November Recap

Since it's February, it's time to get around to some November posts. Three kids seems to make everything kind of a blurry whirlwind, so I will be brief. I think.

We went to Florida to visit Grandma and Grandpa, where we went to a really cool museum of science and history.

And on the way home, we witnessed the miracle of all three kids sleeping in the car at the same time.

Later in the month, Anda was a bumblebee for her school's production of "A Bugz Christmas." She did a great job! 

And for Thanksgiving we went to my parents' house, where all the Roskelleys gathered for (probably) the last time at the family home. It was crowded and fun and bittersweet. 

While we were there, Dan, Anda, and I ran in the Turkey Trot downtown. Dan did really well, of course, and I had fun with the 5k, but Anda completely destroyed her mile race, coming in as the first girl under 7!

We also had my sister Amy take some family pictures when our photographer was a no show. I'll take free pictures this good any day!

And we got our Benjen and Slewfoot picture. 

And I think those are all the highlights for November. 

Anda/Lilah Says

Lilah: Do you know why Anna and Elsa is sad? Mommy and Daddy had to go for a walk. [Yeah they died in a shipwreck]

Lilah [looking at her Altoid]: It has two sides and two angles. It's a circle!

Lilah: It's too cold and hoggy outside.

Anda: Can I touch the fire? Please? I'll stop, drop, and roll.

[We are eating spaghetti and Lilah has eaten all the beef from her sauce]

Lilah: More chicken, please!

Anda: Lilah, it's not called chicken. It's called Abraham Lincoln. 

Lilah: More Abraham Lincoln, please!

Lilah: Ask me what's my favorite vegetable 

Me: What's your favorite vegetable?

Lilah: Hm. I think candy. 

Lilah: Can we go to the beach?

Me: It's too cold to go to the beach.

Lilah: Let's get our coats and our bathing suits and go to the beach. 

Anda: I can't standle it!

Anda [who has an irrational meltdown in the face of running water and has just watched Home Alone]: Do robbers steal things?

Me: Yes...

Anda [mutters]: And they leave the water running. 

[A truck just backed out of a driveway in front of me]

Me: Whoa! Come on!

Lilah: That truck has to say sorry to the car. Does the car have an owie?

Me: No, the truck was just being rude. 

Lilah: Oh, it was fighting. 

Lilah: Can I watch a movie? I want Mr. Willy Wonka. 

Me: Lilah, what's your favorite song?

Lilah: [who was pretending to be a wolf all morning] A wolf song. 

Me: I don't know a wolf song. How does that go?

Lilah: [howls]

Lilah [holding Nana's right hand]: Can I hold your other hand?

Nana: Sure. [switches hands]

Lilah [sticks her left thumb in her mouth]: My other thumb doesn't fit. 

Dan: You eating that chicken up?

Lilah: No I'm eating it down. 

Lilah: Sometimes he throw ups. 

Anda: How do Spanish people say "Spanish" in Spanish?

Lilah: [listening to Ray Lamontagne's "Trouble" on the radio] Why her won't let him go?

Me: Please stop kicking me. 

Lilah: No I'm not kicking you, I'm feeting you. 

Lilah: [asking me to close the shutters because it was too bright] Can you close that door so it won't sun me?

Lilah: Anda hurt her finger. 

Dan: Is she crying?

Lilah: No. I think she's dead. 

Anda: Does Satan not get candy in his stocking?

Anda: [watching a kissing scene in a show] What the...Mom, they're in love. I don't like in love shows!

Anda [watching The Flash]: Who is that? Yay, his car is broken. That's the bad guy. What the...? What is he doing? Who is that? Oh, it's fog. How is he doing that? Why did he do that? Oh, he has powers. Who was that? Why did she  make that face? [ad nauseum]

Me: Look, you can reach your coat hook now!

Lilah: I'm bigger! Can I go to school now?

Me: Which show do you want to watch?

Lilah: Um...Shampoo Panda? [Kung Fu Panda]

Halloween 2014

I love Halloween. Candy, costumes, and gaudy decorations--what's not to love?

This year, we hired a baby sitter for the first time so we could attend a grown ups (and Ben) only party. It was fun and we looked awesome. Thanks, Goodwill, Amazon Prime, and my sewing machine!

Yabba dabba doo!

The girls wanted to be butterflies, so we got cheap wings and dressed them in their favorite colors. I've discovered you get the same amount of candy no matter how much effort you put in to your costume. 

