Sunday Afternoon Video

I posted a video below, but don't look at the name of the video--we are definitely not on vacation at home. It's the only way I've figured out to get the videos from YouTube onto the little filmstrip to the right. And even then I can't always get them to show up.

The video isn't very funny in an obvious way, but I love how it captures parts of our life: trying to work out fights between Mason and Katie, Andrew opportunistically heading to his favorite watering hole once he recognizes a distracted parent and an open door, and my loud voice showing up right in the middle of things. So try to ignore my voice and check out Andrew's sweet dance moves to "The Wheels on the Bus" (his absolute favorite)--which didn't last long once he realized he was missing a dance partner.

QuinnFam Vacation at home

Taking the Fun out of the Funnies

I'm not sure if you can see this comic, but the small little coolers have the words "hearts", "kidneys", "livers", and "tonsils" written on them. Now imagine yourselves trying to explain this to a four and six year old. "What's a black market?" "Why is the market black?" "How can you donate organs?" "Why are they called organs" "What does a kidney do" "What does a liver do" "Why wouldn't you want tonsils?" After about five minutes, I told them I was done trying to help them understand why it was funny. Because even if it had been a little humorous to begin with, it definitely was no longer funny. They have really taken to reading the comics (well Mason reads, and Katie adds the laugh track). When is the last time you saw someone laugh at Garfield? Has Snoopy EVER been funny? At least Mason is smart enough to avoid Doonesbury. But they laugh through the whole thing. But they also laugh every time they hear the word "underpants", so they definitely aren't a hard sell.

Katie the Dyslexic Graffiti Girl

Katie decided to write her name on her bed this morning when she got bored and happened to have a roll of masking tape handy (generally a bad combination).

Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Bathroom Ghost

Mason mentioned to me the other day that he'd been noticing that the toilets weren't being flushed by "someone" (I think he had a sneaking suspicion of who that "someone" was). When confronted with the accusation, Katie quickly spilled her guts. The cause for these unflushed commodes? Scooby Doo. The sound of the flushing reminded her too much of some of the monsters on Scooby Doo, so she had opted for a "pee and flee" routine to keep from having to face the demons that lurk deep in the roaring waters of the toilet. She's become a little braver ever since I told her she'd be banned from the whole Mystery Inc. gang if she didn't flush.

Conversing with Katie

Katie has come up with two catch phrases lately that pepper all conversations with her. They are especially prevalent when she's telling you a story. The two phrases are "And then guess what!", which is followed by the revealing phrase "And then, Voila!" (that's the French word, not the instrument...which would make no sense at all). You can count on at least 4-5 breaks of "and then guess what's" during a given story, and a very dramatic ending following every "Voila!". And if you are currently imagining having a such conversation with her and hearing those phrases, make sure to turn the volume up in your mind, because these are generally very enthusiastic stories.

When it comes to praying, Katie is always having a good time. For example, "Please help us have a good time eating" or "please help us have a good time getting ready for bed." And we're pretty strong, since she consistently prays that we can have "strengthness." All prayers are followed with an honest assessment of her ability (or lack thereof) of keeping her eyes closed the whole time. She's much more self-aware than self-disciplined...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Caught in the Act

Mason used to love to sneak out to play in the car whenever he had a chance--and Andrew is just like him. There are few places that hold as much joy for Andrew as the drivers seat.