The Best Part of the New Minions Movie

Recently, MoMo took the Bear Crew to Mall of America for an afternoon that included the ferris wheel and the new Minions Movie. The kids reported that the movie was "awesome" with only a "few scary parts."

Aside from the fact that my kids can now spy Bob, Kevin or Stuart from over a half mile away, or that they constantly shout out "Banana!" every time they see something yellow, my favorite ramification of the movie viewing comes from the fact that the Minions apparently refer to each other as "Buddies."  This consequence has particularly reverberated in J-Bear's vocabulary, and she has adopted the word to refer to her siblings collectively as a group.  Now, on any given day in our house you may here:

"Hey, Buddies!"

"Buddies, where are you?"

"Mommy, where Buddies? I no find them."

"Buddies, come wook!"

"Buddies, time eaaaaat!"

"Buddies, wha you doING?"

"Mommy, when I wake-up, I say, 'wake up buddies'?"

This new habit is an adorable replacement for the classic Midwestern "hey guys" or the quintessentially Southern "hi y'all!"  I am hoping it will stick around for quite some time.  On the other hand, amidst all the "Buddies," "Bananas," and general hullabaloo of our life, I can't help but occasionally feel like I'm actually living inside a Minions movie.  Does that make me the Despicable boss?

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Heard Around the House This Week: Vacation Edition

"Better than Disney World."

~E-Bear, rating his opinion of our summer vacation in Hilton Head and Indiana

"Are there roller coasters in Disney World?  Then, I like them the same."

~Buddy Bear, rating his opinion of our summer vacation in Hilton Head and Indiana

"Mommy, I get out bed, want come see you."

~J-Bear, explaining to me why she crawled out of her crib for the first time while on vacation.

"Mom, do you know what I am wishing for?  A day when you and I get to spend the day together, just the two of us.  A Mom's Day out.  Could I make a list of the things I would like to do together?"

~G-Bear, making my day at the end of vacation.

Heard around the house this week: New Brother Edition

"Baby my, don you ky, baby my, don you ky.

Okay, baby, it okay, baby."

~J-Bear, singing her bedtime song to her brother 

when he is upset during his diaper changes

~~~~

Overheard while passing the (stinky) local cigar store during an grocery run with Dad:

"If someone gave me a box of cigars for a present, I would say 'thank you'

and then throw time in the trash."

~E-Bear

~~~~

G-Bear: "Oh, he is so cute!  I love it when his eyes are open!  

J-Bear, come here, Baby's eyes are open!"

J-Bear: "Eye?  Eye?  Oh, see!  Eye!"

~~~~

Overheard during family play time:

"J-Bear, do you want to play Duplos?  Okay, c'mon!"

~E-Bear, who is up for Biggest Brother of the Year Award

~~~~

"Can I hold Baby?"

"Can I give Baby a kiss?"

"Oh, he is so cute, he is just like a little baby Moses!"

"Oh, don't cry, you're okay."

~Buddy Bear, a most affectionate older brother

~~~~

"Baby nee banket.  I give baby blanket."

~J-Bear, a very helpful older sister

~~~~

E-Bear: "Mom, can I hold baby for you so that you can make dinner?"

Me:  "Sure, E-Bear.  But, he is a little fussy right now.  Will it bother you if he cries?"

E-Bear:  "No, it won't bother me.  I just worry about him and what he needs when he cries.  

It isn't that the crying bothers ME."

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Moments of Affirmation

Motherhood is not easy.  Moments like these give me hope.

"Mommy, I love you.  

I am going to pray to Jesus.  

Jesus, please come into my heart and make me more like you."  

~Buddy Bear

"Mom, today at school I was supposed to think of someone who is alive that I think is like a saint.  

Do you know who I said?  I said you." 

 ~E-Bear

"Mommy, I love you so so so so so so so so so much. xoxoxoxoxoxo"  

~G-Bear's note to me after practicing her spelling

"Three cheers for Jesus!  

Hip, hip, HOORAY!  Hip, hip, HOORAY!  Hip, hip, HOORAY!"  

~Buddy Bear 

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Overheard in the House, October 2014

Buddy Bear: "Daddy, can we watch a movie?
T: "You know we don't watch movies on Sunday mornings, Buddy Bear."
Buddy Bear: "Daddy, daddy, just for PRACTICE."


Overheard on the hike to the top of Morrow Rock, which overlooks the Sequoia National Park:
"Daddy, this is better than the scariest ride in DisneyLand."
~E-Bear


"I am so hot I feel like a chicken nugget on a griddle."
~G-Bear, asking us to turn on the A/C during a long car ride.