And we finally got to see Christian for the first time since school started. He (and his mom) went all the way up and down our street with us, and everyone had a grand time and got tons of candy. 

My parents were able to come down to visit again this year, which is always fun. The girls love having Nana and Papa put them to bed, since they can sucker them into multiple stories and other small childhood victories. 

What a great way to spend a weekend. 

Anda Says/Lilah Says

Lilah [pumping her fists in the air]: Who out the dogs? Who out the dogs? 

Me: "Who out the dogs?" Who let the dogs out?

Lilah: Yeah.

[Anda "swims" to Lilah in the bathtub] Lilah: I'm so proud of you! 

Lilah: I sad. 

Me: Why are you sad?

Lilah: STOP TALKIN.

Lilah [holding Ziggy under her shirt]: I feedin Ziggy. He milkin my boob. 

Lilah [farts loudly in the other room then comes running in grinning]: Who was that? Lilah!

Anda [looking at a KFC sign]: Why does that look like my school backwards? [she attends Center For Knowledge]

Lilah: Wait, I got a idea!

Me: What's your idea?

Lilah: I don't know!

Lilah: What's this song called?

Me: "Little Talks."

Lilah: No, it's "Big Talks."

Lilah: I want to just stay in the car. 

Me: No, you would be so sad by yourself. 

Lilah: I will be happy!

Lilah [on her play phone]: Hello?

Me: Who is it?

Lilah: It's Grandma. 

Me: Oh, what does she say?

Lilah: She says, "Poo poo diaper."

Lilah: Why do you need medicine? 

Me: So I can be healthy. 

Lilah: You don't need to be healthy. 

Me: Oh, okay. You want me to die? 

Lilah: Yes. [pause] Die, Mama!

Lilah: I say,"Yub you, Dada!"

Me: Aw, that's nice. Do you love Mama too?"

Lilah: No! Only Dada!

Lilah [watching Gaston's demise on Beauty and the Beast]: Mama, he fall down! 

Anda: Lilah, he's a mean guy. It's okay if he falls down. 

Anda: Lilah, look out your window!

Lilah: What my see, Anda?

Anda (exasperated): Lilah, look at all the trees and bushes and things God made for us!

Dan: Anda, what would you do if you went to New York City? I would eat a pizza. 

Anda: They have a pizza place there?

Anda [explaining what "the hairy eye" (cocked eyebrow) is]: Grandpa gives me the hairy eye when I am telling him the truth and he's not understanding me.

Lilah: Close it!

Anda: No!

Lilah: You want me to count to three?! Two, three, four, FIVE CLOSE IT!

Lilah: Mama ate my toast, Anda! Ever eat my toast, Mama! Ever ever! Say, "Ok Lilah!"

Anda: What does "bees" mean? Why does it say "apple BEES"?

Me: That's the name of the restaurant. "Appleby" is a last name so maybe the person who started that restaurant was named Appleby. 

Anda: That's how you make a restaurant? I would call it "Orange Carter."

Lilah: My tummy hurts. 

Me: Oh no, why?

Lilah: I got so much pizza in there. [She was eating macaroni]

Anda: I was not alone in the house because I had Sallymenders and Jesus. 

Anda: Awh, nuts! My plan has failed!

Me: [laughs]

Anda: What does that mean anyway?

Yay Grandparents!

We love living halfway between my parents and Dan's parents. We see them all much more than we used to (a 5 hour drive isn't exactly fun, but it beats the heck out of $1600+ in plane tickets), and as a bonus, they provide us with the best of both worlds: the mountains AND the beach!

We visited Grandma and Grandpa in Florida in early September.

Then we visited Nana and Papa in Virginia at the end of the month. 

Dan and I (and Ben) stayed at my parents' awesome cabin for our anniversary, then hiked Mount Pleasant that morning. 

It was so beautiful, it was almost worth the two week nightmare that ensued after we banged a rock and cracked the oil pan cover on the van on the way back down. Almost. 

But the van is now back in working order, so more trips are on the horizon! Hooray for grandparents!

Dan the Loser

Dan has been working his butt off since May and has lost 27 pounds. 

He is feeling good and looking great. Way to go, Dan!

Hooray For Kindergarten!

Anda started kindergarten this past week!

Oh, I guess that picture is a little outdated.

Hm, that one too.

And that.

And that.

And that.

Even that. 

Where did my baby go! Oh, that's right, to kindergarten.

She loves it, of course. It's nonstop fun and friends and learning, which is exactly what she needs. We are all very excited for this new phase--her especially. Hooray for kindergarten!