The Best of 2012-- Patrow family Silly Sayings

We have some friends (are you out there Suzanne MacDonald?) with 5 kids.  All year, Suzanne keeps track of the funny things the kids say and then publishes it all with the family Christmas letter.  Although it is sometimes several pages of small single spaced type, we so much enjoy reading and chuckling along!

Last year in Singapore, the pediatrician asked us how many words were in Jonathan's vocabulary.  Dave answered 10 words.  I answered at least 50.  When we came home, I started writing down his words, and quickly surpassed 50.  In fact I quickly surpassed 200 -- I guess we were at that vocabulary explosion stage!  That was only the beginning....then came phrases and sentences and then dialogue.

Here are some of the funny and endearing things overheard at our house in 2012.  (Note: As much as I'd love to have the perfect photo for each quote, these are just random family photos from our 2012 collection, for visual interest.  Enjoy!)

Toddlernesian 2012

Helkokker -- helicopter

-Merica -- America

Eatmeal -- Oatmeal (makes sense, right? You eat it, after all!)

Wowo -- world

Jofwah--Joshua

Grow-la -- granola

Peek-you! -- Peek-a-boo!

Slivers -- fwivers
Sweeping -- sleeping, or sweeping
Blinklers -- sprinklers
Eleventeen -- seventeen
Gwinting -- squinting

APRIL

Jonathan's phrase of the month "I SO love you!"

MAY

Jonathan, learning the alphabet: "A for poo-poo!"   

Jennifer:  (correcting) "P for poo-poo.  I've got to write that one in the book….A for poo-poo."  

Jonathan:  (correcting)  "No mommy, P for poo-poo."

Jonathan, for several days after head vs. chair accident:  "I have bwoosed head."  

Jonathan, seeing a large grayish-brown lumpy thing on the ground "-tato!"  (Translation: potato).   

Jennifer:  "That's a coconut."  

Jonathan:  "Coke-nut!"

During the week when 4 month old Joshua is getting a lot of praise for learning to roll over, 2 year old Jonathan rolls over on bed and says "I roll over Mommy say Wow!"

Coming up and handing over a crumpled photograph from his baby photo album, Jonathan says:  "Mommy, I folded Grandma Coral!"

Trying to teach cause vs effect. 

Jennifer:  "If you don’t stand carefully on the stool, you could fall and hurt your head bad and have to go to the hospital. "   

Jonathan runs and puts his shoes on with unprecedented enthusiasm, goes out the door and runs to the gate.  

Jennifer: "Jonathan where are you going?"   

Jonathan: "I wanna go hospital!"

JUNE

At Joshua's baptism, our entire family stood before a large congregation.  After seeing Jennifer struggling to hold a wriggling Jonathan, Pastor Kent suggests we just put him down to roam.  "We have a free range brother," he said.

We look at Joshua's baptism cake which says "Joshua Jason, Child of God." 
Jennifer:  "Jonathan can you read the letters on the cake?  What does it say?" 
Jonathan:  "CAKE TIME!"

Jonathan singing the alphabet, "A B C D E F G H I J K Hello-lo-lo P …."

JULY
At McDonalds play structure, chasing a bigger girl around. 
Girl, to Jonathan:  "Stop, you baby!" 
Jonathan, to girl:   "Stop me baby!"

Driving I-84.  Dave, taking an opportunity to give a geology lesson: "Those rocks are lava flows from volcanos…."  

Jonathan, looking across the river "No!  They not volcanos!  They windmills!"

Jonathan (spoken very slowly as he worked it out in his mind):  "When I grow up …I'm gonna be …..a grown up."

AUGUST
On the joy of discovery, while Jonathan was eating a snack of apple chunks:   "Mommy, these apples have juice in them!  I'm drinking it!" 

Jennifer:  "Jonathan, if you eat your spinach and your chicken, it will make your muscles in your arms and legs strong." 
Jonathan eats a few bites, and then earns a few potato chips as a treat, which he promptly gobbles.  "Mommy, it's going down into my legs and my feet and making me strong!" 
Jennifer:   "Chicken and spinach are better at making you strong." 
Jonathan:  "And potato chips, Mommy!"

