The Mordens: November 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

It's time for the elves again!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Aquarium Shoe Blues

We took the kids to get a couple more fish today at Capitol Aquarium. The kids had a blast when we let them feed some koi in their huge koi pond. While Bryan was paying for the fish, the kids and I were sitting on a bench watching the koi. Rachel was standing up on the railing and I asked her to not do that because she might slip and lose one of her flip-flops in the water (yes, it is almost 80 degrees here in November!). Rachel asked, "Would the fish eat my shoe?" I told her that they might try but would not have much success. Well, Ben decided that he needed to check just to be sure. He had his shoe off and thrown in the water before I knew what was happening. Luckily he didn't throw it very far and it mostly just floated on the water. But from the shocked sound I made and the stern voice that followed, I don't think Ben will be trying to feed a shoe to a fish again any time soon.

On the funnier side of things (okay, so the shoe thing was funny after the initial shock, but anyway...) there were lots of clown fish (aka Nemos) to look at there, and we found every one of them for sure. At some point in our search Ben held out his hand, palm up, and said, "Nemo (mumble, mumble) hand?" I finally figured out that he wanted me to get the fish out of the tank and let him hold it. It was so cute.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Our new hydrophilic friends

Bryan just finished setting up his 50-gallon aquarium. The kids have been wanting a pet for a long time now but Bryan is allergic to cats and dogs, so this will have to do. They have really been enjoying watching them and feeding them. It has also taught Rachel a little about the food chain. This morning she called to me and said, "Mom! The big red fish is eating one of the little fishies!" I thought, "Yah, right Rachel." But then I came out and saw that, in fact, one of the little tiger barbs was being eaten by the bigger jewel cichlid. Gross!

Tagged by Jen

8 THINGS TAG:

8 THINGS I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT:
1. Family
2. Church
3. Reading to my kids
4. Exercising
5. Trying to eat healthy
6. Reading (to myself)
7. Food, especially chocolate and cheese
8. Trying to teach my kids to be respectful

8 WORDS OR PHRASES I USE ALL THE TIME:
1. Just a minute.
2. Please be patient.
3. Come on!
4. That's ridiculous.
5. Go pick a book.
6. Go to your room if you're going to cry.
7. Be nice please.
8. Holy Hannah!

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
1. Go to Europe
2. Go on a cruise
3. See my grandchildren grow up
4. Go see a show on Broadway (or two or three...)
5. Take a culinary class
6. See my kids married in the temple
7. Make sure I always have Family Home Evenings
8. Get my degree

8 THINGS I CURRENTLY WANT OR NEED
1. New black church shoes
2. A new car
3. A digital video camera
4. A shopping spree
5. A bath mat
6. Someone to come paint my kitchen
7. Candy (I'm keeping a strict diet right now)
8. A nap

8 PLACES I WANT TO VISIT
1. New York
2. Hawaii
3. Switzerland
4. England
5. Australia
6. DisneyWorld
7. Monterey
8. family in Utah

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:
1. Outback Steakhouse
2. Olive Garden
3. Chipotle
4. Mimi's Cafe
5. JB's
7. Round Table Pizza
8. El Torito

8 SHOWS I WATCH:
1. Dancing with the Stars
2. The Biggest Loser
3. Top Chef
4. The Office
5. So You Think You Can Dance
6. Lost
7. Samantha Who
8. Sometimes I'll watch Bryan's documentaries with him

8 PEOPLE I TAG:
Cherie, Mom, Kirsten, Amber, Nicole, Gherine, Suzette, Jamie

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Yes, it's finally time for trick-or-treating!

Cherie and Ken brought the cousins over to go trick-or-treating. Rachel was so excited to wear her princess costume and jewels. Ben put on his Thomas the train costume only when we said he couldn't get any candy without it. They got rained on a little but still had a great time.

Daddy with our cute trick-or-treaters!

"Can-nee Mom!!"

Pumpkin Carving

Dad helped the kids with the messy part of the project, then Mom got to do the carving. Below is the finished product. Both Rachel and Ben agreed that we needed a kitty pumpkin this year. And yes, we only carved one of our many pumpkins. They didn't really care and neither did Mom and Dad!

OUR CUTE KIDS...

"My bum burped!" Ben (4/10)

While shopping at Target:
Ben: "I have three problems."
Dad: "Really, what are they?"
Ben: "I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, and I want to buy something." (4/10)

"Cookies aren't yummy to bad guys." Ben (3/10)

Frequently said in Ben's prayers: "Thank you for Daddy's spirit." (3/10)

Since reading Little House in the Big Woods, Rachel, in her prayers, has been thanking Heavenly Father for grocery stores. (3/10)

"Mom, when are we EVER going to go to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?!!" Rachel (3/10)

Before we had family scripture reading, Bryan asked Ben what the name of the book was, and he answered, "The Book of Morden!" (1/10)

Rachel got walkie-talkies for Christmas and she calls them laffy taffies. (1/10)

Rachel's new favorite phrase is, "Just so you know." (12/09)

Ben said to me today, "Thank you your highness." (12/09)

Bryan was leaving for work at 5:45 and he was just about to pull out of the garage when Rachel comes running out with a look of concern. Bryan said, "Go back to bed Rachel. It's okay, I'll see you when I get home from work." And Rachel said, "It's okay Dad, I just thought Mommy was leaving." She is quite the momma's girl. (11/09)

I'm listening to Rachel sing Taylor Swift's Love Story. I think she knows more of the words than I do. She likes to repeat the story of Romeo and Juliette (which I told her when she asked what the song was about) every time it comes on the radio. (11/09)

Mom: "I love you Ben."
Ben: "I love you too. I love you way too much!" (10/09)

Ben's response to much of the things we ask him to do is "I know," even if it is something he's never heard before.

