Fuzzy Brain

It's getting to that point.  ADHD (without the "H" - official diagnosis) + hCG = disastrously low levels of brain function and thus seemingly even lower levels of accomplishing anything.  Like not even blogging for a month. Not that there's been much to comment on.  Except that we had a thrilling time in UT (including Nena's funeral - one for the record books) and just loved soaking in every moment we were there.  The girls ask constantly still when we're going to leave this "old" house that we've lived in for SO long and move to Utah where they now want to stay forever.  I think we need to visit more often then every 18 months.



(And no wonder they want to stay forever - wouldn't you if  you had Dusty the horse living in your backyard?)


(Most of) Nena and Granddad's children and grandchildren (without the 43 great-grandkids)

Other than that, I'm just attempting daily to reconcile my denial that in exactly 8 weeks our little family is scheduled for a growth spurt (and that I really should start preparing) with my anticipation of the forecasted event.  Even after holding a myriad of teensy tiny babies over the last little while, I still can't get this gray matter to process that I'M GONNA HAVE ME ONE OF THEM and I should at least read through the baby name book, to say nothing of getting, oh, diapers and wipes and baby boy clothes to put him in!  Yikes.  Maybe tomorrow. Or next month.

QFTD (major catch-up...again)

Abby: "Mom, can you put up our big hammer?"  Me: "Our big hammer?"  Abby: "No, I mean our big hammock."  Me: "Not today, sweety, my back is really hurting."  Abby: "Well why don't you wake up your back and tell it to get better?"

Abby's prayer: "...Bless us to be more honest than ever.  And I know know know I have to be responsible and take care of God's plans. And I love my Saviors very much and I simply love 'em love 'em love 'em forever and ever..."

Abby: "I am so proud of myself for winning a new bike.  You have to earn it by winning the contest of the libraries and the Ashley family won it - which means me."

Me: "Abby, where is Ellie?" Abby:  "My honey is out in the field picking hay for our cows."

Abby, after a heated spat (during which she told me I was ruining their lives and am a mean mom and after which I broke down in tears) and to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin?" (while tenderly rubbing my back and telling me she forgives me): "Calm down Mommy, calm down Mommy, It's okay - It's okay.  Caaalm dowwn Mommy  Caaalm dowwn Mommy, It's okay  It's okay."

Abby, while getting off of her chair at lunch: "Woah! I almost hit my head on the floor!  But I caught myself."

Ellie, while on our Sunday walk: "I spy my little eye, a tree log."  Abby: "I spy my little eye, something big."

Ellie, talking in an English accent on her toy cell phone: "Room service! Room service!  Room service is here!  What would you like to eat?"  Abby, in a similar accent:  "Oh, I'll have two chicken bowls and some ice cream, thank you."

Adam and I attempted (once again) to explain honoring your mother and father to the girls, tying in our new no-tolerance policy for their responding "no" to us when asked to do something.  Ellie:  "I have a refute."  Me: "Um... what is your refute?"  Ellie:  "A refute is to say I won't I won't I won't.  That is a refute."

Adam: "Abby, it would be very nice if you shared your cookie with Ellie."  Ellie: "Yeah.  I want that problem."

Abby: "Even though it's not Mom's birthday today, we still have to be respectful for her."

Adam: "Abby, when I asked you if you hit your sister, you said 'no' - even though I saw you."  Abby: "I didn't hit her.  I didn't even get her - I missed."

Abby, after crawling into our bed early in the morning:  "Mom, Jesus and Heavenly Father don't drive cars when they come down from Heaven."

Abby, after I informed her we would be going to get her cough checked out: "I'm going to tell the Dr. that I was exstressed in the night."  Later, the Dr. to Abby: "What seems to be the problem?"  Abby: "My body just isn't working right."

Ellie: "Mom, my hair is a little contrained.  It's not soft and it's really dry in this spot."

