2016 was a busy year for our family. The girls started kindergarten and began learning to read, to play the recorder and do gymnastics, and learnt to ride a bike. They also lost their first teeth. We worked hard on clearing the clutter by cleaning out our shed, having some storage and a desk built, and culling old clothes. We also stained the deck, had new ceilings and ducted gas heating installed and had the whole house painted. I started another new and very challenging job and Steve took up gliding again. And along the way, here are some of the girls’ discussions, comments and questions.
Rhea: ‘And I like woke up and my skin was slimy and sweaty?’
Lara, after I suggested we go camping: ‘Why do you ask? Isn’t once enough?’
Lara, in the car: ‘We can’t read so we don’t know if we’re close to the swimming pool.’
Rhea: ‘That’s enough chattering Lara.’
Lara: ‘Do you know why I love you? Because you had us.’
Rhea: ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Lara: ‘She doom-de-doomed over there.’
Rhea, drawing a picture of a tree: ‘it looks like a porkypine.’
Lara: ‘Does your head go around because of your neck?’
Rhea: ‘Do cats eat fairies?’
Lara, at the cinema with me: ‘There’s a scary part [prior to the Charlie Brown movie] so Rhea might like to look down at her popcorn.’
Rhea: ‘We were playing at being puppy dogs and I ran but Lawa ran faster. . . ‘
Lara: ‘I like eating snot.’
Rhea: ‘What are you talking about?’
Lara: ‘How is this deal? I’ll have another half a bottle of milk but I’ll go to the toilet first before I go to bed.’
Rhea: ‘Why do adults know more than children?’
Lara: ‘Who decided the letters to do reading? How did everyone know how to read?’
Rhea: ‘Stop Lawa, calm down. I’m going to tell mummy the real truth.’
Lara: ‘It’s not hard handling these two (small dolls).’
Rhea: ‘I’ll just double check that no-one’s playing with my stuff.’
Lara: ‘It’s my decision because it’s my face!’ (re me face-painting her).
Rhea, talking to Lara about what to expect after her grommets operation: ‘You’ll get one lollypop. I got two but that’s because I threw up.’
Lara: ‘I have caught a butterfly in my hands. It felt very tickly.’
Rhea: ‘I want to wake her up but I don’t want to disturb her.’
Lara: ‘Did you. . . after all Weea?’
Rhea: ‘How does Santa know if you’ve been good?’
Lara: ‘I’m happy if Rhea wants some to share it with her.’
Rhea: ‘What would you do if your hair was all loopy loop?’
Lara: ‘How do you know if it’s an ‘I’ or a ‘L’ if it says ‘I’?
Rhea: ‘I’ll be quick sticks.’
Lara: ‘Why does a frog jump and a rabbit hop?’
Rhea, in the morning: ‘Do you know how I got here? I slipped past Lara without her seeing me.’
Lara, referring to the background in a photo that was out of focus: ‘Why is that all soggy?’
Rhea, when I explained why people go to gaol because sometimes they hurt or shoot each other: ‘That can’t happen.’
Lara: ‘Who writes all the words and draws the pictures in the newspaper?’
Rhea: ‘I had a suggestion to. . . but daddy didn’t want to.’
Lara: ‘Mine (icing) tastes pinkish and Rhea’s tastes reddish.’
Rhea: ‘I felt chocolatey because I had too much chocolate then I felt cold.’
Lara: ‘Why do you get to make all the rules? When I’m 11 or 12 I’ll make the rules.’
Rhea: ‘I know why I’m so cold. My baby’s head is cold, the sheets are cold and I’m cold. How do you keep yourself so warm?’
Lara: ‘I like Anglesea the best because you can see the moon.’
Rhea: ‘Come on Lara chop chop.’
Lara: ‘What does ‘lost the election’ mean? Who’s that with the sad face?’
Rhea, after I told her to cry in her room not in the kitchen: ‘When you tell me to go to my room it makes me feel very sad.’
Lara, feeling my breast tissue: ‘What’s that? How did it get in there?’
Rhea: ‘Is my shooshing making you cry? I won’t shoosh then.’
Lara: ‘If you keep putting hair bands in your hair then it goes curly.’
Rhea, re her ski: ‘It’s a bit unstable.’
Lara: ‘Why are clouds all different?’
Rhea, when bike riding: ‘Can I go first? If that’s alright with you of course. Hello little butterflies.’
Lara: ‘Mum, if I had a child and they asked if they could have their ears pierced then I would say yes. Anita has her ears pierced and she’s only five.’
Rhea: ‘I writted it.’
Lara: ‘I don’t agree.’
Rhea: ‘You haven’t built a box. I’m not impressed dad!’
Lara: ‘Honestly mummy!’
Rhea: ‘That’s not the rules! The rules are that I win.’
Lara: ‘If you agree Rhea you play that licky game with daddy while I ride on the scooter, OK?’
Rhea: ‘There are so many hordes of children.’
