Long day of school.....

Palm Sunday 2011

Poor Rina learned that the Jesus riding in on a donkey each year at church is not the real Jesus. She is heartbroken and refuses to give eye contact to this "imposter"!!!

Kids say the darndest things!!!

Ahh!!! I miss blogging! And I miss recording all the funny things my kids say. Here are some of my recent favorites:

January 2011

(Marina goes on a date with Daddy. She gets all dressed up for the date, with a cute outfit, pretty hair, and lip gloss. She brings along a purse containing a book to read together on their date. They go to Starbucks for hot chocolate. Then come home. Daddy gets out of the car, but Rina remains in the back seat with arms crossed and a pout!)

Daddy: Rina, what's wrong?

Marina: That date wasn't long enough!

(Daddy gets back into the car and takes her out to lunch!)

February 2011

(There is an uneven amount of M&Ms. Someone will end up with more...)

Mommy: I'm going to see who will put others first!

Reese: Rina, will you please "put others first" so I can have more?

February 2011

(In a discussion about Mark wanting to return to Christian school next year)

Mark: You see, it's like a gas station. Sometimes you just gotta fill up.

March 2011

Marina: Mommy, when Ava's little baby Gavin gets big..... (I'm waiting for some profound question about Gavin) ........will Ava be in all day school with me?

(Haha! Um, no Rina. You don't have to wait for Gavin to grow up for that).

March 2011

(Mark's wisdom on dating...explaining why he likes to keep girls guessing)

Mark: Dad, it's like a roller coaster. If you just go up and down, that gets boring. You have to have big drops to keep it interesting!

March 2011

(On the way to Ava's birthday party)

Marina: Are we going early to help set up?

Mommy: No, they will set up. We are just going to have fun.

Marina: (giggle) That's cuz we're the customers!

Preschool Tea Party

All the other kids in preschool said the reason that they love their mommy. Adorable little phrases like, 'I love when my mommy gives me icecream,' or 'I love when my mommy gives me hugs & kisses.' But when it came to Rina's turn: 'My mommy forgot to tuck me in last night!' Wow! Happy Mother's Day to me! ;)

Mark's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" moment...

Have you seen the movie? It recently came out, and it's hilarious! Based on the book, it describes the awkward transition from elementary school into junior high...painful!!! I laughed especially hard, because my sweet Mark is about to make that transition to JHi in a couple short months. And, boy! Do I know what is in store for HIM!!! LOL!

Last night, he had an especially "Wimpy Kid" moment. It easily could have been pulled from the script of that movie. And I can't stop laughing about it! Here's the situation:

We invited a family over for pizza last night. Not just any family, though. It happened to be the family of Mark's head-over-heels crush! She is the cutest girl in Kids Connection. And the crush is mutual. :) We've become good friends with her parents, so last night was one of several meals we've shared.

As we waited for the pizzas to bake, we were hanging out outside playing with our puppy. Mark decided to take little Lacey for a walk around the block, and of course his "crush" said she'd join him. As a meddling mother, keeping it pure...I informed Mark that his little sister, Rina, would join them too. "Keep her away from the street! And hold her hand!" I ordered as they began their walk. Of course, Ryan piped in with a wisecrack, "She means hold Rina's hand, not (Mark's crush)." All four of us parents got a good chuckle from that.

Late that night, while Mark was in bed, Ryan and I tiptoed into his room to get all the juicy gossip. "What did you talk about on your walk? What happened? Tell us everything!" So he proceeded to tell us the story, which was extremely "Wimpy Kid" style!!!

He said, while they were walking, she asked him pretty thoughtful questions. They were having a good conversation until suddenly Mark noticed one of his neighbor friends approaching...bouncing a ball obnoxiously loud. Mark cringed hoping this friend wouldn't come up to them! (Here is why: Mark loves to play with this kid. He's a very sweet boy who has played with Mark since they were 3 years old. But, they play kind of goofy, immature things. Things that are okay to play together...but that are NOT okay to reveal to his "crush." For example, they make videos together after school where they are crazy and goofy...and somehow it involves the bouncy green ball. I'm not quite sure how...)

Anyway, here came the neighbor kid, bouncing that ball super loud. He walked up to Mark and said, "Hey Mark! Remember the green ball?!" And then started to snicker and laugh. Mark cringed, not knowing how to laugh at the inside joke while staying cool in front of his "crush," who was giving them both a very confused look......Awkward moment!!! This neighbor kid kept walking alongside him the rest of the way home, which Mark told us, seemed like an eternity! He kept thinking, "Please, don't talk about the videos! Please don't talk about the videos!"

Mark told us, at that moment he didn't know what to talk about. Because anything he were to say to the neighbor kid would sound pathetic and immature in front of his "crush." But anything he talked to her about, would be so embarassing in front of his neighborhood buddy (who is innocently uninterested in girls yet...and consequently is very prone to saying something that will embarass Mark).

If you've seen the movie...this neighbor kid embodies the character of "Rowlie." Yep, it was that kind of moment! Then it happened! She turned to Mark and said, "Remember when we first met in 2nd grade?" Followed by her sentimental recount of their first encounter at school. Ugh! Mark said he about died, listening to her talk about that, while the neighbor kid continued to bounce the green ball obnoxiously loud, alllll the way home! Mark was caught in an awkward paradox. His two worlds had collided: the boyish, immature side of him that he can enjoy in the privacy of his own backyard...and the emerging confident, mature side of him that he is testing out among his almost-JHi peers.

Ryan & I laughed til we cried when he told us this story! Then we called Uncle Brandon up (who was home from college for the weekend) so he could hear the story in its entirety as well. Oh, the joys of junior high! I'm sure this is just the beginning of many, many more "Wimpy Kid" moments. And, I hope I can find the time to document each one. Mainly because I never want to forget these priceless moments. But also, because Ryan and I love to tease our kid....and this will make for some pretty good teasing-material someday!!!

"I'm gonna shoot!"

I think it's so funny how boys can turn any object into a 'gun'...today's example, a potato chip. Reese nibbled it into shape, then informed me that it was a gun. A few moments later, it was a hackey sack. Somehow (in his imagination) that round object was able to shoot those invisible bad guys! Yesterday, it was his sister's 'My Little Pony' that saved the world by shooting bullets from it's pink & purple mane. Aye!

Easter 2010

I got my boys the handsomest matching outfits for Easter (color coordinated w/ their sis, of course) ...But I'm thinking this is the last year I can pull this off...since matching your little brother isn't very cool in JHi!!! ;)