Funny Things They've Said Lately

Now that Israel and Abel are talking more, they are saying some pretty funny things, just like Ivy. Here are just a few things I remember the three of them saying in the past few days...



Ivy

Ivy (frantically): Abel threw a piece of toilet in the bathtub!!
Me: What?? A piece of the toilet??
(I go to the bathroom to see.)
Me: Oh. Do you mean he threw of piece of toilet paper in the bathtub, Ivy?
Ivy (with an embarrassed smile): I thought that stuff was just called toilet.


Ivy (while playing with swim floaties in our house one day): Now brothers, put your floaties on! If you don't, you will drown!
Israel: I not drown!
Ivy: I know this is just a pretend pool, but Israel, you just never know!


Ivy (to me one day when she was helping me in the kitchen): When we move to the jungle, if people want us to eat bugs, do you think we can wash the germs off first?


Me (When picking Ivy up from her Sunday School class): Ivy! How was class? What did you do?
Ivy: Um...we sang songs, and the boys in the class danced like crazy people. Just like Israel does. But the girls in the class danced very, very pretty. Just like I do.


Me (to Ivy and Abel, as they are climbing and hanging from the bars on a bunk bed): Are you guys monkeys?
Abel: Yes! I monkey!
Ivy: Abel is just a pretend monkey. I'm a real monkey.
Me: You're a real monkey?
Ivy: Well... I'm pretending to be a real monkey.

Israel

Me (while handing something to Israel): What do you say?
Israel: PleasethankyouIforgiveyou!


Me (To Israel, after not being with him all day): Israel! What did you guys do with Papa today?
Israel: Um, um, um...killed a bug.
Me: Really? That's what sticks out to you from the whole day?
Israel: Um...killed two bugs.


Random things Israel has yelled this week:
     -Boom Shakalaka!
     -Oh, snap!
     -Snake! (referring to a person who did something he didn't like)
     -What in the world???
     -Oh, yeah!

Abel

Me (To the kids during our morning Bible time one morning): Who can tell me where Jesus was born?
Abel (with no hesitation): Michigan!


Abel (sleep talking one night, when I went in to cover him): No! No! Don't pull my bib! That my bib!


Abel (in a whiny voice): I'm sick.
Me: You're sick? What hurts?
Abel: Um...my pants.
     The next day:
Abel (in a whiny voice): I'm sick.
Me: You're sick? What hurts?
Abel: Um...my shirt.


Abel (to Israel, randomly): Hey! You insane?


Abel (to me): Ivy bite me!
Me (very skeptically): Really? Ivy bit you?
Abel: Well...well...she...she...hold my hand.
Me: She held your hand?
Abel: Yeah.
Me: Ok. I think you'll be fine.


Abel (Anytime he doesn't like something): I don't like that song!
        Examples:
              -I give Abel a food he doesn't like...he says, "I don't like that song!"
              -Israel is bothering Abel in the van, tapping him on the leg...Abel says, "I don't   
                 like that song!"
              -I pick Abel up, but he doesn't want to be held...he says, "I don't like that song!"

A Chicago Visit (and a hotel incident)

Last weekend, Aaron and I took Ivy and went to visit Aaron's sister Stephanie in Chicago. The three boys stayed with their grandparents, and I have to say... it was so much fun spending the weekend with our little girl!!!

We had an awesome time with Stephanie. We hung out at her apartment, walked around her neighborhood, and went downtown to eat one evening. 

It was great to see where she lives and spends her time. 

And Ivy hasn't stopped talking about Aunt Stephanie since we got home!

Overall, it was a great weekend. There was just that one small incident that happened at the hotel... 

So we got there late on Thursday night. We checked into our room, and Ivy was super excited that she was going to get to share a king-size bed with her Mama and Papa. We all went to sleep, excited for a fun day in the morning.

At about 2:00 in the morning, Ivy woke me up because she had to go potty. So, half asleep, I took her. I won't go into details here, but let's just say that Ivy went...a lot. And as I was flushing it, I was thinking, "I hope the toilet doesn't get clogged." I watched it as it flushed, and "everything" did go down...but something did indeed happen when it was flushing, and when the toilet started filling back up (with clean water, thankfully), it just kept filling and filling and filling...and all of the sudden it was gushing out over the rim of the toilet and splashing all over the bathroom floor. 

I ran to the bed to wake Aaron up (he is an incredibly heavy sleeper). "Aaron! Honey! Wake up! The toilet is overflowing everywhere!!!" He jumped out of bed and stumbled half-asleep into the bathroom. By this time, the entire bathroom floor was covered with water, and it was still gushing out. I'm talking gushing...not trickling or spilling just a little...gushing. He knew what to do...I guess there is some valve thing you can turn to make it stop. So he tried to turn it...but it would. not. budge. He was afraid he would break it off if he tried to turn it harder.

He ran to the phone and called down to the front desk. "Um, our toilet is overflowing everywhere, and it won't stop," he said. The water had now filled the bathroom and was spilling into the main part of our hotel room.

