Once again, here are some memorable quotes from the girls as a snapshot of our year.
Rhea: Eek!
Lara: Yikes!
Rhea: And plus. . .
Lara: That’s sad.
Rhea: I figured out. . .
Lara: That’s disappointing.
Rhea: Just saying. . .
Lara: I want to. . .
Rhea: And I thought to myself. . .
Lara: Christmasso!
Rhea: Sorry about before.
Lara: I hate you.
Rhea: I love you.
Lara: God I hope not!
Rhea: I hate you daddy!
Lara: What does ‘chuffed’ mean?
Rhea: I was enjoying that.
Lara: Come on!
Rhea: To be honest. . .
Lara: It’s not fair!
Rhea: It’s not fair!
Lara: Speaking of which. . .
Rhea: Jeez!
Lara: This won’t go well. . .
Rhea: Literally. . .
Lara: Aark!
Rhea: Aark!
Lara: I was puzzled about that.
Rhea: It’s in an even worse state than it was.
Lara: What does ‘Suicide of the fridge magnets’ mean?
Rhea, after Duncan asked her where her classmates went who left: Sally’s mother got postponed.
Lara: With a newspaper, if you put something in it do you have to pay?
Rhea: Have you heard of the Blue Hills?
Lara: I know where our bad temper comes from. You.
Rhea: It’s my opinion. . .
Lara: There are some shards of glass up there.
Rhea: Honestly, the paint was coming down and it was all crumpled.
Lara: Jeez Rhea were you born in a tent?
Rhea: When I was four and five and six I thought my middle name was Kamalini.
Lara: It’s not your turn to sleep in, it’s mummy’s and she’s up.
Rhea: What does ‘slang’ mean?
Lara: I’m so humiliated [meant ‘frustrated.’]
Rhea, after being asked what she did today: I had a ham sandwich for lunch and cordial and a chocolate crackle and ice-cream.
Lara: When you walk on a horse you go hm hm hm hm and when you trot you go hm-hm hm-hm.
Rhea: I found some sleep from my eyes that fell in to the curve of my ear.
Lara: Why aren’t you sleepy after you’ve slept?
Rhea: Lara you don’t have to say ‘spotto’, it’s on the television.
Lara: Why do you hold hands when you cross the road but not when you’re riding across the road?
Rhea: You have to arrive at the canteen late [to miss the line] but not too late or it’s closed.
Lara: If you don’t buy me a bottle of water I’ll get myself run over by that car.
Rhea: You put your hands beside your body at 7 and flex them at 8.
Lara: Mum, apparently no-one at my table has baths or showers with their mum or dad. Weird.
Rhea: I’m not keen on any of the socks you packed.
Lara: How was the earth made?
Rhea: What does ‘you’re a sight for sore eyes’ mean?
Lara: Can I clean these things [my nipples]?
Rhea, after reading Girls Stuff in which it says that periods come during ages 9-15: Can I have one [a pad] in my bag in case I get my period at school?
Lara, pulling my top so she could look down my front: Why are they so low?
Rhea, when I was buying pads: Why don’t you buy the ones that you put up your thingy?
Lara: Oh I want to tell you something but Rhea doesn’t want me to.
Rhea: Was the day you met daddy one of the best days of your life?
Lara: Do you love daddy or like him?
Rhea: What’s a potato made of?
Lara: Can you and daddy get divorced? Because then I could have 2 rooms and have 2 of everything.
Rhea: What is ‘risk’?
Lara: My new favourite food is fish and chips.
Rhea: What’s starch made of?
Lara: Is this called an apple turnover because it has bits of apple in the thingy?
Rhea: What’s a cell made out of?
Lara: Is sugar lighter than salt?
Rhea: The cone isn’t the best. It tastes like burnt toast.
Lara: Grandma’s a good cook but everything you make tastes disgusting.
Rhea: We had scrumpets.
