Me: Meredith, what do you want for your birthday?
Meredith: ummm…a dinosaur, a vacuum, carpet, grass, and a big ole truck.

crying when we had to leave her cousins’ house…
David: you don’t have to be sad because when we go home we still have each other to play with.
Meredith: (sobbing) I don’t WANNA play with anybody. I wanna go to jail!!

while reading to herself in her room and I came in to join her…
Meredith: hey, stop looking at me and talking to me!
Me: I wasn’t talking. Can’t I be in here with you?
Meredith: okay, but if you say anything I’m gonna have to go to another room.

while playing in the kiddie pool with her cousins she ran inside to find me…
Meredith: mommy, Lucas got water in my eye!
Me: well, that happens when you play in the pool and it’s okay.
David: and you don’t have to tattle tale.
Meredith: I didn’t tattle tale, Lucas did!

while hovering dangerously around a birthday party favor baggie…
Meredith: what’d you say, mommy?
Me: um…be careful? (I hadn’t said anything.)
Meredith: no, what did you say?
Me: (confused face)
Meredith: did you say treat?

while sitting on my lap playing a game on my phone and I bumped her arm…
Meredith: hey you keep messing me up! I’m trying to work here.

Me: can you bring me your cup of water so Liam doesn’t spill it, please?
Meredith: I can’t, I want you to.
Me: why can’t you? Your legs don’t work?
Meredith: no I can only walk a little bit. Because I’m old like Pappy.

on a walk…
Me: when you’re in the street you need to walk fast because a car might come.
Meredith: and hit me? And make me into a pancake?
Me: exactly. And I would not want you to be a pancake.
Meredith: why not?
Me: because then you’d be in heaven and I would miss you a lot.
Meredith: but…you could eat me. If I was a pancake.

After putting on all my rings, one for each finger…
Meredith: now I’m married to a boy.

carrying over some dried fruit bags she found in the pantry while foraging…
Meredith: what are these Mommy?
Me: those are dates and those are prunes.
Meredith: (wrinkling her nose and putting the bag down) I don’t like dates.
Me: they’re sweet.
Meredith: (immediately grabbing the bag back) okay!!