“This certainly is going to be an adventure… learning to do things with my new arms… new arms that don’t work very well…”
– Emily, talking with Daddy about her two broken forearms, splint-wrapped from wrist to bicep until she gets her forearms casts in five days.

“Mama, I believe this belongs to you!”
– Emily, suddenly wrapping her arms around her mama in a big hug

“Amanda? Who is that up there at the end of the toy soldiers?”
– Daddy, pointing to a lawn display of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus (in her traditional red hooded cape.)

“Santa Claus!”
– Amanda

“And who else?”
– Daddy

“… Little Red Riding Hood?”
– Amanda

“Grampy! I have a toy dog! She’s Lady the Tramp!”
— Emily, referring of course, to her model of Lady from “Lady AND the Tramp!”

Studying Proverbs 10 with the girls…

“Verse 17 says ‘He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.’ So, what path should we be on?”
– Daddy

“On the path of life!”
– Emily

“Yeah! Not on the path of stray.”
– Amanda

“Daddy, I like counting backwards.”
– Amanda

“Really? Where do you start?”
– Daddy

“At 100!”
– Amanda

“What comes next?”
– Daddy

“16, then 19, then 14, then 15, then 16…”
– Amanda

“That’s not backwards… that’s forward!”
– Daddy, being more kind than truthful

“But I said 100 first!”
– Amanda

“You girls need to go to sleep right away with no goofing off. Tomorrow is a big day with a big surprise planned.”
– Daddy

“I already know what it is, Daddy. Gram-Gram told me.”
– Emily

“What is it then?”
– Daddy

“We’re going to a museum park.”
– Emily, who has been to the museum many times, but hadn’t yet been introduced to the concept of an amusement park

At Grandma’s house:

“Grandma, can I have some strawberry seaweed juice?”
– Amanda, who obviously misheard the phrase “strawberry kiwi“!

“E – I – N-G-O…   E – I – N-G-O…”
– Amanda, mixing up a song about a farm and a song about a dog with a gradually disappearing name…

“Daddy? I couldn’t find any ‘triple a’ batteries… only ‘three a’ ones.”
– Emily, after being sent for some batteries for her camera, who then immediately received a short lesson on what ‘single’, ‘double’, and ‘triple’ mean.