September peanuts

• Rachel: "Kids Workshop at Home Depot, chess lessons, and Lego Kids Fest? You have a full day with Melissa and Matthew." Isaac, playing at the computer, was paying more attention than we thought: "Day wi' Mafew, 'issa, an' Eyeash!" [Matthew, Melissa, and Isaac!]
• Me, teasing: "Melissa, why are you such a climbing monkey?" Melissa, seriously: "I don't know. I'm just clever that way."
• Matthew learned at school that not all Christians are Mormons.
• Corinna thinks shoes are foot jewelry. I guess for girls, that's reasonably accurate.
• Rachel: "Isaac! You have to take the lid off before you pee! ... No, now it's too late."
• Melissa has started taking books to the bathroom.
• Things I thought went without saying: "Matthew, don't put bookmarks in your food."
• Last night Matthew got most upset with me when he kept trying to ask me a question but I wouldn't even let him finish it. "I'm done, Matthew. I have no more energy for questions." He insisted it was urgent. And that it would save me money. But I got him to bed without hearing the question. Today he remembered this most urgent question. It was about ... hovercraft construction techniques.
• Parenting: when there's a layer of brown silt at the bottom of your daughter's bathwater, and you're glad because this time it's only chocolate.
• Matthew: "No offense, Dad, but you need to work on resisting Mom's chocolate chip cookies."
• New house. Melissa went from "this room is AWESOME" to "I need to get rid of this wallpaper" in under ten minutes.
• Rachel: "My knees are getting older. We played Ring Around the Rosie in nursery today; I don't like 'all fall down' anymore."
• Everyone thought Melissa was asleep. No. She was taking advantage of everyone else eating breakfast to get the first turn on the computer.
• Rachel didn't believe me when I told her that wrapping presents in newspaper is a family tradition. Then Christine Ellis came in this morning looking for newspaper and tape to wrap a present.
• Went to a concert at UT with Rachel, my mom, and Christine. Afterwards, a high school kid wearing a Boston T-shirt tried to explain to me why the atonal piece was awesome. I still don't get it but I enjoyed his enthusiasm.
• "How to get oil pastel out of carpet." Things my kids make me google.