Lindsay & Jess can ride their 2 wheelers!

Lindsay and Jess figured out how to ride their bikes!! Yay! Grassy slope - check, gravel slope - check, next stop...Burleigh Hill? Check out the video:

Where's the real Jessica?

Today at dinner, I almost fell off my chair. Jessica actually ate something green and liked it!

Unplugged with Lindsay and Jessica Bott

While we were having breakfast this morning, Linsday, my 6 year old looks at me and says:
"Why are you wearing that t-shirt mom?...When you wear that t-shirt you look like a real chinese person who doesn't know how to speak english!"

This gets me laughing with shock and bewilderment.

Then Jess pipes up and says:
"I wish I was californian. Californians just take off all their clothes and jump in the water."

Little Engineers

Step 1: Lindsay sketches out her design on her napkin at dinner time

Step 2: After dinner the girls get to work and start the foundation

Step 3: The frame is up... and it kind of resembles the original design :-)
Step 4: Fort Rocket is open!

The Manipulator

Tonight after dinner, Dave let Lindsay and Jessica pick out their "treat" for the evening. "The girls have had their treat!" he calls out to me. So I make a note to self - do not let the girls have any more treats tonight.

Shortly thereafter, Jess comes up to me,

"Mom, I haven't had my treat yet"

I quickly respond "Take it up with your Father Jess. He said you already had one."

So Jess dissappears to the basement to talk to Dave. She comes back to me and says

"Daddy said yes!"

"If I go downstairs and ask Daddy if he let you have a treat will he say yes?" I say

"Nooo don't ask him - he already knows!" she pleads

"Nice try Jess" I say.

Later that evening I asked Dave, "Did Jess come downstairs and ask you if she could have another treat? Because she told me you said yes." He laughs and says, "She came downstairs and asked me "Did I have my treat already dad?" and I responded "Yes!" so then she went back to you and said "Daddy said yes! What a smart girl!"

That little sneak!

Back Seat Driver

Today as Dave was driving our 3 year old daughter Jessica home from Daycare-

While growing impatient idling at a red light, Jess yells to the driver in front of us, "Move pinhead!"

I cocked my eyebrow at Dave and responded "Gee, I wonder where she got that one from?"

Time's up Grandma

This past weekend when Brenda (Grandma) was having lunch with us, I mentioned to her about how I need to discipline the girls on how to be more helpful around the house. Things like making their own bed in the morning, clearing the table after meals, making me coffee...

So Brenda says to the girls, "Did you hear that girls? It's time for you to start helping mommy around the house."

Jess looks up and says, "It's time to go home Grandma!"

No More Zerberts for Dad

Tonight after we dried the girls off from their bath, Dave was giving them zerberts on their bellies. They were killing themselves laughing from all the tickles.

Then Jess says "Lie down dad - I'll give you one." She leans over Dave's belly and attempts her zerbert, slobbering over him in the process. Dave says, "Try it again Jess but you have get in closer"

Jess responds "Um...nah...I don't want to get hair in my mouth..."

I looked at Dave and just about died laughing!

Is this Nork?

This morning we took the family to Toronto to celebrate the baptism of our new baby cousin Aria. As we were driving over the Burlington skyway, Jessica pointed out the tall buildings and asked, "Daddy, is this Nork?"

"Nork?" we responded

"Yah, Nork, you know...where Aunty Jacqueline lives"

"Oh you mean New York! No hon, this isn't New York...."

How to Play Checkers

"Come play checkers with me mom" Lindsay says to me one day.

"I'm not sure I remember how to play honey...will you teach me?" I say.

"Sure, it's easy!" she says,

"First...you set up the game, second...you decide who goes first, third...you play the game..."

Half Chinese

One evening when we were giving the girls their bath, Jessica's asks me,

"Mom, am I half Chinese?"

"I guess you could say that" I respond

So she points to her right leg and says,

"Is this leg Chinese?"

Dave quickly answers "No - that leg is caucasian...the other one is chinese!"

