Slices of Life, Vol. 50

Reading the SuperWhy book The Little Red Hen to Amelia one night:

Me: "The Little Red Hen asked all of her friends to help her make cornbread so she could feed her hungry chicks, but all of her friends said 'No.' "

Me: "AMELIA! It's so rude of Little Red Hen's friends to tell her they won't help her make cornbread for her chicks! Why do you think they told her 'No'?"

Amelia: "BECAUSE THAT'S BO-WING."

 

 

* * * * * * *

Jake was telling me a story recently, and it contained a lot of detail.

Me: "Jakey, you have such a vivid imagination."

Jake: "What does 'vivid' mean?"

Me: "Lots of detail, really clear. It's impressive."

Jake: "OH, like Emmett had a really vivid imagination and that's how he got to be a mastah buildah."

Me: "Exactly. Emmett had a vivid imagination, just like you do. YOU could be a master builder one day, too."

Jake: "Well, ALL of the mastah buildahs had good imaginations, but they only got a fweeting gwimpse of the big picture ... but EMMETT got to see the the WHOLE picture."

* * * * * * * 

Playing outside with Amelia the evening of grandmother's funeral:

Amelia: "I'm hungry."

Me: "I am, too. Do you want to go inside and eat supper?"

Amelia: "Nope. You're still having fun with me."

 * * * * * * *

On the way back to Grandmother's house after her funeral, I could hear Amelia singing something in the backseat but couldn't quite make out the words.

Me: "Amelia, what are you singing?"

Amelia: "Gigi got old and then she died, Gigi got old and then she died ..."

* * * * * * *

Me, to Grayson: "Did you get my text?"

Grayson: "No, what did it say?"

Nathaniel & Nick: "What'd it say?"

Amelia: "WHAT IT SAY, MOM?"

Jake: "Did it say you're having another baby?!"

Me: "NO. I wouldn't text Daddy that."

Nathaniel: "Yeah, you'd Instagram it and THEN you'd text him."

* * * * * * * 

At the end of supper one night when Jake had slowed down his pace noticeably:

Me: "Jake, are you full?"

Jake: "Not my dessert stomach."

* * * * * * * 

My animal lover Amelia was watching squirrels play in the front yard through the storm door.

Amelia: "I wanna go out and pway wiff the sqows."

Me: "Well, I think if we go out there, they'll probably run away. It's probably best if we watch them from here."

Amelia: "Why would day wun fwom me?"

Me: "Because they don't know you. You're a stranger to them."

Amelia:  {sweetly}  "DAY CAN CAW ME UH-MEE-LEE-UH."

* * * * * * * 

Nathaniel: "Mommy, can we PLEASE go camping sometime soon? As a FAMILY?"

Me: "Hmm. We'll see."

Nathaniel: "I really want us to all go TOGETHER."

Me: "The thing about camping is ..."  [trying to come up with a not-ugly description]  "... it just seems so ... HORRIBLE."

Nathaniel: "Well, it has the POTENTIAL to be horrible. But if everything goes as planned, it's great!"

* * * * * * *

On June 16, in the car:

Jake: "Mommy, how did it get to be halfway thwew the ye-uh alweady?"

Me:  [sigh]  "I don't know, buddy ... Time flies."

Jake:  [thoughtfully]  "Hmm. It weally does. Even when I'm not having fun."

 * * * * * * *

Bonus Material: As I was putting this post together, I realized I didn't have a single Slice saved to attribute to Nick. That's crazy! I don't know how I missed him this time around, but I certainly don't want you to miss him in pictures, so here are a few of him and his Dimples. And one of all four kids together for good measure.