Overheard on the hiking trail:
Buddy Bear: "Mommy, I wish I were a worm"
Me: "Why do you want to be a worm?"
Buddy Bear: "So I can crawl into that tiny hole."
Pause
Buddy Bear: "Actually, Mommy, I want to be a giant bear."
Me: "Why do you want to be a giant bear?"
Buddy Bear: "So that I can run down this mountain path really fast."
Pause
Buddy Bear: "Actually, Mommy, I want to be a golden knight."
Me:  "Why do you want to be a golden knight?"
Buddy Bear: "So I can have the golden treasure!"


J-Bear:  "Mooooooooooooaaaaaahhhhhh!"
Me: "J-Bear, if you would like more, you need to say please."
J-Bear, grinning and showing her big, white teeth: "EEEeeeeeeeeee?"


Overheard during Ranger Story Hour at the majestic Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite National Park:
Ranger storyteller: "Now, who knows what you should do if you see a bear?"
Ecologist Child #1: "Make yourself look really big to frighten it away!"
Future-ranger Child #2: "Bang pots and pans and yell to scare it away!"
Buddy Bear: "SHOOT IT!"


Overheard at the breakfast table the morning after returning from California:
Me: "G-Bear, what is wrong, sweetie?"
G-Bear: "I feel like I am going to cry, I miss my cousins so much."
Me: "Me too, sweetie, me too."


Overheard when T invited Buddy Bear to go with him to cover the last football game of the season:
Me: "Buddy Bear, you can only go with Daddy if you promise to be very obedient and follow all of his instructions."
Buddy Bear: "Okay, okay, don't worry, Mommy, I am INSTRUCTION MAN!"


Happily Ever,
Queen B

Overheard in the house

"Mommy, mommy, feel this!  It is SOOO SOFT!"

~Buddy Bear showing me a big handful of sand on the beach at Hilton Head

G-Bear:  "Daddy?  What is a date?"

T: "What do you think a date is?"

G-Bear:  "I think it is when people go to different places and text each other."

"I have my golf ball, I have my root beer.  

Daddy, I have everything I need.  Except maybe a golf stick." 

~Buddy Bear, behind T on the bike after a fun day in Hilton Head

T: "Which do you like better, Hilton Head or Disney World?"

E-Bear: "I like Hilton Head better, because there is a pool."

T: "There is a pool in Disney World too."

E-Bear: "Oh, yeah.  Then I like Disney World better.  Actually, I like them both."

Me: "What was your favorite part of today?"

G-Bear: "My favorite part of today was sitting next to you on the trolly, Mommy."

T: "E-Bear, what is your favorite drink?"

E-Bear: "Root beer, because it is a candy drink."

Happily Ever, 
Queen B

Heard Around the House, June 2014

E-Bear, after a playdate with a friend who is an only child:

"Mommy, I think I know why God made friends.  If someone is born and it is just them,

a friend can come and they will have someone to play with."

Buddy Bear, looking out the window on a long car ride:

*Sigh* "Mommy, sometimes I just like to look at the clouds."

J-Bear, ready for an early bedtime and waving to everyone as she's carried upstairs:

"Bahhhh!"

E-Bear, praying with T at bedtime:

"I am thankful that Buddy Bear is old enough to play play mobile with me."

G-Bear, whispering to T. 

They were admiring their newly planted grass along our boulevard, when a passerby walked off the sidewalk and trampled right over the grass in front of G-Bear:

"Daddy, that person just walked over the baby grass!"

T:

"I know, G-Bear.  But it is more important to be kind to others than to have nice grass."

Best wishes for Friday the 13th

We are not superstitious.  I honestly didn't know that yesterday was Friday the 13th until dinner time.

But, if we were superstitious, T may have stayed home from work yesterday.  As he headed out the door, little Buddy Bear met him on the stairs and gave him a cheerful hug good-bye:

"Bye, Daddy!  Have a good day!  Don't get killed!"

"How's that for a Friday the 13th greeting?"  T asked at work.

Thankfully, our day was quite uneventful :)

Overheard in the house, January 2014

Overheard in the kitchen....

Me: "Buddy Bear, you can only play downstairs if you are ready to

cooperate with your brother and sister and follow the rules."

Buddy Bear: "Okay, Mommy.  I promise.  I cooperating."

Overheard at the grocery store between T and E-Bear......

T (putting another delicious item in the shopping cart): 

"Oh, E-Bear, we are getting a lot of extra food that isn't on Mom's grocery list.

We are going to be in trouble with Mom when we get home."

E-Bear:

"Don't worry, Dad.  Mommy doesn't have a weapon."

