A Few of My Favorite Things

Victor and Jemima, sitting companionably side-by-side eating cereal one morning, having a cozy little chat:

Victor: How's it going?
Jemima: No.
Victor: Why?
Jemima: Because Mom is here.
Victor: Oh, okay.
Jemima: Good.

When Lori and Betsy came to visit, Lori painted Jemima's fingernails. This was, of course, very special, and made quite an impression. While I was washing her hands the other day, she urgently cautioned me: Not my finger pops, Mom!

Calvin, after coming down with something, asked to describe how he feels: A little better. Just like an inch. If how I was feeling this morning was a foot, then I would be about an inch better.

 

Jemima is in a current stage of really loving the impromptu solo. I tell her very often that I love to hear her sing. Some favorite (original) tunes include "Hallelujah," "Every Morning Jesus," "God Created Every Woman," and so forth.

https://youtube.com/shorts/0rQadwBZf3g?si=v3mk6iBwPBEYHsMU

 

One of Jemima's favorite things is to hold her special blanket, whom she refers to as "baby," pushes in the stroller, comfort, and generally showing the most tender care.

 

Ben (starting a family discussion): What are 3 words that describe our family?
Victor: Stink, stank, stunk.
Calvin: Lovely, enjoyable, fun.

 

Calvin: I don't really like eating carrots, because it feels like you have to eat them for all your life.

 

Mom to Josiah and Elliot in a grammar lesson, trying to bring clarity about the part of speech of the word "hungry" in a sentence: "Who was hungry?"
Jemima: "Me!"

Sweet moments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbZDxsVnuUM 

 

Absolutely unbelievable to remember these sweetie pies...

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mYN20u9RW_8

 And a sweet one of Great-Grandma Vaupel and Calvin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwu3cJrGGNU 

Also from the ancient archives...

Calvin crawling...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JGRGFH2IhM 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUmGNpydYMM 

Bouncing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsfHxI-oppk 

Running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdZbRUoRVyA 

First cereal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsAk9p77M1Q 

Little Drummer Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmTWQoE6QXE 

Obstacle courses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir-RFiqKYYI 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_x-ssgw8ZU 

Sweet baby Calvin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlPOaVgMYfY 

Reading together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5fMMpUzwU

My Favorites

A dump of some of my most favorite moments, quotes, and quips from some of my most favorite people...

Josiah: One of the most common ways that I travel is on all fours.

We have 2 paper hole punches. One is new and cuts through the paper smoothly; one is old and tough. Josiah's commentary: …because it’s older and it knows what’s coming and umph (resists)

The boys, eating beef jerky:

I am a tiger eating a cow.

This feeds my loud side.

I feel stronger now, Mom!

Calvin, routinely: Thanks, mom *love*
Chatty: so descriptive, detailed
Water towers: giant marshmallows, rockets
Help making lunch, washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms
Occasional naps
Bible lessons, good insights
Apologies for fussing
Potty success
Dear Father, thank You for this beautiful day and thank You…

Jemima's words: 

ba, ba, ba (drum)
Ha! (Hi)
Mamama
Dadada
Baby!
Bap (= dog)

 
Jemima's hobbies: Rummage in onion and potato bin, chew on potatoes, eat thin onion papers, and puke

Calvin: mom I’m hungry
Mom: Yes I’m making supper
Calvin: Not that kind of hungry.

Elliot: I for surely know…

Calvin: Mom, right here on my lip hurts.
Mom: I’m sorry, why do you think it hurts?
Calvin: Maybe from driving.

Eating ice cream sandwich, Calvin: Mom, my fingers are muddy

Victor: Which season do you like better, summer or winter?
Calvin: Summer, because it’s more not snowy than winter

Shoe sizes:

Calvin: child 10
Elliot: child 13
Josiah: youth 3/4
Victor: men's 8

One day I was having Josiah put sugar snap peas on each plate for lunch. I told him to put 4 on each plate. After doing so, he discovered there were still a few sugar snap peas left in the bag. He (reasonably) presumed I was trying to use up all the peas.
Josiah: Mom, you were wrong. That’s the first time!

New habit: Josiah heading outside before everyone is up to read his Bible outside

Josiah: My outer body is ready for a soak

Calvin: What color do you think the skin will be?
Mom: What skin?
Calvin: The skin under my scab
Mom: Well, it will probably be fresh new skin that’s the same color as your other skin
Calvin: I think it will be black.

Josiah: My favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry. Smooth, without any fruits or vegetables in it.

Calvin: Another day, when Jemima grows up, she’s going to be a toddler.

7/28/22 Victor finished reading whole Bible

 

 Jemima, after finding a donut Ben had given me (note crumbs on face).
She was a Very Happy Girl.

Funny Fellows

Just a few things that are cracking me up and/or melting my heart these days...

 

Calvin: For my next three birthdays I’d like a house, an excavator, and a front loader

Josiah, after his first Covid test: That wasn’t bad. they cleared out one of the boogers that was clogging my nose.

Reading a book with me, observing a picture of a bear riding an escalator,
Calvin: I’m very scared of bears.
Me: For good reason, they are very big and powerful.
Calvin: Yeah, they might even push people down!

Josiah: The Bible is pretty cool. It’s taking a lot of my attention these nights.
*love*

Driving up to church, Calvin, with enthusiasm: Hey! John the Baptist Church!

In church, I gave Calvin a piece of bubble gum to chew, reminding him to spit it out when he finished.
Calvin: I can’t spit because my teeth can’t spit very well (having swallowed gum).

Overheard in the kitchen:
Calvin, emphatically: Jesus isn’t a cat.
Elliot: No, I said cheetahs are cats.

Victor: Josiah and I are going to read a verse from the Bible every day and talk about it.
*love*

Calvin: Mom?
Me: Yeah?
Calvin, with mild disdain: I was just talking to myself.

