Kids say the darndest things

So many little moments I need to remember. 

11/1/15: E offered to drive to the store to pick up some meatballs. 'Only, I don't know how to drive.'  I love this kid!

11/7/15: Sherri is taking care of the kids for the weekend. She talks to Em about giving up the binky because she is a big girl (she still uses it when she sleeps). Em says, 'no, I'm still a baby because I use diapers'. Fair enough. 

11/11/15: E must have had a nightmare about hot lava. He's near tears with me in the morning. I reassure him that there's no lava coming. After school he breaks down with Sherri. Text from Sherri: 

'Oh man. He climbed in my lap and tears running down his face. I told him u nor daddy would ever let lava get him. I also said Jesus would protect him if he was ever scared..he said..I know he will my class told us he will. Stacy that is some deep stuff!' 'I want the bad things in my head to not be bad. I don't like bad things.'

She told him he could pray to Jesus and Jesus would take the lava away. So they did. And then this text:

'E is so precious! We were reading books and he looks up and says so sweetly...Sherri I'm so glad I prayed to Jesus with you...because I feel so happy inside now! I told him..Jesus always hears the prayers of a child first! He's so happy now!'

I'm very grateful to have a nanny who knows the solution to these things. And such a tender-hearted child. 

18 months!

Our little whippersnapper is 18 months old today! She is such a strong, confident lady - as the art on her wall reads, 'though she be but little, she is fierce.'

Favorites right now: Puzzles, books, Elmo, water, socks & shoes, Dora.
Her favorite book: Anything with Elmo, anything with flaps
Her favorite food: Hot dogs, bacon, candy (such a sweet tooth!), apples, bananas, raisins
Her favorite activity: Driving her Little Tikes car, trying to drive mommy's car

Her vocabulary is amazing. I haven't counted, but I'm sure she can say more than 100 words. Some of her favorites right now are Sock, Jacket, Blanket (all paired with finding said object and carrying it across the room), Hot dog, Ear, Binky, Car, Mommy, Daddy, Ethan, Milk, More, All done, Soon ('see you soon'). She knows most of her body parts, articles of clothing, foods, animals and their sounds.

She loves throwing things away (and usually lets us know when she throws away important items, like the socks she was wearing), loading and unloading the dishwasher, emptying drawers (she loves the whisks), feeding the dogs, and helping with the cooking. After E puts together a puzzle, she wants to take it apart and put it away, which has led to more than a few sibling fights.

She sleeps in a big girl bed and comes and finds us in the morning or after naps. She climbs up & down stairs with ease, sometimes trying to stand but usually on her hands and knees. She absolutely loves to go through the dog door, probably because she knows it's a no-no, so we have to check each time we hear the door open - was it one of the dogs or the 1-year-old?

She gives hugs and kisses generously. I love those open-mouth kisses...