Sprouting "boo boos", Rainbows and Babies

Ellie: "Mooooommmmy..."
Mommy: "Yes, honey, what is it"
Ellie: "I need you to come quick"
**I walk upstairs to check on her, since it is mid-night!!!"
Ellie: "I woke up and found a plant sprouting up from my boo boo on my knee!!"
Mommy: "No, Ellie, that is not a plant sprouting, it is baby hairs on your knee"
Ellie: "Oh, good , cause I was worried about what to do with a plant sprouting from my boo boo!"


Jenna: "Mommy I know why God gives us rainbows"
Mommy: "You do, why does God give us rainbows Jenna?"
Jenna: "He let's us slide down them when we are 3 years old now cause He wants us to"
Ellie: "No Jenna, God gives us rainbows so we don't forget that it is His sign that He won't flood the land again and so we remember and not forget He did flood the land"



**James Daniel had a HUGE blowout poop in the van while sitting in car pool line, so I decided to use my time wisely and crawl back in the back and change him. As I am in the process of changing him I hear Jenna yelp...
"Mommy, can you put that brother outside please, not the other one, that one!"
Mommy: "No Jenna I am not putting your brother outside"
Jenna: "But I don't need to smell that yucky smell!"



Claire: "Mommy, you should have just heard what Ellie said!"
Mommy: "Oh my, what did she say, was it inappropriate?"
Claire: "No, she said, 'Look, I am carrying three things with two hands, that means I am talented like Mommy!'..."
Mommy: **laughing out loud!**



**Walking into the YMCA one morning, Jenna notices twin boys in the childcare area. They are boys, probably about 9 months old and they look completely identical**
Jenna: "Miss Sarah, why are those two babies the same?"
Miss Sarah: "Because they are twins like your brothers, they look the same."
Jenna: "My brothers are not the same, see that is John David and that is James Daniel!"
(I thought it was kind of neat that Jenna sees other twins as being "the same" but sees her brothers as different)

Tiger Woods, a witch and Olivia's house!

Mommy- "Something smells really good! Who has on lotion or spray?"
Claire- "I do"
Mommy- "It smells new, what flavor is it?"
Claire- "Tiger Woods"
Mommy- "WHAT!?!?"
Cliare- "Tiger Woods lotion, or no, maybe it was Tigris Woods?"
**Mommy is looking really confused at this point, Claire goes to her bathroom to retreive the lotion bottle**
Claire- "Actually it is called "Twilight Woods"...my bad!






**Eating at Cracker Barrel**
I took the girls to the restroom and a staff member was cleaning. The staff member was an elderl lady (hunctched back) silver hair in a bun, with GREEN circular glasses. Jenna speaks directly to the woman while Claire, Ellie and I are using the bathroom.

Jenna- "Are you a real witch?"
Mommy- "Jenna, be quiet honey, let's go find Mamaw"
Jenna- "Hey lady, are you a witch"
Cracker Barrel Employee- "Yes"
**Jenna looks completely freaked out and turns to me and says...**
"HERS IS A WITCH MOMMY!"

(Obviously the lady didn't hear Jenna and remarked "yes" not realizing the toddler asked her if she were a WITCH!)

**Ellie spent an evening with a friend from school. Her friend is Olivia and Miss Olivia is just about as dramatic as Ellie Bug. They go to Bruno's together. Olivia lives in Greyston in a mansion** No I am not exaggerating. I have never been in a home this elaborate or this size.**

Claire- "Ellie did you like Olivia's house?"
Ellie- "Oh yes, it was amazing and I want her house to be my house"
Claire- "Really, how come it was so great"
Ellie- "Well for starts it has swrily things everywhere and stiar that go everywhere and she has two rooms. one for her and the other one is hanah montana room and she has four real dogs not pretend ones, and ice cream (lots in her freezers)and even cocunut spray and lipstick. She has ring in her backpack and a remote control for her flat screen tv in her room!!!!"
Claire- "Ellie, you do know that all that stuff doesn't make you happy even if you want it all"
Ellie- "Oh I know cause Mommy told me that bragging is a sin and "battitudes" tells us to be good for God".....but the swirly things and cocunet spray would be nice!

talking to God and seeing a caterpillar

So here are some recent comments I don't want to forget!

Driving home from church...
Claire- "Mommy, can you please ask Jenna to be quiet..I am trying to read"
(Jenna humming, singing, talking in the background)
Me- "Jenna, will you please be quiet for Claire, she as already asked you several times to stop talking"
Jenna- (in a very loud, bold voice) "I AM TALKING TO GOD"

**perfect answer huh?**

Driving down Hwy 280...
Ellie- "Well that is cool, I have never seen a caterpillar like that one before"
Me- "Where do you see a caterpillar?"
Ellie- "Right there...see...out the window!"
Claire- "That is a bulldozer Ellie"
Ellie- "Well it says 'caterpillar'"
(Ellie has begun reading everything in print....she noticed the bulldozer with the name CATERPILLAR printed on the side.)

J-Love Speaks the Truth!

First of all Jenna is nicknamed "Boo" and "J-Love"
Clarie named her Boo when she was a week old by calling her "boo boo" and I have always said "Hey my love girl" since she was itty bitty so now "J-Love" has stuck.

I took Ellie and "J-Love" to US Nails (a nail salon in Oak Mt.) to have their nails painted. We walk in, they are giggling, beaming with pride from choosing their obnoxious bubblegum pink nail polish, and they make their way to the lovely ORIENTAL salonist. Of course Ellie has done this before so she knows to remain quiet and calm, wait her turn and not cause problems. Jenna on the other hand is enjoying this experience for the first time.

