Luca 7yo and Annick 5yo

Luca at 7
Nicknames: Ti-gars, Binou, Mini-butt, Mini-bee
Personality: Stoic and literal, with occasional gusts of hyperactive glee.  Doesn't like giving hugs that much but quite keen to receive them.  Focused and curious, cheerful and solid.  Builds, reads, learns, soaks in information like a sponge, but cannot read behaviour.  My lovely little guy, full of quirks and love.
Favourite music: the soundtrack to Ninjago, Mickey by Toni Basil, anything with a thumping beat
Favourite books: "information books" about space, vehicles, engineering, animals, history, anything.  A refound love of 'Stuck' by Oliver Jeffers.  Agent Jean, Tintin.
Favourite shows: Madagascar Penguins, Numbchucks, but still also the old favourites of Ben and Holly, Hey Duggee, Peppa Pig, Octonauts
Favourite things to do: LEGO LEGO LEGO, Hot Wheels, any construction or puzzle games, jigsaw puzzles, reading (lots of reading), drawing ninjas, playing ninjas, dressing up as ninjas.

Annick at 5
Nicknames: Bellette, Bebe, Ladybaby, Minou, Mini-fille
Personality: Emotional and dramatic, funny and kind.  Beautifully affectionate, caring and full of advice, whether you want it or not.  An artist and a performer, unless someone is watching. Chatty and imaginative, an active acrobat.  My sweetest little lady, loved to the stars.
Favourite music: the soundtrack to Moana, the soundtrack to Frozen, a fair whack of girl power music including Beyonce and the Spice Girls
Favourite books: still all the Tralalire and Pomme d'Api stories, Disney princess stories, Agent Jean.
Favourite shows: Go-jetters, Barbie, Numbchucks, Ben and Holly
Favourite things to do: Drawing, play-doh, putting on a show, having a teddy picnic, dressing things up, dressing herself up, dancing dancing dancing, reading, Hot Wheels, blocks

Autumn 2017

Annick: Did you know it is Isaac's Day?
Me: Er, no... you mean it was his birthday?
Annick: All the Isaacs, they died.
Me: ... all... the Isaacs?  I didn't even know you had an Isaac in your class.  Do you mean the darkling beetles?
Annick: So we have to make cookies for them.  There was one, he was called Jack, and all his team mates, they died.  They died on the beach.  They came to the beach on a boat from America!  And there was a donkey who helped them.  All the Isaacs who didn't die, they rested there and they ate cookies to help their friends.

Annick: Luca hissed at me for no reason!
Luca: She was staring at me like an owl!
Annick: I was staring at you like a PRINCESS

How Annick says 'les bigs yeux' or 'les petits eyes'

Annick, rubbing her eyes in the morning: I have crumbs in my eyes!  Why do I have crumbs?
Me: It's because the Night Fairy has picnics in there.
Luca: What?!  I don't want her to!

Annick, randomly at breakfast: We can make America great again!
Me, aghast: Where did you learn that?
Annick: the radio said it!

Annick: Do you know what is world news?  It is so you can find out the news what is happening in the world that is bad.

Luca: Whoever reads the far-est, the goodest and the mostest will be the winner!

Annick: Do you know what churches are for?  They are for marrying and knowing the time.

Luca: If you make the wrong choices in class, your name goes on the board.  If you are still naughty, you have to sit by yourself.  The next one is you have to go to Hao's classroom.  Then if you are still bad, you have to go upstairs.  The next one is you have to go to Latham's office.  The next one is you have to walk with a teacher in the playground at lunchtime.  The next one is you have to take some days away from school to think about what you did.  The next one is you go to jail!  The next one is you die and you are born again as another person.

How Annick calls melaleuca trees 'lalaluca' trees.

Luca: Mama, why can't we have a big house?
Me: Because we can't afford one darling.
Luca: But we live in an apartment that is in a big building.
Me: Yes, we do.
Luca: Mama, did you and papa build the big building?  With the neighbours?  Was it a team effort?
Me: Er... no.  We don't know how to build a building, so we asked people who did know to make it.
Luca: I want to do that!  I want to build things!
Me: What would you build?
Luca: Buildings, planes, boats, rockets, machines...
Me: Well, you probably can't learn how to build ALL of those things, which one would you like most to build?
Luca: Planes, because I know how to build planes.  You put the engine in, then you cover it up with metal!

Luca, playing a clapping syllable game: Lu-ca!  That's two!  Cro-co-dile!  That's three!  Hmm... what is a word that has four? *thinks a while* Oh, I know! Pa-cio-re-tty!

Annick, musing on her perfect imaginary house: It can be made of white bricks and look like a castle, with roses!  And vines.  And there can be a dog!  No, wait, not a dog, a dog would ruin the plants.