Andie & Brady Quotes: Aug - Sept 2011

Naturally, as the kids are getting older the conversations are definitely getting to be more interesting. Sometimes one of them will say something and Cameron and I will just look at each other and start laughing.Everyday is a new adventure with these two!

B: "Mommy, why did Daddy marry you?"
Me: "because he loves me."
B: "That's why I married Andie."

Brady bonked me in the face-
Me: "Ow, I think you just broke my nose."
B: "Oh let me see, (he wiggles my nose). Welp, it doesn't come off, I don't think it's broken."

B: "Mommy kiss my eyeball."

B: "Mom I want to get on your bed and do a trick."
Me: "No, that's dangerous."
B: "Mom, make a choice."

B: "What do bad guys look like?"
A: "They were a black and white striped shirt, a mask, and a hat."

 A: "We need a milkman. Do you know what a milkman is? They always wear a bill hat and a white suit."

Andie fell and hurt her knee pretty bad, she hobbled to me crying: "I need a doctor. I broke my leg and I can't walk." After a few minutes of waiting for our Dr friend to finish up dinner, she looks up at me worried, "does this mean I am going to be in bed for a few days?"

A: "What kind of cereal is the toasted tiny little bread?"
Me: "Cinnamon Toast Crunch?"
A: "Yeah, that's what I want for breakfast!"

The kids talking in bed many hours past bedtime-
A: "Brady, we are going to stay up all night."
B: "why?"
A: "because, we are nocturnal, like bats."

Karen to Andie-
K: "You sure are nice to share a sucker with your brother Andie."
A: "How come old people call lollipops suckers?"

A: "My favorite exercise is running.
B: "My favorite exercise is football"
A: "Football is great exercise Brady!"

Brady to Cameron: "You are a really cranky man!"

Brady to me (said with a lisp): "You said it girl!"

Andie to Cam: "Who's playing football?"
C: "The Buffalo's."
Brady running from the other room: "The Buffalo's are playing? Oh goody!"

I was in the middle of doing my nails when Brady comes into me crying-
Me: "What's the matter Brady?"
B: "My nails don't look cute. I need them painted."

Brady's phrase of choice: "Oh brat feathers!"
I was doing lots of de-cluttering and deep cleaning and I asked Andie to put her shoes away-
A: "Ugh, why do I always have to do chores?"
Me: "Why do I always have to clean every one's messes? I didn't make them."
A: "Because you are nice mom."

 

Andie & Brady Quotes: July 2011

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Andie & Brady Quotes

I don't have too many this time around since I have been kind of slacking when it comes to writing things down...

B: "Dad wont help me put on my shoes cause he's being a stinker bum!" (it was 8:15pm)

B: "I can't get this stinkin' shoe on!"

B: (to a boy at the park) "You can play with me, I'm very nice. I'm a nice kid!"

A: "Brady is obsessed with farts huh?"
Me: "yeah he is"
A: "why is this happening to him?"
Me: "because he's a boy and boys are gross."
A: "Ugh, they are so disgusting!"
Me: "Yes, yes they are."

Brady got drilled in the throat with a football, he came to me crying and I said: "Oh, you're a man, you can handle it. That's what happens to me football players."
B: "I don't wanna be a man, I a kid!"

Cameron and I were talking about pink eye and Brady said: "last time, I ran into a wall I got blue eye."

Andie took off her goggles and said: "mom, you've GOT to see me eyes."
Me: "Oh cool."
A: "Do you get it? they're goggle shaped!"

Me talking on the phone to Andie while I was out of town: "What can I bring you back from my trip?"
A: "Um, we want a pet."
Me: "What kind?"
A: "A monkey for me and a giraffe for Brady...real ones."
Me: "I can't bring you back real ones but I will bring back stuffed ones."
A: "Well don't they have a pet store there?!"

B: "mom how about this outfit?"
Me: "no, it doesn't match."
B: "but it IS appropriate."

B: "I really liked that movie, it gave me a laughy head!"

B: "I'm gonna fart my toots out."

A: "what's a haircut?"
Grandma: "what's a haircut Andie?"
A: "Ummm, I don't know."
Me: "Uh you should know, you just gave yourself one remember?!"

Andie is learning how to tie her shoes. She uses this little ditty to remember: "one little loop what do you do, wrap the lace around and pull it through. Now you have a bow and you tied your shoe." It's really helping.

The Haircut Saga

Did you hear, Andie decided to CUT HER HAIR, when I was OUT OF TOWN, because it was GETTING IN HER EYES!

