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dinner conversation

If you’ve been around a bit, you know Isabelle has some delays.

Speech, specifically.

She spends a few hours a week at school with a speech therapist, working on sounds that don’t come easily to her.

For example, she calls Sophie: “Fwopea”

She calls Vivi: “Bibby”

And instead of “Cheese, please!” (believe it or not, this child loves dairy products enough to say this often) she says, “Cheeeda, queeeda!”

In all honestly, if we can at least understand what she’s saying, mispronunciations and all, we don’t mind her speech issues one bit.

We love ‘er. Just like she is.

She makes us smile.

Now, picture this. We’re eating dinner. Like we usually do. We spend a lot of time at the dinner table as it’s the only time we have during the day to actually hang out all together.

It works for us.

And part of our dinner routine is going around the table and sharing four things about our day: the best, the worst, something we were particularly grateful for and something that made us laugh.

We usually save this until the end of the meal, when the kids have full bellies and are more settled, so we can at least try to get everyone to pay attention to the speaker. We even have the occasional pop quiz to ensure that listening is actually taking place.

Those who don’t listen flunk the quiz. And those who flunk the quiz have to clear the table.

This definitely works for me.

So, we’re going around the table, and by now we are on Chris’ turn. He’s sharing about his day, how he enjoyed coming home, how crazy things are at work, how he is grateful for….

“C-c-C!”

How he’s grateful for the beautiful weather and…

“C-c-c. O-o-O-CK!”

Isabelle is working out some new ‘words’ she learned at school?

Chris starts to begin again…

“COCK!”

Everyone at the table over the age of seven starts laughing hysterically.

Then we talk about the different names of roosters. Cock-a-doodle-doo.

And Chris starts again where he left off. He’s grateful for…

“Fffffff.”

“F-f-f-Ffff.”

“Ock!”

You guessed it.

“FOCK!”

I’m calling her speech therapist today.

Seriously. We can’t have this kind of hysterical laughter interrupting our dinner conversation.

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04.09.10 · Isabelle, real life, what works for us 27

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:34 PM

    You give pop quizzes at the dinner table? Remind me to never come to your house. Just the stress of it would get me.

    Reply
  2. Dardi says

    April 9, 2010 at 5:43 PM

    I'm sorry, but I'm giggling…..

    Reply
  3. The Milfords says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:20 PM

    That is hilarious!

    Reply
  4. The Oswalds says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:22 PM

    Hilarious!!!! But I love the dinner table chat and pop quizzes!

    Reply
  5. Joan says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:35 PM

    Sophie was saying Sock right?

    I am going to steal your idea for my family. I like the 4 things. We are usually in the car together so that may be when we do it.

    ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  6. Patricia/NYC says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:55 PM

    Oh man, Stefanie!!! I'm sorry, but this has me cracking up!!

    Love your sharing of "4 things" – fabulous!

    And I have to say, maybe because it's how I got to "meet" you, but I have such a soft spot in my heart for Isabelle! What a treasure she is!!

    Reply
  7. Shonni says

    April 9, 2010 at 6:59 PM

    That is tooo funny!

    Reply
  8. a Tonggu Momma says

    April 9, 2010 at 7:44 PM

    So… are we in trouble if we laughed?

    Reply
  9. Stefanie says

    April 9, 2010 at 7:50 PM

    All of y'all are in trouble for laughing.. you naughty boogers ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  10. Holly says

    April 9, 2010 at 8:17 PM

    yeah. Well you read my dentist story with Josiah. Just be thankful to God on high that she didn't say cuck!
    ๐Ÿ™‚
    love,
    Holly

    Reply
  11. Lost and Found says

    April 9, 2010 at 8:18 PM

    Oh my! I did not expect that. How cute. Emme has speech challenges as well and is working on F and S. Last week we had SHHHH_IIIIIIIT

    Reply
  12. Sophie says

    April 9, 2010 at 8:52 PM

    LOL! I'm coming over tonite, what's for dinner?

    Reply
  13. Serving the King says

    April 9, 2010 at 9:32 PM

    Laughing! Laughing so hard! Ha, thanks for sharing!! You go Isabelle! You go girl!

