December's sweet and funny moments

Dec. 4--One of the Christmas songs I love and wanted to teach the girls is "Do you hear what I hear?" We were singing it at lunch and when I sang, "Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy..." Elle chimed in with a loud, but totally serious, "BAA!"

Dec. 5--Changing Eden's size 3 diaper, and Elle (who also wears size 3 diapers to bed at night) crouches down, scrunches up her nose and says, "Oh, yook at that cute diaper!"

Dec. 7--I had sung "The Friendly Beasts" with the girls before bedtime and Elle's favorite verse talks about the cow sharing her manger for Christ's bed and her hay for his pillow. As I laid her on her own pillow she said, "Jesus only had hay for a pillow. Maybe I could share a big soft pillow with him."

Later that day, Elle was giving out roles for playtime and she directed me, "You're going to be ridiculous, Mom." Ryn protested loudly, "No! I want her to be beautiful!" Thanks, Ryn :)

Dec. 8--I had promised a Christmas movie and told Ryn it was time to turn off the TV after she had finished. "But Mom, we just watched one. The third one will be the last one."

Elle had to go to the bathroom so I said, "Hurry, Elle!" And she said, "I'm not Elle. I'm a wise man." I said, "OK, Hurry, wise man." She said, "OK, Mom Wise man." And as an afterthought as she raced her tiny chickabooms to the potty, "I'm a yittle wise man."

Dec. 12--Back to "The Friendly Beasts" chime-ins. I was singing it to Eden to help her stop crying. That wasn't working by the time I got to the dove verse: "I coo-ed him to sleep, that he would not cry...." So Ryn must have thought, If it worked for that dove, maybe it would work for me...and she leaned over crying Eden and softly, "Coo, coo, coo....". So cute I almost cried.

We were talking about every one's 'long' names and 'short' names--how Ryn's long name is Kathryn Noel Linkous and Elle's is Elle Nora Linkous. Elle turned to me and said, "Your long name is Mommy Linkous."

Dec. 13--Something broke and Ryn came to show it to me and offered this, "It broke. We need sticky syrup."

Dec. 14--When there's a run on the girls' bathroom (both needing it at the same time), we just put Ryn on the toilet and Elle on the little potty chair. This time the girls ran in together while I was doing the dishes and soon I heard this make-you-laugh-out-loud dialog:
Elle--This is so fun, Ryn!
Ryn--It's a potty party!

Later that day, Ryn saw me leaning over to give Elle a hug at lunch and she put up her little hands like she was holding a camera and said, "I gotta get a picture of that!"

Dec. 16--Ryn has picked up the phrase, "Hey! Check this out!" and it gets us every time.

She tried to explain the rules of who does and doesn't need a pacifier:
"Pacifiers are for babies....(but then she remembered Elle still likes her pacifier when she goes to bed)
...and for sisters...(but then she remembered that she is a sister)
...if they look like that, they do (pointing to Elle)
...and if they look like this, they don't (pointing to herself)." WHEW! That was more complicated than she thought it would be!

Dec. 21--Ryn was being a little grumpy so we were using her birthday party as incentive to be happy. You know, a little "birthday parties are for happy girls, not sad ones, so you'd better be happy." Her response was classic. "When I'm done being sad, I'll be happy."

Earlier that morning, she and Elle (who are sharing a room now) tiptoed in to wake us up and Kev heard Ryn whisper, "Let me show you how to wake up your Daddy. You tap him three times like this...." Then he felt Ryn's 3 taps and Elle's echoed 3. "....and you say, 'Daddy, wake up.'"

Elle needed Kev's help in the bathroom and after calling him once with no result, she added this, "Daddy, get off the stool." (she knew Kev must be perched on our bar stool checking something on the laptop on the counter)

Dec. 24--For our family Nativity, Ryn was going to be Joseph and Elle, Mary. I told Ryn what she needed to say to the Innkeeper and was waiting for her to say it back to me when Elle chimed in, completely in character--sweetly and patiently, "Joseph, we need a place to rest."

Dec. all month--Any time we were reading about bad guys in a story or in the scriptures, Elle would get a very serious look on her face and stop us and point out the worst part of that whole thing, "They're not going to get a present from Santa."

Dec. 28--Ryn was looking at the miniature Salt Lake temple I gave Kevin for his wedding present and said wistfully, "I wish we lived by the temple." I reassured her that it wasn't very far away at all, reminding her that we had just been there to see the lights. But she was firm. "No! We live far away. We live by the dogs." (The family that lives behind us has dogs that are always right by the fence barking :) )


Dec. 29--Elle came into my bathroom while I was getting ready and opened her eyes wide with shock, "Mom! There's make-up all over your face!" I guess I need to put on make-up more often :)

Dec. 31--The Snow White DVD was one of the favorite Christmas presents and has already been watched more times than I can count. So Elle was sweeping with our broom singing "Whistle While You Work" and told me that I was supposed to be the animals. When she finished her song, I praised her with a hearty "Bravo!" "No!" she exclaimed. "Don't say 'bravo'! Animals don't say bravo." Quite right. Quite right.