A Snapshot in Time...the annual growing list of questions.

Zander: Age 5
Zoey: Age 8 1/2
(The last two years’ answers precede this year’s answers. If there is only one answer—it is a new question)

What is one thing you want to get really good at in the next year?

Zoey: Piano!

Zander: Playing the drums…that’s a good one, right? I didn’t say riding a two-wheeler, because I’m never going to…

What is the best thing about you? (What are you most proud of?)
Zoey: It's just how I feel. . .happy, sad, mad, excited. . .well A LOT excited.
Zoey: I'm unique.
Zoey: That I read good.

Zander: That I'm cute.
Zander: That I'm a kid.
Zander: I was going to say I had a really good Christmas…but I don’t know.

What is your favorite supper?
Zoey: Chicken Parmesan
Zoey: Chicken Parmesan
Zoey: Chicken Parmesan…or chicken patties.

Zander: Peanut Butter and Jelly
Zander: Mac & Cheese
Zander: Chicken Parmesan…no wait, Mac & Cheese is better.

What will you be when you grow up?
Zoey: A rock star and a teacher.
Zoey: An artist (because I like art) or a singer (because I like to sing and dance and be famous) or a librarian (I love books and I could be surrounded by books and help kids find them).
Zoey: Teacher, artist, dancer…oh and movie director.

Zander: Spiderman.
Zander: A police, because they capture bad guys.
Zander: Not a police anymore…oh, ok a policeman.

What are you good at?
Zoey: Star Wars and Thundercats and Clone Wars.
Zoey: Art and loudness and singing and dancing.
Zoey: Reading!!!

Zander: Fighting.
Zander: Fighting, actually running. I'm really good at running.
Zander: Playing the drums.

What is your favorite toy?
Zoey: My all around the world dolls and Barbie and Ken.
Zoey: Can books count?. . .Books.
Zoey:  Um…books!

Zander: Spiderman action figure.
Zander: My Batman toys.
Zander: Drums

Who is your best friend?
Zoey: Ellie, Amiah, and Anabel.
Zoey: Anabel Hillstrom
Zoey: Tess, Olivia, Ella, and Georgia…What? We’re the goddess girls!

Zander: Sammy
Zander: I have two of them. Adam and Sammy. And Dylan and Tyler. I have four of them.
Zander: That is easy. Sammy, Adam, James and Drew.

What is something that Mommy always says to you?
Zoey: Pick up your room.
Zoey: Keep your room clean. . .and be quiet!
Zoey: Clean you room…and be quiet!

Zander: That I'm cool.
Zander: Oh, this is a hard one. "Zander." To clean up my room.
Zander: Clean my room…that’s easy. Right?

What makes Daddy happy?
Zoey: His kids.
Zoey: Having his kids around him!
Zoey: Reading Percy Jackson #5 and all the other books.

Zander: That I love him.
Zander: Eating pizza!
Zander: Being with me and Zoey.

How old is mommy?
Zoey: 36?
Zoey: 38? Wait. . .37. . .36. . .36. . .36
Zoey: 38.

Zander: 100?
Zander: 37?
Zander: 38.

How old is daddy?
Zoey: It's either 34 or 24?
Zoey: 30. . .5
Zoey: 36.

Zander: 400?
Zander: And, he's 35, right Daddy?
Zander: 35. No 36! Am I right?

How old is Grandpa Nyhlen?
Zoey: 88?
Zander: 39?

What is your favorite place to go?
Zoey: Star Wars Wonderland in my dreams.
Zoey: Movie theatre and SkyZone.
Zoey: Library!

Zander: Grandma and Grandpa's cabin.
Zander: School.
Zander: School.

What is your favorite book?
Zoey: Star Wars chapter book AND Junie B. Jones. . .she is FUNny!
Zoey: Harry Potter
Zoey: Percy Jackson #4…so far.

Zander: Superheroes
Zander: Harry Potter
Zander: My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish!

How do you know Mommy and Daddy love you?
Zoey: Hugs and Kisses
Zoey: because you say it every night and hug me every night.
Zoey: Um…we’re us?

Zander: Because I'm cute.
Zander: Because they're my family. . .that's right, right?
Zander: Hug me?

What always makes you laugh?
Zoey: When mommy looks at me funny.
Zoey: Let's see. . .let's see. . .when Voldemort gets hurt.
Zoey: The gross chapter in the joke book…and the joke about a pat on the head. That’s funny!

