This wasn't a joke, but I was awaiting a punchline. After I'd reminded myself not to be annoyed by all the whys.
Then, his non-punchline turned out to be pretty funny:
Why is it called Minnesota? ....
It's kind of like "soda."
P.S. It's probably obvious, but this was Zach speaking. Or maybe it's not obvious, and I need to get on the ball with posting some more of Olivia's speech these days. Pretty darn cute, it is.
May 20, 2009
Zach Joke # One Zillion Seventy-Eight
Zach: Mom, what do you call a tissue dancing in a chair?
Mom: What?
Zach: A DANCING TISSUE, TISSUE!! Hahahahahahahahahahah!
Zach: Mom, what do you call teeth inside a tissue?
Mom: What?
Zach: A dancing tissue teeth!
* * *
Methinks these are his interpretations of the one (thanks, Motherhood) clean (thanks, DeLene!) joke I can remember and told him a while back:
A: How do you make a tissue dance?
B: I dunno. (Bonus points if you think of the same person I do when reading this line.)
A: Put a little boogie in it!
Mom: What?
Zach: A DANCING TISSUE, TISSUE!! Hahahahahahahahahahah!
Zach: Mom, what do you call teeth inside a tissue?
Mom: What?
Zach: A dancing tissue teeth!
* * *
Methinks these are his interpretations of the one (thanks, Motherhood) clean (thanks, DeLene!) joke I can remember and told him a while back:
A: How do you make a tissue dance?
B: I dunno. (Bonus points if you think of the same person I do when reading this line.)
A: Put a little boogie in it!
May 15, 2009
Littleton Historical Society & Bear Creek Picnic
I love that about eight years ago eight couples with no kids met at church and formed a young adult group that has stuck together despite the pull of lots of "real life" experiences. Thanks to Jackie, some of us have begun to meet once a month with as many (here, now!) kids as weather and school permit. Today we went to the Littleton Historical Society to tour their fantastic *and free!* pioneer village and working farm. Turkeys, goats, mules, and more are right on site. This was my family's first time there, and I know we'll definitely be back. The kids had a ball, and as usual they made their fun. The all-but-empty old barn was quite possibly more exciting than the two-storey, fully stocked house we walked through.
It's so fun to see our little kiddos growing up together. We missed those who couldn't be here today. Here are some more pics. And check back because I have a couple of videos to post soon, too.
May 12, 2009
May 06, 2009
Questions
Did I say we were averaging 5 questions per minute? It's the denial, I promise. It's more like 20:1, or sometimes more than that. And there's something about the confined space of the car that really turns up the frequency.
Not even counting just the incessant, stacatto "why?"s.
This morning, at breakfast, it was all about Spanish:
Mom, what's 'nose' in Spanish?
Me: "Um, I don't know. I'll look it up." Typing into MyFriendGoogle: "English to Spanish translation" then realizing, I don't know how to pronounce Spanish either.
What's finger?
Me: "Deedoe. No, day-doe." If the child would ask me French, it would all be easier. But I'm learning, too, though he'll retain 90% more than I will.
Day-doe. What's 'foot?'
Me thinking: We really need to find a Spanish program. This is good.
What's 'hand?'
Me: Oooo, I know this one. Thanks, Sesame Street. "Mano, Zach."
Sometimes, especially by about 5pm, it's hard to remember that all this inquiry is a blessing. He's a bright little Poppet, who's just trying to soak in the world.
Not even counting just the incessant, stacatto "why?"s.
This morning, at breakfast, it was all about Spanish:
Mom, what's 'nose' in Spanish?
Me: "Um, I don't know. I'll look it up." Typing into MyFriendGoogle: "English to Spanish translation" then realizing, I don't know how to pronounce Spanish either.
What's finger?
Me: "Deedoe. No, day-doe." If the child would ask me French, it would all be easier. But I'm learning, too, though he'll retain 90% more than I will.
Day-doe. What's 'foot?'
Me thinking: We really need to find a Spanish program. This is good.
What's 'hand?'
Me: Oooo, I know this one. Thanks, Sesame Street. "Mano, Zach."
Sometimes, especially by about 5pm, it's hard to remember that all this inquiry is a blessing. He's a bright little Poppet, who's just trying to soak in the world.
May 01, 2009
Biker Babe
"I gotta adjust this derailleur cable tension."
