According to Alex

on our way to last weekend's soccer game date
Ash: Ooh! I could be following the Rapids on Instagram!

Alex: What? All I heard was crazy.

...

Alex:What are you smiling about?

Ash: It's just so fun to get to hold your hand. We never get to hold hands with each other any more. ... Hey, we could take off our rings and pretend we're just dating again!

Alex: We could. And then we could pretend to have a fight and break up. And you can find your own ride home.
fine, it was a silly idea--I wasn't serious anyway!








...
as I start to brush my teeth

Alex: So, I'll see you in half an hour?
I may brush longer than he does, but I don't brush that long

...
driving past the hospital where Liam and JP were delivered, which was under construction for some kind of expansion
Ash: I wonder if that's the expansion on the labor and delivery unit they were telling us about... regardless, those are some huge cranes
Alex: Thanks! I don't even work out.

...after playing a soccer game with some friends
Alex: I think I watch too much soccer and don't play enough. I argued with the ref about a call he made... against a player on the other team...

Bob the Cow, and Other Conversations

At dinner the other night:
M: What is Liam eating?
Ash: Cheese.
M: Where the cheese come from?
Ash: From this bag right here.
M: But where the cheese come from?
Alex: From a cow.
M: A cow?
Alex: Yes, a cow.  He came to our door during nap time to drop off the cheese.
M: What cow?
Alex: (ignoring the "what in the world are you telling our son?!" looks)  Bob.  Bob the cow.
M: Bob the cow?
Alex: Yes, Bob the cow.  But he didn't come in.  This is a house, not a barn.

a few minutes later, after a change of topic
M: (to Ash) What the cow's name?
Ash: completely loses it
M: Why is Mama crying?
Alex: She's not crying, she's laughing.
M: Why?
Ash: Never mind.

At Mass the next day:
M: (pointing at a boy a couple pews ahead) What's his name?
Alex: I don't know his name. He's a little boy just like you.
M: What's the cow's name?

Overheard while Michael was playing with his castle, knight and horse:
"We are knights!" "You are knights?"  "Yes we are. We save princesses!"
"Hello princesses! We are your emergency!"

(I have no idea where the princess-saving mentality came from--maybe the influence of our female cousin friends?--but right on, buddy)

While getting situated in the car this morning:
Ash: Michael, I need you to buckle up, please.
M: No, you do it!
Ash: Pretty soon Mama's going to have three boys to buckle into car seats, and I need your help because you're the biggest!
M: Mama, please meet John Paul now?
Ash: No, we can't meet John Paul right now.
M: Oh, he's still a little bit little?
Ash: Yes, he's still too little to come out.  (and labor was totally not in the game plan for today... a couple more weeks buddy, then you can all meet each other)

In the middle of a conversation about how he's a big boy and needs to be going potty in his potty chair and not in his pull-up:
M: Please climb the wall? (as he hugs the corner of the wall and tries to find a foothold)

According to Alex on a Theme Thursday

After a long absence I'm back to remembering that Thursday is THEME Thursday before waking up on Friday morning.  Woohoo!  Excited to once again be joining Cari and gang.

This week's theme is Fathers--and I don't know if there is anything I love taking a picture of more than my boys with their amazing father.  Pictures of my boys with their amazing grandfathers and great-grandfathers come in a close second.

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time: a 6 month old Michael with Alex, Alex's dad, and Alex's grandpa Charles.  Talk about a perfect picture for the theme of "fathers."

Be sure to check out the rest of the father pictures at Clan Donaldson!

And in honor of the father of my children, here are some recent gems.

"He sounds like a Chinese lounge singer!"  Upon observing his first born singing along to "Old McDonald Had a Farm."

When I admitted that eating chocolate chips by the handful(s) probably wasn't helping me lose the last of the baby weight: "You should put them in cookies.  Eggs, wheat, nutrition!"  (Yes, definite fans of Mr. Cosby in this household.)

With calm resignation as I was trying to relate something great I had read recently (a common occurrence): "I will never be able to keep your blogosphere community straight."  (I think it was his way of saying "You read way too many blogs and it's kind of ridiculous, but I love you anyway.")

"This is my pity face."  With an absolutely pitiless expression when I was complaining about something (something perfectly valid, of course).

Michael (from the other room): Mama? Help? Pease? A nammit (napkin)?
Me (while nursing Liam, to Alex): He's asking very nicely.  Would you please get him a napkin?
Alex: He's asking you.
Me: Oh, would you like to nurse the infant while I get the toddler a napkin?
Alex: Would you like to see me try?

Best Daddy ever!

According to Alex

Obviously not terribly recent,
as it is obviously not winter.
Lest his reputation suffer--I think he
was just holding my drink for me, not
actually drinking something girly, blue
and fruit flavored.

Upon complaining about how very sore and exhausted I was from my workout and informing him that I was going to go hop in the shower: "I highly doubt you'll be doing much hopping."

His mocking response to me informing him that I couldn't relax because I didn't trust him not to tickle me: "Oh no, I'm looking at you with tickling eyes!"

Alex: "Are you sure?"  Me: "Yes."  Alex: "Positive?"  Me: "Yes."  Alex: "Encouraging? ... What?  Those two just seem to go together."

While walking through a house and discovering the sprinkler controls in plain sight in a basement bedroom painted neon green with bright pink flowers, "Of course.  If I were a little girl this is exactly what I would want in my bedroom.

According to Alex

In the tradition of some of my favorite bloggers (check out Simon Says and Mike Check), I present to you the first installment of According to Alex.  It will be short, because I get in trouble for staying up past bedtime to blog.

Both very excited about the photo op

"We have an interpretive dancer on our hands"  when Michael got a little too enthusiastic about the choir sing Go Make a Difference at the end of Mass yesterday.

"I feel like he's Protestant" when Michael interrupted our nightly Salve with "No Mar'.  Jejus.  Jejus" for the umpteenth night in a row.

More to come soon...