We're back in the blogosphere...

After two months of silence, we're back. I have lots of notes of things to post... here are some in random order:

From Matthew:

+ At the breakfast table eating pancakes, Matthew says, "Pretty good, Mommy, pretty good!"

+ As I was getting ready to leave for Leah's 30th bday, wearing a blouse that requires ironing no less, Matthew said, "Nice shirt, Mommy. Nice shirt!" He said the same to Shae the next morning when he came down ready for church. :)

+ Our dear sister-in-law Glad made the coolest "Memory" game for us last Christmas with the family's pictures on top. Matthew found that game in our puzzle bin, and ran into the kitchen shouting, "2 Lijahs, Mommy, 2 Lijahs!!!" (He found the pair of tiles with his cousin Elijah.)

And just in case you're wondering, yes, most of his exclamatory statements (and declaratives, too, for that matter) do follow the endearing XXX-Mommy-XXX pattern.

+ Riding in the car with the window down, Matthew begged Daddy to go faster. When his request was granted, he said, "Oh, awesome, awesome!" First time I heard that word from him!

+ Again in the car, heading west on 65th Street, Matthew quickly identified the route he takes with Daddy on some Saturday mornings, "Donee shop, donee shop?" (The Donut Connection). Sadly, we weren't headed there at that moment.

+ Several weeks ago, I tried to drink tea and inhale at the same time, resulting in an episode of choking/coughing. The kids watched from the table... amused! When I recovered, Matthew asked, "Again?"

+ In Colorado, we offered the kids fudgesicles for a treat one afternoon after naps. The next day when Matthew awoke, he said, "So hungry, Mommy, so hungry," and then looking at me hopefully, "Lollipop? Chocolate?" This happened the next two days, as well!

+ Matthew's been showing some interest in pottying. He reports all his BMs ("stinky poopy, Mommy, stinky poopy"). We were reading a story about Jesus' birth last week and the illustration showed a baby on his back, on a cloth, w/o clothes. Knowing that there's only one time Matthew finds himself in such a position, he said, "Baby Jesus stinky poopy." I'm sure He did at times!

+ Favorite Matthew-isms: strawberry = "strawbuddy", dinosaurs = "NOsaurs"

From Hannah:

+ I laughed when Hannah got out of the bath because the rubber mat's pattern was imprinted on her bottom. She strained to see it and said, "My head's not long enough like a giraffe head. I need a giraffe head to see my bottom."

+ Hannah said she was still hungry after not eating much for lunch, so I offered her what she hadn't finished: broccoli or pita. "What else is available, Mom?" she asked. Clever. Answer: nothing until these are gone. :)

+ Another pancake breakfast (I have a great recipe w/all whole wheat flour and I add a bunch of ground flax seed--let me know if you're interested :)), and I ask if Hannah would like some more. "Yeah, it sure tastes good! Thank you, Mom." Sweet, unprompted words. Rare.

+ When Matthew was playing with his "NOsaurs", Hannah quipped, "There's no 'saurs around because they all stink!" (extinct) :)

+ Listening to U2's "Miss Sarajevo" song with the glorious Pavarotti solo, Hannah exclaimed, "He's just like Scotty!" A shout out to my dear brother who loooooooves to sing like an opera star.

+ Thanks, Auntie Shawna for sharing this gem:
At a recent family gathering with the McCowens, Hannah was on the swing with her cousin Becky (4 months older). Becky said, "I love you, Hannah." Hannah's reply? "I love me, too." Seriously. Apparently, Hannah returned the love only after lots of prompting and said, "I love you, Becky, and I love me, too." Charming.

+ Hannah asked to look at the world atlas we have instead of reading stories before her nap the other day--(good sign, Dad? :)). She wanted to talk about her pretend friends and where they lived, an activity we do with her US Map puzzles and our real friends and family. She asked me to read the names of the towns/cities that she pointed to. "My friend Beebee lives in...." "Amarillo." I said. Hannah asked, "Where's rojo?" I love my girl!! She does not miss a beat.

+ At a recent tea party in Hannah's room, I brought her a piece of gum as a "hostess gift". She loved the idea of hostess gifts and since we take turns hosting these parties and bringing friends, she was ready with a gift when I was hosting. It was her "Bug Bungalow", a little mesh box for catching bugs. It had her name on a piece of masking tape since she recently took it to school. She held it out to me and said, "Here you go! It's from a garage sale." Laughing, I took it, explained that she didn't have to tell me where she got it (a bad habit of mine)... and then realized she was referring to the homemade "price tag" (masking tape, garage sale style, indeed!). Too funny. :)