"when i grow up..."

the other day, in the pool, the kids were imagining their futures.  here's what they came up with: lionel will live in our house, ralph and cecelia will live next door in susan's house, her pets will all live with lionel and ralph will help care for them.

mom: (knowing that, in this scenario, jonathan and i are in a "home") where will susan be living?
ralph: oh, susan?  she's dead.


last night, jonathan and cecelia were discussing weddings and dresses (a result of watching TLC: 'my big, fat, gypsy wedding' and 'say yes to the dress' marathons in our hotel.)  as she was pondering getting her dad's approval on who she marries, jonathan told her he would help her with a down payment on a house, the smaller the wedding, the bigger the down payment = bigger house.

cecelia: i'm having a small wedding and making all the bridesmaids pick out and buy their own dresses.


same conversation:
cecelia: dad, who were your groomsmen?
jonathan: my friend, ned (cecelia snickered at the funny-sounding name... i still do, too.) uncle rob, and uncle andy.
cecelia: oh, so mommy had aunt mollie, aunt jen, and ...aunt jess?
jonathan: no, mommy and i hadn't really met aunt jess until that weekend.
cecelia (scandalized): what??!?!  hadn't even MET aunt jess?

she couldn't fathom a life without aunt jess.   :)

funny kids

we were driving around the Amy Thompson Run looking for dad, we couldn't ever find him...

cecelia: look at the numbers they're wearing!

mom: why?

cecelia: because dad is #564, or something like that.  then we'll know if we'll see him because we can see if these people are before or after him.  

tonight on the weidler's porch, ralph asked if he could play on the playground with the girls.  i said yes.

ralph: uh, dad?  no offense but i think mom is the in-chargest in our family.

ummmm... and also....

ralph:  mom?  will you lay with me and also i have the hiccups and... ummmm... and also where are you?

(5 minutes later)
ralph: mom?  can you lay with me?  and don't forget... i have the hiccups!

speed!

ralph:

mom?  i'm gonna need you to go speed to pass up this car next to us.  

(i passed)

good job, mom!

(i had to stop for a car turning in front of me)

mom!  go SPEED!

the boys

yesterday, while getting ready for soccer, lionel was VERY upset about putting on his shoes
lionel: dad!  i HATE the cleaks, they are too tight!
dad: mom?  lionel wants you to know... his cleaks are too tight.

when picking up ralph at the weidlers ("weilers") he showed me his latest find
ralph: mom!  look!  i found a thamonator!
jenny: i wondered where my thermonitor went...

ralph's song (one of many)

miss erin: ralph, you have hardly worked in your workbook at all!  now is the time!  during this time, i'd like for you to take your workbook over there and get some work done in it.

ralph: fine!  (to the tune of "i've been working on the railroad...") i've been working in my workbook... (then, angrily) all the DING-DANG day!!

miss erin: (*gasp*) ralph!

tonight at dinner, as we give thanks to God, lionel leaned over to me to ask if he could repeat last night's thanks... "thank you for making me realize the computer is not everything."

spring has sprung!

i had to work today, so jonathan was filling me in on what i missed.

he said the kids were ALL excited

to see a pair of cardinals out a window, one boy and one girl.

cecelia said they were on a date.

:)

ralph:

hey now!  you're a rock star.  get your game on.  get flay.  hey now!  you're a rock star.  get the goes on, go play.  all their glitters is gone.  only shooting stars are the bozone.

dad?  remember when we were on the trolley with will?  the driver hases some teeth that are coming out really goodly and also they're brown!

new bunk beds

i have nothing to add...

jobs

ralph: mom?  when i grow up i want to be a measurer! ...and mom?  will says that trash-picker-uppers are a bad job because he says they're not even a job.
mom: you tell will that a trash-picker-upper IS a job and one with great benefits!
ralph: with what?
mom: great benefits.
ralph: oooooooh... benefits.  and mom?  what ARE benefits?
mom: ask miss erin.
:)

btw... ralph went with me to the friendship club parish luncheon today and WON THE DOOR PRIZE!  he got to take home a shamrock (an actual plant) which he promptly showed to fr. bruce... twice.  he was SO PROUD!!!  big boy makes my heart swell!

