Kids Say The Darndest Things

Since I babysit the Horde quite a bit, I'm lucky to hear/have some of the funniest conversations. I've started writing them down for their parents enjoyment and for Jeanette to put in each kids' scrapbook. These have been my favorites over the last couple of months.

While watching The Great Mouse Detective:
Quinn: Do you like Ratigan?
Galen:  No, I like Basil and Toby.
Quinn: You can't. I liked Toby first!
Galen: YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO LIKE! JESUS LOVES ME, AND I’M BATMAN.

While watching The Neverending Story:
Quinn: SEE THAT? THAT IS A TROLL.
Brock: No, trolls are in Harry Potter. That’s a rock god or something.
Quinn: I HAVE A SHIRT THAT SAYS THAT *I* AM THE GOD OF ROCK.
Brock: Rock music and things made out of rocks are not the same thing.
Quinn: PROVE IT.

I can never foretell where Galen's questions are going to go:
Galen: Jessie, do you know what the mascot of awesome is?
Me: No, what is it.
Galen: ME!
Me: Is there a mascot besides you?
Galen: Yep. There is Dumbledore and the Doctor (the 10th one not 11, because I don't like 11), and T-Rex.


They were playing Superheroes:
Quinn: JESSIE! THIS IRON MAN HELMET IS TOO HARD TO GET ON.
Me: Here, let me help you.
Quinn: NOW IT IS TOO TIGHT! I CAN BARELY BE IRON MAN WITHOUT GOING BLIND!
Me: Did you ever consider that your head might be too big for this mask?
Quinn: YEAH! MY HEAD IS REALLY HUGE BECAUSE I’M TONY STARK!

Lots Of Love On Valentine's Day

This week started out with a tragedy that is a thing of nightmares for all graduate students. Have you ever wondered what ten pages of homework looks like in the form of confetti? Well, here's your lucky day because it looks like this:

Want a perspective on how large that pile was?

But how could this happen? You live by yourself, don't you? Remember The Horde that I'm always talking about and the fact that I babysit them a lot? This is what happens when you turn your back on the two-year-old and the three-year-old twins decide to help. I'll be honest. I cried when I found this. Hours of work gone in less than five minutes. It's a good thing that their parents picked them up about twenty minutes later.
This little incident added a lot of stress and sleepless nights this week trying to get it redone as well as get the rest of my homework done. By Wednesday night, I was a wreck. I seriously owe several people cookies for getting me through this week particularly Lauren for working on the circuits homework with me, Mark for walking me through some basic algebra I was messing up on from lack of sleep, and Dr. Mignerey for giving me an extension on the nuclear homework so I could refinish it.
Valentine's Day found me in a slightly better mood since everything was turned in and I had a glorious nine hours of sleep the night before. I had some visitors at lunch that made me feel very much loved.
First, Billy stopped by and gave me a Valentine that was partially my gift for Christmas. I have a rule that if a movie or TV show is based on a book, I'll read that book before watching the movie or show. Billy has been wanting me to watch Game of Thrones with him since he received all the seasons for Christmas. So my valentine/gift from him was the first two books in the The Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin. I didn't realize how long these books are! The first book is 835 pages alone! I'm really excited to read these books! I've heard so much about them!
Secondly, I received a visit from a very repentant Horde. They gave me a card with the following message:

I can't seem to stay upset with The Horde for long. Especially when they exploit my biggest weakness. The card came with a beautiful hardcover edition of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I haven't read it yet but I've heard nothing but awesome things about it. It also doesn't hurt that I want to go see the movie adaption of it that just came out which means that it was up high on my to be read list.

 I went home feeling very loved to find even more love. My parents sent me a valentine's package that consisted of jerky (big surprise there, right?), Reese's hearts, conversation hearts, and a new cheese grater. FYI, I was really excited about the grater!

I also got to Skype with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. It was a blast! Best quotes of the night:

Ash: Why did Jessie get jerky and we didn't?
Mom: Because Jessie shouldn't have the candy we sent her. Let alone all the stuff we sent you.

 and

Conrad: Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba- Yessie!!! (I may have introduced Conrad to the Despicable Me minions' parody of the Barbara Ann song on Youtube... Don't hate me, Navar! And for those of you who don't know I'm the Yessie referred to here.)

