It's tough to be a Novakovich

Happy Birthday Matt!

Happy 36th Matt! If this year is anything like the last 14 or so since I met you, we're all in for a good time. Thanks for being so fun, funny, loving, supportive, encouraging, hard-working and good-looking. You're the best husband and dad we could ask for. We love you! (and we miss your awesome hair, except Tali).

Love,
your family - Tiffanie, Josh, Liz, Tali, Toby & the baby kicking me in the ribs right now

Tali-isms

I know the last post was about Tali also, but that girl has really been saying some funny things lately. Today, for example, we stayed home for a large portion of the day and she made her room look like a bomb had exploded. This is the conversation she had with Matt:
Matt: I'll give you a dollar if you clean your room.
Tali: No
Matt: Two dollars?
Tali: No
Matt: Five dollars!
Tali: I don't really want any money.
Matt: Okay. If you clean your room, I'll give you Oreos. How many do you want?
Tali: . . . . . . I don't really want Oreos either.
Matt: How about a special candy treat from the store?!!
Tali: Um, okay. . . . . . . Wait, if I clean all this up I will get a headache.

Somehow he convinced her to give it a try, even though she might end up with a headadche. She cleaned for quite a while (with a little playing scattered in) and sang "Clean-up" for half the time. At one point she put on a cow tail and some cow ears and started singing "Moo-up, moo-up, everybody moo-up."

The other day we took the kids to see Alice in Wonderland. There were a few slightly scary parts, but nothing too bad. Afterward I asked her if she liked the movie and she said no. When I asked her why, she said, "I didn't like that movie because [holds up one finger}-Fall in the hole, and [second finger]-Scary." I thought it was the funniest, most accurate description coming from her little brain. It seemed like a great movie to her until Alice falls in a hole and suddenly everything gets all crazy.

The other day we were test-driving cars and the car dealer had apparently just taken a smoke break. Right when we got Tali all buckled in, she said, "I don't like this car," and started unbuckling. I told her to buckle back up because we were going to drive. She got a little angry and said, "No, I don't like this car because it stinks!" Take that stinky car salesman!

Everyday when we get home from wherever we've been, Tali wants to put on her pajamas, no matter what time of day it is. Before she does, she always makes a loud declaration that sounds exactly like this, "I'm NOT tired! but I want to put on my pajammys because I'm freeeeezing!" She knows that's an excuse I can't resist.

Josh always tells her, "Tali, don't put girl clothes on my monkey while I'm at school," and right when he leaves, Tali says, "Josh's monkey wants to be a girl today."

And the best is when she's being quiet and all of a sudden she bursts into this song,
"I'm so very happy, so very happy!
I have the love of Jesus in my heart.
I have peace like a river.
I have peace like a river.
I have peace like a river in my soul."
She learned it at her Lutheran pre-school.