More short cuts

I have been a terrible blogger because I am busy.  Because I am busy, I tend to write quick updates on Facebook with little stories of the cute things the kids do and say.  So it's almost like Facebook has done the work this blog was intended to do.  So I've decided that the best way to catch up and perhaps get back to blogging on a more regular basis is to copy the FB posts up until now.  Here goes:

01/12/13



04/24/13
Me: Jack, you're weird. How come you're so weird?
Jack: Because you're weird.

04/30/13
Jack and I sat down for a popcorn snack and a chat about school and his hesitancy to engage the other kids:
Me: So you went outside? What did you do?
Jack: I played ball and I made a goal.
Me: Did you play with other kids? (J.shakes his head.) Buddy, I want you to go talk with the other kids and ask them to play.
Jack: But I just want to play by myself. (Long pause). Just eat your popcorn and don't worry about it.


06/10/13

Paul bought some more fruit on his grocery run today.
Jack: Ooohhh! Thank you, Daddy for buying that. I love apples and bananas and pears! Thank you! You wanna know what I'm gonna have? (Long pause). Grapes.


06/13/13

I think Jack misses me. Today, we talked on the phone. After about 2 1/2 minutes of conversation, he informed me, "Okay, that's a lot of talking. Gotta go!"


06/20/13

Me: Don't you want to go on the potty?
Dani: No. I don't want to.
Me: Why? You're a big girl.
Dani: No, I'm not.
Me: Then what are you?
Dani: I'm Dani.


06/22/13

My children have come up with a new game called "Time Out," in which they give each other time outs for various fictitious reasons. This game comes complete with fake crying. It's pretty awesome. And it's showing me just how effective Time Outs are in the Soto household.


06/27/13

This morning:
Jack: Mom? I've got a BIG problem.
Me: What is it?
Jack: The kitty doesn't have any hands.



07/02/13

Stopped at Monkey Joe's in Indiana so the kids could burn some energy. Dani was having so much fun and was quite displeased when I pulled her away to change her diaper. She cried and declared, "This is NOT gonna be awesome!" For you and me both, kid. How 'bout that whole potty thing?

07/02/13

We usually don't let the kids watch TV while they eat, but we are getting the car ready for our trip. When I suggested a different seat to Jack so he could see better while he ate, he said, "Yes, I'll sit there so I can see your beautiful face." This kid is a keeper.


07/05/13

Jack is refusing to play Old Maid because he doesn't want to get "that stinky girl."

07/10/13

Jack (from the bathroom): Oh my goodness, what did I do?
Me: What did you do?
Jack: I just peed all over myself.
Moments later as I am helping him get dressed...
Me: Did you wash your hands or was that pee you just wiped on me?
Jack: Um....pee.


07/17/13

We were going to meet my Mom and Dad and the kids while they were out. Dani was excitedly yelling for us prior to our arrival. A car like ours pulled up and she screamed, "It's Mommy," just before a bearded man with an earring got out. She turned to my Mom and stated, "That's not Mommy, that's a sir!" Apparently all of this sir and ma'aming here in the South has gotten to her.


7/20/13

And now deep thoughts with Jack Soto:
"Mom, I have good news and bad news. The good news is I love Nonny's kitty so much. The bad news is you dropped a carrot."
If this is as bad as news gets according to Jack, I think we're going to be just fine.


07/21/13

Jack was eating just the bun of his burger. For the umpteenth time, I warned him he better eat the meat too. He told me, "You already told me. If you say it again, I'm not gonna eat it and you don't want THAT!"
Checkmate.


07/26/13

Yesterday, we told the kids we were going to the zoo in the morning, and that it was a zoo where you could go in the cages/areas with some of the animals. This clearly didn't fully register in Dani's two year old mind, since she woke up, excitedly declaring, "We goin' to da zoo! We gonna put Mommy in a cage!"



07/29/13

Jack went to the bathroom and then went to go wash his hands without flushing.
Me: Hey! You need to flush when you're done.
Jack: I don't want to. You do it.
Me: No, you can do it. You're a big boy.
Jack: Well, you're a big girl

08/12/13

Jack: Dani, you're my best girl.
Dani: Senk you.
Jack: I love you.
Dani: I wuv you.

And they didn't even know I was listening!

09/07/13

Jack the geography nerd is now comparing the sizes of the members of the family. According to Jack (who "is medium like Germany"), Paul is "big like China, Mommy's like India, and Dani's Rwanda."
At this rate he'll either have no friends or he'll befriend every foreign exchange student at school.

09/28/13

At breakfast the kids were briefly arguing.
Jack: Dani, don't talk bad to me. You're my best friend and I love you.
Dani: Gimme kiss!

11/11/13

Arguments in the Soto house:
Dani: You're a pretzel.
Jack: No, I'm not.
Dani: Yes, you're a pretzel.
Jack: Fine, then you're Zimbabwe.

11/14/13

I was upstairs and overheard Jack trying to teach Dani the names of the states.
Jack: Say "North Dakota."
Dani: I don't wanna.
Jack: But Dani, you have to. It's really important. Don't you want to grow? You have to learn!

11/19/13

Jack was hiding his toy car and giving us clues as to its whereabouts. He put it on top of Paul's head (I didn't say this was a challenging game.):
Jack: Okay, it's on something black.
Paul (with car on head): Mommy's coat?
Jack: Nope. Clue #2: It's on something handsome.

01/12/14

Me: When are you going to go on the potty?

Dani: Ummm...in 10 weeks.

01/17/14

On the way to school today, Jack wanted to practice doing math problems. About 5 minutes into it, Dani started screaming, "NO! NO!!Stop it! No more math! I don't wanna do math!!!" This child IS me.

01/17/14

My daughter has the cutest voice in the world. I never want it to change. I would, however, enjoy an improvement in her articulation of words. Today, after examining her belt, she attempted to say, "Mom, there's a little bit of a hole." What came out was, "Mom, you're a little bit of a ho."

01/18/14

Jack: Mom, you know there's another name for China. Do you know what it is?
Me: No, what?
Jack: Well, it's The People's Republic of China.

01/23/14

Jack: Mom, you're Colorado, just like me. Daddy's Wyoming.
Me: What? Why?
Jack: 'Cause Daddy's orange and we're green.

It took us quite a while to figure out that we were wearing those colors and that orange and green are the colors of Wyoming and Colorado on the map of the U.S. hanging in his room. My kid is weird. And I love it.