Wednesday, January 13, 2016

In Other Words 2015


This year our quotable crew did not disappoint! To quote the most popular and overused phrase in all Brooks' recent prayers “lets hope” this puts a smile on your face today!

The Past:
Kenna: Oh wow Mom, you were so tall and skinny!
Mom: That's Jared {Darla's brother}

Kennedy kids shoveling the driveway in the middle of a huge snow stormBrooks: Wow. You guys have had tragic lives

Gender Roles in 2015
playing with 8 week old kittens
Brooks: Shadow and Marble look like boys to me
Kenna: Brooks! Why would you say that?
Brooks: I don't know, they just look like boys
Kenna: Well I just don't know why you would say such a thing! They are just little kittens! {compassionately} And calling things boys when they are girls is actually very mean and hurtful
word is still out on how offended the kittens were :-)

Grey had come down from bed the previous night with a tummyache
Mom: How's your tummy feel today? Did the DiGize work? (an essential oil)
Grey: Yah. I mean, my tummy doesn't really hurt anymore, except if someone punches me in the stomach, or kicks me, then it still hurts
Mom: Ok, well, that's totally normal. My tummy would hurt too if someone punched me
Grey, in a "duh/captain obvious" tone: uh, yah, but that's cause you're a woman

Guessing at a friends baby gender, all three kids decided on Boy
Mom: I don't know, I'll say girl I guess
Kenna: Why?
Mom: Well, because I was born first, and I had a girl first, so I just think it's sweet to have a girl first I guess. I'm actually surprised you didn't say girl!
Kenna: Yah, well, for their sake, I do hope it is a girl. Like, otherwise people never have any more kids
Mom, raised eyebrows
Kenna: You know, like if you have a boy first it's like "Whooooooo, I'm not having any more kids", but if you have a girl first you're like "oooooook, now we can have more kids" because when you have a boy first you're so busy chasing them around, you just can't ever think about more kids

Mom wearing camo capri's...
Grey: Oh, those are cool pants, Mom. You know, womens can go to war. I mean, not you, 'cause you're too old, and fat. But skinny womens can go to war, if they want


Grey tries on his Antman costume
Brooks: Wow. Grey has 8 abs, and boobs!
Thankfully he said it in a really impressed tone, and Grey was all too pleased with his insta-body-sculpting

On Multitasking:
Telling me all the particulars of yet another lego creation
Mom: Ok, that's great, but can you show me later because I'm trying to watch this
Grey: Yah, but you can watch that, and listen to me, that's called doing two separates

On Food:
Reading over my shopping list
Brooks: ...cooking wine. Wine? WINE?!
Mom: Yes, I use it in recipes, like Chicken Marsala
Brooks: Kenna! Kenna!! Mom is trying to drunk us!!

having a 'who can eat fastest' competition
Grey: No Brooks! NO! That's cheating! You're cheating! You can't just swallow you hafta chew! MOM! Brooks is cheating!
Brooks: It's not called cheating, it's called technique

buying a bag of "regular" carrots for cooking...
Brooks: Woah! Kenna! Look at these way overgrown carrots!!
so maybe we buy baby carrots a little too often...

Grey: I am really sens-titive about hotness, Sonny, so don't even talk to me about hotness, or I might be burned, I am really that sens-titive

May, not wanting to eat a "cookie" I made - no sugar, no flour, and whole food "diet" approved
Kenna, offers encouragement: Just eat it May, it's just a cookie. Well, I mean, it is a healthy cookie, so it's really not that good, but just eat it

I accidentally dropped some butter from my knife...
Kenna, reporting to Dad: ...and then Mom just threw butter across the room, scooped it up off the floor, put it on her bread and ate it!! Canadians sure do weird things!

On Delegation:
Sent to clean her room...
Mom: What are you doing out here?
Kenna: Oh, just waiting. The kids actually like crawling under my bed, so they're getting everything out for me, even the crumbs. It's really a win-win for me

On Kindness:
some type of ruckus results in Grey's crying...
Brooks: Kenna! Dad says comfort people when you do damage to them!

