Reading

Another note that Ellis wrote for me while I was at the band concert. (We started paying our kids $.01 per page in the hopes that Gordon who is a fantastic reader would get excited about reading something other than picture books.  They have to read a book on their reading level and they can only get paid for it once.  Then they need to give me a book review. We got this idea from Seth's cousin, Becky.)

From Ellis
Dear mom
I red 111 pajes
in a book it
was abot
cristmas in camolot
(Fictin) what
I liked abot
it is Jack and
annie whent
to a cave
Then got
Torches
ant ust
Them
like sords.

From Ellis
Dear mom
I read 111 pages
in a book it
was about
Christmas in Camelot
(fiction) What
I liked about
it is Jack and
Annie went
to a cave
then got
torches
and used
them
like swords.

Christmas Program

I came home from Jared's band concert to a note that Ellis wrote.

It said, "could you please come to my cristmas program today please"

Secrets

We bought a piano a couple of weeks ago.  The other day we had a tuner come and work his magic on the piano.  Gordon was really interested in what the tuner was doing.  I mentioned to the piano tuner that we had a key that was sticky so he pulled the piano apart a bit. Gordon was watching him and said, "Wow.  Pianos have a lot of secrets!"

Disgusting!

Gordon and Ellis were in the other room and I heard Gordon say to Ellis, "You are disgusting! Even Disgustinger than DAD!!"

Grandma

I was riding to the optometrist with Gordon this afternoon and he asked, "Does anyone call you Grandma?"

I said, "Right now people only call me Mom.  When you have kids they will call me Grandma."

Gordon replied, "I was thinking about living single."

"Why do you want to live single", I asked.

"I just don't want to live with girls." Gordon replied.  "I could live with a girl, I would just rather live single."

Old Fashioned

We went on a walk with the kids yesterday.  Everything was so pretty and green, a result of all the rain, I suppose.  As we were walking, we walked past a plant that had died and was grey.  Ellis pointed it out and said, "It's an old fashioned thistle! You want to know how I know it is old fashioned?"  I told him I did. He said, "Because it is black and white."

Shower Helper

I had a meeting at church an hour before our meetings started.  I fixed Mia's hair before I left and left the boys to Seth to get ready for church.  When I made it to sacrament meeting, I took one look at Gordon with his hair sticking in all directions. 

I said, "Who fixed your hair?"

Gordon replied, "The shower."

Ellis had his hair plastered to his head.  He said, "Do you know who fixed my hair?"  I told him I didn't. 

Ellis said, "I did. I just went like this (rubbing his hands on his head to flatten any hair)."

Just for Me

Mia was eating a dum-dum earlier today.  I was fixing her hair.  She said to me, "Who made this blue raspberry? I think they just wanted me to really like it!"

She then explained that her favorite flavor is raspberry and her favorite color is blue.

Holy Ghost

While driving on a winding road with a cliff to the side, Jared noticed that the road was slanted. He said, "I am not even scared of these turns any more because I noticed we would roll down instead of just dropping. I don't know what that comforts me."

Gordon replied, "Holy Ghost".

Scared

We were driving along a cliff in Colorado and Jared and Seth were talking about crashing. I said, "if we did. I would pee my pants." Gordon said, yeah my penis gets scared a lot too."

Braids

I was tucking Ellis in tonight.  He was talking about his teeth. His two permanent teeth are pretty crooked.  I asked him if he always played with the tooth in the back with his tongue.  He said, "It is really hard for me to not play with it.  I think I am going to have to get braids on my teeth to pull them."

Matrimonial Pacifist

Jared is sometimes too rough for the younger kids. Gordon must have been musing about it when he suddenly declared, "Mom, when Jared's married, all of his fighting will be gone."

That Which Shall Not Be Named

We were talking about roasting wieners tonight over a fire. In a confused and disturbed voice, Ellis said to Linda, "Mom, you said we can't say that word."

Beat Up Sign

As Linda was walking out the door she said, "OK, I'm leaving. Your dad's in charge." So I looked at the kids and pounded my fist into my palm. Gordon then called out to his mom, "No, don't leave Dad in charge. He's doing the beat up sign!"

Ellis is Fun!

Ellis has a shirt that says, "I'm not small. I'm fun-size!"  He put it on the other day and Gordon read it.  Gordon was so excited and ran to me he said, "That shirt is right!  Ellis is a LOT of fun!"

Summer Reading

I guess I know what Gordon will be doing all summer. He brought home a paper where he had written, "I pledge to read 10 million books during my summer starting on May 17 - when 3rd grade starts."

Freckles

I was reading "Pippi Longstocking" to Gordon and Ellis the other day.  We got to the part where Pippi, Tommy and Annika go on a picnic.  They are trying to find a spot to have the picnic and Tommy suggests that they sit in a nice shady place. 

"Oh, no, that's not sunny enough for my freckles," said Pippi, "and I do think freckles are so attractive."

Both of my boys have freckles and Gordon said, "That's not true. No one is attracted to me!"

Ellis looked down at the floor and said, "They are to me."

Gordon said, "I know! Everyone is attracted to you. Like millions of people."

Ellis said, "Except for bad guys."

Gordon said, "I think a bad guy might kidnap you because you are so cute."

Ellis stared at Gordon for a bit and then said, "That is kind of a really nice thing to say, Gordon."

(Note: There wasn't a hint of sadness from Gordon.  He is happy with who he is. For the record, I am super attracted to his freckles!)

Sweaty

We went to the Easter Bash on Saturday.  While we were there, Gordon came up to me and said, "I was outside jumping on the trampoline and my eyes got sweaty.  I just lay down on the trampoline and my eyes were like they were crying but they weren't. They were just sweaty!"

Ward Boundaries

On Sunday our Stake reorganized their boundaries.  Seth and I went to a meeting about it and when we got home, we told Jared that our neighbor across the street was no longer in our ward.  We have been talking about who is in our ward now and who is not.  On Sunday, Ellis asked me, "Mom.  Will you tell me when we are in our ward?"  On Tuesday Ellis had a fever so I kept him home from school.  During lunch Ellis said to me, "I am glad that we stayed in our ward because I like where we live and I like being this close to Seven-11."

Smart Parents

Gordon asked me a question the other day and I didn't understand what he said.  I was distracted and said, "I don't know."

Gordon looked at me and said, "I guess not all parents know everything." and walked away.

Piano

On the way home from piano lessons yesterday, I asked Gordon, "Did you pass off all of your songs?"  Gordon looked at me and said, "Never ask me that again.  I always pass them off."