Here goes:

Naiil Lady- "Ooh, what you name" {with a very heavy oriental accent}
Jenna- "Mommy her is not talking right"
Mommy- "Jenna, remember you have to be really still and quiet..no talking, okay?"
Jenna- "But Mommy her is not talking right, why is her saying those kind of words?"
Mommy- "It is okay Jenna, she is asking you what your name is"
Jenna- "Oh, Jenna Kaffrine (Kathryn) Pate"
Nail Lady- "OOH, how old you"
Jenna- "Mommy hers is not talking right again"
Mommy- "Jenna she is asking you how old you are"
Jenna- "Oh, 2 but I am gonna be 3 and no more 2 in April fif (fifth)"

Jenna continues with her 100 questions. What is that black fing (thing)..Is it gonna bite me?...You have a little fan..Is it gonna chop me off?...Why are you hands cold?...How do you have that shirt?..Did you have a baby like me too?...
This continues for 10 min. as I am the translator between the two because Jenna sure couldn't understand the lady and the poor lady couldn't really understand Jenna...

Of course the questioning goes on and on, but the hysterical part of it all was when the nice lady asked her what her name was and Jenna turned to me with a deranged look on her face and said really boldly, "MOMMY, HER IS NOT TALKING RIGHT"

All the while Ellie was completely quiet because as I look over to see what she is doing, I notice her smiling at herself in the big mirror in front of her!

And yes, if you are wondering, the boys were also there...hanging out in the stroller being totally content watching all the women in the salon...go figure!

Words of Wisdom!?!?!

Claire- "Mommy I need to translate my sentences onto my notebook, do you have a pencil"
Mommy- "Do you mean transfer your sentences onto your notebook?"
Claire- "Oops, yeah, that is what I meant...translate is speaking a different language, I guess my mind got a little tangled"


Ellie- "Mommy, I know the state animals for some states"
Mommy- "You do, that is great honey, what is Alabama's state animal?"
Jenna- (shouting from the back of the van) "THE LELLOW (YELLOW) HAMMER"
Mommy- "Jenna you need to let Ellie tell me and not interrupt"
Ellie- "It is not even the Yellow Hammer Mommy, that is the state bird"
Claire- "The animal is an armadillo"
Ellie- "No, the animal is a red belly turtle...yall are all so confused"


Mommy- "Ellie can you read this book for me?"
Ellie- "Sure, but first I have to tell you that this book has a mendal (medal) for it because my library book teacehr says it to me when this golden sticker is on the book"
{Ellie is taking about the Newberry and Caldecott Award books}


Mommy- "Ellie how was your day at school today?"
Ellie- "It was good. I learneded (learned) that the Smokey Mountains are in Tennessee AND North Carolina, I am sure you just thought they were in Tn...but that's not the case at all..they are in North Carolina too"
{Obviously Ellie is remembering word for word what her teachers are saying.."that's not the case at all???" hahah!}

Riding Home from church last night Ellie says-
"I am going to try and not bite my fingernails until I die even when I am a really old grandmother"
{What makes her think of these things?? we have no idea, but it cracks us up}

I also captured one of Ellie's prayers word for word.
Ellie- "Dear God and Jesus help your angels come down for a minute and help the Hati people and they can have houses again, and take Hope's pain away so she can be okay again, and give Riley some more hair so she won't be very very sick anymore and thank you for letting you die on the cross for me..AMEN"
{Hope is a young girl who had a brain aneurysm and is trying to recover, she has gone from a healthy 13 yo lively girl to basically bed ridden and speechless. Her mom and I cheered in high school together and I was at the hospital when Hope was born. It breaks our hearts to know what has occurred in her life, but we still pray every single night for Hope. Riley is a 4 year old little girl who has been battling cancer. Our girls have a deep connection to her. Ellie prays for Riley all the time. Claire sold all of her stuffed animals to raise money for Riley's family. Riley is doing so much better and our girls think it is because God heard their prayers.}


I will capture Claire's prayer tonight. I have been meaning to do this. It is really priceless to hear your children pray. We don't tell them what to say, they pray independently and it is amazing how they remember certain people and prayers.

Imagination Emerging

So anyone who knows our family well, knows that Ellie is one with an active imagination..however, I think Jenna may give her a run for her money.

GETTING READY TO LEAVE:

Jenna- "Mommy, today I am going to be a cat, okay?"
Mommy- "Why do you want to be a cat Jenna?"
Jenna- "Because kidses like to be cats"
Mommy- "Okay, do you know what kind of cat you would like to be?"
Jenna- "I am a pink scrawberry (strawberry) cat like scrawberry milk so when you lick me I am good"
Mommy- "Jenna that sounds like a great cat to be, now I need you to go find your shoe so we can leave, okay?"
Jenna- "Cats don't wear shoes mommy, I am a strawberry cat today"
Mommy- "Cats are not allowed in my van or the YMCA to play!"
Jenna- "Then I am going to be a SHOECAT today, and they taste good too"
Mommy- LAUGHING!!


Last night reading the Bible with Ellie..

Ellie- "I know why the people couldn't build a tower to Heaven"
Mommy- "Why do you think they failed at building the tower all the way to God"
Ellie- "Because they were bragging to all their friends that they were the bestest and not telling them that God was the bestest and then a tower was going to fall down because God said so and what God says so is the right way"
Mommy- "Very good Ellie, what would you have told the people trying to build the tower to Heaven if you were there?"
Ellie- "I would tell them to not be a "bragger" because God says to not brag and you know what else mommy..I don't like these kinds of dresses they are wearing so I would probably not want to be that kind of dress."



Conversation between Ellie and Jenna:

Ellie- "Jenna I love your oh so cute style..for real"
Jenna- "me too Ellie, can you be a groovy girl doll and me too and we can play groovy girl dolls"
Ellie- "No because I am thinking that tonight I am sticking with a fairy"