What's Going On Up There?

Sometimes we wonder what's going on in that pretty little head of hers.  She is a special one for sure.  We call her "Our little Phoebe" because she makes up songs of her own, grabs a guitar, and starts singing.  Instead of Phoebe's "Smelly Cat" (from "Friends", remember?), she sings things titled, "Monkey Eating a Cracker" or "I Like Potatoes" and other Grace-originals like that.  Lately she's been playing her little piano in bed and singing her own compositions.  Ben and I sometimes just listen and laugh.

Yesterday we went to pick up Andrew from school, and she told me that she had a secret for me.  She said, "When Jesus and Heavenly Father were painting the moon and the sun, they fell off a train."  What???  I guess I haven't yet figured out how that brain of hers works!

Bowling Fun

Finally, we had a Saturday with a little extra time.  We had most of our chores done, so we decided to go bowling.  Matthew was in ball-heaven.  Grace, Andrew, and Joey all loved it and can't wait to go back.  Grace even won the kid game by one point!  It took a really long time for Joey and Grace's balls to make it all the way down to the pins, but they waited in anticipation the whole time.  Matthew just kept saying "Ball!  Ball!  Ball!"  He was pretty mad that he couldn't pull all those pretty balls off the shelf.  He also had a loaded diaper upon arrival, and as soon as I had it changed, he opened the door himself and started running at lightspeed down the hallway while I was still trying to wash my hands.  That kid is going to give me a heart attack.

Everyone survived, and we had a great time!

Please enjoy the pictures of our butts.

Gem of the Day

Andrew took Grandpa Jerry out to lunch, and Joey was a little upset about that.  So I decided to take him to Taco Bell, just the two of us.  It was fun because we could see Grandpa's Jeep across the street at Wendy's.  We made sure that we beat them home (we did!)  As we were leaving, I said to Joey, "I had so much fun with you.  I'm glad we went to lunch, just the two of us!  I love spending time with you."  Joey said, "Yep.  That's because I'm the cutest."

Bold Move by the Union

The Union made a bold move yesterday by trying to cut communications to management's office.  They sent their steward to locate one of the phones, answer a call from Aunt Jill, and then leave it on for two hours.  No calls could come in or out for that time.  Management then found the problem, and it has since been resolved.  All phones will now be kept out of reach of said steward, which could be hard, since there aren't many places out of his reach.

We have a winner!

Grandpa Jerry brought us a coloring contest sheet for one of our local news stations.  Andrew drew a picture of the weather (I would have put a picture of it, but we turned it in and I don't think we'll get it back).  Anyway, it was a beautiful picture of a rainbow, a house with a star on it, the sun, a big backyard, and a blue sky.  And he won!  He just got his $25 gift certificate in the mail today.  We're so proud of him!  I think his dream is to be an artist.  He draws all day long -- to the point of me telling him he has to put it away and go to bed.

He'll be taking Grandpa out to eat tommorrow - his treat!

Great job buddy!

Tonight's Prayers

Tonight Gracie was thankful for:

"Having a great cowoby hat."
and
"Having water in your room."

Grace's Prayers

I just have to write some of the things Grace says in her prayers.  She says them very seriously. 

"Thank you for eating wiggly things."
"Thank you for not bumping into anybody and making them fall down."
"Thank you for eating eggs or whatever."
"Thank you for going for rides on cows or moos or horses or something."
"Thank you for going to a future."

I'm sure there will be more super Gracie prayers to come!

Joey's Second Gem of the Day

Two gems in one day!  Way to go Joey!

Here is how our conversation went.  It happened when I was doing the laundry and Joey climbed on my bed behind me and started rubbing my shoulders because he had earlier heard me say that my neck hurt.  Then he noticed something on my back.

Joey: "What's this gooey thing?"
Mom: "It's a mole."
Joey: "Moles are wiggly?  And jobbly?  And gooey?"
Mom: "Wow."

Gem of the Day

This one is courtesy of Joey.  We were getting into the car after preschool, and Grace accidentally bumped Joey.  He said, "Gracie!  I'm very dissapointed of you!"

Bandaids and Time with Friends!

I was cleaning the bathroom the other day, and I turned around and saw this:

She had an "owie" on her lip, so she did this by herself.  I love how she didn't take off the outside of the bandaid.  This lasted for about three minutes.

We had our favorite family over last night for music lessons and fun.  Best of all, Melissa got to run errands kid free!  Here are some pics of the fun.

Joey was corrupting Ryan, who wanted to be just like the big boys (all six of them!)

We always play the Wii, of course.  It gets a little messy.

Lydia and I spent a lot of time on the piano.

And Rachel was content just to draw.