It’s me bangin’ my head on the wall, Claire!

Diego: What is this a picture of?
Alex and Claire (in unison): A panda!


(Alex and Claire are playing trains.)

Alex (telling a story to himself): He thought it was Thomas, he thought it was Thomas, it was a next ‘nother Thomas. He couldn’t find him anywhere!

Alex: Spencer couldn’t find Thomas, Daddy. He – I think he lose him. I think he lost Thomas.

Alex: Hey Daddy?
Daddy: Yes Alex.
Alex: This is the train’s neighborhood.
Daddy: Oh okay.

Alex: But Daddy, that part looks like aaalll a forest, look if I move back [he steps back], it looks like a country. A country. You know it’s a country? They call it a country?
Daddy: Yeah.

Alex: Trains don’t talk.
Claire: Trai – Thomas talk!
Daddy: Thomas talk?
Claire: Yeah.

(Alex fixes the broken track.)
Claire (clapping): Yayyy!

Daddy: This is a good track! Where did we get this nice track?
Alex: From Ernie.
Daddy: That’s right.
Alex: So we can all the parts to make a new track. For the trains to have.

Alex (telling a story to himself): He’s tired. There’s no way to get to Tidmouth Sheds. He said. He have to stop at the way you… you… the way to Tidmouth Sheds so he chugged…. He was tired… uh… he said… (sighing) Ah… he said. (Mumble.) He has to take a rest, Claire. My train has to take a rest. They’re tired of… trackin’ around. Oh I’m okay. I can just go away. I can stop. I can, ready go this way. Go – can you stop going – keep going straight? There, now you can go. Look at, your other train.
Claire: Uh get it.
Alex: Tractor.
Claire: Get… uh one…
Alex: Tractor.
Claire: Train.
Alex (walking circles around the table): Tractor tractor tractor tractor

Claire: Uh closing! Close.
Alex: He – he went across.
Claire: Horse! Hi, horse. Horse!
Alex: That’s a zebra.
Claire: Zebra.
Alex: A horse doesn’t have stripes on it. That animal has stripes on it. So it’s a zebra.
Claire: Closing! Opening! Close!
Alex: It’s cold outside Claire, that’s what you –
Claire: Open! Open!
Alex: Oh. I scratched you over the way. I scratch -- oh.
(Claire starts running around the table, joining Alex, who contines to walk fast around and around. Both laugh.)
Alex: Faster faster!
Claire: Faster! Faster!
Alex: Look at me, Daddy!
Claire: Look at me, Daddy!
(Claire stops.)
Claire: Yay!
(Claire claps, then starts again.)
Alex: You can’t follow me. You can’t catch me! Look at you, Claire, you can’t catch me!
(Claire mumbles something.)
Alex (stopping): Yayyy!!
Claire (stopping): Yayyy!!
Claire: Uh do it again.
(Train play resumes.)
Claire (putting Elmo on the train): Uh go ride train. ‘Kay. Wheeee!
Alex: He ran off fast as he could. His wheels wouldn’t work. He couldn’t drive right.
Claire: Uh dat! Trains!

Alex: Whoa! I can’t drive! I’m drivin’ backwards! Whoa! He was driving toward the (mumble) crossing to Thomas!

Alex: He couldn’t (mumble) down the way. He couldn’t dash anyone.
Claire: No! No no.
(Claire brandishes a train at Alex.)
Daddy: Claire. No hitting.
(Alex and Claire are at an impasse.)

Claire: Bing!
Claire: Bing!
Claire: Biiing!
Alex: Can you not say that, Claire? That’s too loud. I don’t say “Huh huh huh huh huh huh!” too much. No, I don’t say that.
(Pause.)
Claire: Bing!
Alex: Huh huh huh huh huh huh!


Claire: Uh talk Grandma again last time.
(Claire picks up the phone.)
Claire: Hi Grandma, are you there? Yes, yeah? Bye.
(Claire hangs up the phone.)
Claire: I talk to Grandma again, Daddy.
Daddy: Okay.
(Claire picks up the phone.)
Claire: Hi Grandma, hi. Are you there? Yes? Yeah?
Claire: Hi Grandma, hi. Are you there? No? Yeah? Hi.
(Claire hangs up.)

(Alex picks up the phone.)
Alex: What? Do you have a stove? Noooooo!
(Alex hangs up.)


Alex: F and W start with water, Mommy.
Mommy: What? Where does F come in?
Alex: Fuh, fuh, fresh!
Mommy: Oh, yeah!


(Alex pulls his pants down to sit on the potty.)
Claire: Alex pants down. Alex pants down.

(A banging sound can be heard inside the house.)
Claire: Dat?
(Pause.)
Alex (shouting from the bathroom): It’s me bangin’ my head on the wall, Claire!
Claire: Oh.


(Claire puts on Mommy’s running clothes.)
Claire: Uh run!
(Claire runs around the house.)

(Claire puts her running stuff back in the bin.)
Daddy: Good job, Claire.

(Alex puts his running stuff back in the bin.)
Claire: Good job, Ay-yah.


(lunch time)

Claire: I’m big. Daddy I’m big.


(Claire is reading books. In one, Henry crashes into a freight car.)

Claire (to Daddy, about Henry): Be nice, Daddy. Be nice.
Daddy: Yeah, be nice.
Claire (to Henry in the book): Be nice.

Claire (looking at another book): Too long.

(Claire puts a book on the floor.)
Claire: Put right there. Make mess. Book.


(Alex talks in bed during nap time.)

(Alex’s train talks, unintelligibly.)
Alex: The bus didn’t talk. He didn’t have a face. The bus didn’t listen.

Alex: On the train yesterday, I ringed the bell on the train. Choo choo! Ding ding ding ding! That’s what it said. Ding ding ding ding ding ding!


(Alex and Claire are each holding a hand over one eye.)
Alex: I’m a pirate.
Claire: Uh I’m a pirate
Alex: We’re two pirates.
(Mommy laughs.)