Now he was fully awake (finally) and thinking more clearly, so he took the top off the back of the toilet and raised the little release chain thingy to get the water to stop. He pulled it up, and the water finally, thankfully stopped. We looked at each other in disbelief and assessed the damage. The river of water had flowed out of the bathroom, into the main part of our hotel room, and then out into the hotel hallway. I opened our hotel room door and saw that the water flowed at least a few feet into the hallway. I could not believe this was happening.

Right about then, the poor front desk guy came to our door. Holding two towels. Ha. He handed me the towels at the door and I opened it further to let him in. He looked at us in shock as he splashed through the inch or two of water that was standing in our room. I remember looking down at his nice dress shoes sloshing through the water, and I had to hold back my laughter. I was so embarrassed, but all I wanted to do was laugh.

He said,"So...what's going on?" He looked into the bathroom and saw Aaron there, holding the chain up in the back of the toilet. Aaron let the chain go for a second to show him what was happening, and the water began gushing out again. Aaron pulled it back up. "The water won't stop. And the valve won't turn off." 

"Well..." the front desk guy said, "I brought you some towels..." 

Aaron grabbed the towels and stuffed them in the back of the toilet to prop up the lever that he had been holding up. The front desk guy said, "Maybe I'll go get a few more towels..." Aaron walked with him out in the hall and showed him where the water was stopping (a good 15 or 20 feet from our toilet). Aaron said, "The water is going somewhere from here...if I were you, I would go check the second floor to see if it's pouring through." The front desk guy's eyes widened and he said, "I'll do that!" and he ran off.

Aaron came back into the room, and we just looked at each other and laughed. It was just so unbelievable. Ivy (who had gone back into bed when I initially flushed the toilet, and had missed the rushing river of water) got out of bed and came and stood with us. "Why is there water everywhere?" she asked. "The potty is broken, sweetie. It's ok," I told her. She was amused. And totally unaware that it had been caused (sort of) by her. :)

The front desk guy came back up and reported that yes, indeed, the water was going down through the second floor ceiling. He gave us more towels and said, "Maintenance should be here at 7:00 AM...we'll just keep those towels in the back of that toilet until then."

"Um, Sir?" I said, "I think we are going to need a new room...um...we don't have a working toilet? And there is water covering everything?...and we will probably still be sleeping at 7:00 when the maintenance guys come..."

"Oh! Oh, yes! That's a good idea. Ok, yes. I will go see if there's a different room for you." He left again.

By this time it was about 3:00 AM. He came back with new keys for us and sincere apologies. We apologized right back to him, because after all, we were the ones who clogged the toilet in the first place. :) We moved to a different room, got settled in, and were probably finally back asleep by 3:30 or 4:00 AM.

The next morning, we went to the second floor hallway to see the damage. There were several ceiling tiles with water damage. So unbelievable!

So...that's the hotel incident. We have laughed about it many times since it happened, and I have a feeling it will be a story that we retell and relive for a long time. :)

When we told my brother-in-law Nathan about it, he laughed and said, "I'm so glad that happened to you! It's such a funny story!"  Ha. I can't say I'm glad it happened...but it is a good story. :)

August: Six Months

Last week August had his 1/2 year birthday. He is SUCH. A. SWEET. BABY. Seriously.

August at six months

Weight: 17 lbs. (approximately...haven't actually weighed him in a little while)

Likes: Being talked to, sucking on anything, playing with toys, scooting around on his back (not his tummy!), watching his siblings, being tickled, being outside, bath time, his Johnny Jumper

Dislikes: Not being able to see people, when I make him practice sitting by himself :)

Eating: He takes a bottle four times a day--7:30 am, 11:30 am, 4:15 pm, and 7:15 pm. He is and always has been a really good eater. He hasn't shown much interest yet in table food, so I'm not rushing it! He's content with bottles for now.

Sleeping: Sleeps 12 hours at night and takes two naps (around two hours each) during the day. Still likes to be swaddled (with one arm out) when he sleeps.

Miscellaneous: Wears size 3 diapers and size 6-9 month clothes, has the bluest eyes I think I've ever seen, starting to want to be mobile, smiles so easily, rarely cries

Happy half birthday, little guy!

Meet Millie...

...the newest member of our family.

Yes, the kids love her.

No, they don't know what "Gentle!" means yet.

Yes, we have told them that we can only keep her until we move back to Missouri.

No, I don't think they fully comprehend that fact.

Yes, she may actually be a "he."

No, I just cannot quite tell yet.

Yes, I think I love her as much as the kids do.

No, Aaron...doesn't.

Yes, she has an audience at all times.

No, she doesn't seem to mind.

Welcome to the fam (for two months), Millie!

Sitting is hard.

 ...but he's getting there! :)

What I was saying...

...while I took these pictures:

"Ok, guys, everyone smile!"

"Israel! Israel! Look at me, please!"

"Ivy and Israel, you need to be closer together."

"Oh, don't squeeze him too tight, though, Ivy!"

"Ok, now really big smiles!"

"Ha. Ok. We're done."

Just Like His Pops

Ok...so I guess the verdict is in. Abel must look nothing like me, because he looks exactly like Aaron! If it wouldn't be for the quality of the photos, I think I would mistake the one of Aaron for Abel!

I'm okay with that, though...after all, Aaron is a pretty good-looking guy for my little boy to take after. ;)