Hi, I'm Jeanette Hubbert. My husband Troy and I live in Iowa with our three kids, one lazy beagle, and a spiral notebook that sits on top of the fridge. Whenever one of the kids says something I don't want to forget, it goes in the notebook, usually with a little bit of pancake batter on it.

Troy's mom asked me to type up this year's notebook for the grandparents. Then Troy said, why not put it on the Internet, so all the grandparents can see it, even the ones who aren't ours. So here's January through September. I'll add more as they come, and believe me, they will.

January

Corbin (still 3), watching the snow come down: "Mom, the sky is shedding."

Stephanie, when I said we were having leftovers: "Again? We had leftovers yesterday." I told her that's what makes them leftovers. She thought a minute and said, "Then when do we get the firstovers?"

February

Stephanie made a valentine for every kid in her class and one for the class hamster, "but I didn't sign it, because he can't read."

Corbin, studying Grandpa's bald head: "Grandpa, where did your hair go?" Grandpa said it went away. Corbin, very serious: "Did you look for it?"

March

Sara said her first whole sentence: "Doggy go outside." The dog was not outside. The dog was asleep on Troy.

Corbin, at bedtime: "I'm not tired. My eyes are just resting their legs."

April

Overheard in the back seat on Easter morning:
Corbin: How does the Easter Bunny carry all those baskets? Does he have a truck?
Stephanie: He has elves.
Corbin: That's Santa.
Stephanie: They share.

Stephanie, at the grocery store: "Why is the milk all the way in the back? Are the cows back there?"

May

Corbin's Mother's Day card from preschool. His teacher wrote down exactly what he told her: "My mom is 100 years old. She likes to do the dishes. Her favorite food is coffee." Two out of three, buddy.

Stephanie: "When I grow up I'm going to be a veterinarian and a mom and work at Dairy Queen on Saturdays."

June

Corbin, during a big thunderstorm: "Is God vacuuming?"

Sara calls fireflies "blinkies." Now the whole family does, including Troy, who is 33.

Stephanie, after her first swimming lesson: "I'm not scared of the deep end. I'm just scared of the bottom of it."

July

Corbin, with both hands over his ears at the Fourth of July fireworks: "Can somebody please turn down the sky?"

Stephanie, watching the 4-H kids get their steers ready at the county fair: "Mom, those cows have more hairspray than you."

August

Corbin, in front of the Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair: "Can we have some on pancakes?"

Sara: "I do it MYSELF." (Shoes on the wrong feet. Cereal on the floor. Very proud.)

Stephanie, after the first day of second grade: "My teacher is really nice, but she has too many rules. Like, eleven."

September

Corbin, after his first day of preschool. I asked what he learned. "How to be quiet. It was hard."

Stephanie, watching her dad on the computer: "Dad, is the Internet inside the computer or behind it?" Troy is still working on his answer.

Corbin, after hearing about Y2K on the news: "Is the year going to break? Can Dad fix it with his tools?"

Sara, saying her prayers last night: "God bless Mommy, Daddy, Stephie, Corbin, Grandma, the doggy, and my toes."

Our Family Dictionary
Words the kids made up that we all use now:

• blinkies: fireflies (Sara)
• firstovers: supper the first night (Stephanie)
• grass eater: the lawn mower (Corbin, age 3)
• the Y2K: some kind of monster, we think (Corbin)
• pasghetti: you know (all three, at one time or another)

Your Turn
Do your kids or grandkids say things you want to write down? Tell me about them! I love reading these more than just about anything.