Charlotte, on why she can't go to the bathroom before bed: "Mom, the poop is sleeping!"
Charlotte, anytime I tell her to do something, "No!" or..."Say please!"
Eleanor, on hearing that Abraham and Sarah didn't have any children: "Wow, I'll bet they had a lot of dates! You know, with no kids."
Sterling III, on anything: "um uh" He has picked up this funny linguistic tick anytime he has a new thought he says, "Hey Mom, umuh, can we go to the umuh, Lego store and get umuh, a Superman Lego set?" It just started this week, he seems unaware, and I think it's so cute.
Eleanor's goals: Practice the piano every day even if she's not asked. Read a good book and her scriptures each day. Keep a list of words she doesn't recognize. Pray on her knees. Memorize D&C 11:20. Be able to answer the question: "What have you done for someone else today?"
Sterling III's goals: Practice piano. Read a book and scriptures each day. Pray daily. Memorize D&C 107:99. Be able to answer the question: "What have you done for someone else today?"
We do devotional in the morning which means we each have a little LED candle that we light (I know, Catholic much? But it helps make it a ritual). I read either the Book of Mormon or Hurlbut's Story of the Bible (Did you know Dallin H. Oaks grew up reading this too?) out loud. We sing a song together (sometimes one per child). We do "celebrations" which means we pick something great the person did or is doing and we chant "We! Are! Proud of you! Yes, we are proud of YOU!" Then we say family prayer and go about our day. Sometimes if I'm really ambitious I will write an entry in their journals.
