Funny Kids

Everyday, several times a day, Annabelle and I have a conversation much like this:

Me: Annabelle, do not go outside without your shoes on.

Annabelle: Whaaaaat?

Me: You need to put your shoes on before you can go outside.

Annabelle: Whatchoo say, Mommy? (What you say, Mommy?) Whaaaaaatchoooo say???? Don't....go......asside (outside)? Shoes on?

Me: Yes, let's get your shoes.

Annabelle: Ooooh-tay (Ok).

"Whatchoo say, Mommy?" is her new favorite line. I hear this from her all...day...long. She cracks me up. It all started with a "Whaaaaaaaat?" A couple months ago, Annabelle picked up one of her toy phones, put it up to her ear and said, "Heh-yo...Whaaaaaaaaat? Oooooh-tay. Byeeeee!" Ever since that moment, "whaaaaaat?" became a staple in her conversation. Now, however, she's added "Whatchoo say?" Sometimes, when she asks me that question, she's asking about something I said five minutes earlier. If I don't repeat the phrase exactly as I said it five minutes ago, she throws a fit. She's quite the drama queen, that girl. Of course, I've known that since the day she was born. :)

Jacob still gives me a daily dose of laughter as well. Last week, during one of his reading lessons, I gave him a newspaper and let him read the headlines. He did a really good job! A couple days later, Jacob proudly told his daddy that he read all the "headlamps" in the newspaper. His scripture memorization is still going strong as well and I'm beginning to think he may grow up to be a preacher. He recites his verses with enthusiasm, using his hands and lots of facial expressions to convey his message. And...the other night, while he was taking a bath, he grabbed Annabelle's bathtime baby, which was sitting on the side of the tub. "What are you doing with Annabelle's baby doll?" I asked. He dunked the doll into the water, looked at me very seriously and replied, "I'm baptizing it." Earlier that morning, we read about John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. The story was obviously fresh in his mind. Well, if Jacob is going to be a preacher one day, I suspect he'll be a Pentecostal. The boy dances like James Brown and I'm not sure if Southern Baptists are ready for that just yet. :)

P.S. These pictures were taken at the end of December, compliments of our amazing friend and photographer, Janet Powell. As always, she did a FANTASTIC job and captured a lot of great moments!! Click here to see more.