Peter and his play group friends were talking in the car. Peter confessed that a girl in his kindergarten class had given him a kiss!! One of his friends was not impressed. Peter was concerned about his friend's reaction: "Don't get mad at me," he defended. His friend replied, "I'm just saying that's totally uncool, dude."

(For those of you Activity Day leaders who wonder if Activity Days has an impact) I walked in to Rebecca's room one morning, when she had been worried about being able to get up to finish an assignment, and asked if she had remembered her prayers. "I was just going to, because of the prayer pillow." She had made a little pillow with a jingle bell on it that week in Activity Days.

We were talking about which movie Rebecca wanted to watch for Friday night. I thought she said "Mormon Barbie." We started to chuckle at that. "I can just see it now," Rebecca started. "Barbie walks into church. 'How are you doing? I'm Barbie!'"

Nate, when Peter got a stuffed buffalo for a gift: "Buffaloes are making a comeback." (Peter loves this buffalo which came from Cody, WY.)

Anna was in her birthday suit one day when I asked her why. "I feel like I just can't wear clothing."

Anna prayed, "Thanks for Jesus and his apossibles [apostles]. And I'm sorry Jesus died on the cross."

We went out to lunch. Peter got pop with his children's meal. He made "Sprite" out of rootbeer and fruit punch!

Anna talked to the shark toy she had just gotten from the dentist's office: "Open up big and wide for me..."

I marveled at how gently Lane handled a misdeed. He was driving in from work when he saw Peter sitting on the corner of the neighbor's yard. He asked him if he wanted to hop in the truck with him for a ride up the driveway. Peter glumly declined. Lane joked with him, and tried to cajole him, but could not get him to budge. Lane asked if he'd had an accident. No, he hadn't. Finally, the reason for his immobility: "Daddy, I accidentally borrowed your hammer." "Accidentally?" Lane asked, trying to hide his amusement. "Yes." "Should we go get it?" "Yeah." Peter climbed in the card, and they retrieved the hammer together, Peter's burden obviously lifted.

We were listening to songs from the movie Mulan. Anna, obviously puzzled, asked, "Her name is Mulan. Why do they keep singing 'Anna to us all'?" (You have to know that we pronounce Anna "Ah-na").

Eliza was working on a survey for school. "Which of these five sports do you play best?" The list included volleyball, baseball, football, soccer, and tennis ball [sic]. "Is dressing up a sport?" she asked me, deadpan.

Anna challenged Peter, "Tickle me. If I don't smile that means I'm not ticklish. Daddy said so." (Can you hear that nah-nah voice?) I went over with a tickling hand, and that stoic little girl kept a stolid face the whole time. I think it's more just her iron will than her ticklishness!

Anna finished singing the Alphabet song: "'Next time won't you sing with me.' That means next time you actually have tosing with me," she accentuated.

I was eating a succulent pink grapefruit for breakfast. Anna asked for a bite. She decided, "I like it. It's just a little bit yucky."

Looking forward to playing with Paige after school today, Eliza prayed in family prayer, "Please bless school to go fast!"

On Sarah's driving, chipper encouragement from Rebecca: "[It was] not so jerky this time!" and, after getting out of the car, "No dents, no scratches--High Five!" And from Anna: "You're a good driver, Sarah!" and "Sarah, slow down on the bumps!"

"I have had enough camping to last me my lifetime." Sarah, after attending her 4th year hike, Young Women's camp, and Youth Conference (which was hiking and river rafting). I just had to put that down for the record. Let's watch her be a YW president for 20 years.

Anna to Peter: "Guess what?" "What?" "I love you."

"I wish I had my own horse. Then you wouldn't ever have to drive me to school!" Peter, (who has heard stories of Grandpa Doug riding his horse to school from his earliest days). Dream big, Pete.

"My dream is to have a baby like Jane. I cry sometimes I miss her so much." Eliza, when she was looking at photos. She really got close to her name-sharing cousin in June.

Eliza was spreading tomato sauce on some pepperoni slices. (It is 9:38 pm). I asked her what she was doing. "I'm making homemade pizza bites for my dinner!"

Eliza was teaching Peter how to play "Yankee Doodle" on the piano. Peter excitedly reported, "I can play 'Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pone. I can't play pon-y yet.' "

As I eyed the pieces of Eliza's meat up that I cut up for her, as per her request, I encouraged her to cut them smaller since the pieces were a little large-ish. "That's OK," she replied. "I have a big mouth."

"Mom, can I count the stars tonight?" (Anna)

"How do you know I'm old enough to do my laundry basket?" asked Peter this morning. I said that if he was old enough to go to cousin sleepovers, then he was old enough to do his jobs. He conceeded.

"It feels so lonely in here." Eliza to Becca, after waving goodbye to Sarah, Mallory, and Christina, who had just left for EFY.

Anna, with great excitement, as she watched the eggs boiling on the stove: "Mom! The eggs are dancing!"

Eliza, on driving: "I know how to drive a car. I just don't know what the gas pedal is for."