Olivia's been receiving package after package these days, as she attempts to fix up her bike for this season's races. Ebay has been her most frequent emailer, and she's watching those bike-part sales like a hawk. On the weekends, she gets in at least one long ride, whether-the-weather-be-fine, or whether-the-weather-be-not. (By "long," I mean 6+ hours.) Her first race is coming up on May 9th, the Front Range 50, down at Bear Creek Lake Park about 3 minutes from us. We'll get to see her several times, as she completes each of the 5 ten-mile laps. Bike season is here, friends.
Oh, yeah. By "Olivia," I mean "Scott."
But don't count her out of the fun. Daddy is The Best. Nobody earns a "welcome home" squeal like he does.
Song
Sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" (or "Are You Sleeping?"):
Oh la-Livia, oh la-Livia.
Cakes and Pie! Cakes and Pie!
Lolly Dolly Livvy Girl,
Lolly Dolly Livvy Girl.
Cakes and Pie. Cakes and Pie.
We sang this way-back-when LaLivia was just a Biddle Dollit. Oh, wait. She still is. Anyway, we did (and Zach, too) sing this back when she was under the age of one. Now, of course, we realize we should have been singing, "Oh-ah-ee-ih-ah, Oh-ah-ee-ih-ah, Cakes and Pie..."
Melodies bring back the memories just like that *snap*.
When I hear the CD that played non-stop during Zach's first year sleepy-times, I'm lulled into a peaceful fog. And then shocked that I survived on so little sleep. That music, which did not magically induce sleep, played continuously during naptimes, and nighttimes, and on the road trip to Montana, and out at the cottage in the MN humidity, and in the cramped little Vegas hotel room on the computer when Zach was the youngest SuperFan at his Pop's baseball tournament. We only stopped playing it when the curious Poppet had banged on the buttons of the player enough that it finally acquiesced, and played its last lullaby.
Oh la-Livia, oh la-Livia.
Cakes and Pie! Cakes and Pie!
Lolly Dolly Livvy Girl,
Lolly Dolly Livvy Girl.
Cakes and Pie. Cakes and Pie.
We sang this way-back-when LaLivia was just a Biddle Dollit. Oh, wait. She still is. Anyway, we did (and Zach, too) sing this back when she was under the age of one. Now, of course, we realize we should have been singing, "Oh-ah-ee-ih-ah, Oh-ah-ee-ih-ah, Cakes and Pie..."
Melodies bring back the memories just like that *snap*.
When I hear the CD that played non-stop during Zach's first year sleepy-times, I'm lulled into a peaceful fog. And then shocked that I survived on so little sleep. That music, which did not magically induce sleep, played continuously during naptimes, and nighttimes, and on the road trip to Montana, and out at the cottage in the MN humidity, and in the cramped little Vegas hotel room on the computer when Zach was the youngest SuperFan at his Pop's baseball tournament. We only stopped playing it when the curious Poppet had banged on the buttons of the player enough that it finally acquiesced, and played its last lullaby.
April 29, 2009
Sampling of Zach-isms
"C'mon computer. Do yore thing." - As he tried to turn on the DVR to watch "the rabbit show" while I was still in bed.
"Mom, can I have some brocolli?" Gotta love that the kid enjoys brocolli.
"Livia! Get your sword, so we can fight." Bless her heart, I'm pretty sure she got one because I heard the whapping, and no whining from the other room.
"Mom, can I have some brocolli?" Gotta love that the kid enjoys brocolli.
Z: "Mom, do mommy deers and daddy dears lay eggs to have baby deers?"
K: "No, Zach. Deer don't lay eggs.
Z: "Well, den, what do dey do [yes, we took a step backward in the "th" use, here] to have babies?"
K: "Wait a minute, Zach." [thinking: I need to get this down before I forget it. And benefiting from the delay because our question per minute ratio these days is about 5 to 1. So, by the time I had finished jotting it down, he had forgotten this one.]"Livia! Get your sword, so we can fight." Bless her heart, I'm pretty sure she got one because I heard the whapping, and no whining from the other room.
April 28, 2009
Beautiful Day!
Following our five inches of snow yesterday (I'll see about posting some pics from that), we had a georgous day today! Tank tops and flip-flops and a two-park day.
