i guess you just had to be there

Hyrum: (after dropping his donut on the floor) Ah man! Now my hands are ruined (read: “woo-ined“)

Michelle: (pause; thinking) Your hands are ruined?

Hyrum: Nah! That’s just my joke!

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two plus two equals m&ms

Should I preface this conversation by saying that we are going to see a movie tonight so Michelle and the kids picked up some cheap boxes of candy at Wal-Mart? Or that it took place right after they had left Wal-Mart and were just starting the 20 minute ride home? I just don’t think I can do it and maintain the flow of the conversation, but without it, nothing would make sense without prompting serious and probably untrue hypotheses about our family. Oh well. I’ll just get right to the good stuff.

Hyrum: Mommy, can I please have some candy?

Michelle: No, Sweetie, the candy is for the movie.

(pause; the driving continues)

Hyrum: Mommy, can we please watch a movie?

Michelle: Sure.

(Michelle starts a movie on the car video player; pause)

Hyrum: Mommy, can I please have some candy now?

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why we really get irked at parents who bring their 3-year old to see pirates or spiderman

And it’s not because we think they’re distracting.

Here‘s why.

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rpotd: “i will protect you”

Shot at the Soka University of America, Calabasas campus, which is, at the end of 2007, going to be fully handed over to whoever it was that bought it back in 2005. That sale, and the subsequent closure of the English Language Program at that campus, is what eventually led us to pack up our lives and move to Kansas.

You may recognize this if you’ve ever been to our Acquaint page.

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so do we, sweetheart…so do we.

Chloe: Mommy, what’s a biting fly?

Mommy: A fly that bites.

(pause)

Chloe: Oh. (exasperated) Sometimes I wonder why I even ask!

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updating her to-do list

Chloe: Mommy, what are you writing?

Mommy: It’s my to-do list, sweetie.

Chloe: What’s a to-do list?

Mommy: It’s a list of all the things I need to do today, to help me remember them.

Chloe: Put on there that we need to play our Bob the Builder memory game, or our Dora and Diego games.

Daddy: (distracted; reading and eating breakfast) Not right now, sweetie. Let Mommy think.

Mommy: (putting her pencil and list down) Okay, Chloe. I’m going to go get your clothes. I’ll be right back (heads upstairs)

Chloe: (grabbing the list and handing it to Daddy) Daddy, what does this say?

Daddy: (looking up from his book) Pay bills, clean, get food, visiting teaching (back to his book).

pause

Chloe: Daddy, how do you spell, “play a game”?

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rpotd: “on the way home”

Today’s random picture comes from one day when we came by to check out the house (again) before it was officially ours. We wanted to see where the schools were, so we went for a walk. On the way back, I had to shoot this one.

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three gray hairs and counting

Chloe: Mommy, how do you spell “Joel”?

Mommy: J – O – E – L

(pause for writing)

Chloe: Mommy, how do you spell “I love you”?

Gray hairs one and two.

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rpotd: “the one that mommy loves”

Today’s random picture comes from our trip to Zuma State Beach, in Malibu, CA.

She gasped when she saw this one.

He asked to be picked up, then just basically collapsed on her shoulder and fell asleep. We took one last look at the beach, packed up and left.

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My Fave Five

Well, Robin, here you go. My fave five things that people may or may not (but probably do) know about me.

1. I saved the Gnatcatcher from extinction. Well, I helped. As President of the United Eco Councils of San Gabriel Valley (a co-ordinating council of 17 high school and middle school environmental and science clubs), I helped other environmental organizations stop the expansion of Raging Waters (which cost my mother’s company a huge contract) into a section of land inhabited by the dwindling Gnatcatcher population. I even spoke in front of major Los Angeles politicians, including Zev Yaraslovski, who said great things about me and my speech (So even though he’s a Democrat, I’d vote for him any day!).

2. I was voted Senior Most Likely to Save the World, at Charter Oak High School. Don’t look so shocked—I was quite the teenage activist in my day. That’s where I get my fiery spunk from. You don’t want to see me when I feel I’m getting ripped off. But seriously, I often wonder, what have I done to change the world? Will I be acountable for my lack of amazing progress at my High School Reunion? But then I remember, I’m raising two perfectly amazing children who really are going to change the world some day. At least, they’ve changed mine.