On Prayer:
Grey, at dinner: I wanna pray! K, Jesus, please make sure the world doesn't turn into, umm, {long pause}, wait, nevermind, I need to start over. Dear Jesus, thank you for making humans, and tools. Amen

Getting ice cream...
Brooks, reading the signage: awwww, yogurt?
Kenna: No Brooks really, I've had it before. It tastes just like ice cream, only it's super healthy for you
Brooks, looking shocked/lightbulb moment: My prayers have been answered!!!
So apparently we need to have a discussion on what constitutes a worthy prayer request...aaaaaaannnnd what we'd consider to be the definition of "super healthy”

On Aging:
heading to a friends birthday party...
Kenna (age 9): Is Abram turning 6?
Brooks (age 8): No, he's already 6! He's turning 7
Kenna: Wow, 7? That just blows my mind
Brooks, with a sigh: I know, they just grow up so fast

Brooks: Did you know that Eli's Great Great Great Great Great Grandma is 99 years old?
Mom: hmm, wow, that's very old
Kenna: Uh, no! That is too many Greats. That would be like his ancestors in Egypt or whatever

overhearing a conversation...
Kenna: ...no no, Mom is middle age
Brooks: No, middle age is 20, so Mom's already in old age
Kenna: No, old age is 40, so she's still technically in middle age, but sort of in old age

Getting out the Christmas decor
Kenna: See this book is torn, and you have to be careful with it because it's very old
Brooks: How old?
Mom: I don't know exactly, it was mine when I was little
Brooks: oh ok, so it is really old then
and a day just wouldn't be complete with my old age somehow factoring in:-)

Brooks: Mom, I only counted four burgers!
Mom: Yes, one for you and Grey, and Kenna said she wanted two. The adults are eating steak
Brooks: There are adults coming?!
Mom: Your father and I are adults
Brooks: Oh, right

On Creativity:
Heading to church for a meeting
Mom: Did you guys grab the bag with toys and stuff to play with?
Kenna: Oh, no, we forgot it. But that's ok. We can just play rock paper scissors or another made up game. We're very creative like that

driving in the city...
Kenna: Oh look, a horse!
Mom: Huh?
Kenna: The clouds. They look like shapes! (condescendingly) You can only see them if you have imagination. Oh, see! A snake
Mom: Riiiight. Real creative. A snake.

Mom, about to to start an activity with the kids: Alrighty boys, lets make some magic!
Kenna: Uuuhh, no. Magic has totally already been invented

On Nationality:
Brooks: We are really lucky that Dad married a Canadian
yes, I like to think of it that way too:-)

Kids getting riled up and crazy before bed. Brian blames all negative behaviours on their Canadian roots...
Brian: I can't believe I'm surrounded by so many Canadians
Darla: Uh, no! They are just as much American. And anyway, how do you think I feel moving here and being surrounded by so many Americans!
Brian: Blessed?

On Talent:
Kenna: Brooks is really good at copying voices
Brooks: It's called vocal manipulation

after her piano recital
Mom: Were you nervous?
Kenna: Nope! ...But I was really, like, hot

putting on his roller blades
Brooks: Hey, what is the speed limit around here?
Oh the confidence. No worries son, I assure you, you need not be concerned

On Modern Convenience:
Grey: Can you lower down the stand you use to scan the clothes, so I can play on it?
Mom: That is called ironing. It's an ironing board

On Being Brian...
While preparing desserts for a wedding
Pastor Dan (I can't recall his exact words, but jist was): Your Dad is lucky, he gets to be the taste tester
Kenna: Yah, he gets to be the one who says 'meh, that's kinda okay'
If you know Brian, you know that this is actually akin to a rave review. LOL!!

Convo while out to dinner with friends...
Friend: If you could write a book on any topic, what would it be about?
*everyone pauses to think a moment*
Brian: Comedic timing
Bahahaha! Literally there is no one else who can make me die laughing while rolling my eyes. Heart him. And his "comedic timing"

Starting to drive out of our parking spot before the kids were seated/buckled. Another car started to pull out, so I applied the brakes...
Brooks: Whoa!!
Mom: Sorry. We were going to hit someone
Grey: Uh, no. We weren't going to hit anyone, you were. You are driving, notus
This is so annoyingly Brian's child, I don't even know what to say sometimes;-)

How the World Works:
Mom: Wow guys, they're tracking a 12 ft female tiger shark named Chessie off our beach
Kenna: What?! What are we going to do?!
Mom: Nothing. They'll let us know if it's going to be a problem
Kenna: The world is just sooooo deathly! I mean, it's like with every step you take, you have a fifty-percent chance of dying!!

Kenna: If you've touched fog, you've touched a dying cloud

Grey: I climbed all the way to the top! My heart was going like boom boom boom! It was like my heart was trying to escape from my lungs!!

On Money:
Grey swallowed a coin, and we had to "go fishing" for it
Brooks: Can I buy this sour candy?
Mom: How much money do you have?
Grey: I wish I had any money. Can I have money?
Brooks: No! You don't get any. Mom's afraid you're going to nibble on it

Grey: Sonny we are not poor! My mom has two hundred and eighty three dollars!

