Recent Family (Re)Discoveries,
2002

1. When Karen feeds Amy a play-doh "carrot", Amy licks her lips. Yum!
2. When Amy cries, Karen says, "Mommy, Amy's just faking."
3. Amy likes the taste of crayons much more than Karen did; especially purple ones. Yum!
4. Peanut butter really does take gum out of hair.
5. One day, when Rob is putting Karen into her carseat, Karen happily announces, "Daddy, you have hair in your nose!"
6. "Karen, what's in your mouth?" "A booger!"
7. Karen says, "Amy, do you know what money is? It's called dollars."
8. Rob says, "The camera probably needs a new diaper... I mean battery."
9. Spring, 2002: one day in the car, Karen asks for the first time, "Are we there yet?"
10. Cheerios... play-doh... part of this nutritious breakfast! Yum!
11. When the elevator's arrival is slow one day, Karen says, "Mommy, maybe the elevator needs new batteries."
12. Rob and Danielle are doubtful when the pediatrician warns that when Amy turns 9 months and becomes mobile, Amy will annoy Karen.
13. "Mommy, get Amy away from me!"
14. "Why did you push her, Karen?" "Because she was in my way."
15. Karen calls, "Mommy, come help me", and Mommy discovers Amy squealing with delight while running off with a fistful of Karen's hair.
16. The pediatrician was right.
17. "Stop touching her!"
18. Rob and Danielle both turn thirty.
19. Amy renames Elmo "Elma".
20. Karen says, "Mommy, that was DELICIOUS!"
21. When Rob goes to Sweden for a week, Mommy asks, "Karen, what's at Sweden?" Karen simply replies, "Daddy's at Sveden."
22. Today, as on many days, Karen declares that she is "Martin", Mommy is "Chris", and Amy is "Zaboo"; but Daddy is still just Daddy.
23. "Boogers are yummy!"
24. Whenever the car stops, Karen asks, "Why did we stop?" Rob and Danielle reply, "Why do you think?" And Karen answers (because we've had this conversation more than a couple of times), "Because there's a red light?"
25. We take a lot of car trips.
26. Late Spring 2002: Karen asks for the millionth time, "Are we there yet?"
27. Karen's goal in life is to organize everything.
28. Amy's goal in life is to destroy everything.
29. Mommy's goal in life is to keep Karen and Amy separated.
30. "Girls, just be nice to each other!"
31. "No Karen, don't pee on the couch!"
32. Karen is no longer the toilet girl.
33. Amy now takes over the title of toilet girl.
34. "No Amy, we don't eat the toilet paper."
35. "No Karen, we don't pee on the floor."
36. "Just get away from her!"
37. "SHARE!!!"
38. Danielle says, "If I step on a lego one more time..."
39. Karen decides Amy's birthday is really her own.
40. "No Karen, we don't pee on the rug!"
41. "I'm not Karen, I'm Martin!"
42. Now that Amy has teeth, getting toilet paper out of her mouth is riskier.
43. Karen has an idea: "Let's go to the magic carpet store for a magic carpet ride!"
44. Karen, playing with cards, excitedly announces: "I'm playing a new game. It's called card game."
45. On a long car ride one day, Karen composes a new song: "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
46. "I'm not Karen, I'm Martin!"
47. Karen adamantly insists to Mommy that Tom is the mouse and Jerry is the cat.
48. Mommy asks, "What did you just do, Karen?" "I pushed her. I don't want her on my boat."
49. Now, Karen has decided that she is "Harry", Amy is "Elsie", Mommy is "Stanley", and Daddy is "Dennis".
50. Daddy feels so much more included this time.
51. "No Dennis, I'm not Karen, I'm Harry. Call me by my right name!"
52. Scooby Dooby Doo!
53. Karen happily tells Mommy that "Daddy says when he was to go poops he sits down on the toilet, just like you and me!"
54. "I'm not Harry OR Karen. I'm Martin! Call me by my right name, Chris."
55. "Karen, go get Daddy. He's gonna change your poopy diaper." "No, Daddy, I promised Mommy she could do it!"
56. Karen, dancing one day, says, "Mommy, come get funky! Come on Mommy, get funky! Dance!"
57. Turns out a thirty-year old Mommy can still get funky.
58. Karen discovers the benefits of blaming everything on Amy.
59. Amy's Indian name would be "Pants Falling Down".
60. Karen's Indian name would be "Martin".
61. Goats have beards; sheep don't.
62. "But I'm not hungry."
63. Daddy sternly asks, "Karen, do you want a time out for the rest of the evening?"
64. "Mommy, you have hair on your face!"
65. "But I'm not tired."
66. Daddy sternly asks, "Karen, do you want a time out for the rest of your life?"
67. "But Dennis, my name is Martin!"
68. Amy finally stops eating toilet paper.
69. Amy starts eating play-doh.
70. "Amy, don't eat that dryer sheet!"
71. One of Amy's first phrases is "I don't wanna".

1. "On the road again, I don't want to be on the road again..."
2. "The wheels on the bus go round and round, all the way home."
3. "Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree saw. When the wind blows, the carpet will ride."
4. "All around the rosie bush, the monkey chase the veasel, pop goes the veasal."
5. "Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any more? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags four."
6. "Kuna Matata. Do your wonderful things."
7. "... It's our problem-freeze fur-off-oh-fees. Kuna Matata."
8. "And I know I want to get bigger so I can much more reach way up to the ceiling."
9. "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, all the way home."

1. Still in Wakefield, Karen says, "When I move to Amherst, I'm gonna get a dog, a little black one."
2. Karen adds, "When I move to Amherst, I'm gonna get a horse."
3. The day before the big move, Karen emphatically says, "I HATE AMHERST!"
4. Later that night, Rob and Danielle realize they haven't reminded Karen that her toys are moving with them.
5. When the girls unpack their toys at the new house (picture Christmas morning), Karen cheers, "I LOVE AMHERST!"
6. We have a garage now!
7. We have a squirrel in our garage now.
8. We have a washer and dryer in the basement. Did you know they actually make those things WITHOUT coin slots?
9. We don't have to get several rolls of quarters at the bank each month anymore.
10. Our basement floods when it rains.
11. Karen admires the new place, saying, "Cool, our new house has dirt to dig in. And rocks, too!"
12. We have a yard!
13. We had to buy a lawnmower.
14. Mommy plants some tulips in the garden.
15. Karen plants "magic seeds" (rocks).
16. After Mommy plans out a nice pattern, Karen and Amy mix up all the different color tulip bulbs when Mommy turns her back. We'll see how they come up in the Spring.

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