End of the School Year

Here is an assortment of pictures and quotations from our last few months living in Little Rock:

Sisters walking in Lolo and Lola's back yard

One morning, as Michael was on his way to work at 6:45 AM, he heard the girls awake. Michael: "Do you want some breakfast?"
Bella: "No, I'm going to learn how to read first. Gabi is teaching me."
6-year-old Gabi was indeed trying to teach her 3-year-old sister how to read... just after sunrise.

Gabi put on her red Chinese house slippers after bathtime.
Gabi: "I like wearing my 拖鞋 (tuōxié)."
Michael: *blink blink* "Wait, what?"
Gabi: "拖鞋. It's Chinese for slippers."
Michael: "I see..."
Gabi: "Yeah, they're 紅 (hóng sè). That means red."

Michael: "Do you know why it's called a minivan?"
Gabi: "It's because there's so mini seats inside."
Michael: *blink blink* "Wow, that's exactly what I was going to say."
Gabi: "Not mini like they're small, but mini like there are lots of seats."
Me: "Yeah, exactly what I was going to say. That's scary."

Little Rock cousins!

Sweet Bella:
"Daddy, I love you every day. Oh! And night time, too!"

"Mommy, you are the BEST mommy EVER!"

Bella: "Mommy, I have a thing to tell you, and it won't take long: 'I love you!'"
Mommy: "Oh, I love you too, Bella!"
Bella: "Hee hee!... Daddy! I have a thing to tell you, and it won't take long!"
Me: "Yeah? What is it?"
Bella: "Um, it's 'I love you!' Ready?... I love you!"
Me: "I love you too, sweet girl!"
Bella: "Mommy! I have a thing to tell you, and it won't take long!"
Mommy: "Oh yeah?"
Bella: "The peas on my plate look like a snowman."

Swim lessons

Excerpts from Bella's bedtime prayers:
"Dear God, have a good time and eat a yummy lunch!"
"Dear God, please save Mommy and Daddy [from bad dreams]."
"Dear God, Thank you for letting me sleep in the bathtub. This is fun. The tornado's coming, so be safe. Hurry up, God!"

Bella: "Dear God, thank you for making me." // Gabi: "Dear God, thank you for the time I had to hide Easter eggs for Bella." // Bella: "Dear God, I have one more thing to say: Thank you for making Gabi."

Gabi: "What does it mean if you 'make a lot of dough'?"
Melissa: "Well, dough is what you bake into bread, but sometimes people say 'dough' to mean money."
Gabi: "You make money out of the dough?"

Bella: "Katarina is in the tub. She's naked... like the numbers."
Michael: "Wait, what?"
Bella: "The nakedive numbers."

Gabi: "There's not a last number. There's not a first number, either, because of all the negative numbers. I just pick one to start with... usually zero or one."
Bella: "Can you start with negative three?"
Gabi: "-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!"

Disney on Ice

Evidence that Lolo spoils his granddaughters:
Kati (who has very few words) points to chocolate cake and says, "Lolo!"

Michael was explaining to Gabi that a "treat" isn't always something to eat.
Michael: "It's a treat that Daddy comes home from work every day!"
Gabi (rolling her eyes): "You don't come home from work every day, Daddy."

Gabi: "If you get sick, you go to the hospital to get treated. Not all treats are nice."

The Wonder Place

Every Thursday night for the past school year, the girls' favorite babysitter, Katie, came over to watch the girls while Michael and I took Irish dance lessons. We performed a two-hand reel at Riverfest over Memorial Day weekend.
Bella says: "They don't do it very well."



Bella: "Is it dessert night?"
Melissa: "No, but it's Thursday. It's Katie night."
Bella: "Yay! ... But when is it Lolo night?"
Gabi: "Yeah, because we always get dessert on Lolo night, too."

Another night... Bella: "Tomorrow morning is dessert night!"

Riverfest

Sausage pizza for dinner. Gabi: "Why did they put an 'S' on the box?"
Melissa: "What do you think S stands for?"
Gabi (smirking): "Um... Sssspepperoni!"

Michael was complaining to the car next to him that they should learn to drive better. Gabi: "Daddy, they can't hear you, you know. If you want to talk to them, you should use your horn."

Non-sequitur of the day-- Michael: "Do you want a little rice?"
Bella: "Yeah, but it would have to be great or small."
Michael *blink blink*: "...um, great or small? Like... the odds?"
Bella: "Yeah! Hey, I can sing the Victory March!" And she did.

While Michael and I are in a serious discussion, Bella suddenly announces, "I know what it's called when someone else is talking and you start talking. It's called 'interrupting.' My teacher told me what interrupting is. She's so smart!"
Michael: "I'm amused that she gets the concept of what 'interrupting' is, but doesn't yet know she shouldn't be-"
Bella: "Ms. Laura says we're not supposed to interrupt because it's not nice!"

Gabi was point guard at basketball camp.

Gabi: "The middle school goes to recess at the same playground that we use."
Bella: "Don't get ate!"
Gabi: "...um, the middle school doesn't eat you."
Bella: "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about..." (whispering) "dinosaurs!"
Gabi: "...um, there're no dinosaurs on the playground."

Gabi: "Daddy, I miss you."
Michael: "What? I've been playing with you all day."
Gabi: "Yeah, but I didn't get to hold your hand much. It makes my heart feel happy when I hold your hand."

Another day, Gabi asked Daddy to read her shirt. Michael (reading): "I need a hug." Gabi smiled and opened her arms wide.

Gabi: "I think I'm bleeding."
Melissa: "It's okay sweetheart. Daddy sees lots of blood every day. He takes care of hearts. Do you know what's in your heart?"
Bella (raising her hand): "I do! It's Jesus!"

Bella: "God has the whole world in his hands, but he also lives in our hearts."

Dalia and Zaina's birthday party

Bella: "When are we going to Georgia?"
Michael: "I wasn't planning to go to Georgia."
Bella: "Well, I have a plan!"
Michael: "Really? What's your plan?"
Bella: "I'm going to draw a house in Georgia, and Gabi will draw a plane going there. That's how we'll get there."