friday night outing

dad took the kids to see a basketball exhibit at the nelson-atkins friday with the weidlers.

ralph: dad? why do they have so many NAKED people, and so many DEAD people here?

ralph: mom!  do you know what they had the useum?
mom: (didn't even hear what it was because i was so happy he still says 'useum.')

more bedtime stories...

dad: ralph, do you want me to lay with you?
ralph: yes.
(5 minutes)
dad: ralph, can i go back to my bed now?
ralph: no.  and dad?  i hate your stinky breath.

lionel and ralph pushed their beds together so they could be together. lionel often sleeps in ralph's bed, all snuggled up to his brother.  then, when he goes to sleep, ralph gets out and wanders around the upstairs.

ralph: dad!  can you shove lionel back into his OWN bed?
lionel: i'm right here!  i'm not asleep!
ralph: you're in my way!
lionel: no, i'm not!  i'm on the crack!
ralph: daaaaad!
dad: ralph, can you just get in lionel's bed and sleep?
ralph: no i can't.
lionel: *sigh* i'll scootch!

dad: :)

poetry slam 2011

all year, since they came back from christmas, the first grade at st. elizabeth's school has been learning about poetry: cross stick, limericks, etc...  about a month ago, lionel came home from school and said, "i'm lionel and i'm lazy!"  i got all emotional about it, "no!  you're NOT lazy!  you work very hard and make me very proud... (and so on)"  he smiled and said, "i'm lionel and i'm little and intelligent.... and lazy!  i couldn't think of another 'l' word, so i just went with lazy."

last night, the first grade hosted a poetry reading.  at grace before dinner prior to going to school for poetry, we discussed things we were happy about and thankful for.  lionel said he was thankful for his hard work, but nervous and sad about which poem he picked to read.  he picked his cross stick poem, but wished he had picked his shape poem about the moon.  he said he was feeling bad about saying he was lazy.  i realized he might not know, exactly, what lazy means.  i explained to him the meaning of lazy, and told him that lazy is something he is not, but lovely, learning, limber, loving, lovable, or lucky are all things that begin with 'l' that describe him.  i encouraged him to simply change the word he read while reading it, but he decided to change his whole poem.  he decided to re-write his shape poem about the moon, in the shape of a moon and give it to ms. dulek to replace the poem he had originally picked.  upon arrival, he proudly marched up to her and informed her of his wishes, to which she replied, "but i have already gotten them in order.  you did a very nice shape poem, i like the moon, but can't you just read your lionel poem?"  he looked at her, then at me.  i said, "yes, lionel!  you CAN read your lionel poem!  it's great!"  when it came time to read it, he ended it with, "i'm lionel and i'm LUCKY!"  ...SO proud!!

my babies...

today ralph and i almost came to blows over his behavior.  i noticed he had been getting subtly more and more unruly.  i threatened to send him back to *gasp* border star.  we talked about being five and what it all means.  he tried to be helpful after that... for a couple of hours, anyway.

mom: i wish you could stay a baby forever, and i know it's hard, but you have to grow up.
ralph: but we can still love on each other, and you can still see my piggies whenever you want, when i grow up.  and, mom, there is one other bad thing when i grow up.  i may not be avle to sleep in that bed anymore.
mom: why?
ralph: because i will be too big.
mom: but then you can have a bed like that one (pointing to ours) and it will be your very own.
ralph: yeah, but, lionel will probably still want to sleep with me when i grow up.

cecelia has a boyfriend.  j.t. vohs.  those two have been friends since first grade, when lainey would get caught up in girl drama and cecelia would play card games with j.t.  yesterday, valentine's day, cecelia and her friend, maddie, got in a friendly fight over who would be marrying j.t.  so augie, j.t.'s friend, asked j.t. who he likes.  j.t. said, "well, i like cecelia!"  if ask either one of them, they will tell you that they are close friends, who kind-of like eachother like that.

cute!

bedtime conversation

ralph: (in the voice of Evelyn from He-Man) i could use those muscles of yours.

ralph: mom?  isn't it sad in Dumbo when jumbo's mom gets tooken away?  yeah.  it's mean.  and sad.  especially when all the other animals have their babies.