Jim Lehrer Interviews Wordgirl

The girls and I discovered a relatively new cartoon today on PBS called Wordgirl. She's a 10 year old superhero that uses her superhero strength combined with her extensive vocabulary to save the day. We absolutely love this show! Afterwards, the girls spent most of the day re-enacting the show and creating "diversions" -(Wordgirl's word of the day)!

It's a Tough Life

One day as I was trying to get through the mad rush of a weekday morning (making sure the girls get dressed, brush their teeth, eat their breakfast, do their hair, pack lunches, pack the bags, put on my makeup, etc.) I decide to turn to Lindsay for help...

"Lindsay, could you push the button on the coffee machine for me?"

Her response -

"WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING AROUND HERE?!"

Jess vs the Sun

One sunny day, Jess was riding in the backseat of Dave's car and kept saying "Stop it....stop...STOP IT!!".

So Dave asks her "What's the matter Jess?" and she responds "The sun is in my mouth!"

Mommy is Sneaky that way!

Tonight as I was tucking the girls in I got the usual requests--

"Mommy sit with us for 2 minutes" Jessica says

"This time make sure you kiss me before you leave the room...even if I'm sleeping" Lindsay says

Then I respond "I always do honey - you just don't remember it because you're always sleeping!"

Then I hear her mutter under her breath as she drifts off, "Well maybe you're just sneaky that way..."

It made me chuckle.

Blame mom for everything

Tonight at dinner while I was trying to find out about Lindsay and Jessica's day, I asked Lindsay "What kind of things did you do at camp today sweetie?".





Immediately Lindsay frowns at me and says "Mommy - you forgot to bring pirate stuff for me to wear!". Apparently it was pirate day and people were supposed to come to school dressed like pirates. "Well nobody told me this honey...I didn't know it was pirate day!"





Then she retorts in the same accusing voice "That's because I was supposed to tell you!!" and she continues to frown at me as if to say "It's still your fault mom!"

I'm pooped!

Last night, after I finished reading the girls their bedtime stories I said to them, "Phew! Mommy's pooped!!"

So Jessica walks up to me and says in a low voice, "Mommy - let me check your bum". She then pats my behind and gives me her assessment, "There's no poo in there mommy!"

I had to laugh and explain to her that it was just a figure of speech!

Lindsay's Pet Worm

Last Friday when I went to pick Lindsay up from school she said to me, "Mommy I have something in my pocket that you might be afraid of". Reluctantly I asked her "Is it alive?".

"Yah - it's a worm" she said. "Really?" I said, part of me being impressed with her interest in nature and part of me being downright disgusted in the fact there might be a creature slithering around in her pocket.

So she shows me her pocket and sure enough there's a worm in it but to my relief it was pretty much dehydrated (in other words it was D-E-A-D).

I told her that it wasn't a great idea to keep a worm in her pocket and that she should at least put it in a container of some sort. So she pulls out her lunch bag and puts "Wormy" in an old sandwich bag.

So for the past few days now, Lindsay has been sleeping with "Wormy" and bringing him to the dinner table with us, and every once in a while she will even take him out of the ziplock bag to pet him or give it a piece of apple.

I asked grandma how long I should let this continue and grandma's response was, let her do it. In a few weeks it will turn into a lump of dust and I won't have to worry about "wormy" anymore!

Mmmm...Gravy!

One evening while I was away in Toronto, Dave served the girls BBQ chicken and gravy for dinner. Jessica started licking the gravy off of her plate and Dave says to her, "Here Jess, let me put the gravy in a cup for you so you can dip the chicken in the gravy that way".

Jess takes the cup, looks up at Dave and says, "Daddy... daddy... can I dwink it?"

Apparently Jess likes gravy... as a beverage. Homer Simpson lives!

Adventures from JK

Linday came home from school one day and said, "You know what mommy? When Madison and I bumped heads today, we both told on each other, then we said we never be friends again, but now we're friends again!"

Apparently Lindsay and Madison are best of friends but they always fight. It's pretty funny!