overheard

1)    Owen, age 4, looking at the cat, "Mom, why didn't we name her Cuteness?  We should've named her Cuteness and not Molly..."

2)   Benjamin, age 10, referring to his 14-month-old brother, "Gabe looks just exactly like a gummy bear.  Especially when he's sitting down!"

3)   Kyle, age 7, at dinnertime, "May I please have some more potatoes?"
Owen, "I want some more tomatoes too."
Me, "Owen, they're potatoes."
Owen, "That's just what I said!"
 (Remember this post?)

4)  Me, "Ben, I haven't noticed a problem or anything...but you're getting old enough that you might want to start wearing deodorant."
Elise (who is sitting next to Ben), very excited, "And me too?!?!?!"

5)  My boys, vying daily for their sister's affection.  I'm afraid she may end up getting spoiled after all...

overheard

1) Me: "Are you finished with your dinner, Kyle?"
Kyle: "Unfortunately, no."

2) Ben, when told to look like he was enjoying himself for a photo: "I am enjoying myself. And I'm enjoying my pancake, too!"

3) Kyle: You seem to have an owie, Elise. Let me get you my "sickness donut."

4) Ben: "Mom, I think Elise is crying because she's sad that she doesn't have a sister..."

5) Owen, after being called Cutie Patootie: "I not 'utie a-ootie. I Oh-ee!" (points at forehead).

overheard

1) "Archimedes was a great math-magician."

2) "Why are these called Karaoke Drumsticks?"
"That's teriyaki."
"Oh."

3) One boy telling his brother how he decorated something: "...and then I remembered that Mom is a girl, so I put these pink things on, too..."

4) All three of my sons singing the song they just learned (thanks to their daddy): Weird Al's "Eat It." Such a proud moment. Or was it?

5) Kyle, sweetly pointing to something on Elise's printed pajamas: "Is that a rabbit?"
Me: "Ah...nope. That? Is a poop leak."

overheard

1) Kyle, while playing in his room with Ben: "A baby is in Rack, Shack, and Abednego's castle!"

2) Kyle, after Bible study at a friend's house: "When I was on the trampoline, I told the other kids to sit down, because I was going to sing a song to them."

3) Owen, saying his own name: "Oh-eee."

4) Kyle: "When I was on the trampoline, if anybody stood up two times while I was singing, then they had to get off that trampoline..."

overheard

1) Kyle: "That game that we were playing is called Tarzan Briefs."

2) Ben, singing a song from "Jungle Book": "I'm the jungle V.I.T....I reached the top and had to stop, and that's what's been bothering me."

3) Kyle: "I wish that house the beach could be our house."

4) Ben: "Hey Mama, I could help you learn to get better at playing MarioKart...if you want."

5) Kyle: "Mom, I'm lucky two times today! I have two spoons, and a floss that opens!!"

6) Owen, putting anything from macaroni to an undershirt on his head: "Hat-ah!"

overheard

1) Ben: Kyle, you're the silliest brother I've ever had.
Kyle: And you're the smartest brother I've ever had!

2) Kyle, as Owen starts crying: I didn't do anything to make him cry this time!

3) Singing, "Get your chicks on Route 66..."

4) Kyle: Is Daddy going to take you to [cooking] class tonight?
Me: Nope, I'm taking myself.
Kyle: But how will you know which room to go into?

overheard

1) Kyle: Owen isn't eating his darnit.
Daddy: His...what?
Kyle: His darnit.
(silence)
Kyle: That yewwow thing that he has.
Daddy: ...His omelet.
Kyle: Yeah. His darnit!

2) Kyle, scowling: Mom and Dad? I want Ben to have to eat poop and pee!

3) Ben, at Easter dinner: Kyle and I are lamb-lovers. We love to eat lamb!

4) Mama, in the van: Hold on, you guys. We'll be home before you can say "Jack Robinson."
Ben, gleefully: Jack Robinson!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

overheard

1) Kyle, while riding in the van out in the country, "Ben! The mountain is following us!!"

2) Discussing what kind of "learning laptop" they would like: "I would like a Jesus learning laptop!"

3) Kyle, going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about what they've been doing on the Indiana Jones game for the Wii.

4) Ben: "Do you know what I think, Mom? I think that Santa Claus sleeps in the daytime and is awake a night. Because, he delivers the toys at night, and stuff."

*I must point out here that we have never endorsed the whole "Santa is real" thing, and we've shared with him the truth about it all. He seems determined to talk about Santa being a real person, however.

5) A very sick Ben, on his way from the pediatrician's office to get a chest X-ray "Can't you just take me home and then go get the X-ray, Dad?"**

**"Overheard" via text message. :)

overheard

1) Kyle: "Do moles live under the ground?"
Dad: "Yes, they do."
Kyle: "What about bulls? Do bulls live under the ground?"
Ben, laughing: "No, bulls don't live under the ground! Bulls are like... giant cows. They wouldn't even fit underground!"

2) "Mom, please don't eat all of the cookies!"

3) Kyle: "Can we please go and buy our house now?"

4) "When am I going to get married?"

overheard

1) Kyle telling about how his Sunday school story was about John the "Bath-tizer."

2) Ben talking about "Deevi-ana Jones" (AKA, Indiana Jones) -- the newest game they're crazy about playing on the Wii.

3) Kyle, hollering from the bathroom, "Ben? Are you clearing your place? Or are you playing the Wii? Are you clearing the table? What? No? Oh. Okay. I just wanted to know if you were playing the Wii yet or not...."

