraspeak

Mirra and Andy were playing hide and seek. Mirra said "You're never going to find me. I'll be under the bean bag."

Drew took off his shoes and socks and sniffed his feet.
Drew: Mom smell my stinky feet!
Me: No thanks.
Mirra: I'll smell them!
Sniff, sniff
Mirra: EWWWWWW!!! Let me smell them again.

Andy: You look very pretty, Mirra
Mirra: It's my wedding dress.
Andy: Who are you going to marry?
Mirra: You, Daddy.

Mirra: You know what's better than candy?
Me: What?
Mirra: Friends.
Me: Awww!
Drew: You know what's better than candy?
Me: What?
Drew: Loving Mom on Mother's Day.
Me: Aaawwwww!

Mother's Tea

This morning started with some excitement. Drew lost his third tooth.


This afternoon all of first grade put on a Mother's Tea. The kids sang and we ate cookies. Drew wrote me letters, made me a puzzle and presented me with a flower. There were silhouettes on the wall and we had to guess which was our child. The kids and teachers worked very hard to give us a wonderful, wonderful day.







Drew stole the show when the kids sang in the classroom.


That's why we call him "Boogie."

The Next Sarah Jessica Parker?

Mirra definitely has her own sense of style.






Her dad handed her a pair of shoes and asked her to put them on. She argued "but those shoes don't make me look beautiful."

Snapshots from Magic Kingdom!

Quotes

Drew: Dad, why are you left-handed?


Mirra on the drive to preschool: Miss Jennie, did you know Cecilia is my bestest friend ever? Did you also know that Drew threw up?

And on the drive home from preschool:
Cecilia: Drew, why did you throw up?
Drew: I don't know, I just did.
Then they all had to discus the color of said throw up.
Me: Time for a new topic of conversation!


Drew: I'm too busy to go to school.
I don't have time for homework.


Mirra has a set of mommy and baby mermaids. She named them Hollywood and Baby Jesus.

New House

My dad built this great house for the kids. Now we can wait for the bus here where it is warm:) Thanks Papa!!!!