I was in San Francisco with my sisters + having a great time and Daddy stayed home and took care of the kids (more on this later). Cameron made it almost 5 whole days accident free, almost. The night before I was to return home Cameron called me laughing, "you are never going to believe what Andie just did." I was standing there thinking, "oh how bad can it be?" A minute later I would come to regret that thought. Cameron continued, "she cut her hair!" "Shut up," I said. "You are totally joking right? Tell me you are joking." "Nope, get on Skype and take a look for yourself." OMG! It was so bad!

Cameron gave me a run down on what happened: "Andie was in our bathroom using it. She was in there a while (which, for certain 'chores' she tends to take her time). She came out of the bathroom, dressed as a boy and with a Mr. Potatohead mustache on her face, bowed down saying 'you may call me Sir.' I stared at her thinking she parted her hair weird and it took me a sec to realize she cut it. I started dying with laughter and finally said, your mom is gonna kill you!"

While on Skype the first thing I said to her was, "Andie, what were you thinking?!?" to which she replied through tears, "that it will grow back." Thank goodness we were going to see her tomorrow and Whitney can cut hair! Just by looking at it I knew immediately it was going to become a very short pixie.

It's been 9 days and I am starting to get the hang of styling this short of hair. It is still very short up front which makes it harder. Of course, Andie loves the new cut, she said it's because she doesn't get tangles. But she doesn't like when strangers refer to her as a boy (this did happen at Costco, a man said, "two boys?" "Nope, a boy and a girl who cut her own hair" I said back) or when it comes time to get her hair done, because we have to blow dry it, her least favorite thing. Every time she gets upset about one of these things I always remind her that that's what happens when you cut your own hair.

 

 The damage

 Once it came time for the real cut, I explained to her that she would have Peter Pan hair...she wasn't thrilled with that reality.

 The after

 Another after. We had to cut a little more after this picture to blend it on the sides.

After Mommy styled it a few days later. I am getting a little better.

Like Andie said, it will grow back...eventually!

Couponing to the Extreme...

I am ALL for saving money. I, as do many others, consider myself to to be a very thrifty shopper. I am by no means a full price girl, and like anyone I can appreciate a great deal. I watched that show Extreme Couponing last night for the first time and it was fascinating to say the least. However, I was also rubbed the wrong way by how these people stockpile stuff that some of them admit they will never use. Just because it's free doesn't mean you have to grab it. I have done enough deal grabbing to know that some items you have to buy a certain amount to get the deal, but 1,000's of boxes of toothpaste that you couldn't use in one lifetime let alone before they expire is just ridiculous, as is enough diapers to last a baby until they are potty trained when you don't even have a child. It's silly not to mention a waste of space. I do believe that the man with the toothpaste was putting some of them into care packages for the military which is great, but the woman with the diapers, she said she was holding onto them for when she does have a baby. How about stopping by a women's shelter and donating them to people who know they will use them. It's not like it's a loss in money for her, she didn't pay for them.  If you do grab the freebie and don't plan on using it, at least give it away to someone who can. Maybe it's the little voice in my head that loves to tell me to chuck all things that aren't being used and creating clutter in my life, it's the sense in me.
I do think it's amazing that these people have the patience and time to save their families so much money, I admire it. I've tried the couponing thing, I had big dreams of getting up to the cash register and the checker giving ME money back because I was so amazing at couponing, but alas that was not my calling in life, not yet. I don't have the time or the patience to become "extreme" and I'm okay with that. Who knows, maybe one day I will get the itch to try it out again. We'll see!

Are we normal?

Am I the only person who has ever had a child throw a fit in public? I know that I'm not, but yet, when my child does it, it's all eyes on me. Do the shoppers in the store think I can't hear their comments as I walk past them? I am not deaf, I just have a child screaming because he has not gotten what he asked for.

Yesterday, Brady went into Target with the idea that he was getting a baseball helmet. I did not tell him that we would buy one, he wanted it because he had seen another boy with one earlier in the day. As we walked through the store to get the few items I had on my list, Brady continued to ask for the helmet. I reminded him that we came in to get a few things that we needed and the helmet was not one of them. I avoided the isle that has the baseball gear like the plague. We made it through most of the store and as we were finishing up I said we were going to check out. All hell broke lose. Brady once again asked about the helmet and I responded with a firm "no". He went into full tantrum mode.

I quickly made my way to the front of the store. I could see the older snobby women sneering at me, the younger mom's smiling with a sympathetic and understanding look on their face, the men shaking their heads, and the young children staring. As we were checking out, the checker was looking at Brady then to me then back to Brady waiting to see what I was going to do about him. My child was letting out the most awful blood curdling scream like he had just broken all him limbs and a customer in isle next to me was looking at Brady and then to me in horror. Oh the horror! Gasp! a child is screaming, his mother must have beaten the crap out of him for someone to scream like that. It must be child abuse. Why else would a child scream like that? Certainly one doesn't throw such a fit after being told no! Despite all the dirty looks and staring, I managed to keep a smile on my face while making my way out of the store.