Lara: Do we have any breadcrumbs? If we do I want breadcrumbs for breakfast.
Rhea, after cutting onions: My eyes are spicing.
Lara: Can you put maple syrup on grilled bananas?
Rhea: The cheese is off.
Lara: Nuts aren’t allowed. Is a coconut a nut? [re a lamington].
Rhea: A little help here.
Lara: Pretty please with cheese?
Rhea: If you have brown or black skin do you have brown eyes? Why?
Lara: Was it pelting down? Grandma wanted it to be pelting down.
Rhea: Even though my ears are freezing, my arms are boiling.
Lara, after watching ‘Before Sunset’ for about 15 minutes: He’s going to miss his plane. I can’t bear it.
Rhea, driving the speedboat: This is really hard! I can see why you need a license!
Lara: Can you do it in slow mo?
Rhea: Can you say the alphabet without moving your lips?
Lara: Why are you rummaging around in there?
Rhea: This is nice as long as I have covers on me. Which I don’t. Now I do. Now I don’t. Now I do. Yes, it’s perfect.
Lara: I can do it I can do it I can do it I can do it. I can’t do it [re putting sticky tape with posters up.]
Rhea: I’m running. [Deciding she would run in the Roo Run, despite not having any shoes.]
Lara: There were loads of people coming down the stairs.
Rhea: Did you know that technically, trees can talk to each other? When their roots are touching.
Lara: Mum, you’d look good in a wedding dress.
Rhea, to Lara: I don’t have to like the exact same books as you.
Lara: Eleanor [at school, on Harmony Day] made an annoying remark today, she said my skirt was a skirt and Rhea’s was a quilt.
Rhea: If I was daddy then my favourite street would be Stephen street.
Lara, after the Customs officer said she wanted to test our bags for explosives: Seriously?
Rhea: I think we should have Monday off school. Because we might be jet lagged.
Lara: Why do you have some white hair and daddy doesn’t?
Rhea: I discussed this with you.
Lara: Your hair’s brown and it’s going white.
Rhea: Where in the world were you?
Lara: Why didn’t you discuss the sleeping arrangements in Sea Lake with us?
Rhea, when we were playing tips: Mum don’t worry about the singlets falling off your head I’ll pick them up.
Lara, after I explained that the newly-sprayed grey/green powder was spray-on grass: I prefer real grass.
Rhea, to Lara: I’m sick of your behaviour!
Lara: I rummaged around in the box looking for something to decorate my project with.
Rhea: I technically won.
Lara, to Rhea who was sick: Do you want a honey thingamajig?
Rhea: I won I won! . . . Why is it check mate?
Lara: Mum, to tell you the truth I really want to have triplets.
Rhea: I came 4th and the first 3 came 1st so I effectively came 2nd [at musical statues].
Lara: I came 6th in the 800m because the first 5 go to Zone and I don’t want to go to Zone for 800m.
Rhea: It’s very realistic but I don’t know if it will do the trick [i.e. the cake of soap looked like a cake.]
Lara: My favourite arm position [in ballet] is 2nd and leg position is 3rd.
Rhea: And I said to myself. . .
Lara: Did you know your eyebrows stop water from dripping down your face?
Rhea: Why does everyone who has a scar have it on their chin?
Lara: Why do we say ‘very good’ but not ‘very great’? Don’t write that down in your notebook. I saw the way you looked at me that you were going to write it down.
Rhea: I remember my first memory. We had been to the market and we were sitting outside. I ran around the back of the house and I was eating pasta. [She was about two.]
Lara, who wanted to show her class a photo of me breastfeeding the girls: You don’t see your thingies because we’re on top of them.
Rhea: Is it called a honeymoon because it’s honey in the shape of a moon?
Lara, after her pottery class: I know what you’re thinking – that my clothes are very dirty.
Rhea: What’s a Christian?
Lara, playing a piece about a baby in Bethlehem: Is this about Jesus? Does that mean his mother was a goddess?