On Intelligence:
Mom, staring blankly across the table at no one in particular, but in Grey's general direction
Grey: What? Don't look at me, I'm not the dummo in this family!
Mom: Huh? What's a dummo
Grey, in a "duh" sarcastic tone: A dumb person
I'm afraid to ask who he thinks *is* the "dummo" :-)

Brooks: Where are we?
Mom: You don't recognize it the street?
Kenna: I do, I just forget what it's called
Mom: I'll give you a hint...there are 4 universal navigational directions - this is one of them
Kenna: Um, oh! Left, right...up...and down?
Mom: No! North...
Kenna: RIGHT! East Beach!

Asking me a question about her school work...
Kenna: This just says "My Shadow", if I put quotes around it, what is it? A story, or a song?
Mom: Hmmm, I don't know. It could be the title of a poem, or it could be a story...
Grey: Or it could be a legend!

getting down to the end of the toothpaste
Brooks: Uggghh! We're almost outagain! I don't get it, it says it's supposed to last two plus years!
Mom: No, that is how old you have to be to use the toothpaste!
The tube clearly states 2+, so I guess that's a logical conclusion:-)

On Behaviour:
We have a few small gifts/rewards the kids can earn with our blessing/if-then charts...
Brooks, telling Daddy: ...and now there's a competition for the comic book, because Kenna says she might be interested in it, so it's like, who's going to have the most points, because Kenna is able to be good consistently, and me and Grey, not so much

Words To Live By:
Grey, holding scissors "incorrectly"
Kenna: Hey, a tip for you. Always hold scissors facing down, otherwise you'll fall and they'll stab you in the gullet
Brooks, randomly waving around a walmart bag like a rhythmic dancer: And here's another tip for you. Never put a bag over your head
Kenna: Yes, or you could die
Grey, without skipping a beat, but with the obvious tone of "stop running my life", decides to offer up a tip of his own: Oh yah? Well, here's a tip, don't eat yellow snow!

PREVIOUS EDITIONS:
In Other Words 2014
In Other Words 2013
In Other Words 2012

All About Kenna

Age: almost 10
Height: 4ft 3+3/4in (18th%)
Weight: 66.4 lbs (35th%)
Fave Food & Drink: Soup & Shirley Temple
Future job: Babysitting
Fave colour: Light blue


Of all the things you are learning, what do you think will be most useful when you grow up?
Probably Mom, babysitting the kids, because that is what I want to do, so I will have experience doing it

How would the world be different if animals could talk?
Well, it would be different because we'd know what they want. The cats wouldn't ever scratch the door anymore

What is the best gift you have ever been given?
My family, because if I didn't have them I'd probably be living in an orphanage

If you could grow up to be famous, what would you want to be famous for?
Singing

Are you a good friend? Why do you think so?
Yes, I am a good friend, because everyone wants to be my friend. If I wasn't a good friend, no one would like me
Who are your best friends?
Julia, Claire, Ella, Cady

Where is your favourite place in the world?
Canada

If you could give one gift to every single child in the world, what gift would you give?
I'd say a dog, but some people are allergic to dogs, so I'd say a pet fish, because that's the only thing people aren't allergic to

If you could travel back in time three years, what advise would you give your younger self?
I'd make sure that mom is good at doing laundry, because in the future Huck is going to pee on it a lot

What is the hardest thing about being a kid?
Grownups can do whatever they want, and kids can't

When was a time you felt lucky?
When we got Huck, Sawyer and Thatcher

If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what rule would you make?
Boys can not be gross anymore. They have to be more proper and mature

What words describe you?
Loving, Creative,

Would you cheat on a test if you knew you would not get caught? Why or why not?
I would not, because I know that's not what the Lord wants me to do

At what age is a person an adult? Why do you think so?
19, because 19 seems like, well, that's the age you can get married, so you must be an adult

If you could change one rule that your family has, what would you change?
I don't like the rule that we always have to find dads and moms phone and keys, when we didn't lose them

What is something that makes your family special?
We all love each other and we have three cats and have three houses. That's pretty special because not many people have that.


To read her previous "about me's" click here

All About Brooks

Age: 8 & a half
Height: 4 ft 4.5in (59th%)
Weight: 61.8lbs (53rd %)
Best Friend: Eli B and Logan P
Fave colour: Navy Blue
Fave food & drink: Nachos & a float
Future job: Dad's job, like, construction

Would you cheat on a test if you knew you would not get caught? Why or why not?
Yes. Because I want to pass it and I won't get caught.

