I know! It's been a while since I updated my blog. Isn't that supposed to be like blogger suicide, not updating regularly? To all two of you who asked me when they'd see another post...thanks for reading!! Photo is of the kids on the way home from Flagstaff following the July 4 holiday. We are about to drive down into Oak Creek Canyon and through Sedona - such a beautiful drive.

Anywho. I may not have been blogging, but I was at least thinking about it. I just ran down to my purse to grab the notes I jotted down when the kids said funny stuff I thought I might want to share. What did I write them on, you might ask? No, not the neat little notepad that I keep in my purse (was once a journalism major, and old habits die hard). No, one note is scribbled on the back of a check stub from a medical insurance reimbursement, the other on an invitation to a new photography studio's grand opening. I need to clean out my purse.

So tonight, just sharing those couple of conversations that stood out to me.

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First, Connor. If you read my last post about him, then, you've got a feel for what my Connor is like. Pensive. Thoughtful. Sometimes bordering on spacy. It is a kick sometimes to listen to him and think, man, if I could just crawl in that brain for a few minutes...

Sitting in the drive-thru at Jack in the Box, getting burgers for the drive up to Flagstaff:

"You know, In-n-Out burger isn't really right, because there is always a line."

He's totally right.

A little later in the drive, as he listened to his sister sing along with Hannah Montana in her iPod, he pondered her habit of listening to said artist at night when she's going to sleep, similar to Griffin who always listens to the classic rock radio station all night.

"You know, Olivia listening to Hannah Montana before bed is both a good thing and a bad thing," he said. "It's good because she's looking up to Griffin. It's bad because Hannah Montana is irritating and loud."

Perhaps you need to know Connor to find this as amusing as his dad and I do. It's just always out of the blue, and just a touch more thoughtful that the typical comment. He doesn't speak until he's thought things all the way through and knows exactly what he wants to say, and why.

Fast forward to this weekend, when we were spending time with my sister - his aunt, and cousins.

"Mom, you know how all of our cousins are in California, Nevada, and Arizona? Well, that's also the only place you can get In-n-Out burgers." Yes - this boy loves hamburgers, and clearly they are on his mind frequently.

Then last Monday, I was driving Olivia home from dance class...

"Mom, do you remember when you watched Josie's grandpa die?"

"Well sweetie, actually, we went to Josie's grandpa's funeral."

"You mean for dead guys?"

Hmm. How deep do you want to get into this explanation with a five year old? I think I said something simple about how Josie's grandpa died, and a funeral is a way for his family to get together and remember him and celebrate his life.

"Mom, maybe they can get a new grandpa."

"You can't get a new grandpa, honey."

She thought for a moment, clearly a little upset at the realization that someone you love can be gone.

"Maybe?" she said very, very hopefully.

Aaah. My babies. I do love them so much.