Kids Say the Darndest Things

Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby mastered the subject together in the TV show of the same name. Now it is our turn to add a few lines courtesy of our lovely four year old, Andrew Zachary.

I like to call his sayings ANDREWISMS. I have a particular love of number 3 (as I fell on the floor laughing after he said it), but they are all his own. This is most particularly true because Andrew has his own unique manner of speaking. His speech is similar to Daniel Cook of "This is Daniel Cook" fame on the Disney Channel.

ANDREWISMS

1. 7/31/2006 - Just before nap, Andrew said to Robin - "Last year, I was a train man. Now, I'm a fire truck man."

2. 8/20/2006 - In the car on the way home from dinner and errands, Andrew said to Robin and Evan - "I'm a big boy, yah, but I'm still too little to drive the car."

3. 8/20/2006 - In the master bathroom, while pointing out Robin's feminine products, Andrew said to Evan - "They are like candy, they look like candy, but they are not; they are band-aids."

4. 10/11/2006 - After successfully counting all the way up to Ninety-nine (including transitioning well in the tens - six-ty, seven-ty, eigh-ty, nine-ty), Andrew proclaimed the next number - not one hundred, but rather - "Ten-ty".

5. 10/14/2006 - After having a small sip of Papa's tea at a Mexican restaurant in LA, Andrew said, "When I'm a Papa, then I can have tea."

I will try to post more of these as Andrew produces. Please bear in mind, however, that his production is unpredictable - much like all kids.

Noah has added his own flair to the family. We have been asking him for months and months to say his brother's name as well as his own name. About 4 months ago, when prompted to say "Andrew," Noah proclaimed Andrew as "Boo." We think he was trying to say "Drew" but it came out "Boo." Sometimes more recently it has evolved to "A-Boo." But, Boo has stuck. While Noah started the trend, we have continued it. Andrew never had a true nickname up to this point. We never called him Andy or Drew. We liked A-Zach that Nana came up with, but it never stuck. So now, Andrew is Boo. He is now at the point where he responds to the name Boo. It is darling. And today Noah said his own name for the first time! Previously, he said it as Nah.

At the time the boys were born, my parents, Richard and Charmy Sorem, gave each of the boys a Norwegian name. My paternal grandfather, Hjalmar Andreas (after whom Andrew was named), was 100% Norwegian. The "given" names from my parents for the boys are Laars (Andrew) and Odin (Noah). Much to my parents chagrin, neither of the boys respond to these "given" names. Thankfully neither of the boys were girls. If they had been, their "given" names would have been Solveig and Hjørdis. If someday we are blessed with a little girl, you will all have to pity her.

Here is a cute shot of the two boys this past weekend at the Solana Beach Fire Department open house.



Remember, Andrew is now a "fire truck man." Halloween is tomorrow and the boys can hardly wait. Their costumes, courtesy of Nana are sure to please. Check out last years posts regarding Halloween either as a refresher or to catch up: (1) Halloween Past ... and (2) Green Dinosaur and Candy Kiss (you will need to scroll to the bottom of this page to see this entry).

Look for a new entry soon on the Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Carving, the Monkey and the Fire Chief!

Go West Young Woman

In August of 2001, my sister, Karin, moved out to New York City to pursue a business degree at NYU's Stern School of Business. Less than a month after she moved out to NYC, a group of terrorists changed our world.

I will never forget that fateful morning. I woke up very very early to drive to Santa Barbara for a hearing in Bankruptcy Court. I was on the road by 6am and listened intently to news radio all morning, all the while spending time on the phone with Robin and both of us trying desperately to reach Karin and Robin's brother, Howard, who had also just moved to NYC. After several hours, we did get a hold of both of them and it was such a relief to know that they were all right amidst the chaos.

Karin has now been living in NYC for five years. For the first two years she was in business school. The next three, she was working for Fisher Price as a marketing manager. She had been doing wonderfully with her job and had been truly enjoying her friends in NYC, but something was not quite right. All along in her mind, she intended to move back to the West Coast.

This summer, things seemed to be in transition for her at Fisher Price and so she started to think about looking for a new position. She accepted those calls from headhunters, she had a few interviews, but nothing was just the right fit. She seriously considered staying with Fisher Price and taking a new position they were offering her.

But then it happened. She got the call. JAKKS Pacific rang and made her an offer she could not refuse. An office in Malibu (with an ocean view); a promotion to Director of Marketing (a two level leap in her profession); a chance to live much closer to her parents and me and Robin, and of course, her nephews (our favorite part); an opportunity to put everything together and head West. Needless to say, she took the job!

Although Karin started her new job on October 2, she is still in transition between NYC and LA. She will be settling permanently out here come the end of October.

WAY TO GO KARIN!! Welcome home! We are kind of glad you are back.