Who says Valentine's Day is just for couples? I had a perfectly great one with my family and friends! 

A Day With Galen

 So cutest thing ever happened a few weeks ago! It started when I got a phone call from Jeanette and she started out the conversation with, "Hi Jess! I have a proposition for you." Which is usually how she starts off requests for me to babysit her kids.
She then proceeded to tell me that two of the triplets, Brock and Quinn, had been invited to friends' houses the next Saturday and Galen, the other triplet, had not. She had asked Galen if he wanted to invite a friend over while Brock and Quinn were gone. He thought about it for a couple of minutes and then informed her that he wanted to invite me over or go to my house. So the whole phone call was to ask me if I wanted to hang out with Galen that Saturday.
Of course, I said yes. And apparently Galen was waiting close by for the answer so I heard Jeanette tell him that I had said yes. I then heard Galen shouting at his brothers, "I get to go to Jessie's house on Saturday and you don't." I then heard Brock and Quinn begging Jeanette if they could go to my house instead of their friends' houses. All I can say is that I felt very loved at that moment in time.
So that highly anticipated Saturday rolled around. I had racked my brain to think of something really special for me and Galen to do because I wanted to make sure it was awesome.
It truly was an awesome day. We ended up going to the Natural History Museum to the see the dinosaurs and stuffed animals. Then we went to the closest bookstore afterwards where I bought him a couple books. I have a feeling that these books will be fought over in his house starting with his Dad.

Oh, have I mentioned that Galen is a miniature me. He always has a book with him. He has a little backpack that Jeanette made that has a little bookworm on it with the caption "I devour books" on it. It is super cute and houses at least four books at a given time. He won't go anywhere without it!
In fact, I will be at their house and his brothers will be watching a Disney movie and he will be in a chair reading. He's reading chapter books and he is five!!! Well, all of the triplets can read. I guess that's what you get when your parents have PhDs and are professional scientists. He even does little things for his parents to earn money to buy a couple new books each month and he uses his library card like a shopaholic uses a credit card. This kid has stolen my heart. I love them all but I'd have to say Galen is my favorite.
To be fair, they actually read books as a family. Just a few chapters every night of the week with a couple extra hours on Sunday. They love this so much that they'll bring the current book they are reading with them when they spend the night at my house. Although, I guess I'm easier to talk extra chapters out of than their parents. They are so fun! I'm going to miss them when I move!

12 Books For 2012

 

I know I've mentioned my friends' Matt and Jeanette and their horde of kids a lot lately. It's just because I see them a lot now that they live near DC and I live near DC. I love spending time with them and their kids! They have this awesome tradition of reading a few chapters of a book each night as a family. The kids will not let you forget to read to them. In fact, if they stay the night at my house, they bring the book they are currently reading with them.
So it shouldn't have surprised me when I was at the triplets' birthday party when the twins' brought me one of the presents. Thinking that they were confused on who to give it to, I tried to get them to give it to one of the triplets. I was then informed that the present was for me. I was a little confused since it wasn't my birthday for at least a week.
The gift was a book with a card that informed me that for my birthday and Christmas in 2012 I would be receiving 12 books spread out between now and Christmas. 12 books for the year 2012. Apparently, I babysit too much since a couple of books were books the horde wanted me to read to them.
It was an excellently executed plan. I found myself eagerly anticipating and trying to guess which book would be next. The best part was the horde's excitement over every book I was given. I can't help but smile every time I see one of the books. And I'm happy to report that we are about halfway done with one of the books and they are loving it! Also, thanks Jeanette for being my book soulmate and not letting your kids choose all of the books!

1. Call of the Hunt by Patricia Briggs
2. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
3. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
4. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
5. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
6. Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore
7. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
8. They Called Me Mad by John Monahan
9. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
10. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
11. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
12. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Thanks for the books, Matt and Jeanette!!! I love them! Now I just need to find the time to read them...