Cort the comedian...

Here is my favorite conversation with Cort from this week. By way of background info, I had been begging Cort to wear these new, cool shoes I bought him. He was complaining that they were too big the last time he tried them on and I urged him to just try again and see how they fit. I finally got through to him and he disappeared into the mud room to try them on. From the other room I heard him excitedly saying how well they fit and how perfect they were for today and how good they looked on him. Then he came back into the kichen…

Cort: Carter and I are asking some girls something today and you have to look really good to do that.

Mom: What are you asking them? (trying soooo hard to suppress laughter!)

Cort: (shyly) I’m not telling.

Later Cort disappears to gel his hair and comes back carrying my bottle of mouthwash.

Cort: Can you open the mouthwash for me? I want to look really good. Really good. (pause) Today’s just a special day and there’s no reason.

I thought I would split in two I was trying so hard not to die laughing and keep a straight face. You can bet I was aching for him to get home from school so I could ask how things went and what, exactly, he and Carter were up to. Come to find out Cort was telling one of his classmates that she was pretty and Carter was having Cort be the go-between to ask another girl if she’d be his girlfriend. I’m sure glad Cort had the new shoes, hair gel, mouthwash combo going for him on such a BIG DAY!!

Santa's Lap

This must be some kind of record! Somehow we were able to get a picture of each of our five kids on Santa's lap and all of them were smiling. I doubt Jake and Emmy will be so eager next year! I guess I have to admit that I just LOVE the 2nd Christmas picture with Santa. The first year they are always too young to resist very much but by their second time around they are downright hilarious--screaming and clawing and scrambling for their parents. I love it. Anyway, here are the traditional photos (thanks to the ward party, we avoided a painful trip to the mall or wherever else it is you can go these days to sit on Santa's lap and have your picture taken!). Enjoy!

Fall Photos...

Here is a little bit of what we've been up to lately:


PAINTING MACY'S ROOM...WE PAINTED IT LAVENDER WHEN WE MOVED IN LAST SUMMER AND NOW I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO ADDING THE SEMI-GLOSS STRIPES THAT WERE PART OF MY ORIGINAL PLAN. I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT AND AM TRYING TO TALK MACY INTO SWITCHING ME ROOMS STRAIGHT ACROSS! :)


COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS LEADING UP TO THANKSGIVING. THE KIDS HAD SO MUCH FUN ADDING THEIR OWN TO THE WALL. I THINK CORT HAD BYU OR SOME DERIVATIVE OF BYU UP THERE SEVERAL TIMES. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE DONE BEFORE AND WILL DEFINITELY TRY TO DO EVERY YEAR.



DROWNING IN BABY GEAR! IMAGINE TWO HIGH CHAIRS, TWO EXER-SAUCERS, TWO BOPPY PILLOWS, TWO BOUNCY SEATS, TWO INFANT CAR SEATS AND OODLES OF STROLLERS OF ALL SIZES AND CONFIGURATIONS.


LAUGHING AT CALEB. HONESTLY, THIS PICTURE PROBABLY NEEDS NO CAPTION. WHAT BETTER ENSEMBLE COULD BE THROWN TOGETHER THAN HIGH HEELS, COWBOY ATTIRE AND NO PANTS? HOT STUFF.


COLLECTING LOTS OF NOTES AND ARTWORK FROM SWEET CORT. THIS ONE IS A FAVORITE AND A CORT ORIGINAL (ie. no help from mom or dad writing it or coming up with the phrasing). I LOVE HOW HE TELLS ME IT'S "BEN NICE" HAVING ME IN OUR HOME. HILARIOUS AND SO ENDEARING.


MOVIE NIGHTS!! WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THE CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SHOWS THAT WE BOUGHT ON DVD YEARS AGO (RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN, ETC.). THE KIDS ARE LOVING IT.


SITTING UP AND SOOOOO PROUD! THE TWINS ARE MUCH HAPPIER NOW THAT THEY CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON MORE EASILY. THEY LOVE TO SIT ON A BLANKET FACING EACH OTHER AND FIGHT OVER TOYS SET DOWN INBETWEEN THEM. IT IS HILARIOUS TO WATCH THE FIRST OF THESE BOUTS OF SIBLING RIVALRY START UP. THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF EACH OTHER AND IT'S FUN TO WATCH THEM START TO INTERACT (AND SQUABBLE OVER RATTLES!).

We are doing well! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Classic Cort Comments

Just thought I'd share a small sampling of the gems Cort has shared with me this week. I swear, the kid is hilarious.

1. As we were bustling about getting ready one morning I told the kids to hurry and get their jobs done because Grandpa and Grandma Mason were coming over. Cort paused and looked at me and then asked incredulously, "Are you sure Grandpa's coming over? He's kind of a lazy dude." (that was one I particularly enjoyed sharing with my Dad!)

2. I called over to Cort's friend's house to check in on him and make sure that he wasn't getting too hungry (since the lunch hour was approaching). Cort came to the phone and I asked him what they were doing. In a dramatic voice he whined, "Jonah's playing the computer and I'm just sitting here watching him!" I suggested that maybe he should come home for lunch and take a break and then maybe they could get back together later in the afternoon. But, no, Cort insisted he wanted to stay. I said, "Well Cort, I don't want you just sitting over there watching Jonah play computer." To which he replied, exasperated: "I would go and do something else but I'm stuck here on the phone!!" Good point.

3. And then, the best for last. Today in Fast and Testimony Meeting our whispered conversation went something like this:

Cort: Are you going to bear your testimony?
Molly: No, not today.
Cort: Why not?
Molly: I just don't really feel like it today, Cort.

Ten minutes later

Cort: Are you going to bear your testimony?
Molly: No, not today.
Cort: Why? Why not?
Molly: The spirit tells you in your heart if you should bear your testimony and that's how you know if you should.

SHORT PAUSE

Cort: The spirit is telling me to tell you to bear your testimony!

I got quite a chuckle out of that and was mercifully saved from being commanded via Cort to share my testimony as Elder Nelson stood to bear his testimony and close the meeting. I think he did a better job than I would've done anyway! :)