I love you when you make dinner, and I love you every day.

(Alex, Claire, and Mommy come home from the shoe store.)

Alex: I got two surprises for you Daddy! I got balloons, and new shoes!
Claire: Look at my shoes, Daddy!

Claire: My shoes light up!
Alex: Mines too!
Claire: Mines too! And they jump! They light up!



Claire: Daddy, can you pick me up so I can hold my -- hang my coat up?



(Alex and Claire have been running really fast across the kitchen.)

Claire (now going slowly): Look I'm going fast, really slow.

Claire: One, two, superfast!
(Claire runs across the kitchen.)



(dinner)

Claire: Am I gonna get sick? Am I gonna get blueberries in my bed, Mommy?

(Alex shows Claire a picture he drew at school.)
Alex: And this is Daddy right here!
Claire: Oh! Is he a horse?

Alex: Go away, skunk!
Claire: Go away, skunk!
Alex: I don't like spray on me!
Claire: I don't like spray on me!
Alex: Oh I -- I shouldn't play at the table.
Claire: Oh I -- I shouldn't play at the table.
Daddy: Good job, Alex.
Alex: Daddy? If a skunk sprayed you, you wouldn't smell very good, and when you came inside, it would taste very bad. It would be bad. And you wouldn't be able to know that.

Alex: Look Daddy, I can make L with my knife and fork. Look, L!
Claire: I see your L!
Daddy: Wow, that's great!

Claire: I can make A, with my fork and my A.
Claire: Look, I made 1!

Claire: I tried it, Daddy! Tried this!
Daddy: You tried it?
Claire: Yeah, I tried it!
Daddy: Oh, good for you!
Claire: And I liked it!
Daddy: And you liked it? That's great!

Claire: The spray is yucky.
Daddy: The spray from a skunk is yucky?
Claire: Yeah.
Alex: Yeah. And then you would smell very bad when you come inside and everybody would say "What is that smell?!"




(The following is an email that Alex and Claire sent to Mommy.)

***

[Alex wanted to write you an email.]
Daddy: Okay, what do you wanna say?
Alex: Dear Mommy,
Alex: Um -- um -- um
Claire: Dear Mommy. Um, um, can I say something, Daddy?
Alex: No I want to say something first!
Claire: No I --
Alex: But I wanna say something really special, I have something really nice!

[Okay, starting over. Alex gets the first turn.]

Alex: Dear Mommy, I ate -- I -- I like your um, I like your lasagna, and I ate it. And thank you for my dinner. I looove -- I love you when you make dinner, and I love you every day. And I love to play with you, and I love when you do schoolwork. And I love you when I play by myself, and I love you when you're mad, or you're sad. And if you're happy, I love you too, and when you read books to me and put me in my bed and sing songs! And when I read by myself and play trains! And I like eating your dinner, and -- and I love when you give me jobs.

[Alex signs off. Claire's turn.]

Claire: Daddy. I love -- no I wanna say um um um Grommie. Um… and… I love you, Grommie.
Daddy: Okay, what do you wanna say to Mommy?
Claire: No, I said "Grommie".
Daddy: Okay.
Claire: I love you, Grommie.
Alex: Is that all you wanna say?
Claire: No.

[Claire signs off.]

Alex: I'm all done. I like when I write emails to Mommy. Or Daddy. If Daddy's gone, and Mommy's still here, I would write an email to Daddy!

Alex: Mommy, and I love you when you sleep. And I love you when you tell me when it's time to wake up. And I love you when you surprise me, and I love you when you give me presents on my birthday, and I love you when you come to my party, and I love you all day long, and I love you all, when March, when March starts, I will love you every day, and I love you when the um -- when the um -- when the um -- when the months changes. Months does change. Months change. Month, month, month month month, montha month. Month. Month, dizzy, month.

***




(Alex walks around wearing Daddy's shoes.)
Alex (in a stupid-sounding voice): Hi. I'm Daddy. I like to talk like this.



(Alex is playing near Claire's toys.)
Claire: Can you not play with my friends, Alex? Can you not play with my friends?
Daddy: That was a very nice way to ask, Claire.
Alex: Okay. I won't.