Ben: "You know what whack means Mom?"
Mom: "To hit someone. But we don't hit people."
Ben: "We can hit bad guys. (While making a whacking motion) If there are bad guys in the house we can hit them."
Mom: "Sure Ben; we can hit bad guys if they're in our house." (9/09)

Our new favorite treat is a Slurpee. Ben calls it a "ner-pee." (9/09)

The kids think our newest game is called Hi-Ho Cheerios. (9/09)

Rachel, after only her second day of kindergarten, "Mom, school's not actually that fun." (8/09)

Ben's new phrases that crack me up: "What the heck is that?" and "See! I told you." (8/09)

Ben took something from Rachel and she said to me, "Mom, Ben just seized that from me!" (8/09)

Rachel's new favorite movie is the original Parent Trap. I just overheard her playing with Ben and working in "I'm not saying a word. Not one single word." (7/09)

We often call Ben by the nickname Benny. So today, Elton John's song Benny and the Jets came on the radio. Ben kept saying to me "Benny and the Jets?" like he couldn't believe there was a song about him on the radio. And a few times today I've heard him singing the song to himself. (6/09)

Rachel: "Why doesn't daddy have a garbage truck?"

Dad: "Okay Rachel, how do we play this game?"
Rachel: "I don't know. There aren't any constructions!" (3/09)

Bryan took the kids to get Top's Frozen Yogurt and it was very crowded (hooray for free Fridays!) and Rachel said, "All of these people are kidding me out!" She was actually trying to say wigging me out. (2/09)

We watched The Restoration for Family Home Evening. Toward the end of the show there is a scene where Joseph Smith Sr. is being baptized and Ben said, "He taking a bath Mom!" (1/09)

After eating a big dinner Rachel said, "I'm full. I can't carry anything else." (1/09)

Rachel: "I'm hungry as a whistle!" (1/09)

So Ben is getting a little better at saying prayers, but this morning I could tell this prayer was a little different, like he was trying to add a few new things. Then at the end, instead of saying the normal closing, he just said, "The End!" (12/08)

Rachel got a cut on her finger at church and I forgot to get a band-aid on it before I started driving home. Rachel said, "Mom, pllleeaasssee get me a band-aid." I said that I couldn't get a band-aid while I was driving. So Rachel said, "Mom, just drive with your knee again!" (12/08)

So my kids really love The Nightmare Before Christmas. The other day Ben was looking out the window and saw a neighbor's Christmas lights on and said, "Halloween lights!" I tried to explain that they were actually Christmas lights, but Ben insisted that they were Halloween lights and sang the song "This is Halloween" to prove his point. Hmmm...Maybe Charlie Brown can change his mind in the next few weeks, since his mom doesn't know anything! (12/08)

I pulled out of our driveway with the kids in the back and Rachel says, "Mommy, you're really good at not trying to hit other cars." (12/08)

Rachel, about 6 hours into our 8 hour drive home from San Diego: "Mom, I'm so tired of just sitting here looking at the sky!" (11/08)

Normally when Ben says the blessing on the food you can only make out the words food or dad or amen but the rest is unintelligible. But last night during his prayer I heard something about a horsie and then the sound he makes for a horse's neighing. It was really hard not to laugh. (11/08)

When Ben is mad at someone, his response is to tell them, "Pooh pooh Rachel" or "Pooh pooh mommy" or whoever else he might be mad at. And usually it is with a low voice and a frown on his face. I guess that's his ultimate insult. (11/08)

Whenever we get in the car to drive somewhere and I turn on the radio, Rachel asks, "Mom, can you turn on 'It's Too Late to Apologize'?" Then I have to explain to her that the radio doesn't work like iTunes and you can't turn on whatever you want. But no worries, it usually comes on the radio at least once during our ride anyway; then she will sing away. It's so cute. (10/08)

Ben was having a hard time getting his dinner on his fork and he finally shouted, "Come on!!" No comment as to where he picked that one up. (10/08)

I usually carry Tic Tac breath mints in my purse and the other day Rachel asked me, "Mom, can I have a Tic Tac Toe?" (10/08)

"I can't believe in my eyes!" -Rachel (10/08)

Mom: "Why did you close the window Rachel?"
Rachel: "Because I'm cold. I'm freezing heck cold." (10/08)

Rachel was eating a peach and she said, "This is excellently pretty!" (10/08)

Rachel took a late nap after spending the night and partying with cousin Taylor. When she woke up to eat dinner, Bryan told her we were going for a walk after dinner and did she want to ride in the stroller? She said: "No, I want to ride my bike so I can exercise and get some energy back." (10/08)

I hear this at least three times a day from Ben: "I wan yo-yi." Translation: I want yogurt. (10/08)

Rachel, during a dinner prayer, "Pray that Mommy and Daddy and Grandma can save the day and rescue each other."

Ben thinks it's pretty funny to repeat Lightning McQueen and say "Car car idiot!" Thanks Disney.

Mom: "Rachel, what do you want for your birthday dinner?"
Rachel: "Cookies and bananas and M&Ms."

"I hear someone talking in my head" -Rachel

Ben was pointing at different things on my face and he suddenly put his finger in my my nose and said, "Hole!"