“… And guess what else, Grammy! They have ice cream at Chik-Fil-A!”
– Emily, all excited to be in the car on the way to her favorite restaurant

“They do! Is that a hint?”
– Grammy. There was a brief silence, suddenly followed by a very enthusiastic

“YES!”
– Amanda

“That turtle sure is gone.”
– Emily, looking in the back yard for the turtle we saw before church

“Are you sure? Turtles don’t move very fast, so he might be around here somewhere.”
– Daddy

“Well, if you see a rock with orange spots on it… it’s the turtle!”
– Emily

“Mama, after I hold on, can I have a blueberry please?”
– Emily, watching Mama make blueberry pancakes

“Hold on.”
– Mama, in the middle of pouring batter into the pan… who suddenly realized what Emily said… and how often I must say that…

“Amanda, what’s it doing outside?”
– Daddy, admiring a terrific thunderstorm through the office window

“It’s kabooming!”
– Amanda, admiring the accompanying sound effects

“Guess what?”
– Mama to Amanda, cuddling before naptime

“What?”
– Amanda, who knows how to play this game

“I love you!”
– Mama, making Amanda smile

“Guess what?”
– Amanda to Mama, continuing the game

“What?”
– Mama

“Jesus love me too!”
– Amanda, quite pleased

“Emily did a good job in school today.”
– Mama, to Grammy

“Is that so! Are you a smart kid?”
– Grammy, to Emily

“Yes, I know everything.”
– Emily, with great confidence and satisfaction

“Jesus be OK, Mama.”
– Amanda, patting Mama’s arm, seeing the serious look on Mama’s face after reading the Bible story where Jesus is betrayed and arrested.

“Cuddle me now!”
– Amanda, insisting

“It wouldn’t kill you to say please, young lady!”
– Mama, correcting

“Please young lady.”
– Amanda, “obeying”

“It’s about time you learned to tie your shoes for yourself.”
– Grammy, to Emily, as we were getting ready to leave the house

“Maybe when I’m about your age I’ll tie my own shoes, but not when I’m 4.”
– Emily, to Grammy, very matter-of-factly

“Well, today is Tuesday. What day comes after today?”
– Grammy, trying to tell Emily when the upcoming 4th of July holiday would be

“Grammy, we do that stuff at school time!”
– Emily, who knew the answer, but didn’t want to “perform”

“That’s OK. You’re allowed to think all day.”
– Grammy, who said similar things to Mama when she was little