The girls, playing in the bath: Abby: "Mother, where are you?" Ellie: "She's dead." A: "How DARE you!"  E: "I didn't do it!  She's floating in the seaweed."

Ellie to Abby while playing:  "These are the buttons I push to tell on you - 911.  They call the police and tell them what you're doing bad."

Abby, while looking at a Joann Fabrics catalogue: "Oh, I didn't see this page! This is fascinating.  I could stay here and read this for hours."

Ellie: "Can we ride our bikes to the park?"  Me: "Ask Daddy."  Ellie: "Ok, I'll go and ask Daddy and you stay here and clean the house."

Ellie: "We're having mac 'n' cheese for energy food!"  Abby: "This mac 'n' cheese is better than a birthday!"

Abby: "Ellie, breaking old things is part of getting new things."

Ellie, after arriving late to Nena's viewing and told we were going back home: "But I didn't get to see Nena." Me: "You'll get to see her tomorrow." Ellie: "But she's dead today!"

Abby, pointing to the airplane wings pinned on her shirt: "Did you know these make you a member of the airport family club? I am a member now because I did such a good job flying."

Ellie, brainstorming April Fool's ideas: "I know an excellent observation what we can do.  Give me two thumbs up for this idea - put toothpaste on the potty for Daddy!"

Abby, at a restaurant: "The girls' bathroom smelled SO good I just couldn't stop breathing."

Abby: "Can we visit Heaven?" Me: "When we die."  Abby: "No, I mean right now and see everybody."

Ellie, singing: "I do not want my mother in my room so I will lock it and I will go to Africa and not bring my mom..." (turns out, she was referring to her play mom, Abby)

Ellie, showing me some scriptures: "Mom! This has map pages in it!  We could just  bring this in the car to show us the way to Nana's and Aunt Jordan's house instead of a GPS!!"

Abby: "When we do things over and over it comes up to our brain and sticks in there.  Then when we die we'll get to do sooo many more things."

Ellie: "Daddy! I want you to come into my room right now! I can't even stop reading!"

Abby: "The Nutcracker is the home of ballet."

Me, while we watched General Conference: "Ellie, do you want to play the organ?" Ellie: "Yeah. Can we buy one?"

Abby: "Whenever you get so fustrated, you just do something you like and then you calm down.  Like, I was being very annoxious because I didn't want (to sit in) the little space and then I colored and now smallest is best."

Ellie, to me: "Let me see your teeth. Yep. They're doin' a good job in there!"

Abby, describing a pain in her side: "Mom, my body hurts from the cold like when the Arctic comes up through my toes and goes up.  The pressure is so bad it's destroying my body."

Abby, during a fit of rage: "I'm SO MAD I don't love anybody but MYSELF!!!"

Ellie, after passing a bank branch under construction: "Look, Dad! Now you don't have to steal money from your bank - you can steal it from this bank!"  Adam: "Ellie, I don't steal money from any bank."  Ellie: "Well, you can buy some new money at this bank so you can get us new things."

Ellie, after "trying out" my old violin: "I think I could teach Abby."

Ellie, during a car ride: "Ew. It smells like a rotten carcass in here."

Ellie: "I want to go to the pancake restaurant for my birthday."  Abby: "I want to go to the bounce house for my birthday."

Abby's "family" prayer:  "...thank Thee for this day.  I know I am a big, righteous girl.  And I know I have to take care of two little kids - my younger sister and my baby brother - when Mom and Dad aren't home..."

Ellie: "Mom, when do I get to go to the dentist?  I like going there."

Ellie: "Mom, can we go to New York?"  Me: "We are in New York."  Ellie: "No. New York is in French and French is in Buffalo and Buffalo is in Virginia.  Really. I'm not kidding."

Ellie, as we passed a bullet bike at an intersection: "Mom, can I ride one of those??"


Abby's prayer: "...I know I am the truthfullest girl and the thaithfullest girl because I am filled with the thaif of God..."


Ellie: "I'm going to count backwards.  Zero...what comes next?"