Quinn's GRIT award

The Schmoozer

Quinn knows how to schmooze.  He's turned it into an art form.

The boys had been irritable and mean to their sister one too many times on the car ride home from gymnastics tonight, and mama got mad.  "We're supposed to be KIND to each other.  We're TEAM AHO. And you guys are constantly jumping down her throat."

Reagan ended up in tears, and it wasn't a happy ride home.  Mama was irritated enough at this episode of crabbiness, that when she got home, she removed a present with each of the boys' name on it from under the tree.

"You may earn these back when you show KINDNESS to another HUMAN BEING."

Quinn, about 30 minutes later, came up to me.

"Mom, I have this dollar in my pocket.  Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to buy my present back.  I'm just saying... if I put this dollar on the table, and it disappears, and suddenly my present RE-appears, well... we're all happy.  And, after all, isn't me giving you a dollar KIND of me?"

Stinkin' kid.  He knows how to make me laugh. 

I'm a dollar richer, and there seems to be a present or two back under the tree. 

Pronunciations, part 2

While in Petoskey for robotics, Colby was in the front seat, reading Google maps on my phone as navigator.

C: "Mom, up here there's a restaurant called McDonald Doctor."
M: "WHAT?"
C: "Look for the restaurant called McDonald Doctor!"
M: "Are you sure we're looking for a restaurant and not a street?"
C: "Man, there's a lot of doctors in this town.  No wonder they're so rich here."
M: "How do you know there's a lot of doctors by looking at a map?"
C: "Because every street name is followed by dr!"

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  That would be "drive", Colby man.  McDonald DRIVE.

Later, as we were driving around, he was looking at the churches we were passing, and said the following:

C: "ESPICAPALIAN???  What the heck is THAT?  And Presbydarian?  They sure have weird churches here!"

Oh, Colby.  Have you never seen the words Episcopalian and Presbyterian spelled out??? 

I'm a little worried.

The Close Encounter With the Treadmill

Quinn, in the midst of his parkour-like daily existence, got himself stuck between the wall and our new treadmill.  While it was running.  Which led to a pretty nasty friction burn on his left elbow!  YIKES.  We are in the process of trying to heal it without the benefit of official medical care.  We shall see if this plan works or not.  We shall see. 

Pronunciations

We were in the car, driving to robotics, when Reagan noticed that Shopko was having a flu-shot clinic.

Reagan: "WHO would go to Shopko for a SHOT?!?!?!"
Mom: "Anyone who wants to be immunized!"
Quinn: "Mom.  You said that wrong.  It's not immunized.  It's immuninized."  That's how he said it.  I-muhn-ni-nized.

HAHAHAHAHAHA.  That's probably the first time he's ever said or heard that word out loud, and it didn't quite sound like it did in his head!!

The Skunk in the road

When 13 year old boys are being goofy, and we see a skunk in the road while driving home from the lake, and they try to make the word "skunk" sound silly, and it comes out "skank", and then Mom and Dad try hard not to laugh, and Reagan keeps asking "why is everyone laughing at 'skank'?  What does 'skank' mean?", and Mom tries desperately to change the subject, but those boys just won't stop laughing......

Food Sources

Quinn: "Mom, I LOVE French fries.  The kind that are made out of potatoes."
Mom: "Uhhhh, Quinn... by definition, all French fries are made from potatoes."
Quinn: "No they're not.  McDonald's fries are made from juice."
Mom: "Pretty sure that's not true."
Quinn: "Yes, it is.  I saw a documentary.  They squirt them and then fry them."
Mom: "I think chicken nuggets may be from a blended animal byproduct, but French fries... are French fries.  From potatoes."
Quinn: "Well, whatever.  You need to make more French fries out of potatoes."

OK.  Duly noted.