Thirsty.

Dadam: Come on, Ruby, we've got to find out who's getting eliminated on Dancing with the Stars.

Ruby [very interested]: Who's got lemonade?

Race Day

Saturday morning we woke up early for the race only to see it SNOWING outside. Gotta love Minnesota.

Here are some pictures from the race -- All of us before the start, Cici and Mommy during the race, and then nearing the finish line. Cecilia did a great job and we finished the 1.25 mile course in 17 minutes, only stopping a couple of times to walk. She especially liked when the spectators put out their hands for a high-five, and I think her little 5-year old legs did a terrific job!

Dadam did his 5K in 28 minutes, so it was a great day for everyone! (Except maybe Ruby and Grandma, who froze their butts off...)

Friday Night Adventures

Friday night we went to the park to pick up our race bags and stopped at the restaurant next door to get some dinner. The specialty is fish and we ordered calamari for the girls to try out. Ruby inhaled it like it was candy, and Cici ate her fair share, too. Here they are on Friday -- Cici holding her race bib and Ruby with a tentacle hanging out of her mouth (if you look close you can even see the little suckers still on there!). YUM!

Drastic Measures.

[Cici is eating a piece of cake after dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house; Ruby has already finished hers.]

Ruby: Cici, come downstairs and play with me.

Cici: Ruby, I'm still eating my cake.

Ruby: Cici, come downstairs and play with me!

Cici: Ruby, I'm still eating my cake! I'll come down when I'm done!

[Ruby leans over AND SPITS ON CICI'S CAKE.]

Ruby: Now you're done.

Random quotes.

"I'm supposed to be having a happy life, and I don't feel like I am." (Cici, after being informed she could not go to the park on account of it being almost 8:30 and dark.)

"I can say the dammit word now, because I'm a big kid." (Ruby.)

Busted.

"Mom! When I pick a booger out of my nose, I give it to Daddy, and he throws it on the floor."

You LIED To Me!

A sequel to last week's "But I told the TRUTH!" post. Ruby has a new favorite phrase; guess what it is?

Ruby: Daddy, can I have a treat?

Dadam: No, honey, dinner's in five minutes.

Ruby: You LIED to me!

Training

Cecilia and Momlissa will be running in a 2K next Saturday, and Cici is getting both nervous and excited about it. She's nervous because she wants to win (we've tried to warn her that this is extremely unlikely), and excited for obvious reasons. Over the weekend she ran a practice run with Dadam, and together they did the whole distance while only stopping to rest a few times. I think she's going to do a great job come Race Day.

Yesterday she asked if I would go running with her in the afternoon, but I desperately needed to do some laundry and other miscellaneous cleaning in the basement. Since we have a treadmill down there, she asked if maybe she could run on the treadmill instead. Normally she's not allowed to use the treadmill because she's too little and it's not safe, but I gave in and stood nearby while she ran for a few minutes. She didn't love it and the run only lasted a very short while, but I did manage to snap a few pictures of my runner in-the-making. Between her runs with her parents and swim class each week, it's only a matter of time before she's kicking ass in the Olympics. I'm just sayin'...

Roots.

Ruby [half singing]: A Mexican, a Mexican, a Mexican.

Dadam: What do you mean, a Mexican?

Ruby: Alvin and the Chipmunks is a Mexican.

Dadam: Alvin and the Chipmunks are Mexican?

Momlissa: Cici, do you know what a Mexican is?

Cici [without hesitation]: French people.

Political Incorrectness.

Some of you may remember that a while back we had some problems with Ruby referring to aliens as "Indians," thanks to one of her grandmothers who again shall remain nameless (Judy) having let her watch an old Dean Martin western spoof. I wouldn't have thought there was much that could be more mortifying than being out in a public place and having your child start shouting, "Help, help, the Indian is going to eat me!" . . .

. . . but apparently there is. Last night Cici started swim class at a local high school, and while Ruby and I were waiting for her to come out of the locker room afterwards, an East African student wearing a headscarf came walking up the hallway towards us. Ruby took one look and started shouting, "Help, help, a witch, a witch!"

Lord help us. . . .

Maybe this is why we have problems with sassiness...?

Just thought I'd add a picture since we've been light on the photos lately.

(Seriously -- it's just sparkling apple juice.)
(Or is it?)
(Yes, it is.)
(Maybe.)

But I Told The TRUTH!

Ruby's new Get-Anything-You-Want card to play is But I told the TRUTH!

Examples:

Ruby: Dad, can I have a sucker?

Dadam: No, Ruby. Supper is in one minute.

Ruby: But I told the truth!

Or . . .

Dadam: Ruby, can you put your colors away like we asked you to yesterday?

Ruby: I don't want to.

Dadam: I don't care if you want to, I told you to.

Ruby: But Daddy . . . but Daddy - I told the TRUTH!

Catching Up Fast.

Cici [yelling from upstairs]: Dad! How do you spell 'junior'?

Dadam: 'J-U-N-I-O-R'!

Cici: Okay!

Ruby [yelling from upstairs]: And how do you spell 'Alligators go underwater'?

"Does Somebody Have a Key?"

Yesterday we went to see a special exhibit at our local floral conservatory and zoo, and while we were there we noticed they're working on a new special kids' room with play equipment and large plastic animals on display.

Or, rather, Ruby noticed it - while we were standing around in the corridor, she went over to the (locked) door and started frantically trying to open it. When she found that she couldn't, she turned to the crowds of passing folks and yelled out to no one in particular, "Hey, does somebody have a key?"

Bashful girl!

Bloober.

Last night as a treat the girls got to watch Enchanted on DVD. The bonus features included a blooper reel, and most of you know how much Momlissa likes bloopers, so of course that's what we watched first. When it was done, Ruby turned to Mommy and said, "Is bloober over?"

It Couldn't Last Forever.

You remember how a couple months ago we were bragging about how Cecilia had never even heard of Hannah Montana? Well, now, thanks to one of their grandmothers who shall remain nameless (JUDY), Cici has been indoctrinated into the cult of the preteen phenom/scourge. We have yet to get any requests for $300 concert tickets, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Additionally, the girls are now both obsessed with the hideous recent movie version of Alvin and the Chipmunks. So much so, that Cici just composed a thank-you note for the video store. It reads:

ALVIN
and the
ChiPmunks
its a great Movie
it is awesome
it is funny
it is so great.

I'm sure somewhere up there David Seville is smiling. . . .

A Matter Of Simple Logistics.

Earlier this weekend Cici said thoughtfully to Momlissa, "I wish that everyone who lives here would move to Wisconsin."

She thought a little bit, then added, "Either that, or Grandma and Grandpa K---- would move to Minnesota."

Pickle Who?

The girls are watching PBS Kids' Super Why! right now, and the storyline involves Little Red Riding Hood having upset Peter Piper by eating one of his pickled peppers.

Ruby summarized the conflict for me by saying, "Red Riding Hood ate something . . . and Pickle Pecker was mad."

Ten Years From Now

This morning Ruby did NOT want to get up. Her grandma and grandpa babysat last night, so the girls ate way too much sugar and stayed up way too late. In fact, when we walked in the door last night the first thing Ruby said was, "We drank soda!" Nice job, Grandma.

Anyway, when I went in to wake the girls this morning they were not excited to greet the day. After much nudging and speaking-softly on my part, Ruby finally lifted her head and hollered at me, "Stop waking us up, Mommy!"

Can you imagine what she'll be like as a teenager?!

Deep in Conversation

Ruby and Lindsay, deep in conversation while on a walk a few weeks ago. I can only imagine what these two were talking about...