Ka-BOOM!

All I have to say is this:

Sometimes, I just wish my house would blow up.  Spontaneously combust.  Why?  That's the only conceivable way my mind sees that it could ever get organized.  By being blown to shreds.  Millions and millions of pieces, all ready to just be scooped into a dumpster.  Seriously.  (Granted, it'd be ideal if I could grab a few keepers first - my computer, violin, maybe some pictures and journals - although I'd have to find a place to store and later organize those.  My kids and hubby, were they to be home.)  If only...

These photos seem to capture life around here of late:

- Ellie's cooking creation of 1/2 bottle of syrup, leftover milk, a freshly made muffin and some almonds

-  Abby's word search brought home from school - instructions: find words you know in a magazine (like booby)

- Ellie's afternoon activity (during my attempts at laundry) - unscrewing all the bathroom drawer knobs and lining them up on the counter

- Abby, our overachiever/gold digger, who lost both front teeth this week
- My latest attempts to figure out how my husband thinks.  J/k.  Adam preparing for bed (at his sleep study)

QFTD

Abby showing Ellie her lost tooth:  "See, there's blood inside teeth. That's what keeps their life cycle going.  And did you know, the gums where your tooth fell out store extra food?"

Overhearing Ellie playing with a pony and a babydoll:  "'It's time for hibernation.'  'What's hibernation?'  'That's when you get your jammies on.  Ohhhh yeah.'"

Abby, while looking at cousin Avery's newborn photos: "Wait, let's go back (to the one of full-length naked Avery in the scale).  I'm interested in this.  What is that?" Me: "The umbilical cord."  Abby: "Tell me about it."

Abby, recounting an incident that happened at school: "..and she said "Abby and Lila, you are ruining my life!" and I said "We are NOT ruining your life.""

Ellie: "Mom, I have a stable on my leg.  I have lots of stables on my leg and I'm a little nervous.  I want to go in my bed.  And look - you have a stable on your forehead."

Abby, after a picnic on our bedroom floor: "Daddy, you need to pick up this food you spilled."  Me: "How about if you do it for him?  That would be nice."  Abby:  "Can I pick up his money instead?"

Ellie, while playing animals with Abby (the mommy animal): "Mommy, we need a pillow and a blanket - and here's some courage!"

Abby, coming to me in tears: "Mommy, Ellie pulled my hair."  Me: " Did you tell her not to - that that's not nice?"  Abby: "I thought about it, (sniffle) and then I kept thinkin' about it (sniffle) and then Ellie thought about it (sniffle) but she pulled my hair and I didn't fight back.   Ellie just pulled my pretty hair that I like and it's all messed up."

Ellie's favorite question of late: "Amn't I...?"

Abby:  "This mac 'n' cheese is so good I just can't stop eating.  I might want five gallons of it."

Abby, explaining the process for making "pinch pots" (her school art project):  "First you roll it, then you pinch it, then you fry it, then you color it, then you fry it, then you look at it, then you wait for it to be done." 

While muscling through scriptures tonight, we discussed the stripling warriors going into battle.  Abby: "What's a battle?"  Me: "When people fight each other."  Abby: "Oh! You mean when two groups go and they start jammin' in together and fighting up?"

Abby, explaining that her side/elbow hurt: "I think I'm getting infection of my sickness." 

Skunked

Last night, at about 1:30 am, after going in to lay by Ellie at who knows what time and for who knows how long, we both awoke.  "WHAT is so stinky?" Ellie asked, half asleep.  Of course for the first time in a couple of weeks, my sinuses happened to be pretty darn clear and I nearly choked on the pungence that had infiltrated our house.  Skunk.  Uggggghh.  

It had happened before, maybe a couple of months ago - our entire house being filled with the horrific odor that lingered for a couple of days.  But nothing close to last night.  I panicked, wondering if somehow we had one or more taking refuge in our attic.  And, given that sleep was no longer an option, I fired up google and went to work.