Overhead in the car.....

Buddy Bear:

"Mommy, Daddy, sing! Sing with the music! It's more funner!"

Overheard in the playroom.....

Me:

"Bye, E-Bear, Miss Katie is here and I'm leaving now.  I will see you soon."

E-Bear:

"Okay.  Ta-ta!"

Overheard after school......

Me:

"G-Bear, how did school go today?"

G-Bear:

"It was sort of good.  I had a runny nose and my eyes watered a few times."

Me:

"Did you use the tissues that I put in your backpack?"

G-Bear:

"No, I used Mrs. T's instead.  The tissues you gave me are actually E-Bear's,

and I want to be sure that he gets to use them."

Overheard in the garage....

Buddy Bear:

"Mommy?  You help me into my carseat?"

Me:

"Sure, Buddy Bear, I will help you into your seat."

Buddy Bear:

"You such a nice Mommy.  I love you so much."

Me:

"Thanks, Buddy Bear, I love you too."

Buddy Bear:

"But, say, I such a nice Buddy Bear!"

Overheard in the kitchen.....

E-Bear (hungry and ready for dinner):

"Mommy, is there anything I can help you with?"

Overheard in the house this week....

Overheard in the kitchen over the weekend.....

T:  "Hmmm, there is a new IMax movie about bioluminescence.  That sounds cool."

G-Bear: "What does that mean?"

T: "It's a show about bugs and animals and plants that glow.  Can you name an animal or bug that glows in the dark?"

G-Bear:  "A firefly!"

T: "Right!  Or, a glow worm."

Buddy Bear:  "Or a pteranodon."

A brother's love

Yesterday, while driving home from dropping off E-Bear at school, the following conversation occurred......

Buddy Bear, looking out the window and pouting:

"My MAD."

Me:

"Buddy Bear, why are you mad?"

Buddy Bear:

"My mad because E-Bear go to school."

Me:

"Buddy Bear, why does that make you mad?"

Buddy Bear:

"Because my love E-Bear."

A favorite quote for today...

E-Bear: "I am ready for Nana to go home.  She is taking too many of our leaves."

(Super Nana gets no credit for raking and packing our whole yard of leaves yesterday!!)

Buddy Bear: "Mommy, mommy, knock-knock!"

Me:  "No more knock-knock jokes, Buddy Bear.  But you can tell Papa a joke when you see him."

Buddy Bear:  "Ohhhh, that a good idea.  My tell PAPA a knock-knock joke.  Gweat idea Mommy!"

E-Bear: "Papa, do you want to play soccer with me?  When we play together, you are going to be impressed, because I have some really good moves."

A peek into my day... with this precious crew. 

n.b. Thanks to the Simple Woman's Daybook for the Daybook inspiration

My little medic

Buddy Bear was the first to succumb to the fever this past weekend.  

He was a real trooper and recovered quickly with the help a little Tylenol and a lot of TLC.

By the time G-Bear, the next in line, was feeling feverish, 

Buddy Bear was making a full recovery.

Upon finding G-Bear snuggled under a blanket on the couch, Buddy Bear made his assessment.

"Mommy," he said, coming to find me,

"G-Bear needs med-sin."

Buddy Bear was right.  I headed right upstairs to get the medicine for G-Bear.

G-Bear is blessed to have such a thoughtful little brother looking out for her!

By sticking together, we'll all be on the mend soon.

For the birds

Tonight at dinner, Buddy Bear decided he didn't like his cheese quesadilla.

His solution was quite inventive.

He spat out his bite of tortilla onto his spoon and offered it up in the air:

"Hey, birdie!  Eat this!  Eat this, birdie!"

While none of our feathered friends took Buddy Bear up on his offer, 

I am sure they appreciated the sentiment.  

I, on the other hand, was trying desperately not to laugh.

Laundry time?

Anonymous: "Mommy my underpants are SUPER dirty."

Me: "Hmmmm, how do you know that, sweetie?"

Anonymous: "Because I looked in my underpants, and there is lots of brown."

Me: *silent deliberation*

Anonymous: "You'll need to use stain-stick."

Overheard in the house this week, Postpartum Edition

With the arrival of J-Bear, you never know what you'll overhear in our house!

Here are a few of my favorite excerpts.

"Gee, Baby Pah!"

~Buddy Bear, our connoisseur of pacis, offering to give Baby J her pacifier. 

"My favorite thing to do is hold Baby J."

~G-Bear

"My taco tastebuds have DEFINITELY grown in!"

~E-Bear, who has enjoyed the meals prepared for us by T during the past few weeks.

