"It popped out!"

Corinne's first reaction to the sensation of biting kernels from a fresh ear of summer corn.

"I have a bellyache. I need ice cream!

Corinne has no concept of what a "bellyache" actually is, but apparently she knows the cure...

"I play with naked Sam in the squirts!"

"Where's daddy?"

Mommy: "He's on the computer in the basement."
Cheeks: "Heeeee's playing playdoh!"

A couple techies have fun out back...

Here is a video taken at the R.'s, the family directly behind our house. The video shows their son Sam on their swing set with Nick and Corinne. The video was shot using Charlie R.s PalmOne Zire equipped with camera/video.

Unfortunately, the video format is ASF, a Microsoft specific wrapper around MPEG. :-P So, all you MS users should be able to view this with the MS Media Player just fine.

Internet Explorer will open this fine, but if you use Opera, you will have to map ASF -> MS Media Player..

All her responses are in sickiningly sweet sing-song...

Daddy: "How do you like your eggs?"
Cheeks: "Goooood."
Daddy: "Well, eat'em."
Cheeks: "You eat'em."

Marketing.

"MOMMY! I LIKE MINE ALLL BUTTERED UP!"

Anything: bread, pancakes...

Why all caps? Nothing is said quietly around here anymore...

"Cook! You need to cook!"

Just prior to starting dinner preparations, Diane suspected something was in Corinne's mouth and asked her what it was. Corinne ran away certifying guilt. At the end of the line, Corinne spun around on her heals, pointed at Diane as she appoached and gave her the above quoted marching orders. What was in her mouth? A tiny, tasty stone... Indeed, get cooking!

"Hi. I Satan!"

Diane got a very nice letter from a neighborhood mom looking for new friends for her 5yr old son. After arranging the date, Diane walked over waggoning both Nick & Corinne to visit the new friends. As they walked up the driveway and were greeted by the new mom, this is how Corinne introduced herself. The background is that Nick has become enthralled by all things supernatural from superheroes to biblical characters. He loved Disney's Fantasia, recently borrowed from the library. With Sorcerer's Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountian ranking as favorites. Corinne was, apparently, very impressed.

Fatigue sets in...

In Nicks enthusiastic love affair with his sister, sometimes he can get overbearing. After a long morning of stomping about the playground, Nick was being a bit 'overbearing'...

Daddy: "Nick, leave her alone, she is starting to get tired..."

Corinne: "...and cranky."

Mood swing training in full gear...

Sense of Identity, Chapter 1

(Scene: Waiting in checkout line at grocery store")

Cheeks: "GO GO, Mommy, GO GO"
Mommy: "Cheeks, you sure are bossy."
Cheeks: "No I not! I CORINNE!"

Sense of Identity, Chapter 2

Mommy: "You're so cute."
Cheeks: "No I not! I Bossy!"

Sense of Identity, Chapter 3

Nick: "Mommy's a bigbutt."
Cheeks: "No is not! Is DIANE!"

(thanks Cheeks...)

Politeness School

Lesson 1:
Dayye: Say "May I have ice cream please?"
Cheeks: "Very good." complete with hand clapping as Dayye would do if she was polite...
Lesson 2:
Dayye: Say "May I have ice cream please?"
Cheeks: "YES!"
...this could be a while...

"Hello bugs! I Cheeks. I play outside."

As she was hailing this grand introduction of herself to all bugs within ear shot, her nose was pressed up against a big tree in Bapa's backyard, peering into the bark crevices for any bugs marching on by...

"Come on, boys!"

Trying to get the attention of Nick and Sam, the neighbor Nick's age.

"I like it eating pie, cake, ice cream, pie..."

As she and Ma'yee drove out of the grocery store parking lot...

"Si-le-lence!"

Corinne is getting feisty. She pounds her little fist and demands silence.

"Twinkle, Twinkle little Daddy"

Corinne is definitely developing a sense of humor, along with her love of nursery rhymes and songs.

"Quiet! I'm eating pizza!"

I guess pizza is really important to The Cheeks.