Do me a favorite, will you?

You might be seeing a theme here, but I promise, my stories aren't all about Andrew or something gross. Like when Lauren was little, she went through this phase where she was always walking backwards. We don't really know why. She just did. I used to go around telling random people that I was a "cookie smart" which is kind of ironic actually. We were cute kids. Maybe that makes up for the rest of the stuff we put our parents through. My parents still ask me to "do them a favorite" because that's what I used to say when I was little. We don't even think about it anymore, that's just what we stay. The little things may not seem important when your kids are little, but it sticks with you for a long time.

Girl Time

This past week, my cousins had a snow day so Jon and Josh stayed home from  school with mom and little Becca. Apparently, after a little while, Becca had had enough time bonding with her brothers and confronted Donna. "Mommy?" she said. "Can we just drop off the boys at school and go out to eat with Aunt Debi at Panera?"

Moo

Ever since we were little, when we see animals, my dad makes us make the sound they do, so when we pass cows while we're driving, we have to say "moo" and so on and so forth. That in and of itself is kind of weird if you ask me. But before you laugh and think "Hm, that's cute, maybe I'll start doing that with my family", think about this:
1. Say you see a duck. You quack. But you forgot something: your friends are in the car with you. You're no longer five. It's no longer cute. It's just plain weird.
2. You find yourself making these animal noises when you're alone in the car. Also very strange.

Also, what happens when you don't do it? Ha, just ask Lauren. One time, recently too, the family was driving home when they passed a farm. Some cows were out by the side of the road. A chorus of moos obviously followed. That's what any sane person would do anyway. Lauren though was not a big fan of this moo-ing business. Dad told her to moo, but alas, she was too cool for that. He turned the car around and waited until she had moo-ed like the rest of them before he continued driving.

Mother of the Year

This story for some reason is one of my favorites. Andrew, surprise surprise, thought something inside was gross and therefore, he threw up. Meggie comes running outside to where my mom was talking on the phone with my aunt, Donna, and says "Mommy! Mommy! Andrew just threw up!" (Why she is still surprised and so concerned when this re-occurring puking happens, I couldn't tell you.) My mom sighs and asks where and Meggie informs her that he (surprisingly) made it to the garbage can this time. My mom then says "Oh come on. I just put a new bag in." Then you can hear Donna, listening to this whole thing from the phone, "Mother of the Year everyone, Mother of the Year."

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Once, when we were little, my mom took us grocery shopping. Lauren, for some reason, had gotten in trouble with my mom and had gotten mad at her punishment. Lauren, a smart girl, says loudly "No Mommy! Please don't hurt me like you always do!" Everyone who heard her gave my mom dirty looks the rest of the time we were there.

David's Statuses

~ Me to Avonlea.. "why do YOU look guilty?!?".... Thoughtful pause... Avonlea: "I will go tell Mommy.". (Avonlea rapidly exits room)

~ Avonlea: "aww Nathan don't cry.... HAHA too late!" Dang she's cold!

~ Eli: "Dad, did you ever hear 'too much work makes you hungry'?" "No, not really, I haven't heard that." Eli: "Me either."

~ ah, for dinner tonight my pregnant wife prepared pot roast, pancakes, pickles, snow caps, and milk.

Dinner Guests?

Dinner always came with a show in my family. When we were younger, most of us thought it was the funniest thing to chew with our mouths opened, much to my parents dismay. It would not have been as bad if Andrew did not find this completely gross- gross enough to, oh I don't know, throw up? Getting a glimpse of this oh-so-lovely food in his siblings' mouths, he would throw up at the majority of our meals. Because this is obviously disgusting, the rest of the kids would start yelling. It was pretty chaotic. We didn't have people over for dinner very often back then...

Poopin' and Pukin'

Andrew has a sensitive gag reflex. Smells set him off rather easily. It has always been bad- to the point where we had to keep a bucket in the bathroom for when he... well, you know. Many times, the mere thought of anything gross would send him over the edge. One day, he walked into the kitchen, looked at some mud on the floor and immediately starts gagging. The boy's a drama queen so Mom hears him and comes running She sees what's going on, because unfortunately situations like these are not uncommon in our household, and quickly informs him that it was just mud on the floor, not poop like he had originally thought. He stops gagging, goes "Oh, okay" and wipes his face and goes on his way. I'll never know what goes through that boy's head.

Never-ending Childhood

Kids are funny. Sometimes they don't even realize that they are in fact kids. At dinner one evening, Dad was handing out half slices of pizza to his young children. Andrew was only two, but he did not seem to grasp that fact. When he got his half slice, he sighed and said, "You know, when I was a kid, I used to eat a WHOLE slice."

Making Connections (Slowly)

My brother, Andrew, probably around four years old, was chatting with our grandpa at his house. After a  long day of playing with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, concerned, he asked Grandpa a question: "Grandpa?" he said, "Do you have any kids?" Grandpa  laughed and told him that yes, he had three kids. Andrew, apparently surprised, goes "Huh. I never seen 'em 'round here."
=)