"Nana, do you want to see ANOTHER kid??!"

~G-Bear, welcoming Nana to our home

 for her visit to meet Baby J.

"I love lasagne.  

Nana said you get your lasagne taste buds when you get your taco taste buds."

~E-Bear, who has enjoyed the meals prepared for us by friends during the past few weeks.

"I see?  I see baby?  I see baby, peeeeeees?"

~Buddy Bear, asking to see and hold his little sister.

"Nana, when we have another kid, you'll have to drive in your own car."

~E-Bear, noticing that the number of available seats in our minivan is decreasing :)

Overheard in the house, January 2013 Edition

Overheard in the kitchen, after the bechemel sauce has boiled over onto the stove, as Queen B is about to loose it:

E-Bear: "Mom, are you feeling mad?  Remember what you are supposed to do:

(musical tune from "Daniel Tiger") 'When you feel so mad that you want to ROAR,

take a deep breath,' AHHH, HAAAAA, 'and count to four.'

Overheard in Buddy Bear's room as G-Bear and E-Bear go to wake him up:

Buddy Bear:  "Hi!!"

G-Bear: "Good morning, Buddy Bear.  How did you sleep?"

Buddy Bear: "Geee." (Good.)

E-Bear: "Do you want a book?"

Buddy Bear: "SSSSSSssss." (Yes.)

G-Bear: "Which one do you want?"

Buddy Bear: "Toot Toooooooot!"

G-Bear: "Your Thomas book?  Okay, here it is!"

Overheard in the kitchen as Buddy Bear comes in from the living room:

Buddy Bear:  "MaMA!"

Me: "Yes, Buddy Bear?"

Buddy Bear, tugging at my arm: "MaMa, Uh-oh."

Me: "Oh, dear.  You better show me what happened."


Overheard in the car, commenting on the color of our house:
E-Bear: "Dad, I like green houses.  I don't like skin-colored houses."


Overheard at the dinner table while sharing riddles with Auntie K (who is expecting twins):
Auntie K: "I have a riddle for you.  What has four hands, four feet, and is very, very full."
G-Bear:  "A cow?"
Auntie K (glancing at her belly):  "No, but good guess."


Overheard in the bathroom at bedtime:
Buddy Bear, running into the bathroom:  "MaMa!  Elmo!"
Me: "Okay, Buddy Bear, here is your Elmo toothbrush."
Buddy Bear, jumping up and down and reaching for the toothpaste drawer:  "MaMa!  Too TOO!"
Me, smiling:  "Okay, Buddy, here is your Thomas toothpaste."

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Size doesn't always matter, but relationships always do

We are pretty settled into our new house.  We feel so fortunate to live where we do, with lots of extra space to run around, play and be together.

Today as we were going out together, T asked G-Bear and E-Bear, 

"How do you like our new house, you guys?"

E-Bear replied,

"I liked our blue house better, where we could go and visit Mr. Gary every afternoon."

Now, we certainly are blessed here in Minnesota with MoMo, Papa, GG, Uncle Charlie, Aunty Cindy and many other dear family members nearby.  We often highlight those blessings together as we adore our new surroundings.  I thought it was sweet, though, that to E-Bear, the most meaningful part of "home" is the relationships, not the extra space.

Sweet North Carolina friends, you are greatly missed by our Minnesota crew.

Overheard in the house this week: September 2012

"Mom, I am going to be a farmer when I grow up.  And I am going to grow LOTS of food for people who don't have any food.  And I am going to grow LOTS of food for our family too."

~E-Bear (wearing his John Deer foam State Fair hat)

~~~

"We're going to play with soccer balls, soccer balls, soccer balls,

how about you, you, you,

you can come too, too, too, 

we're going to play with soccer balls, soccer balls, soccer balls.....

......

I had a little soccer ball,

I made it out of clay,

and when it's dry and ready,

my soccer ball I will play,

oh, soccer ball soccer ball soccer ball......

......

Time for soccer,

time for soccer,

yes it is, yes it is,

time to play soccer time to play soccer,

yes it is, yes it is....."

~G-Bear, in the car on the way to her first soccer team game,

singing along to all the Raffi songs and making up new words of her own

~~~

Me: "Buddy Bear, what does a LION say?"

Buddy Bear (whispering with mouth wide open):  "Raaaaaaaarh!"

Me: "What does a MONKEY say?"

Buddy Bear (again, mouth wide open): "Ah ah ah ah!"

Two Words

Buddy Bear knows a lot of words.

Unfortunately, he can only speak two of them: "Tickle" and "Hi."

Is there any wonder he's frustrated with me when I don't understand what he's saying?