Just to rub your nose in it (sorry), I have to ask, is this the view from your oil-change station?
Just to rub your nose in it (sorry), I have to ask, is this the view from your oil-change station?
View out the rear window, as we drove out of the garage:
Seriously, it was almost a bit of heaven getting the oil changed:
1. I drove right up and had no wait.
2. It was just Zach and me because Olivia was finishing up lunch at "school."
3. Zach practically galloped into the waiting area where they have a bucket of toys. Although his favorite fire truck must have been retired, he found a new Hot Wheels race track that kept him busy when he wasn't peering in through the window at the workers in the service area.
4. I was practically bubbling in my seat where the sun poured in from the skylight above.
5. I had a basket-o-stuff-to-keep-me-busy, including a magazine to tear up and underline and no one to tug on my shirt or request a diaper change or spill something...Ahhhhh.
6. Chuckles as Zach said, "I know where the bathroom is...and I can go all by mysewf." And he did. And he left the door open. So I (and anyone else who might have wanted to) could still have keep track of him. Luckily, I got there just in time to close the door before a technician came back into the room.
6. To cap it all off, my iced white mocha lasted just long enough for me to slurp down the last luscious sip as I signed the receipt. In, out, and on with the day!
April 27, 2009
Really?
:: More Snow? :: Isn't it almost May? ::
:: Don't get me wrong, I think it's absolutely, snow-blanketed-peacefully Bee-u-tiful. ::
:: But I think it would be more beautiful if it were still January. Or February. Gosh, or even March. But it's April 27th, folks. Really? ::
:: Don't get me wrong, I think it's absolutely, snow-blanketed-peacefully Bee-u-tiful. ::
:: But I think it would be more beautiful if it were still January. Or February. Gosh, or even March. But it's April 27th, folks. Really? ::
:: Those May Flowers are trying so hard. ::
Breakfast Counting
...and then the camera ran out of memory. He can definitely count beyond four.
Zach has really mastered his "th"s lately.
I'm (a little bit) lamenting the loss of the "I sink I left dat sick book over der."
Got Chocolate Milk?
Olivia can finally tell you her name! (I'd better get practicing. I'm not sure I've been saying it right.)
April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day - Clotheslines
Coincidentally, I received the poem below just as I was thinking, "I need to bring in the clothes on the line before those clouds open up."
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths"
With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth
From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were hung,
So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way . . .
But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is any body's guess!
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line.
I have mostly fond memories of being "made" to hang clothes on the line at Grandma's house, growing up. Dragging the umbrella-like line out to the hole in the middle of the yard; the smell of heavy, wet linens; running under them; toes digging into the soft ground; spending "hours" combing the grass in search of Mom's aquamarine earring; folding sheets out in the sun; jumping in the basket on top of fluffy, warm clothes; the heaven-scent of line-dried sheets on bed at night.
And, today, our HOA does not allow clotheslines. Really? So I have one long, retractable line that is not permanently affixed, but which I jerry-rig to the poles of our deck. It's not really high enough, but it works. And I challenge the HOA police to call us on it.
I'm such a rebel, you know.
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths"
With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth
From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were hung,
So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way . . .
But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is any body's guess!
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line.
I have mostly fond memories of being "made" to hang clothes on the line at Grandma's house, growing up. Dragging the umbrella-like line out to the hole in the middle of the yard; the smell of heavy, wet linens; running under them; toes digging into the soft ground; spending "hours" combing the grass in search of Mom's aquamarine earring; folding sheets out in the sun; jumping in the basket on top of fluffy, warm clothes; the heaven-scent of line-dried sheets on bed at night.
And, today, our HOA does not allow clotheslines. Really? So I have one long, retractable line that is not permanently affixed, but which I jerry-rig to the poles of our deck. It's not really high enough, but it works. And I challenge the HOA police to call us on it.
I'm such a rebel, you know.
April (Snow) Showers
We certainly had some showers over the weekend. It started just as Scott was (good hubby!) fertilizing the lawn, in a steady, building rain. The forecast said it was supposed to turn to snow at 1am, but when I peeked out the window at 5am, it was still just rain. By, 8am, however, we were blanketed with several inches of the white stuff.