Turns out, they can't climb very well, so the attic was 99% sure not an option. (Phew!)  But they can and do "den" under porches (of which we have two) during the winter and, should they feel the need to attack under said porches, the stench comes in through the base of the walls.  And that stench is made worse, I'm sure, by baseboard radiant heating.  So it would seem that's what we may be up against.

Around 3:00 I finally was able to fall back asleep, only to awaken sometime after 8 to the same horrific odor.  I called the girls upstairs to get dressed for church and Ellie, again, "WHAT is so stinky?" followed with her own response, "I think it's Daddy."  If only.  As we later got settled into our pew (no pun intended) at church, either the lingering odor in our nostrils or what of the odor had settled into our clothes kept Adam and me glancing and grimacing at each other.  I'm sure the people around were wondering at the continual sniffing of our own and each other's various pieces of clothing, and eventually Adam got so self-conscious that he up and left "for air" (for the remainder of the meeting).  He wouldn't even sit by me in Sunday School, thinking he'd staked out his own little corner where no one would be bothered by his skunkiness.  (Hopefully the elderly man who came and sat next to him had a deficient sense of smell.)

Anyway, long story short, we stink.  Of course it snowed last night, so airing out the house has become somewhat of a challenge.  And though I'm not one for wooden lattice look beneath porches, I think my prejudice just might be overcome here in a couple months.  That or chicken wire.  I can't do this again.

Other than that, here are some random photos from a (fairly) recent wintry trip to Niagara Falls that I've been meaning to post:

Abby: "Where are all the people?" 

Ellie, after crying about her 'froze toes':  "When can we get ice cream?"










Oh, and Happy Anniversary to my dearest, sweetest, lovable, squeeziest, cutest (and occasionally funny) teddy-hug-a-bunch.  Thanks for these adventurous 7 years.  Ti voglio bene, amore mio.


QFTD

Ellie sniffed as I put dishwashing detergent into the dishwasher:  "Mmm. That smells difficult."

Abby listed the games their school class played for game day:  "Candyland, Trouble, that one with ladders and chutes - what's that one called?" 

Ellie: "Mom, can we watch a movie tonight?" Me:  "Sure.  What should we watch?" Ellie: "How about Maple O with all the dogs."  Me: "You want to watch 8 Below again?" (her latest favorite flick) Ellie: "You mean Maple O - yeah.  Let's watch Maple O."

Ellie:  "Mom, remember last year when you weren't going to have a baby?  But then you ate a lot of food and now you're going to have a baby!"

Abby: "I'm excited to have a brother.  Boys are the prettiest, but girls are the coolest.  We're cool and blend in.  Boys are just pretty."

Ellie: "Once when I was a little girl, I had a beaver named Lodgy and she had a circle water with a dam and she hibernated.  A long long time ago."

Ellie, after begging for a muffin every minute for the last nine they were in the oven and then as I took them out: "NOW can I have a muffin??" Me: "Well, you'd burn your mouth if you ate them right now. They need to cool." Ellie: "I know!!! I'll go get my kitty flashlight to help them cool down! That's a great idea!"  After realizing that the flashlight wasn't helping to cool them down: "My belly's rumbling.  I just need some food to help me wait."

I started up the stairs to do laundry and Ellie ran to blockade me with her limbs outstretched.  Ellie: "No! No - Mom.  There's something in my room, but you CAN'T check! No! No!"

Ellie: "Mom, can I please have some chocolate milk?  It won't take long to make.  Heavenly Father made it so it doesn't take long - you just stir it.  Heavenly Father made me and Abby to love chocolate milk."

I told Abby that her friend Lydia's mom had her baby.  Abby: "I know.  Sister Richards told me that Lydia's mom's bottle broke.  That's what happens inside your body when you're going to have a baby."

Adam stepped outside of the chapel for a while during church.  Ellie:  "I need to go take a good check on dad."

Ellie: "Mommy WHEN is it going to stop snowing?  It's always Winter Winter WINTER and I'm all done with Winter."