I have never experienced such a shocked reaction to a child throwing a fit in public. When we lived in Utah, no one even gave the screaming child a second look, they could care less. I am pretty sure their first reaction wasn't that the child was beaten either. Here, everyone seems to assume the worst. They look at you with horror, shock, and disgust. I have seen countless times, mothers buying their child whatever it is they asked for after they told them "no" once the child started screaming. If I did that I would be broke.

This is only the second huge outburst I've had with Brady in public, and I am sure it wont be our last. People need to learn that small children, especially in the 2-4 range, throw tantrums in public occasionally and they do it for the attention. Quit giving it to them, ignore it and keep your obviously unappreciated comments to yourselves. Yes, I'm talking to you middle aged women dressed for the ball and dripping in diamonds, I heard you say, "just give him what he wants," I hope your children are the worlds biggest brats. And you, apparently single and without children sir, asking your friend, "what did she do to him?" He was a overly tired 2 year old who just got told "no", a fit fueled by the attention of strangers is just what the doctor ordered.

Peace

Currently my kids are outside measuring their toys to see how tall they have grown. They are so cute. They both need a bath in the worst way from their afternoon of playing in the dirt yesterday, but after a week of constant fighting they are finally playing together and I am enjoying the peace for a moment. We'll see how long it lasts and then it will be nap time.

Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter holiday, filled with lots of family, friends, food, and love. Hope you had a beautiful day and remembered the reason we celebrate this day.

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Kid Quotes

I have been feeling very uninspired as of late,
so the silly things my kids say will have to do for now...enjoy!

B: (praying) "bless Daddy and Grandpa at work. Please bless Darth Vader in his fight with Yoda, Amen!"

B: (holding a baby doll) "this is my baby brother. Ouch! he just bit me."

B: (seeing a commercial) "What movie is this?"
Me: "I don't know"
B: "It's called, 1-800-224- DISNEYLAND!!!"

B: (waving a wand over Cameron) "abra cadabra I turn you into a butthead!"
*not very nice but we are still working on the potty talk.

A: "you put the sticks at the end of your ears" (explaining to B how to put sunglasses on)

A: "When am I going to be 99?"
Me: "well most people don't live to be 99, that's really old"
A: "well Grandma and Grandpa are really old."

B: (poking my chest and counting...) "1, 2, 3!"
Me: "Hey don't touch Mommies boobies"
B: "I was just counting them!"

B:  (found a feather in the parking lot) "Hello little feather, my name's Brady, do you want to go into Costco with me?"

A: "When I grow up my husband's name is going to be Baseballbat and our son will be Traintrack!"

A: (to me a few days later) "I wanna have another baby."
B: "yeah, let's name him Baseballbat!"
A: "no that's my husband's name!"
A: "I like cotton candy but it's a little hairy and sticky."

A: "grandma what is a bird?"
G: "you tell me, what is a bird?"
A: "I think it's a little baby chicken who can fly!"

Lauren: "boys are tougher than girls are"
A: "that's not true"
L: "yes it is andie"
A: "my mom can punch my dad really really hard, and my dad used to wrestle tuna!"
*FYI I have never punched Cameron but I am sure Andie would be right!

A: "look mom I got a spork!"
Me: "how do you know what that is?"
A: "it's a fork AND a spoon. (flips it over) and it's made in China!"

A: "mom, remember this morning when we were playing dogs and my name was sunblock?"

Cowboy cookies are in the oven, A turns on the light to take a peek and says, "if those are cowboy cookies where are the hats?!"

A: "mom can I have your ring?"
Me: "no, why?"
 A: "cause I am the ring bearer at a pretend wedding. So, can I have it?"
Me: "no."
A: "that's fine, I can still pretend can't I?!"

Imagination

For anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Andie, may or may not know what a huge imagination the child possesses. Just yesterday as we were driving home Andie was telling Cameron and me all about the pet tiger she had. The wha? She told us all about how she got him, when she was one, and about the time when he bumped his nose on a log. Apparently they are best friends and have had so many great times together. In the middle of her babbling on Cameron turned to me and said, "I think we should write a children's book using Andie's stories." At first I laughed and said how funny that would be but then I started thinking and I could picture this fun little story about a little girl and her adventures with her pet tiger.  What an idea! My husband is a genius. I am not really one to go out and do something that seems so impossible as to get a book written and published, but this is something I think could actually get done. We have several family members who have written books and suddenly the idea doesn't seem so impossible. I plan on sitting down with Andie today and hearing and recording more about her adventures with her pet tiger.