It's amazing how different even a few miles makes. As the kids and I trucked up over Green Mountain, the snow was thicker and heavier than on our side of the mountain. The gym's parking lot was sloppy, and cars parked in crazy jigsaw puzzle rows. Thankfully, when it was time to leave, only one side of the car needed to be scraped, though we did have to wait about five minutes for the internal temperature to regulate so I could see out the front window.
We headed back up and over Green Mountain, then about 5 miles south to socialize and play and eat (healthily!) at McDonalds playland. There, the parking lots and roads were just wet. No snow.
By 11am , our friends up the mountain in Evergreen said they already had two feet of snow, but "down" at our home's elevation, the snow didn't ever accumulate to much more than two or three inches inches at at time. That said, I'm not sure I've ever shoveled such heavy snow. As I pushed and hoisted, it continued to fall in soppy clumps, and my jeans were soaked by the time I came in. It was impossible, of course, to keep the kids from scooping up handfuls. Olivia was at first thrilled, and later not a happy camper in her fleece mittens. We followed up the shoveling escapade with a hot bath.
Pretty much from Thursday night until Saturday morning, the rain-snow mix did not cease. At least at our house, it took only two shoveling episodes to keep the driveway clear. I-70 which takes folks up to the ski hills was closed Saturday morning, though, due to accidents, avalanche danger and rockslides. We heard that the snow on the trees up there was causing branches to snap.
Who knew such a storm would bring five inches of precipitation in the middle of April? That made up for our dry, dry winter in the span of three days. Now, of course, we're expecting 70 and 80 degree weather in the next few days, so it's been sloppy at the park. But we're grateful for the moisture. Just ready for the May flowers.
It's amazing how different even a few miles makes. As the kids and I trucked up over Green Mountain, the snow was thicker and heavier than on our side of the mountain. The gym's parking lot was sloppy, and cars parked in crazy jigsaw puzzle rows. Thankfully, when it was time to leave, only one side of the car needed to be scraped, though we did have to wait about five minutes for the internal temperature to regulate so I could see out the front window.
We headed back up and over Green Mountain, then about 5 miles south to socialize and play and eat (healthily!) at McDonalds playland. There, the parking lots and roads were just wet. No snow.
By 11am , our friends up the mountain in Evergreen said they already had two feet of snow, but "down" at our home's elevation, the snow didn't ever accumulate to much more than two or three inches inches at at time. That said, I'm not sure I've ever shoveled such heavy snow. As I pushed and hoisted, it continued to fall in soppy clumps, and my jeans were soaked by the time I came in. It was impossible, of course, to keep the kids from scooping up handfuls. Olivia was at first thrilled, and later not a happy camper in her fleece mittens. We followed up the shoveling escapade with a hot bath.
Pretty much from Thursday night until Saturday morning, the rain-snow mix did not cease. At least at our house, it took only two shoveling episodes to keep the driveway clear. I-70 which takes folks up to the ski hills was closed Saturday morning, though, due to accidents, avalanche danger and rockslides. We heard that the snow on the trees up there was causing branches to snap.
Who knew such a storm would bring five inches of precipitation in the middle of April? That made up for our dry, dry winter in the span of three days. Now, of course, we're expecting 70 and 80 degree weather in the next few days, so it's been sloppy at the park. But we're grateful for the moisture. Just ready for the May flowers.
April 05, 2009
Learning Opportunities Abound
Just when you think all you can do is try to come up with another trick to entertain the kids while waiting for their brunch, BAM!, you realize this is a great opportunity to learn from your surroundings. In this case, just focus your attention on the nuggets of knowledge posted on the walls at the Country Road Cafe.
Pop, did you soak it in? It will make you wiser. You're already older, so let's round it all out.
And again, say it out loud: ...the-way-your-WIFE-told-you.
Pop, did you soak it in? It will make you wiser. You're already older, so let's round it all out.
And again, say it out loud: ...the-way-your-WIFE-told-you.
April 01, 2009
Live from Lakewood!
SmithWallace Ensemble
One show only.
Featuring Master Zach on vocals and lead guitar, with DollyLollit on the recorder and PopSmith with backup chords and the only real melody.
At a special post-show jam session, The DollyLollit did some picking herself.
One show only.
Featuring Master Zach on vocals and lead guitar, with DollyLollit on the recorder and PopSmith with backup chords and the only real melody.
At a special post-show jam session, The DollyLollit did some picking herself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
