Ah-yah’s shoes drink coffee, Daddy?

(Claire is unzipping her sleep sack.)
Alex: It’s hard to open a sleep sack, Claire. You’ll be stuck in there forever!


Claire: Uh piggytails. My hair bah me.


(Gromit sneezes.)
Alex: Bless you, Gromit.


Claire: Drink coffee?
Daddy: Okay.
(Daddy drinks some coffee.)
Daddy: Yummy!
Claire: (Mumble) drink coffee?
Daddy: You want me to drink some more coffee?
Claire: Me.
Daddy: No, Claire doesn’t drink coffee! Silly!
Claire: Mommy drink coffee?
Daddy: Yeah, Mommy drinks coffee.
Claire: Ah-yah drink coffee?
Daddy: No, Ah-yah doesn’t drink coffee.
Claire: Grommie drink coffee, Daddy?
Daddy: No, Grommie’s a dog!
Claire: Elmo drink coffee, Daddy?
Daddy: No, Elmo doesn’t drink coffee.
Claire: Ah-yah’s shoes drink coffee, Daddy?
Daddy: What?
Claire: Ah-yah’s shoes?
Daddy: No, silly!
Claire: Does Grover drink coffee, Daddy?
Daddy: No, Grover doesn’t drink coffee.


Claire: My knee better.


(Claire plays with Daddy’s hair.)
Claire: Uh have black hair, Daddy?
Daddy: Yeah.
(Claire touches her own hair.)
Claire: Uh have black hair too.


Claire: Uh my trains down, and my Doc, and my Stickers, and my trains!


Alex (speaking in the style of Dora and Map): Play... lunch... Grandma’s house! Play... lunch... Grandma’s house!


Alex: The animal store is the biggest building in the whole world!


(The family is visiting Carter’s Mountain with Grandma and Grandpa, to pick peaches.)

(Claire picks a peach.)
Claire (excited): Uh show my peach uh Mommy!

Alex: Whoa, I'm falling down the steep hill!

Alex (to Grandma) I wish I could watch a storm at your house.




















(in the car)
Alex: I saw train tracks!!!


(at Grandma’s house)
Claire: New soap! There new soap, at Gamma house!


(dinner, at Grandma’s house)

(Alex watches while people get up from the table to serve themselves seconds.)
Alex: Why can’t I have more things, like the grown-ups?

(Alex and Daddy talk about the book “Bigmama’s House.”)
Daddy: Bigmama means “Grandma”. You can call Grandma “Bigmama” if you want.
(Pause.)
Alex: What’s Bigmama drinking?


(driving home from Grandma’s)

Claire: I see dark clouds. Thunder coming.

Alex: That’s the digger we saw on the way to Carter’s Mountain.

Alex: Why did you say “PJs” at Grandma’s house?
Mommy: What?
Alex: You said “PJs” at Grandma’s house. Why?

(Apparently Alex and Claire are talking, although Claire’s side of the exchange is inaudible.)
Alex: No!
(Pause.)
(Alex lets out an exasperated sigh.)
(Pause.)
Alex (sternly): Claire. Stop talking to me. I’m very tired.

(Claire cries long and incessantly about something that no one can understand. Mommy is at her wits’ end.)
Mommy (in exasperation): Okay, cry, Claire.
Claire (upset): No cry!
Claire (upset): No cry!
Claire (upset): No cry!
Claire (upset): No cry!
(Claire continues to repeat this mantra for about 15 minutes, during which time everyone else in the car sits quietly.)
(Mommy turns around to face Claire.)
Mommy (calmly): Okay.
(Claire stops crying.)
(Silence.)
Alex: What are you talking about?
Mommy: Oh, we’re just conversing.
(Pause.)
Alex: I don’t know what – what’s Claire – what’s Claire – I don’t know what Claire’s talking about. Claire, what are you talking about?


(at home)

(Claire starts running around the kitchen, and Mommy tells her there’s no time for that, because it’s late and time to go to bed.)
Alex (to Claire): Yeah, I know you really like that game. We’re not gonna do that game today, ‘cause everyone’s tired.