Torture?
Daddy wonders sometimes what the kids are saying when we aren't around. This was a conversation today.
Ben: Mommy! Anna's torturing me!
Daddy: [stifles a laugh]
Mommy: Anna, stop torturing Ben.
Anna: [loudly and emphatically] I am not torturing Ben!
Daddy: [valiant and vain attempt to keep water from spewing from nose]
Mommy: OK. Just move away.
Anna: But I have to torture somebody. And it has to be a real person!
You see, when trying to get Ben and Anna to move apart, Mommy sometimes says, "Stop torturing your brother." It just never occurred to us what that might lead to.
Ben: Mommy! Anna's torturing me!
Daddy: [stifles a laugh]
Mommy: Anna, stop torturing Ben.
Anna: [loudly and emphatically] I am not torturing Ben!
Daddy: [valiant and vain attempt to keep water from spewing from nose]
Mommy: OK. Just move away.
Anna: But I have to torture somebody. And it has to be a real person!
You see, when trying to get Ben and Anna to move apart, Mommy sometimes says, "Stop torturing your brother." It just never occurred to us what that might lead to.
# posted by Scott @ 1/31/2005 09:47:00 PM 
BenAnna Definitions
Some definitions from the wonderful world of Ben and Anna.
Daddy-Os: Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios (the ones that Daddy eats)
Mommy-Os: Multigrain Cheerios (the ones that Mommy eats)
Toddle Tag: A game where Ben and Anna grab opposite ends of a jumprope or other rope-like object and Ben pulls Anna around the house.
Grandmommie Yogurt: Vanilla premium yogurt (like Grandmommie bought at the beach)
Hair Clip Kittie: Anna's hair clips (Ben's idea, not sure where that one came from)
Animal names: Max (little blue dog), Dang-er (plastic horse), Genevieve (step-stool dog), Army (stuffed armadillo), Beck & Bo (identical small cars), Dropsy (tiny red car - named by Daddy), Mr. Car, Mr. Truck, Reginald (any camel), Trucky (large yellow truck)
One other comment
Daddy stayed home for MLK day last week. Ben was very excited. He wanted to know what holiday it was. When Daddy told him it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, he asked "What cookies do we make for this holiday?"
[Update 3/22/05] Forgot to add:
Scooby-doo: A lego that has is square on one end and round on the other. Often used as "lights" on elaborate lego creations.
Daddy-Os: Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios (the ones that Daddy eats)
Mommy-Os: Multigrain Cheerios (the ones that Mommy eats)
Toddle Tag: A game where Ben and Anna grab opposite ends of a jumprope or other rope-like object and Ben pulls Anna around the house.
Grandmommie Yogurt: Vanilla premium yogurt (like Grandmommie bought at the beach)
Hair Clip Kittie: Anna's hair clips (Ben's idea, not sure where that one came from)
Animal names: Max (little blue dog), Dang-er (plastic horse), Genevieve (step-stool dog), Army (stuffed armadillo), Beck & Bo (identical small cars), Dropsy (tiny red car - named by Daddy), Mr. Car, Mr. Truck, Reginald (any camel), Trucky (large yellow truck)
One other comment
Daddy stayed home for MLK day last week. Ben was very excited. He wanted to know what holiday it was. When Daddy told him it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, he asked "What cookies do we make for this holiday?"
[Update 3/22/05] Forgot to add:
Scooby-doo: A lego that has is square on one end and round on the other. Often used as "lights" on elaborate lego creations.
# posted by Scott @ 1/23/2005 09:55:00 PM
Christmas Memories
Timberrrrrrr!
Mommy and Daddy set up a huge tree that just barely fit into the den. We struggled to get it into the too-large tree holder that was purchased many years ago when we had a 14-foot ceiling.
Daddy and the kids started decorating the tree. After a couple of near mishaps and one lost glass ball, Daddy moved all of the breakable ornaments to the top of the tree. That proved to be a not-so-terrific decision when the tree fell over during dinner. Many ornaments took one for the tree.
Mommy and Daddy cleaned up the mess and vacuumed the floor a few dozen times to ensure no glass was left. The tree was re-decorated and looked beautiful for the rest of the holiday.
