The Good and The Bad

This evening we were reading scriptures together as a family when Fred pointed to my well worn and marked up scriptures and asked "Daddy, how come you markered on your scriptures?"
Trying to explain without going into too much detail I told him "I was just marking the best parts."
"Oh," He replied after a pause and pointing to a patch of unmarked verses "Are these the bad parts?"

Fred's First Day of Preschool

Fred is getting so BIG!!! Today was his first official day of Preschool and he loved it! He was so excited to take his big backpack to school and bring home papers. He also said he met a new friend, a classmate named Olivia.
Here is how the conversation continued:

Mom: "Oh, Olivia! So you made friends with a girl."
Fred: "No, he is a boy. His name is Olivia."
Mom: "Really? OK!"
A few seconds later....
Fred: "Or maybe his name is Connor."

I am sure we will eventually learn the correct names of all of his classmates. :)

Fred is able to attend preschool just down the street at Westhaven Elementary. Apparently Pre-K is very favored here in Illinois and the state funds his preschool program. He will attend 5 days a week for 2 1/2 hours....it's almost like he is starting Kindergarten one year early. Sometimes it makes me sad that he has to leave home for so long at such an early age. Next year he will have to attend full day Kindergarten so I guess this will be a good transition year for him. His teacher (Mrs. Fournie) seems very nice and we are very happy he attends school so close to home. As long as he is happy and enjoys going to school it makes me happy too!

Screaming the Whole Way Home

From the very beginning Lucy has been such a pleasant, peaceful, and content little girl, that is until she developed her super-power ability to screech at such a high pitch that it threatens to pop your ear drums. I'm not kidding, just ask the lady sitting in front of us on our last plane ride! Here's the story: We were concluding our trip home to Utah with a three hour plane ride and Lucy was determined to get her way and skip her second nap for the day. Needless to say, every time we were delayed in granting her wishes she would let out her ear piercing scream. The lady sitting in front of us made it very obvious that the intermittent screaming was bothering her. Adam and I tried as best as we could to keep her quiet and happy but with no avail. Finally about 2 hours into the plane ride and after another screech from Lucy the lady in front of us was downright rude. The "natural man" got the better of me and I leaned forward and said, "Do you want a turn?" The lady was kind of startled and said Lucy's scream was so high pitched that it felt like her ear drums were going to burst. I said, "I am sorry but our daughter's response is to scream when she is frustrated. We are trying the best we can to keep her quiet." Her husband then apologized and said it was fine, but the lady never said another word for the remainder of the flight. She was the first one off of the plan before I could apologize so I apologized to her husband. I know I should have held my tongue. After the fact, Adam and I now laugh. He says he was shocked I made that comment to her. I just hope that I will act differently than that lady if I am faced with a similar situation.

Go, Diego, Go!

While visiting our family in Utah we decided to go to Arctic Circle for dinner and to let the kids play on their indoor playground. While driving in the car Fred asked if the playground would have ice. A little confused I said "No! Why?" He said, "Polar Bears play on the ice and they live in the Arctic Circle." I was baffled and I glanced at Adam with a "how did he know that" look. I said to Fred, "You are right! Where did you learn that?" Fred said, matter-of-factly, "Diego told me!" I guess Fred's time watching Diego, the animal rescuer, is more productive then I thought.

Our Walking Lucy Lou

Our little Lucy Lou can officially walk!! She has been for several weeks now. She is all over the place and seems to enjoy the freedom that walking gives her. Just this evening as I was working in the garage Fred, Daisy, and a neighbor boy were making laps around the van in our driveway while riding their bikes. Lucy decided she wanted to join in the fun and started walking around the car while laughing the whole way. She was a moving obstacle for the others to dodge but they didn't seem to mind. It was quite the sight! :)

The Difference Between Girl and Boy Babies

Today Daisy had the following conversation with Adam:
Daisy: "When I was a little baby I was in Mommy's tummy."
Adam: "You are right."
Daisy: "When Fred was a little baby he was in your tummy."
Adam: "No he wasn't. He was in Mommy's tummy too."
Daisy: "Nuh Uh, Daddy. Fred was a boy baby not a girl baby."

Singing Her To Sleep

Tonight as we finished doing family scriptures and prayers I left Fred and Daisy's room to put Lucy in her bed. I gave her a big kiss, laid her down, and walked out the door while closing it behind me. Suddenly Daisy came pushing past me into Lucy's room while mumbling something. I was about to stop her when I realized all she wanted to do was to sing Lucy a song. From a partially closed door I listened as Daisy (almost 3 years old) sang "I Am A Child of God" to Lucy (15 months old) before letting her fall asleep. It made my heart smile.