3. I have Type One Diabetes. Many of you already know that, but some of my closest college friends do not. And others don’t know how it’s affected my life. I can truly say I hate it. I really hate the never ending rise in medical expenses. I hate how it shapes the way I think, act, and live. I hate passing a Pizza Hut or Krispy Kreme, knowing I can’t (or shouldn’t) have that. I hate not being in control of my life, my decisions, and my appetite. And, I really, really hate the thought of passing out at a mall with my children and someone snatching them while I’m unconscious. I hate how people mix up Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, constantly letting me know that if I just lost a little weight, it would go away. No, it won’t.

For you that don’t know, Type 1 and 2 are completely different. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder that happens when you are usually young, which is why it is nicknamed Juvenile Diabetes. They don’t know exactly why it occurs, but there are many speculations. One doctor told me that I could’ve had a cold that attached to my pancreas and when my body tried to defeat the cold virus, it killed the pancreas too. It can happen almost overnight. Type 2 on the other hand is genetic and can often occur due to bad diet and exersize habits.

Now that you’re informed, I expect you not to make that mistake again. Thanks. But, being diabetic has also taught me many wonderful things. It’s showed me what a patient and wonderful husband I have, and has made me into a more compassionate and understanding person. Maybe it will help me change the world someday. Who knows?

4. I am an avid, under the table, deep inside the closet, when no one is watching, Star Trek fan. It’s genetic, I think. So, if I can’t blame my mom for my diabetes, I sure can blame her for this. As a little girl, my mom, my twin sister and I would all sneak upstairs with our glasses of orange juice and popcorn to watch the latest Star Trek series comfy together on my parents’ bed. My greatest memories are of those Sunday evenings together (and of the orange juice—boy do I hate not having that in my diet—too much sugar). So, for those interested, or not so interested, here’s a list of my favorite Star Trek Series, first being the best, last being the one I like the least: Star Trek: Voyager (who doesn’t love a female captain), Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Enterprise. The original I think is a little corny, so I don’t ever watch it (sorry Mom) and I never did get into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. So now that you all know, I expect you to keep it a secret!

5. I had a Cinderella-themed wedding. I know you’re now gawking, and wondering if this is just a joke. It’s not. We even had Cinderella invitations (they were gorgeous, by the way). My mother did a wonderful job incorporating the theme (I really wanted to have my reception at Disneyland, but this was much more affordable), and luckily, I had a great fiance that didn’t really care what we did, as long as it involved getting married. That’s what happens when you let a 19-year old plan her wedding (That’s right I was 19—almost 20—or should I have saved that for a number 6?) Hey, in my defense, I thought I was old at the time! But Chloe, you’re not dating until you’re 21!

So here are my five. Hope you enjoyed them. And here are the five people I want to know more about (If you’re on this list you too must tell us 5 things people don’t know about you, and since most of you aren’t bloggers, we’ll post your list on our website! It’s like a contest you never entered but won anyways!).

1. First, my mom. Because everyone wants to know their mom’s 5 innermost secrets!
2. My Grandparents Wolfsont. Both of you. Because you guys are the funnest people alive (which I expect to last another 60 years), and I think your lists will be –insert wonderful adjective here– (Sorry, kids are trying strangle each other for the Magna-Doodle, so I can’t quite come up with the right word).
3. Third, Allyson Lissy, because she will always amaze me.
4. Fourth, Nichole Hampton, because, even though we’re identical, there is so much more to you than meets the eye (and, to get you as a more loyal blog reader).
5. And lastly, The Clark Family as a whole (meaning, Todd, Tanner, Tyler, Katie, and Mom and Dad Owen-Clark…or is it Clark-Owen?). Just cause I miss you all, and with 4 kids and 40 pets (minor exagerration), their house has got to be a constant riot. Love you all.

–Misha (Nickname many of you didn’t know I had, given to me by my sister, shortened from something very special in Hebrew, of which I can’t remember right now.)

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