4) Jeff and the boys working on memorizing the 23rd Psalm. Is there anything more precious than the sound of one's children reciting Scripture?

overheard

1) Ben, an hour into the drive to Idaho, "I really really really wish we were at Grandma's house already. It's so... warm there."

2) Kyle, editing a Mii while using the Wii, "Gwandma, do you want to be skinny?"

3) Kyle, editing a Mii while using the Wii, "Dad, do you want to be skinny?"

4) Singing about Gary the Grandpa (it is supposed to be "Gary the Groundhog"), who lives underground...

overheard

1) Kyle: Hey, I have a sand ball in my ear.
Daddy: Um, actually, that's earwax.

2) "Look, Dad! It's a Christmas elk!"

3) When I was up at 4am feeding Owen, Kyle crying to his dad about having lost a cupcake in his bed. What??

4) Ben, after coming in from playing in the snow: "You know what I want to do now? I want to sit by the fireplace, watch 'Bob the Builder,' and drink hot chocolate." (blissful sigh)

5) Kyle: "Ben, Ben! Calm down!!!"

overheard

1) Kyle: "Mom, I don't wike water at bweakfast, I wike water at birthdays and lunches and dinners..."

2) Ben: "Remember how, a long time ago, before the last VBS or when we went to the zoo...when we had Ritz crackers?"

3) "Mom, we're not brothers anymore. Ben quits!!!"

4) "Ben, laugh at me! You're Goliath and I'm David..."

overheard

1) Kyle: "Mom, it looks like Ben needs some consequences."

2) "He's got the whole wide Mama, in His hands, He's got the whole wide Mama, in His hands..."

3) Kyle: "Okay, Mom, I'm sorry. I'll keep an eye on myself so I don't do that again."

4) "Will you pick me up? I'm really tired of being on the floor."

5) Ben, telling us about how he learned to "save people" during the staff CPR training at school. He even practiced on the dummies!

6) Ben, after Kyle was wanting to throw a rock if he saw Goliath outside, "Kyle, don't worry. The story of Goliath happened a long time ago. Even before you and I were born!!!"

overheard

1) Kyle, singing: "The fork is mine and I am his, his banner over me is love..."

2) Kyle: "I only have two hands. So I can only carry two things at once." (he does not walk the talk, however; you should see him try to clear his place after dinner in one fell swoop)

3) Kyle, singing: "Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the king of kids!"

4) Ben: "Kyle, that's not actually a lizard. It's a flat-necked chameleon."

5) "Mom? I just explained to Kyle that this is a flat-necked chameleon."

overheard

1) Ben, when asked to choose a treat at the farmer's market, "Hmm...well, a donut wouldn't last very long. And...neither would a cookie. I would like.. a balloon!"

2) "Ben, do you wanna pway aiwpwane family?"

3) "Hey, Kyle! When there are some birds on a wire, and there is another bird on another wire close by, it means the birds are having church."

4) Kyle, when passing a car lot, "Look, balloons. The cars are having a birthday party."

5) Owen's squeals of delight whenever he spots our cat.

overheard

1) Owen chattering to the fish on the shower curtain in the boys' bathroom. He's always so thrilled to see them.

2) Kyle, making a grabbing motion with his left hand: "Mom, this is a catching-girls game!"

3) "Mom, can we have mosquitoes for dinner??"

4) Ben sounding out words as he spells. (Mom's observation: the English language is tricky!)

5) Mama: "Kyle do you need to use the bathroom?"
Kyle: "No."
Ben (exasperated): "Kyle, you always say that. Now, come on. Tell the truth. Do you need to use the bathroom?"
Kyle: "Nope."
Ben: "Are you serious?"
Kyle: "No."
Ben: "You're not serious? Okay then, go use the bathroom!"

overheard

1) Kyle: Daddy, I want you to arrest Ben.
Daddy: You want me to what?
Kyle: To arrest Ben.
Daddy: Why do you want me to arrest Ben?
Kyle: Because he isn't doing what I want him to do!

2) "Ben, do you want to play superhero family cars kitties?"

3) Kyle: "It was Owen Daniel that did it. Owen spits up a lot. He is a very spitty guy."

4) "Ben-nuh! Ben-nuh!! BEN-nuh!!!"

5) Benjamin: "I have VeggieTales Christmas songs in my head. But I have other VeggieTales songs in there too, my brain isn't a CD; it's a brain!"

overheard

1) Kyle (during a disagreement): Ben, I'm going to do eeny-meeny-miney-mo, and choose myself.

2) Pointing to the hose on the play vacuum: "This is my vacuum sword!" and coming upstairs to get his "vacuuming buddies," two stuffed animals.

3) "Ben, do you want to play superhero car family?"

4) Ben:Daddy, what is this book called?
Daddy: It's called How & When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex.
Ben: Oh. (slight pause) What is sex?

overheard at my house this week

1) The boys using Scotch tape to make "super trains."

2) "Ben, do you want to pway superhewo kitties family??"

3) Kyle edging away when asked to go the opposite direction: Mommy, my body is making me go this way....

4) "Hey, Kyle? Batman's cape is a little crick-ed." (meant to say "crooked")

5) Kyle: Mom, will you pway famiwy with me? Because I weawwy want someone to pway with me, and--

Ben: Kyle, I'll play with you.

Kyle (mildly surprised): Oh!! Gank you.