Hearing a raucous duet of tambourine and drums in the background,
Victor to me: The boys are crazy. I’m not. I come from your side of the family

Me: What are you feeling now?
Calvin: Angriness

Calvin: I think there’s more Christmas lights over on this side of the world (Eden Prairie)

Calvin: Mom?
Me: Yeah?
Calvin: What did you say one time?

Calvin: Mom, this is wet water.

Listening to a CD of Slugs & Bugs in the car, Calvin: Can you turn that off please? Because I’m already asleep, Mom.

On a little one-on-one outing, I was driving with Calvin, rather lost in my own thoughts for several minutes.
Breaking into the silence,
Calvin: Mom, let's talk about our favorite colors.

 Josiah (about once per day): Jemima is the cutest baby in the WORLD!

Little Tidbits

Mom: We are going to Kwik Trip.
Elliot: Where are we going on our trip?

Victor: What are the seven seas? Cat, carrot, coyote...

Josiah: I roded some of the way.
Victor: Rid.

Elliot, some time after the 4th of July, passing the corner where firecrackers were sold: Remember the tent with the fire cookies?

Josiah, at supper: Anything that is not Mom's is not really the best. *melting heart*

Elliot: I have a pickle on the side of my foot. (freckle)

Elliot: Smarshmallow (of course, eaten with s'mores)

Elliot: Can I have hopscotch and chocolate chips? (butterscotch chips)

Elliot, on a very cold day: Mom, I'm getting out the smoke in my throat (he breathes steam out of his mouth).

Josiah, when asked the best way to be a friend: Share the gospel. *melting heart again*

Calvin, trying to walk up the steps when his shoe got stuck (saying so, so many words now!): Owp. Owp. (help)

Other words from Calvin:
light
plane
shoes
foot
nose
mouth
apple
truck
puppy

Funny Boys

Josiah: Mom, do you know what cleans off boys and dads?
Me: What?
Josiah, laughing: Water. Because we have bugs on us!

???

Funny Boys

Victor, after counting his "personal money" in his savings envelope: Joey, you really need to get your teeth falling out so you can get some coins.

Elliot, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors-(Shoot): Scissors ... rocket ... shoes!

Elliot's Conversation

Elliot is extremely chatty, and if you can simply master his vocabulary list and identify each term correctly, he makes a charming conversationalist. But if you guess wrong, he will continue saying the word in increasing volume until you get it right (or he finally loses interest).

Pip- chip
Mummy- yummy
Blank- special blanket
Bloon- balloon
Beekoball- basketball
Mum- mom
Dickder- Victer
Iyah- Josiah
Nana- banana
Ruck- truck
Dute- cute
Deeku- thank you
Deedodas- dinosaur
Deedodas- applesauce
Dader- water
Dader- color
Ouse- house
Puppin- muffin
Stoo- stool
Boop- poop
Dog! Dog!- dog
Dada- daddy
Rammy- grammy
Radad- grandad
Opop- Pop Pop
Oos- shoes
oves- gloves
At- hat
Oots- boots
Peas- please
Ooth- tooth
Down- up
Down- down

My Silly Gooses

I know I am forgetting an abysmally huge percentage of hilarious things that the boys say and do, but here are a handful.

Josiah, driving home from church Wednesday night: Are we going to Pizza Ranch?

Josiah, later driving home from church Wednesday night: Is this car driving itself?

Victor and Josiah (but mostly Josiah) have taken to randomly and frequently abbreviating words. It sort of snowballs in a conversation.

Me: Hi Joe.
Josiah: Hi Vict. Haha, I call him Vict.
Victor: What are we eating for sup?
Josiah: I think it's grilled chee.

Funny Boys

Josiah, listening to opera on classical radio: "Can you stop this funny song?"
Victor, a minute later: "Can you press stop?"

Ben, interviewing the boys for my birthday:

Funny Boys

Victor: Do you know what is in our eggs this morning? Fish.
Me: Really? Are they swimming around in your eggs?
Victor: No!
He shows me the pink bits of salmon.
Victor: See, these orange things are fish. But they are a little bit killed.

Lunchtime conversation about biblical manhood.
Me: What do you think the Bible tells us about how men should be? Should they be proud or humble?
 Victor: Humble.
Me: Do you think they should be good leaders or always waiting around for somebody else to do things?
Victor: That's a good question.
Me: They should be good leaders.
Josiah: I'm a good eater.
Victor: Not a good eater, a good leader.
Josiah: I'm a good leader.

Okay, well, we'll work on that.

Lunch Conversation

We were munching on lunch...

Josiah: I like Uncle Nathan. He is not angry. He's happy. He's a nice guy.

Victor: He is not angry. He's happy. Like you.

Josiah: I am not angry. Just like Uncle Nathan.

There you have it. How nice it is to have uncles who are not angry but are happy.

Cute Boys

Josiah comes to look in my ears with his doctor kit.
Me: Am I sick?
J: You're awake!

Victor, walking on the right side of the sidewalk.
V: I'm going to turn, so that's why I'm in this lane.

Josiah, eating quiche: I like this peach.

Victor, eating quiche, scooting some crumbs over toward the bigger bites on his plate: I'm going to scoot you over to the mommys and daddys.

V: You should go the dentist.
Me: Oh, why?
V: Because you need a haircut.

Me: Could I have a hug? A great big bear hug?
Josiah gives me a huge squeeze.
J: A little bear snuggle.
He gives me a little gentle squeeze.

Josiah, singing: Hi ho the dairyo, the farmer in the Dell.
He stops and thinks.
J, singing: Farmer in the Hudson.

Victor, looking at the display in our van of how many miles until the gas runs out: Then if it goes to zero the gas tank would fall off.