Sunday School Teacher:  "Jonathan would you like to be Zaccheus and climb the tree?" 
Jonathan:  Falls onto all fours and crawls away shouting & roaring like a lion

At naptime: 
Jennifer "Jonathan do you want me to tuck you in?" 
Jonathan:  "Ribbet"

SEPTEMBER

Jonathan:  "Come eat me daddy!   Pick me up and frow me in your wair!"  (translation: lair)

(Editorial comment:  I treasure this next one.  Perhaps it even deserves it's own blog post.  Does Jonathan yet understand everything about sin and redemption?  No way.  On that hand neither do I!  But this moment, while providing some chuckles, is also evidence of God's working a gradual and beautiful process in his life.) 
Randomly, while eating lunch one day:

Jonathan:  "Mommy, how does God get into my tummy?"

After some thought, Jennifer:  "Do you mean how Jesus gets into your heart?"

Jonathan:  "Yes, how does Jesus get into my heart?"

Jennifer:  "You ask him to come in.  Like the song "Behold, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock….(sings the whole song) and then you say  (singing) "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus, Come in today Come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." 

Jonathan:  Sings to his own tune and beat "Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, Thank You, AAAAAMEEENNNN!" 

Jennifer:  "Did he come in?"

Jonathan:  "Yep."

Jennifer:  "What does it feel like?"

Jonathan:  rubs his hands all over his chest and shoulders "It feels…….hot…..and fire…..like an airplane!  (singing) Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart…..and my tummy!"

OCTOBER

Jennifer:  "Jonathan how old do you think I am?  How old am I?" 
Jonathan:  "Kookah." 
Jenn, thinking a bit of clarification is needed:  "Jonathan how old are you? "
Jonathan:  "I'm TWO!!!" 
Jenn:  "Okay, so how old am I?" 
Jonathan:  "Kookah."
Dave:  "He knows it's a nonsense question since he can't count that high.  So he's giving you a nonsense answer!"

(This is one of those classic moments that's probably experienced in every home!)
Jonathan, holding Dave's child-proof vitamin bottle from the USA:  "Daddy are these your pills?  Can I open them?" 
Dave:  "Yes, those are daddy's vitamins.  But you can't open them.  It's a bottle that only a grown up can open.  But you can try." 
Dave then turns around to give Jenn and Joshua a kiss before going to work. 
Jonathan:  "Here Daddy," handing Dave the open vitamin bottle and lid. 

Jonathan:  "When I grow up, I'm gonna have wings."

After watching Joshua take medicine for his cough, Jonathan asks for some too. 
Jennifer:  "No Jonathan, you are healthy now.  You don't need any medicine.  Only sick people need medicine." 
Jonathan:  "(wimper, wimper), I'm gonna cry….in just a second." 

Apparently he learned this song in Sunday School:  "Raisen, raisen, all the little children."  (Translation:  Praise Him, Praise Him).

Upon seeing Jenn with a new hairstyle
Jonathan:  "Mommy (giggle, giggle), you look like a …..a…..gurl-lul! (giggle, giggle)   (Translation: girl)

NOVEMBER

Jonathan, holding out a small dead beetle in his hand:  "Mommy, this died!"

Jennifer, inspecting beetle, "Yes, he is dead."

Jonathan: "Do you know why?  Because I put my knee on him!"

Jennifer: "Oh, well, he's dead.  Go throw him in the toilet and flush him."

Jonathan:  "Will that make him feel better?"

On a day of special need for patience...
Jennifer (groaning in exasperation):  "Patience is a fruit of the Spirit….I want to live in the Spirit." 
Jonathan:  "I want to live in America."

At evening devotions, after singing the first 2 traditional verses of "Be careful little eyes what you see," Jonathan spontaneously composed this new verse:  "Oh Be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo.  Oh Be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo.  For the Father up above is looking down below.  Oh be careful little bottom where you go poo-poo."

DECEMBER

Jonathan:  "Ow!  Mommy, I hurt my leg-elbow!"  (translation -- knee)