Meeting Santa
Mommy was determined to go see Santa at Phipps Plaza, which is in a high-traffic area. Daddy took off work a bit early and we all took a nearly one hour trip in heavy traffic until we finally reached the mall. The entire way down, Anna talked about going to the North Pole to see Santa. Mommy and Daddy tried to explain that Santa was coming to visit a mall, and we weren't going to the North Pole, but that message probably never really got through.
Ben had a great time talking to Santa. In fact, Santa had to eventually push Ben away so that some other kids could have a chance. Anna, on the other hand, started screaming as soon as she approached Santa. Daddy had to hold her near Santa for the photo. Anna kept crying that she didn't want any toys for Christmas. Fortunately, Mommy and Daddy had filled out a list of Anna's requests that Santa could read to understand what Anna wanted for Christmas.
Christmas Eve
For the first time, Santa visited Ben and Anna at their home. Unfortunately, Ben had a bit of trouble keeping on the "nice" list, and some of his gifts remained in their boxes on Christmas. There were still enough gifts to go around. The marble run that Santa set up for Ben was particularly popular, as were the easel and paints for Anna.
Making Cookies
Ben and Anna got to decorate sugar cookies that Daddy made. Some were a little folded up since Daddy didn't use enough flour on the first batch, but no one seemed to care. There were sprinkles and little balls all over the place. Ben decorated one by pouring the entire contents of one container of sprinkles all over it. That was one very sweet cookie.
Popular Gifts
Ben: Rokenbok, marble run, lots and lots of cars, books, chocolate, light sticks, car carriers
Anna: Paints, chalk, an easel, "Wind in the Willows", "Toy Story 2", chocolate, baby doll, Little People playsets
Sayings
Anna: "I ... am ... not ... a ... drama ... queen!"
Anna: "My one minute is not up. It's down!"
Ben: "Does Santa use Fireball [the reindeer on the Rudolph special] sometimes?"
Anna: "It's a box!!!!"
Mommy and Daddy set up a huge tree that just barely fit into the den. We struggled to get it into the too-large tree holder that was purchased many years ago when we had a 14-foot ceiling.
Daddy and the kids started decorating the tree. After a couple of near mishaps and one lost glass ball, Daddy moved all of the breakable ornaments to the top of the tree. That proved to be a not-so-terrific decision when the tree fell over during dinner. Many ornaments took one for the tree.
Mommy and Daddy cleaned up the mess and vacuumed the floor a few dozen times to ensure no glass was left. The tree was re-decorated and looked beautiful for the rest of the holiday.
Meeting Santa
Mommy was determined to go see Santa at Phipps Plaza, which is in a high-traffic area. Daddy took off work a bit early and we all took a nearly one hour trip in heavy traffic until we finally reached the mall. The entire way down, Anna talked about going to the North Pole to see Santa. Mommy and Daddy tried to explain that Santa was coming to visit a mall, and we weren't going to the North Pole, but that message probably never really got through.
Ben had a great time talking to Santa. In fact, Santa had to eventually push Ben away so that some other kids could have a chance. Anna, on the other hand, started screaming as soon as she approached Santa. Daddy had to hold her near Santa for the photo. Anna kept crying that she didn't want any toys for Christmas. Fortunately, Mommy and Daddy had filled out a list of Anna's requests that Santa could read to understand what Anna wanted for Christmas.
Christmas Eve
For the first time, Santa visited Ben and Anna at their home. Unfortunately, Ben had a bit of trouble keeping on the "nice" list, and some of his gifts remained in their boxes on Christmas. There were still enough gifts to go around. The marble run that Santa set up for Ben was particularly popular, as were the easel and paints for Anna.
Making Cookies
Ben and Anna got to decorate sugar cookies that Daddy made. Some were a little folded up since Daddy didn't use enough flour on the first batch, but no one seemed to care. There were sprinkles and little balls all over the place. Ben decorated one by pouring the entire contents of one container of sprinkles all over it. That was one very sweet cookie.
Popular Gifts
Ben: Rokenbok, marble run, lots and lots of cars, books, chocolate, light sticks, car carriers
Anna: Paints, chalk, an easel, "Wind in the Willows", "Toy Story 2", chocolate, baby doll, Little People playsets
Sayings
Anna: "I ... am ... not ... a ... drama ... queen!"
Anna: "My one minute is not up. It's down!"
Ben: "Does Santa use Fireball [the reindeer on the Rudolph special] sometimes?"
Anna: "It's a box!!!!"
# posted by Scott @ 1/02/2005 11:25:00 AM