mom: ralph?  did you pass gas?
lionel: yeah.  i smelled that funky smell.

ralph: everything in our house is cool.  and the whole wide world.  and the whole silver system.

tuesdays with ralphie

on the way home from diebel's, ralph spotted The Raphael hotel.
ralph: mom!  i see our hotel!  i certainly loved the monster truck.
(there was a big truck with GIANT wheels parked right outside the hotel.  we parked behind it)

let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

manners

so jonathan is standing up, making our bed, passing some SERIOUSLY loud gas.  the kids have been in bed for about 45 minutes.  out of nowhere a little voice says, "'scuse you." (cecelia)

ALREADY!!??!?

cecelia (to her brothers:) now, guys, you gotta call girls dudettes and boys dudes.

ghosts

ralph: mom?  is jesus a ghost?

ralph ran away today.  he was very upset that cecelia and lionel wouldn't give him their boxes to tape together, so he needed to just run away.  to the 'weilers.'  through the snow.  without a coat.  in socks.  he made it as far as the classic cookie before cecelia wearing a shirt, underwear, boots, and a coat, accosted him and dragged him back home: ralph!  you're GOING to come home because i'm wearing a t-shirt, underwear and a coat and mom made me come out and care!  now come ON!!!

later at tub time, he's telling a story of will's family: and his papa walt DIED in the war.  and his gramma died.  and they're ghosts.  BOTH of them!  his papa AND his gramma.
lionel: ghosts are people who died.
ralph: they're dead people.
cecelia: some people die on the toilet, like elvis.
lionel: then he fell in!

suspish

cecelia (to dad:) if there ever is something missing from my room, you can ALWAYS suspish ralph!

the bird

there was a bird stuck in the church sunday, flying around and distracting young children in the congregation.  Ralph was distracted.  he was so joyful and excited by the bird.  he had gotten in trouble and  his 'punishment' was to be held by mom FOR THE REST OF MASS.  there was a little arm being held out behind my head, i suggested he hold his hand out for the bird to land.  for the last half of mass, ralph's little finger was held up as a perch for the bird to land, if he so chose.  poor ralph.  the bird chose, instead to fly.

speaking of flying, here is an awesome link sent to me by a friend of mine.

http://www.eaglesneedapush.com/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-Customers-_-01.24.11-_-EENPMovie&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=EENPmovieCust

more lists

ralph 'needed' a list all of his own.  he decided to make a list of things he wants for his birthday.  one of the things he wanted was a game for lionel to play on the wii.
mom: but this list is for gifts for YOUR birthday.
ralph: i know.  but i want to some of my presents to lionel.
ralph: AND, mom, i want a cat that i can keep in a cage and away from cecelia in case if she's still llergic!

ralph: look mom!  i'm binnochio!!  (he puts a 'sord' up to his nose... and by sord, i mean a lincoln log roof piece.)

watching percy jackson and the olympians: the lightening theif
lionel: ANOTHER war?  i'm SICK of all these wars! (fight scenes)
ralph: and i am also.

first day back to school after christmas... whew!

today, after school, i promised the kids they could (finally!) eat the gingerbread house.  thinking they would each get a window or a door or a tree or something... lionel yells, "i call i get the roof!"  the ENTIRE thing was eaten by them: a house, a tree, a gingerbread man, and a snowman!

ralph was trying to get a piece of candy off of it and couldn't get it with his fingers...
ralph: mom!  i want to flick these things off and i can't!  can you please get me a statula?

tonight cecelia and lionel were talking about siblings-in-law.  lionel decided if he married wolf, then lainey would be his sister-in-law and he would     give lainey lots and lots and lots of sloppy kisses!
dad: do you see me giving my sisters-in-law lots of sloppy kisses
lionel: (CRACKING up!) hahahahha, yeah!  right!  like you give mollie and aunt jen kisses!
cecelia: (CRACKING UP even more!) hahahaha!  did you hear him?  he called aunt mollie just regular mollie!!  hahahahhaha... regular mollie!

cecelia was telling me about some thing in computer class today...

cecelia: and then diego came on and we call him a horror movie because the backpack and animals and trees all talk and stuff and it's like a horror movie!