If you could grow up to be famous, what would you want to be famous for?
Sports

If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?
I would prank everyone

At what age is a person an adult? Why do you think so?
18, because it's the law, I think

If you could change one rule that your family has, what would you change?
I would change our bedtime to like 9 o'clock, or at least 8 o'clock

Where is your favourite place in the world?
Great Wolf Lodge

If you could travel back in time three years, what advise would you give your younger self?
That I should obey more so I wouldn't get punished

When was a time you felt lucky?
When on a kind of hot day we asked to go to the pool and mom said yes

If you were a teacher and the kids in your class would not listen to you, what would you do?
Send them to the principals office

Are you a good friend? Why do you think so?
Yes, because I play with them and never boss them around

What words describe you?
Sports, eater, maker...like creator or inventor

What is something that makes your family special?
They love me

Of all the things you are learning, what do you think will be most useful when you grow up?
Math, because some chapters teach you stuff you need to know to be a construction worker, so I'll probably need to know that

What is the best gift you have ever been given?
Being able to play sports

What is the hardest thing about being a kid?
That you can't tell other people what to do

To read his previous "about me's" click here

All About Grey

Age: almost 6
Height: 3ft 9in (47th%)
Weight: 46.8 lbs (61st%)
Best friend: May-May, Sonny, Abram and Giavanna
Fave Food & Drink: Thai Peanut Noodles, and Sprite
Future job: A worker, like Dad
Fave colour: All of them

At what age is a person an adult? 25

If you could change one rule that your family has, what would you change?
Not letting Thatcher out, because I want to let her out

Of all the things you are learning, what do you think will be most useful when you grow up?
Knowing how to skate

Where is your favourite place in the world?
The Olive Garden

What is the best gift you have ever been given?
Batman Lego

When was a time you felt lucky?
When I got a lot of presents

If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?
Play video games all day long

What is something that makes your family special?
The memory! The memories of when we were all little, like Kenna when she crossed over the cords that were all huge {he's referring to our watching youtube/blog videos of when the kids were little}

What is the hardest thing about being a kid?
Not playing video games

Would you cheat on a test if you knew you would not get caught? Why or why not?
No, because it's not the right thing to do

If you could give one gift to every single child in the world, what gift would you give?
I would give a special ornament to every single child for their Christmas tree

To view his previous "about me's" click here

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Lip Chap - Recipe

I made lip chap over the holidays, and it's incredible! I've gotten many comments from people that it's the best they've ever used. It perfectly keeps lips moist and hydrated - it just feels amazing! I ordered all my supplies off amazon, and they don't cost much...I think the shea butter was most costly at $12 for 16oz...and using 1/2 an ounce at a time - it'll last me until I die?! Since a good (all natural) lip balm costs you anywhere from $3-$6 per tube, this recipe is definitely a money saver. I ordered 50 empty chapstick containers on amazon for $5. I haven't done all the math completely, but a rough estimate is that it costs about 20cents per tube to make. And it takes 10 minutes (of waiting on that beeswax to melt), and it's so easy! Never buying another lip balm again - because I have a lifetime of shea butter to use up:-)

I googled various recipes and there are many options to choose from. This is the one I settled on, and it's a real winner. I have no reason to try and change it up. I use my digital kitchen scale to measure the amounts.

1 oz organic beeswax
1.5 oz coconut oil (I used Trader Joes)
.5 oz raw unfiltered shea butter

Melt beeswax in double boiler - then add in the other two. stir until melted. Remove from heat and add essential oils - whatever you'd like, and probably 30 drops (which gives a very light scent). I did about 30 drops of Citrus Fresh, and it was light in scent/flavour. I made another half batch, and did about 6 each of Peppermint and Rosemary. These were very lightly scented - just barely detectable, so next time I'll do a little more. I was a bit worried of overdoing the peppermint, but I don't think that is much of a risk, now that I've tried it!

Year in Review

Happy New Year! Here is our Year in Review for 2015. It was a full year, and I suppose it can be summed up in one word: Sawdust. Haha! I think, for me personally, it will go down in the mental annals as the year I did dishes in the bathtub from the beginning of July until the end of October. None the worse for wear, but something I hope not to repeat any time soon;-)

A year of busy-ness, as the highlight real reveals, but other than the renovations - not much that can be documented, at least not beautifully. Unless you want to see unending pictures of kids doing school, memory work and such. A new phase of life - the older two are definitely solidly in that awkward-trying-to-seem-older-than-I-am stage, and the Grey - is trying to keep up with them, frustrated that he's so "young". But in reality, he's quite mature and completely different personality wise from the older two. We were very blessed in many ways, both big and small in 2015, and we look forward to some big changes anticipated in 2016. Or probably big changes? I guess time will tell!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Year End Round Up - 2015

The summary of our year can be seen in a short video, HERE. It was quite the busy year, mostly with renovations, but we managed to pack in quite a bit of fun too!

Our family pictures this year were taken in Williamsburg, you can enjoy the video HERE, or the still pictures (and a few stories;-) HERE.

My favourite kids quotes of 2015 can be found HERE.