Bench, bench, bench! Bench! Bench!

Alex: Daddy, I get my PJ buttons off all by myself.
Daddy: Oh, good job.
Claire: And I got my shirt off, too!
Daddy: Good job, Claire.


(Claire is playing with the whistle.)

Alex: Claire, can I have a turn?
Claire: I need to have it, so everyone can watch me.

Alex: I know, Claire. Why don’t you get the car and (unintelligible) and I’ll make you stop and then I’ll tell you when you can go. Would that be a fun game?
Claire: No.

Alex: Claire? I was gonna play with you.


(driving to school)

Alex: I can’t explain it.
Daddy: You can’t explain what?
Alex: You – you – you never did me before, but – this time you did, and always on my pick, I picked every day so you did Claire first, and I – I you never did me, so – you did me today, so – so – that’s um – that’s not never anymore.
Daddy: Okay, I understand now.
Claire: I’m gonna take my stickers to school?
Daddy: If you want to.

Alex: That’s where we were when we went for a walk.
Daddy: Yeah.
Alex: On that little island.
Daddy: That’s right.
(Pause.)
Alex: Why can’t we never walk to school in there?
Daddy: We can do that some time, but we didn’t want to the other day –
Alex (whiny): Why?
Daddy: It was hot, and, Mommy and Daddy were tired.
Alex: It was really hot there?
Daddy: It was hot.
(Pause.)
Alex: Well then… we could um, put um – um, put on some – put on some coats and then we won’t feel hot.
Daddy: We put coats on?
Alex: Yeah.
Daddy: On a hot day?
Alex: Yeah.
Daddy: Silly.
(Daddy parks the car at school and begins unbuckling the kids.)
Alex: Is it cold today though?
Daddy: Uh no, today’s uh, gonna be nice.
Claire: Daddy, one day can we walk to school?
Alex: Will it be warm?
Daddy: Yeah, one day we can walk to school. Today’s gonna be warm, yes.
Claire: Is it warm now?
Daddy: What?
Claire: Is it warm?
Daddy: It’s warm, yeah.
Claire: Oh.
Claire: Maybe today we can um – walk to – maybe today we can walk to school now.
Daddy: Yeah well right now let’s go on in.
Claire (getting out of the car): I can go down all by myself.
Daddy: Oh, good girl.
Claire: Like Alex!
Claire: I’m a girl.
Alex: Daddy?
Daddy: Yes?
Alex (indicating Daddy’s voice recorder): Can you say, um – can you say something in there?
Daddy: Yeah.
Alex: Um – that um –
Claire: Daddy! Daddy! Ah – um Alex, I got out like you got out all by yourself, now I can get out all by myself too!
Alex: I’m talking right now, Claire.
(There is a break in conversation as Alex and Claire enter the school.)
Alex: Daddy?
Daddy: Yes, Alex.
Claire (climbing onto the bench just inside the school door): Bench, bench, bench! Bench! Bench!
Alex: Daddy?
Daddy: Yes, Alex.
Alex: Um… the – um… since… you didn’t do me, a lot of, none of times, and then you did me… and, um, that’s how you explain it, can you say that in there?
Daddy: Yes.
Claire: I wanna run.
Daddy: Okay. Can you hold Alex’s hand?

(In Alex’s classroom, Alex shows something to Claire.)
Alex: This is the bell, um, when we – when we clean up, some – one of the kids rings this bell. See?
(Alex rings the bell.)
Alex: See, that’s what it sounds like.
Daddy: All right, let’s get you guys over to Claire’s room.
Alex: But you have to ring it more louder, because – I don’t want them to hear our story, to ring our bell because they’ll be mad. And I wanted to show you.
(Claire enters her classroom.)
Claire’s friend: Claire Bear!



Alex: Hey Mommy, I’ve got a great idea! The things I do every day, I can write down in the notebook!

Alex (writing in his notebook): I know something fun, that I did every day. Playing.



(Alex shows Mommy what he wrote.)
Alex: That's Alex, and that's a L because I love you.

Claire: I'm gonna eat at Costco.
Daddy: Yeah?
Claire: Yeah. I like to eat at Costco.