Lara: ‘Do fairy penguins have a wand and do magic tricks?’
Rhea: ‘Are there tooth fairy penguins?’
Lara: ‘Will you think of me when you’re dead? And daddy will die first won’t he’ (because he’s older).
Rhea: ‘I’m never going to play with you again until I forget.’
Lara: ‘I don’t like white chocolate I only like dark chocolate.’
Rhea: ‘Do you reckon you can do 100?’
Lara: ‘That should do it.’
Rhea: ‘When we have a sleepover at Maggie’s house we don’t have milk. We have popcorn.’
Lara: ‘What does Daddy mean when he said he’s studying his reflection?’
Rhea, after I explained why the carrots were only half cooked because I didn’t want to over-cook the asparagus: ‘Why didn’t you leave the carrots in longer and take out the asparagus?’
Lara: ‘Mum watch me and don’t take your eyes off me.’
Rhea: ‘Don’t step on the unexpected blue bottles.’
Lara: ‘I’m wearing the dress that Rhea wore yesterday basically.’
Rhea: ‘Just a little adjustment’ (and she added chocolate ice-cream to her face that already had tomato sauce).
Lara: ‘When does Santa start watching you to see if you’ve been good?’
Rhea: ‘I don’t agree! You can’t ride the scooter with your milk bottle it’s impossible.’
Lara: ‘When my tummy hurts I always try to do a poo.’
Rhea: ‘I’ve got three and you’ve got three (Lara). You’re losing mum.’
Lara: ‘I’m never talking to you again until I forget.’
Rhea: ‘Lara doesn’t appreciate Lola’s reading. But I do.’
Lara: ‘I twisted my ankle.’
Rhea: ‘I’m having a little break.’
Lara, jumping in the waves: ‘I like it so much!’
Rhea: ‘You’re in luck.’
Lara: ‘Does your body know when it’s going to die?’
I explained that if you’re very sick like my aunt Kay you might know but not unless you were very sick.
Lara: ‘Like with a toe infection?’
Rhea: ‘What’s your decision dad?’
Lara: ‘Fudge.’
Rhea: ‘Oh crap.’
Lara: ‘Which finger is more chockley?’
Rhea: ‘Fudge.’
Lara: ‘Oh crap.’
Rhea: ‘Which finger is more chockley?’
Lara: ‘Mean mummy!’
Rhea: ‘Mean mummy!’
Lara: ‘What’s your decision dad?’
Rhea: ‘Just a sec.’
Lara: ‘For example. . .’
Rhea: ‘Check this out.’
Lara: ‘Shit.’
Rhea: ‘Oh alright then.’
Lara: ‘Goo goo.’
Rhea: ‘Oh man.’
Lara: ‘Yes. . .’
Rhea: ‘My God.’
Lara: ‘That’s weird.’
Rhea: ‘I twisted my ankle.’
Lara: ‘Mine.’
Rhea: ‘In fact. . .’
Lara: ‘Blow.’
Rhea: ‘Yikes!’
Rhea: ‘Whatever. . .’
Lara: ‘For example. . .’
Rhea: ‘My finger is very painful.’
Lara: ‘Don’t clamber over my toys.’
Rhea: ‘Bother.’
Lara: ‘Wait.’
Rhea: ‘That’s ridiculous.’
Rhea: ‘Anyway Lara. . .’
Lara: ‘Still. . .’
Rhea: ‘Whereas. . .’
Rhea: ‘That’s disappointing that you lost your shoe Lara.’
Lara: ‘I didn’t lose it.’
Rhea: ‘Where is it then?’
Lara: ‘I don’t know.’
Steve: ‘How did you get my phone?’
Lara: ‘I reached it out of your pocket.’
Me: ‘What do you want in your sandwich?’
Rhea: ‘Whatever you want me to have.’
Me: ‘Avocado?’
Rhea: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Ham?’
Rhea: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Tomato?’
Rhea: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Cheese?’
Rhea: ‘No.’
Me: ‘What do you want then?’
Rhea: ‘Jam.’
Rhea: ‘Grandpa pig said ‘help help’ and then he said ‘easy as pie.’
Lara: ‘No, that’s not right. This is what actually happened. Grandpa Pig said ‘help help’ then he flew off.’
Rhea: ‘You’re not listening. Grandpa Pig said ‘help help’ and Grandma Pig said he must need help.’
Rhea: ‘Stop it! How about we make up rules that we agree on.’
Lara: ‘OK but not your silly rules.’
Lara: ‘What does ‘brittle’ mean? What does ‘hopeless’ mean? What does ‘I’d be surprised’ mean? What does ‘an English accent’ mean?’
Rhea, just before arriving at Smith’s Lake: ‘I don’t want to go there. It’s too hard to say. When will we be there?’
Me: ‘In another five minutes. Do you think you can wait that long?’
Rhea: ‘No.’
On arriving: ‘I don’t like it, there aren’t any stairs’ (inside).
Next day: ‘I want to live here!’
