Sweet Memories and Giggles

                                                            June 15, 1997: Sarah, our picky eater, was unsure about her vegetable soup, a new experience for her. "What is this?" "A green bean." "Take it out ... take this out, too ... take everything out!"

 

We went to Shoney's this morning and, as we were paying the bill, Sarah tried to get a balloon that was tied in a group of four to a rail. She untied them, and they all went to the ceiling. We laughed, and she said, "I don't like people laughing at me. I especially don't like my family laughing at me!"

 

June 18, 1997: Kathy was busy this morning when the phone rang, so she asked Caleb to answer it. He picked up the phone and said cheerfully, "Who are you?"

 

June 19, 1997: We were picking up a new kitten today at some friends', to go with our older two cats. The man said that the older two wouldn't like the kitty at first. Rebecca said, "No, Deborah (our 1-year old cat) will like her. She's always wanted a kitty."

 

June 27, 1997: Sarah was trying to tell me something this morning, but Benjamin was crying loudly. Frustrated, Sarah shouted, "How can we quiet him down?"

 

June 29, 1997: Rebecca just saw a spider, and asked Murray to get rid of it. Caleb said, "Get a bug spanker." (Flyswatter?)

 

Murray and the kids were looking at a cartoon in the paper with a grandfather looking down from Heaven. Sarah was wanting to look at the picture, and know all about it, and Murray said it was supposed to be the grandfather in Heaven, pointing out the heavenly clouds and the gates and the angels. Sarah looked and, getting to the thrust of the issue, asked, "Where's Jesus?"

 

June 29, 1997: Rebecca asked what a "step-sister" is, and Murray tried to explain. "Suppose I died and went to heaven. That would leave mommy with you kids. Then, suppose Mrs. X died. That would leave Mr. X with all those kids. Then, if mommy married Mr. X, all you kids and all those kids would be step-sisters and step-brothers." Caleb, voicing his true concern, asked, "Who would drive us to the wedding?"

 

July 3, 1997: This morning Caleb made an airplane out of Legos. He was telling me about it, and he said, "The pilot, SHE" did something, very naturally calling the pilot a "she.”

 

July 10, 1997: Benjamin was having a loud crying spell yesterday, and Sarah said in frustration, "I didn't know babies cried so much!" I said I didn't know it either, and she said, "Yes, you did, because I did. Did I?"

 

July 13, 1997: When Kathy said that we might take a trip sometime to the place in Kansas where Laura Engels Wilder lived, Sarah said, "My heart is full of joy, because every day I'm learning new surprises."

 

We were at Olan Mills, waiting to get our pictures taken today, when the three middle kids were playing in a play area. Rebecca, being Miss 911, said, with a chuckle, "Well, no, I don't take care of fires. I guess you can talk to my friend here," and Sarah spoke with that caller. Sarah got another call in a few minutes: "No, I don't take care of old people, I take care of fires. You can talk to the lady who does that. Here's my friend."

 

July 20, 1997: Tonight at supper, Rebecca asked Murray and me, "Why don't you both have the same color hair, since you're both from Missouri?"

 

Last night we had pizza and salad for supper, and Rebecca pointed out that Sarah got some "crew-cuts" from the salad bar -- you know those small, square, hard cracker-like things.

 

Ping-Hwei told me yesterday that when he was forty-five, he wanted to get married. He said he wanted to find a wife who loved Jesus, and he said, "Babba help me." Murray assured him he would.

 

We've read all the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and talked about how she really lived, and a few weeks ago, we went to visit her home and museum in Mansfield, Missouri. Sarah said yesterday, "You know how I know Laura was real? Because she had houses. And mostly because I saw the chair and desk where she wrote."