Recent Quotables

David and Leah say something hilarious (at least in our opinion) almost daily. Here are some of their recent quotables.

David (as seen at right): “I’m an armadillo!”

David: “The Holy Ghost isn't in the car.” (This was sung over and over on our way to an appointment)

Leah: “I can only do big jumps on Wednesdays.”

Leah: “I can only open the bathroom door by myself once a day.”

David: “Leah, there's a barking spider on you!” (This was quickly followed by sound effects, and, no, not the kind you're thinking of. Apparently, barking spiders say “Eeeeeeeeee, bark, bark!”)

David: “Jesus put a lollipop in my throat and it went down the drain. Now it's in my belly.” (his explanation for what made him choke)

Leah: “Uh-oh! It looks like the Holy Ghost is playing on our swings again.” (the wind was blowing them around)

David: “Mr. Birdfeather!” (This was the one and only peep we heard from him on the baby monitor all evening. It was spoken in a British accent, and accents always make things funnier!)

Leah: “I'm only doing the windows, the floor, and the roof!” (said while trying to stall bedtime and convince daddy to help her build a Lego house)

Leah: “I hope my doll's hair doesn't look too dorky.”

Mother's Day

I feel blessed every day to be a mother, but it was nice to have a specific reason to celebrate today. The absolute highlight of the day was getting to hear Leah sing in church today. I was afraid she was going to miss the opportunity because she announced that she needed to go to the potty right before (or at least what we thought was right before) the children were supposed to go up for the performance. Thankfully, she said she could wait for a little bit. I normally don't make her wait, but there were clues that she was just bored and trying to get out into the hallway. ;-)

The kids first sang "Mother, I Love You" in Spanish. I know her Spanish wasn't perfect, but Leah sang out loud and strong, without hesitation. The sincere look on her face is one of the most precious things I've ever seen. The children moved on to "Mother, I Love You" in English. Leah didn't miss a beat. The children finished up with "A Child's Prayer." For those unfamiliar with the song, it has two parts. The first part serves as the first verse; the second part serves as the second verse; for the third verse, both parts are sung together (the children's choir split in two groups to do this). This type of song can be challenging for children, but Leah held her own. I could tell she was very focused on singing her part just right. It brought me to tears. I just couldn't believe that I am the mother to such a precious, talented little girl! After the song finished, a lady from two pews back said loud enough for us to hear, "Anna, you have a star there!" I couldn't do anything but giggle at that point because I am so happy to be Leah's mom.

In other Mother's Day news, the kids made me some lovely gifts. One was a flower with a tootsie pop in the middle of it and Leah's little handprint attached to it. Leah informed me that the flower and the handprint were for me, but the candy was for her! :-P David thought the tissue paper flower arrangement he made for me in nursery was a toy for him, so we had a bit of a tantrum on our hands when I explained it wasn't a toy at all. I guess we need to have a little lesson on sacrifice and giving cheerfully! ;-)

Breakfast of Champions

Scene: the Drake family kitchen, about 7:00 this morning. Leah and David have run ahead of me and by the time I get there, I find David having grabbed a box of crackers and shoving his hand into the box. I quickly grab the box from him, returning the two or three crackers to the box. (Yeah, I know, unsanitary. It’s not like anyone else is going to be eating them.) ;-)

I inform David that we will not be having crackers for breakfast; he screams. I ignore him and turn to Leah. The following conversation ensues:

Daddy: “Leah, what do you want for breakfast?”

Leah: “Crackers!”

Daddy: “No, Leah. I just told David that we don’t have crackers with breakfast.”

Leah: “But I want crackers!”

Daddy: “No, Leah. Not for breakfast.”

Leah: “Can I have crackers for lunch?”

Daddy: “If you would like some crackers with your lunch, I’m okay with that if Mommy is. Mommy, is that okay?”

Mommy (looking up from the computer): “What?”

Daddy: “Leah can have crackers with her lunch?”

Mommy: “Yes, with her lunch.”

Daddy: “Okay, thanks, Mommy. So, Leah, you may have some crackers with your lunch. Now what do you want for breakfast?”

Leah: “Oatmeal!”

Daddy: “Okay. David, what do you want for breakfast?”

David: “Lunch!”


(((sigh)))

Family Activities

I love it that the kids love being involved in our family activities. They cheer when they realize it's Monday, and they get to participate in Family Home Evening. Usually, they get to pick the songs ("Follow the Prophet" and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" are some favorites) and say the prayers. Leah has even taught the lesson a couple of times (imagine a 4-year-old trying to teach about the Resurrection; it was quite touching, but also quite humorous!). They love to help plant and water the flowers and vegetable garden. David especially loves to help mommy make dinner, and sometimes pulls a few extra ingredients out of the pantry. ;-) It makes me so happy that they love being together as a family. I hope this love runs deep so that it extends later into their childhood and teen years. A girl can dream.
;-)

Anna's Birthday

All four of us had a great time on my birthday. We spent most of the day at Turkey Run State Park, which included a gourmet picnic lunch and hiking. We, of course, had to get Dairy Queen on the way home. We also tried to go to the local zoo, only to be disappointed when we walked through the gates a minute after it closed. Apparently, their evening hours don't start until after Memorial Day. The kids had a great time playing at the huge playground at the park instead. We finished up the day with a delicious meal at Cracker Barrel. I love spending time with my three favorite people!

I Make This Look Good

So David, as some of our more astute readers may remember, has an asthma-like condition that has been described as “allergy-induced asthma” (which is basically what I had as a child, too). The point is that if the poor little guy gets sick at all, it gets into his chest and stays there like an annoying relative, which then requires him to take daily doses of Albuterol and Pulmicort (both asthma medications) via a nebulizer, until the symptoms go away.

Last night, our little man was receiving his treatment and decided to make a fashion statement. Enjoy the pic, and check out my Facebook page for more.

One Year Ago Today

A year ago today, we buried our sweet baby boy Daniel. We spent Friday (his first birthday) celebrating his life by taking a mini-vacation to Louisville, where Anna and I attended the temple on Saturday while members of the local FSA chapter provided babysitting.

So much has happened in the past year—much of it good, but all of it tinged by Daniel’s absence. We take great comfort in the teaching of President Joseph Smith, Jr.:

Children … must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory—the same loveliness in the celestial glory” (History of the Church 6:366).

However, we know not whether Daniel’s spirit had yet staked its eternal claim on the tiny body he seems to have inhabited. Thus, we can only wait to see whether he will be returned to us in this life (which is currently our preference, ignorant though it may be).

If he is to be returned to us in mortality, we also wonder how this will happen: will he grow in Anna’s womb, as numerous Priesthood blessings seem to have attested, or will he come to us through another? And either way, our impatient humanity begs the question of “When?”

Regardless of how it all turns out, it suffices to say that even after a year, our beloved baby boy is severely missed. We love you, Daniel, and we cannot wait to see you again. :-*