Mommy's Thoughts

When I was nine my mom died from leukemia. It was sad and hard but we were young and seemed to make it through alright. As I have gotten older and especially since becoming a mom to my own little sweeties I often wonder what my mom would have done in certain situations or just to know what her thoughts might have been during a normal day with me and my siblings. Did we drive her insane, did she lose her temper like I all too often do, did she let the little things go or was she to anal to do that? Since I was so young I sadly don't remember a lot of details. I wish there was more video more still shots, but she had 5 kids, and for a while was very sick, pulling out a camera is not the first thing one might have thought to do. I am grateful for smells, sights, pictures, and voices that can suddenly bring back a memory that was long ago tucked away.
Since I have lost a parent and now experience these feelings, I have made a solid effort to take more pictures, let the little things go, allow my children to occasionally crawl in our bed during the early morning hours and most importantly, write things down. I feel most comfortable writing these thoughts in letter form to my children, sometimes individually and sometimes together. I write about things we did that day, how the kids reacted to a new situation, a new milestone they may have reached or a funny conversation we had together. I also make sure to include private thoughts, stories from my childhood, lessons learned, and my feelings of love towards my children and my husband. These thoughts are often disorganized, I tend to just write on whatever piece of paper I can find before the thought goes away. Already I have gone through and read old notes and I am always surprised at how much has been forgotten in such a short amount of time. I wish my mom could have known what the future held for her, for us, but she didn't, no one could have. I don't know what the future holds for me and my family but I hope that if something should, heaven forbid, happen to me, my children will have a few of these future curiosities answered. This is how I keep a journal, by writing letters, and blogging of course.
I know that every day here on Earth is a gift from our Heavenly Father. I am working on being a better wife, mother and person and leaving my children memories that they can one day enjoy in my absence, whether it's tomorrow or 60 years from now. I want to make today count.

Back in the Saddle

I haven't blogged in a while, obviously. I haven't really been "feelin' it" but this morning I decided to update the look of the blog and it got me excited again. I just have to get some more recent pictures put up and I'll be set.
Now to do a quick catch up:
We had a great Christmas full of family, love, food, gifts, and laughter. I am sad that one day, not to far from now, my kids won't believe in Santa and Christmas just wont be the same. I have nothing but wonderful memories of Christmas as a child, my parents did an amazing job at keeping Santa around and the true meaning of Christmas in our home. I will still insist that that one Christmas when I was maybe 5 or 6, we were driving home from a party and I saw Santa and his reindeer fly across the moon! Call me crazy, but my sister Whitney remembers the same thing. Believe or don't believe, but keep away from my kids at Christmas time, they believe and it's magical for all involved.
The New Year has brought with it new challenges but many more blessings. Our family is healthy and continues to grow. We have 2 new cousins joining us (one actually came early this morning, congratulations Chris, Emily and Eva!) which means more family gatherings and more cousin play time.
The business continues to grow and provide new and exciting opportunities to come in the next year for the Casper family. We are researching where would be ideal to live in Arizona and making a list of all the things we want in a home and all that needs to be done to get there. No, we aren't moving today, tomorrow or even next month, we are just starting the process and working on making it happen in the next year or so. The kids have been begging for a dog that they can name Goofy. We bought ourselves some time in telling them we would revisit the idea when we buy a house and they seem to be content with that, for now.
Andie and Brady are still a handful but both have mellowed out a bit which makes Mommy and Daddy nicer. Andie is getting so big and is really excited to start Kindergarten come Fall. She is working hard to be prepared and is surprising us everyday with her talents. She has been carrying around her "handy dandy notebook" and it is so awesome to see how her drawing has evolved. I was so excited yesterday to flip through it and see her first drawing that actually resembled a person! She is really good with her shapes, calling them by name and telling you how many sides they all have and what the difference is between similar ones. I am impressed cause this is not something I have thought to teach her. Yay for kids TV that actually teaches!!! She is also working on adding numbers together on her fingers and starting to really get the hang of it. Oh, I almost forgot the best new thing about Andie, SHE LOVES TO DO THE DISHES, and she is actually really good at it!
Brady is still a handful, of course. He is wanting to be more like Andie everyday. He has lost all signs of baby features and it makes me a little sad. Brady has started waking up in the middle of the night and most nights it's more than once which is killing me. I forgot how a disruption in sleep can really throw you off and make you exhausted. When I'm in the kitchen Brady loves to say, "show me how to cook like a mommy," as he climbs up on the counter to learn/"help". It's so cute, and he is getting the hang of cracking eggs. He has also become an excellent diver, jumping from inside a laundry to the floor and swimming along the ocean bottom. His imagination is impressive and endless and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.