We shouldn't be surprised...

..by the things that Brooke says, but we are. She definitely makes me laugh. Here's our latest stories:

• I was "yelling" at Brooke to do something (who knows what, but I had told her several times and she wasn't doing it) She finally looks at me and says "HEY! Settle down." Exact tone that Mike and I use when she's out of line.
• We were picking up toys today and I was just randomly putting all the Lego's into the box rather than lining them all up as Brooke does. So Brooke comes over and says, "HEY! You know better than that, mommy."
• Courtesy of Grandpa Ken, we have huge blow up snowman as part of our lawn decor this year. Brooke loves it, but we only inflate him after nap time. She'll come down in the morning and he'll be deflated, so she yells out the front window - "HEY, wake up!"
• Tonight we asked Brooke what song they are singing for the Christmas program at church. She rushes to her closet to pull out this horse made of an old wrapping paper tube and construction paper. She started galloping around singing, "This little horse eats apples and hay, apples and hay, apples and hay." (Tune of wheels on the bus) Apparently her zoo class and Sunday school class are taking notes from each other =)
• I was finishing up my quiet time/Bible study when Brooke woke up from nap (Clayton was still sleeping) She wanted to come do her Bible study too - so she brought down her Bible. I told her she needed to read quietly while mommy finished. She flipped through a few pages and then looks up, "Mommy, I don't know the words." I told her to just read the pictures then....here's what I heard. "A friend falls down, you help them up... Jesus loves the little children... Mary had a baby."
• Last night when we were praying: I always say thank you Jesus for... and Brooke will finish the sentence. She says, "thank you Jesus for Jesus." I said, "yes, thank you Jesus that you came to save us." And her response was "mommy, Jesus lives in my heart." Oh...I wanted to cry - I know she doesn't understand what she's saying, but I hope that even if I mess up everything else as a mother that she clings to that as her truth.

As for Clayton - happy as a clam....as always. He laughs so much and it's infectious. Still a great eater, sleeper, etc. And walking a few more steps every day - he can do about half of a room. We just had his one year picture taken (a little delinquent on my part.)