    Reply
  14. shelley says

    April 9, 2010 at 9:38 PM

    I bet no one flunked the pop quiz THAT night.

    Our oldest daughters' favorite movie was "The Fox and the Hound" it came out…."mama I wanna watch the fockin hound" We laughed alot then too.

    Reply
  15. Valerie and Jeff says

    April 9, 2010 at 9:41 PM

    excuse me as I giggle! (out of empathy as a mom though!)
    I have to laugh because my boys always seemed to play the "what rhymes with" game where they take a word and put different letters in front of it to find new words. They did this especially at the worst possible time when they got to those "scary" letters. I actually told Brayden one time to totally just stay away from letter "F" because it will just get him into trouble.
    Oh my.

    Reply
  16. Teresa =) says

    April 10, 2010 at 12:54 AM

    OMGoodness, I read A LOT of blog posts (I'm a bit addicted, I fear) and that is, hands down, the FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER READ!!!!

    Makes me wish Molly or Carson took speech therapy…

    Teresa =)

    Reply
  17. Annie says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:02 AM

    I guess I am in trouble!!!! LOL!!!

    Reply
  18. Karin says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:14 AM

    OMGosh..I am cracking up. Love the 4 things, idea…although I would be doing well to get 2 things out of my family. Or maybe 1. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  19. Chinamama says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:27 AM

    That is too funny! My friend's son can't say his K's. He came over the other day and said, "Sharyn, I wuv your Titties! Can I touch your Titties?" We both just about died!!!

    Kids are great! Gotta love them!!!

    Sharyn

    Reply
  20. Wanda says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:48 AM

    Oh-oh! My bad. I laughed my head off.

    Reply
  21. Jenna says

    April 10, 2010 at 12:06 PM

    It's been a long time since I laughed out loud to the point that everyone in the room was asking me what's so funny while reading a blog. I can't even stop giggling (I know, send me right beck to middle school). Thanks for sharing, I needed a laugh after having spent the last 36 hours bent over the toilet bowl.

    SO FUNNY!!! So, so funny!!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  22. Sharon says

    April 10, 2010 at 12:33 PM

    lol…..seriously…LOL

    Maybe she's a Carolina fan! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Go GameCOCKS!!!

    Reply
  23. Jean says

    April 10, 2010 at 1:22 PM

    Oh yes- I'm laughing!

    I have always wanted to post about the word "truck"- everyone of our kids have done it! Those darn tr's are tough and turn into fr's- fruck! Whenever it happens I can't help but giggle!

    I wasn't quite sure if this was the crowd I should share it with but I guess it is!! Too funny!

    Reply
  24. Kris says

    April 10, 2010 at 2:11 PM

    i have always had a special place in my heart for Isabelle ๐Ÿ™‚ and how she made me laugh with this little dinner banter!

    Reply
  25. Sue Mom of Two says

    April 10, 2010 at 6:59 PM

    so funny…..gotta love 'em.

    A family that eats dinner together is such a rarity nowadays

    Reply
  26. sierrasmom says

    April 14, 2010 at 1:59 AM

    I remember my son always said "fff" for the "s" sounds and loved…you guessed it.. TRUCKS ( and he had no "r" sounds at all!!!) What a fun blog!!!
    Kathie

    Reply
  27. roomforatleastonemore says

    April 14, 2010 at 4:26 AM

    Seriously, your dinner time sounds so much more "Beaver Cleaver" than our house. Oh we've tried. We really have. I wish I could be a fly for two reasons: visit the C@A@ and your house at dinnertime or on Saturday for clean-up!!!
    I am catching up here and sweet Isabella โ€ฆย well I get it Stef. BTDthat with our S. I have a friend whose daughter struggled with the "tr" blend. And she loved boy toys โ€ฆ as in trucks. Well you know where I'm going with this. I thought her parents would die before she got the "tr" blend down. It took quite awhile.

    Thanks for your comment today btw. I am IN LOVE with this dude. I think my heart is going to burst. I cannot wait to get back over there for two specific reasons. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply

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I'm Stefanie. Wife to one, mom to 13. Occasional blogger and t-shirt maker. Wannabe photographer and exerciser. Constant grace-needer and orphan advocator. more
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