Well, Claire, you know the alphabet’s kind of different, okay?

(Alex looks at Daddy’s computer keyboard, and is confused by the layout.)
Alex: Daddy, A comes first, why do they put the B beside the A to make… the alphabet?

(Alex tries to explain his concern to Claire.)
Alex: Yeah, because there’s a S beside the A.

Alex: B comes after A, okay?
Claire: No.
Alex: Well, Claire, you know the alphabet’s kind of different, okay?
Claire: No.
Alex: Because the different letters make different sounds, okay.
Claire: No.
Alex: Well Claire, actually different letters come after different letters.
Claire: No.
Alex: So that’s the whole alphabet.
Claire: No.
(Alex sings the entire alphabet song, and Claire shouts “No, Alex!” throughout the whole thing.)
Claire: No Alex!
Alex: But Claire, can you listen to the alphabet?
Claire: No.
Alex: So you know all the letters that come after the letters.
Claire: No.
Alex: You wanna know the letter sounds?
(Claire shakes her head no.)
Alex: What do you wanna do?
(Claire mumbles.)
Alex: Write words?
Claire: No.
Alex: Well, make words?
Claire: I wanna write words.
Alex: I can’t because we’re not go – we’re gonna go to school, but, Claire, would you wanna spell words on the refrigerator?
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: ‘Kay, Claire, may I show you letters, that come after lotsa different letters please?
Claire: No.
Alex: But Claire can I show you the sounds?
(Claire shakes her head no.)
Alex: But, it’s fun, and then you can know the sounds.
Alex: Aah is on the A.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: Buh is on the B.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: Kuh is on the C.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: Duh is on the D.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: Um… you know what comes next, Daddy?
Daddy: E.
Alex: Eh’s on the E.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: F’s on the fuh.
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: G’s on the guh.
Claire: You need to do mmm.
Alex: Yeah, but – after G comes M, right, Daddy?
Daddy: After G comes H.
(They continue this way all the way through to Z, with a few letters skipped.)

Alex: Well, we forgot K.
Daddy: Then do K.
Alex: Well, is there a K in the alphabet or not?

(Daddy tries to hurry Alex and Claire to get in the car for school.)
Alex: But Claire doesn’t know her alphabet!

Alex: K says kuh, for Claire!
Claire: Yeah!
Alex: But C says kuh too, so I don’t know if we can put a K in your name.


(Claire is playing with a little doll.)

Claire: I’m pretending her gymnastics girl.
Daddy: Okay.

Claire: You wanna go to gymnastics shake a parachute?
Daddy: Yeah!


(The following are fragments of Claire’s reading of A Charlie Brown Christmas.)

Claire: “Did you send me a Christmas card?” said Violet.
Claire: “No I didn’t send you a Christmas card, Charlie Brown!”

Claire: Nickels nickels nickels, I love those nickels.

Claire: My dog have-a gone, commercial.

Claire: Already doing it right now, baby sister.

Claire: Three minutes doing that play. We’re already doing it.
Claire: Sumpa do that play! And us-a do it, right!
Claire: And Snoopy do all the animals.
Claire: Do that right now. And do it right.
Claire: Wanna do it right now.
Claire: We’re already-a do it right now on this page.
Claire: We’re doing it right now.

Claire: We’re doing it tomorrow so us can.
Claire: We do it out Charlie Brown and (mumble) another Christmas tree.
Claire: Let’s see, uh, see, a Christmas tree.

Claire: I like that Christmas tree.
Claire: Everybody likes that Christmas tree, everybody liked it.

Claire: Everybody went to a museum.
Claire: And it’s – and her was mad!
Claire: Let’s wait and see a Christmas tree. Let’s wait and see it.

Claire: We’ll do it right. Send, us.
Claire: And us do it, and do it that way, we’re do it right.

Claire: Do it right now.
Claire: Already do it.
Claire: Everybody saying it really really love.
Claire: Sing really love.
Claire: Everybody wanted to see another Christmas tree.
Claire: ‘Nother Christmas tree said it.
Claire (singing): Hark the herald angels sing
Claire (singing): Glory to a newborn king.
Claire (singing): God and sinner reconciled
Claire (singing): Oo-ful all ye nations rise
Claire (singing): Join the triumph of the ‘kies
Claire (singing): Hark the herald angels sing
Claire (singing): Glory to the newborn king
Claire (singing): God and sinner reconciled
Claire (singing): Oo-ful all ye nations rise
Claire (singing): Join the triumph of the ‘kies
Claire (singing): Hark the herald angels sing
Claire (singing): Glory to a newborn king
Claire: It the best Christmas ever.
Claire: The end.

Claire: I read [pronounced "reed"] all of the words!
Daddy: Yeah! You did a great job, Claire!
Claire: Yeah. And I just sing.
Daddy: Yeah!


Alex: Can I take a picture of your hair?
Claire: No.
Alex: But it looks so pretty.
Claire: No.

Alex (to Claire): Santa told you to be nice to your brother.


(Alex runs while eating string cheese.)
Alex: When I was running I didn’t choke on it.


(The following remarks occurred during a game of Hide and Seek, played by Mommy, Alex, and Claire.)

Claire: I’m in here!
Claire: I’m under the table!
Claire: I’m under the table!!
Claire: I’m under the table, Mommy!!

Claire: I’m in here, Alex!
Claire: I’m in here!
Claire: I’m in here!
Claire: I’m in here, Alex!

Mommy: One, two, three, four, five! Ready or not, here I come!
Claire: I’m in here!

Claire: One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten… eleven… twelve… fourteen… eighteen… eleven… twelve… fourteen!
(Claire runs.)

Claire: Where’s Mommy and Alex?
Claire: Where’s them?
Claire: Where is them?

(Claire finds Mommy and Alex.)
Alex: That’s why you need to be quiet, Mommy.

Alex: Where is she?
Claire: I’m under the table!


Claire: Daddy, I wanna be a snowman! I’m gonna be a snowman!
Daddy: Okay!

(Claire holds a pillow on her head.)
Claire: I have a hat like a snowman does!


Alex: Daddy, can you lie on the couch with me?

(Alex and Daddy are laying on the couch together.)

Alex: It’s fun to lie with Daddy.

Daddy (to Alex): I love you.
Alex: I love you too, Daddy.