Kids say the darndest things

I thought it would be fun to hear some of Preston's masterpieces lately. These are two short conversations for you to enjoy.

Preston (unfortunately) likes to play that he's a kitty. Paige will lay out a little trail of food and Preston gratefully crawls around and picks up the food with his mouth and eats it. The other day Paige assumed Preston would enjoy being a kitty and was saying, "Here kitty kitty kitty ... etc." Preston emphatically demanded, "I'm a boy! I'm Preston!"

Preston was bugging me one day and I told him to, "Go peddle your papers." He went away for a while and then came back and said, "Where's papers, mom?"

A BOX!!!

Everyone knows a box is basically the best thing you can give a kid to play with. Paige enjoyed playing with Hannah on her recent visit and looks forward to seeing her again.

Christmas Day

I love watching the kids come downstairs on Christmas morning. They get so excited. They opened these jammies on Christmas Eve. Paige wore hers for 3 days afterwards she loved them so much and Preston just said, "Oh, dinosaur ... rrraaarrrr."

Doug won't ever tell me what he wants for Christmas. He kept singing the song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." The kids even learned it and started singing it. Well, Doug got his wish. I was with the kids at Walmart and we found Doug's sincerest wish for Christmas. I went downstairs in the morning and emptied his stocking from the night before and put in just this gift for him. As you can see, he was thrilled.

I don't know what was more fun - the presents or the wrapping paper. In Preston's hand is his most cherished gift. He opened up these little Thomas the Train characters and wouldn't open up any more gifts. He carries them around with him all the time.

Who would have thought Paige would fit in this box? I know, me neither.

Preston loves cars and trucks. He calls fire trucks a 'firework truck'. He also loves to whisper in our ears. He leans in real close and says, "Garbage truck," every time. He says it so soft and airy it tickles our ears. Here's just a few of the trucks he got for Christmas. He also got a firework truck and a garbage truck.

I guess someone else wanted their two front teeth too. Paige looks ... uh ... cute.

Our Christmas Tree

The picture doesn't really do it justice, but we love our tree this year. The kids pretty much leave it alone. Here's the secret: put them in the high chair for 15-30 minutes every time they touch the tree. After about 2 days of this they get the hint. At least it's worked so far. I know, I'm a mean mom.

Seasonal Fun

Playing in leaves is always fun.

As is playing in the snow. It took 5 minutes per kid to get them dressed, but it's nice to see the winter preparations I've made for the kids is worth it. They played outside for about an hour and came in with rosy cheeks and red noses, but they were warm right down to their toes. Doug had to go in early because he was cold - heh heh heh.

Doug's first snowman EVER! I know, I could hardly believe it either. It looks great, right down to his whopper eyes (we don't have any coal).

Two cute boys.

A beautiful snow princess - maybe I should have pulled her hat up a bit. It's hard to pull your own hat up when you have big fat gloves on that are covered in snow.

I'm IT!!!

I've been tagged and I am officially "IT". So, now that I am "IT", I have to share 6 facts about myself. Sorry if you already know some or all of these things:

1. I am passionate. This is a random condition. I'm not passionate about everything, but if I decide I like something or am committed to something I am passionate about it. I think this quality sometimes turns people off. I have to try to shut up about things unless the person I'm talking to asks me a question.

2. My life is an open book. I will open up about myself to almost anyone. I try to share experiences from my life if I think it can help someone to keep from making the same mistakes I did.

3. I am a hoarder. I keep things I think might be important later. I try to hide this problem (in the closet, the laundry room, the garage, wherever), but if you visit my house when I'm not expecting it you won't find it pristine.

4. I try to be fair. I have a difficult time accepting injustices and in situations where I have a choice I try to make things fair for myself and the other person. This includes playing games, doing service, owing and paying money, doing dinners, etc. (It does NOT include driving, sorry).

5. I don't like to be wet. This goes along with I don't like to be cold. I think they're interchangeable. Wet=cold in my book, so I don't like either.

6. I love my family and friends. I get attached to people and really enjoy being with people I care about. Once you're a friend of mine you are a friend for life. I feel that even if someone moves away or I don't see them again, I still keep my fond feelings for them.

BONUS #7. I don't enjoy doing my hair.

OOOPS!!

This picture serves only as a visual so I can tell you a story. The other night Doug was letting Paige and Preston walk on the treadmill with him. He had it on speed 1. He puts his feet on the sides and lets Preston walk closest to him and Paige in front so he can catch Preston if he falls. Well, he turned the speed up to 2, which he often does and Paige was playing around and not being serious. She put her hands on the bars in front and pulled up her feet and then came down in a ball. We all know what happens when you become a ball on a treadmill.

Well, bowling ball Paige got a strike as she went straight through Doug's legs and fell off the back of the treadmill. Doug basically threw Preston off the side and turned around to get Paige, who was hysterically screaming. Do you know what happens when you get on a treadmill facing backwards? Ding ding ding, you walk backwards. And Doug got a real funny look on his face as he realized 1) he had to walk backwards, and 2) AS FAST AS HE COULD!!! He chugged along at a nice clip until he could get his wits enough to pull the plug so it would stop, with Paige screaming hysterically all the while. Preston screamed too since it seemed like the thing to do.

I ... uh ... wasn't screaming. It was very difficult to hold in my laughter every time Doug reentered the room. I only laughed when he couldn't see me.

Just keep this little story in mind if you ever decide to let your kids walk on the treadmill.

Sorry, Doug. He's going to be mad when he sees my post.