Rhea: My ball landed on the shade sail. And Lachlan threw Sophie’s lunchbox up there – it’s OK, he asked her – and it fell down.
Lara: Mum, if today was a school day then it would be over 15 minutes ago.
Rhea: Today we found out that Mr Duncan is leaving. Lucy cried the most then me then Natasha then Ali.
Lara: I’d actually like to live there. Too bad there isn’t a For Sale sign out the front.
Rhea: Can I have a fit bik?
Lara, to Ann: You smell nice.
Rhea: Can we have 2 years with daddy’s family and then one with yours? Because if we have Christmas with your family we don’t get presents from daddy’s family.
Lara: Let me show you my house. But first let me buy a bigger house.
Rhea: Why’s it called Boxing Day? Why does it have a name? Why isn’t it just called ‘The day after Christmas?’
Lara: Dad you nearly got dumped [by the waves].
Rhea: I want to stay up all night. To see if Santa’s real.
Lara: You don’t get it.
Rhea: I used to think it was Wetnesday.
Lara: Why are there photos of people everywhere?
Rhea: Guess how long someone has sat on a pole?
Lara, after seeing in the Saturday Paper the advertisement ‘The Prime Minister didn’t change. Maybe your reading should’: I don’t think my reading has to change.
Rhea: The first girl Prime Minister was in 2010? When was the first boy Prime Minister?
Lara, after I said that the Government hadn’t done anything after the Climate Change rally: That’s really weird. You mean we marched for nothing?
Rhea, about Tony Abbott: His shirt is too tight.
Rhea: Who are you going to vote for?
Me: The Greens.
Rhea: Are there colours?
Me: Which animal has better eyes, a lion or an eagle?
Lara: An eagle. I remembered the expression ‘eagle-eyed.’
Me: How’s your friend going in France?
Rhea: You mean Alex?
Me: No.
Rhea: You mean Sophie?
Me: No.
Rhea: You mean Arianne?
Me: Yes.
Me: Batman and. . . it’s a bird.
Lara: Birdie?
Me: It’s not acceptable to shout!
Rhea: You’re shouting!
Lara: That’s Lady Gaga.
Rhea: Who’s Lady Gaga?
Lara: A singer.
Rhea: My second favourite moment is Penny and Pierre’s party.
Me: What’s your favourite?
Rhea: Duncan and Becky’s wedding.
Lara: When did you start buying presents for us for Christmas?
Me: a few months ago.
Lara: Which month?
Rhea: I’ll give you three reasons why we should buy a cat. One, because I’ll choose its name. Two, I’ll walk it every day. Three, I’ll buy it.
Me: They cost about $500.
Steve: $1,000.
Rhea: OK I’ll give you two reasons why we should buy a cat. Anyway I was talking about a puppy.
Me: I don’t like dogs.
Rhea: It’s not a dog, it’s a puppy.
Lara: I’m not doing anything.
Rhea: Technically you are. You’re talking.
Rhea: Do you ever wish that you only had one child?
Me: No, why would I do that?
Rhea: Because we’re always fighting and we wouldn’t fight.
Lara: How does the scoreboard know that a goal has been scored?
Rhea: Maybe there’s a sensor in it.
Rhea, after I told them that from now on we’ll have 20 minutes of play time one-on-one at the suggestion of the psychologist: Yes! At last!
Lara: Can I just have 40 minutes playing with daddy? He’s more fun.
Steve: Why do you have chewing gum up your nose?
Lara: Because the fish smells disgusting.
Me: Do you want some?
Rhea: I said ‘eww.’
Me: You don’t like something until you’ve tried it 30 times.
Rhea: I don’t believe that. I’ve eaten fish more than 30 times and I still hate it.
Lara: Nostro [the dog] killed Smokey’s wife when he was younger.
Rhea: Birds don’t have wives do they?
That’s all to chew over for now. All the best for 2020.
