COUSINS

Grammy bought her girls some shirts a long time ago and said: "I got these for the girls for a photo shoot." So it took a while, but we eventually got the girls and Finn together for a short shoot. I'm kind of crazy about these now. Man, we have sure come a long way from the tears, screams, constant running away, and ruined shoes of their first shoot together. Plus, we added a whole new baby into the mix. My dear loves:

SASSY PANTS

It has been over two years since I did a post that shared some of my favorite Stella quotes. I'm still writing them down in a little book though and trying to remember my favorites. It seems like just yesterday that I was listing the few words she could say, and now she is reading! Yikes.

My notes are a bit out of order, but I will try my best to move from 4-year old Stella to 6-year old Stella.

* Me: "Stella, I love you."
   Stella: "I love you more. I'll never forget you, Mom."

* Stella: "What would happen if we didn't have brains?"
   Me: "We couldn't talk, think, walk, or have any memories, and our bodies wouldn't work."
   Stella: "So...I wouldn't know what cereal I wanted in the morning?"
   Me: "No."
   Stella: "Oh, good thing we have brains then."

* Stella: "I want to be a teacher and teach what I know."
   Brent: "Oh, what subject would you teach?"
   Stella: "Snacks."

* Once after telling her how beautiful her eyes, nose, cheeks, etc. were, she said: "You forgot my hair."

* "I don't need a hug goodbye, I have two in my heart already."

* About a Sharpie: "I like this smell. It has a tasty smell."

* Stella: "I don't know what time I woke up because I don't have a clock in my room."
   Me: "True, but you don't even know how to tell time."
   Stella: "Yeah......"

* Stella: "Mom, I want to call my Barbie Keira. Is that okay?"
   Me: "Honey, you can call your Barbies whatever you want and do any story with them. That is the fun of Barbies."
  Stella: "Oh, I didn't know that. You should have told me sooner."

* "I'm so hungry my tummy keeps slapping me."

* Stella: "Did you marry Daddy because he was funny?"
   Me: "Yes."
   Stella: "Every time I'm sad Dad always makes me laugh and smile happy happy."

* Me: "Brent, that is not reality."
   Stella: "Yes it is reality, Mom!" (a few seconds later) "I don't know what reality means."

* After playing a trick on April Fools Day: "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" And a few days later: "The boys keep tricking me like it is still St. Patrick's Day."

* Me: "Stella, why are you always taking off your socks?"
   Stella: "Mom, I'm a kid that likes to be fresh."

* After I complained once about a bad driver: "Maybe he is taking driving lessons."

* "I love all the popcorn trees in our village."

* "Dancing was made for me."

* She went through a stage where she would talk to herself in the third person: "Don't look down Stella, you can do this Stella....etc."

* She would say everything was her "life": "Grapes are my life." "Ponies are my life." "Singing is my life."

* Singing to the tune of a popular Taylor Swift song: "I don't like you. Why did you love me? Now you didn't."

* Stella: "Could I die tomorrow?"
   Me: "Yes."
   Stella: "Oh, I thought we only die when we are dead."
   Me: LAUGHING
   Stella: "I mean old! Die when we are old!"

* "Licking popsicles is hard work."

* "What is the 'B' word? Burst?"

* After I got some glitter off her face. "Good, I don't want anyone to think I have hot powers."

* "Some people never die, like The Beatles. Mommy said so."

* "When I die I will be able to meet The Beatles that have died."

* After President Utchdorf made a joke during conference: "Mom is NOT going to want to watch this. She doesn't like shows with laugh tracks."

* "Mom, I'm speaking Porkacheese."

* "Mom, did you really have to watch commercials when you were a kid? I feel so bad for you!"

* "He wasn't the real Santa, but he had been practicing because his HO HO HO was pretty good."

I wanted a Stella-only Christmas card this year so I took Stella up to Park City to pose. And she did! All of the poses were her idea and the faces were ALL Stella. I ended up with several hundred amazing pictures of my daughter, which I am trying to narrow down here. She is so beautiful inside and out--it is hard not to fall totally in love with her everyday.