Zander: (makes monkey noises)
Zander: When mommy gets a Jack-in-the-box and pops it out. . .oh and Kid Snippets! That's right. . . 
Zander: Daddy…you know.

When are you allowed to get married?
Zoey: 18?
Zoey: When I'm 28?

Zander: 6
Zander: When I'm a grown-up

What's the hardest thing about being a kid?
Zoey: When I always have to clean my room and listen to what parents have to say.
Zoey: You have to go to school and do math.
Zoey: The math is harder.

Zander: It's so hard to read if your 5 years old, right? But Sammy almost knows how to read. . .
Zander: Doing our jobs. (What are your jobs?) I’m kind of forgetting (then he recites his nighttime routine.)

What is the best gift you have ever been given?
Zoey: Mommy and Daddy
Zoey: A nice family.
Zoey: The Elsa doll!

Zander: Spiderman
Zander: Oh yeah. . .My Anakin!
Zander: My drums

If you could make up one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?
Zoey: They have to watch Thundercats or Star Wars once a night.
Zoey: Once a week, they had to watch at least one Harry Potter movie, on Wednesday!
Zoey: Every Friday, we would have brownies at school.

Zander: To everybody. . .to tackle Zoey! You want to know why? She doesn't like Star Wars!
Zander: Never clean your room!

Of all the things that you are learning in school this year, what will be the most important when you are grown up?
Zoey: Science. Because I'm going to do science about rocks sometimes.
Zoey: Art or music, because I'm going to be an artist or a singer.
Zoey: Media…since I might be a librarian…how to take care of books and stuff.

Zander: Reading! Because I need to read. You guys know how to read, but I don't, right? How do you spell Target?
Zander: Math…I just picked something because I don’t know what is the most important.

What makes you a good friend?
Zoey: I think its what's inside.
Zoey: I'm full of joy!
Zoey: I’m funny.

Zander: To be nice.
Zander: Cause I'm nice.
Zander: Helping people.

What's your favorite color?
Zoey: pink and rainbow
Zoey: Rainbow!
Zoey: Pink and rainbow!

Zander: Blue
Zander: Oh. . .Blue!
Zander: Blue!

What is your favorite song?
Zoey: Star Wars Theme
Zoey: Mean (by Taylor Swift)
Zoey: Let it Go…from Frozen.

Zander: Away in the Manger
Zander: The Star Wars song
Zander: Opening song of Star Wars.

What makes Mommy happy?
Zoey: When I go to sleep.
Zoey: Her children
Zoey: Reading Flora & Ulysses to me.

Zander: Loving her and hugging her.
Zander: Cleaning our rooms, right? And playing with us. That makes you happiest you ever been, right?
Zander: Cleaning our rooms.

What does Daddy do at work now?
Zoey: He teaches teachers and principals to do better.
Zoey: He teaches teachers.

Zander: Teach principals and teachers to be good. Right? Right, Daddy?
Zander: Teaches principals and teachers.

What is the best thing about Zoey?
Zander: That she's nice.
Zander: She plays with me a lot…well not that much.

What is the best thing about Zander?
Zoey: He's funny.
Zoey: That he is funny…but he can also be annoying sometimes.

Describe your perfect day:
Zoey: My perfect day was when I got cotton candy at Anabel's, got my nails done, dance par-tay, watching frosty and the grinch!
Zoey: I spend the whole day in the library reading Greek Mythology books.

Zander: Saturday! When is it going to be Saturday?
Zander: Doing everything in the world except eating olives or onions.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Zoey: No Star Wars!
Zoey: There would be more libraries and more time in media.

Zander: To put the Eifel Tower in Minnesota. (Why?) Because I want to see it and go up and see the torch.
Zander: No cleaning your room.

What instruments do you want to play:
Zoey: harp
Zoey: Violin

Zander: drums
Zander: drums

Favorite Restaurant?
Zoey and Zander: Pizza Ranch
Zoey: Perkins

Zander: Chilis…oh no…McDonald’s

Who is the President of the United States?
Zoey: Barack Obama
Zander: George Washington? Is that right?


Who is your hero?

Zoey: Rick Rordin…cause he wrote a book and its really good and I can’t stop reading it and memorizing the prophecies.

Zander: Me, actually no… I don’t know.

What will you not do when you are a teenager?

Zoey: I have no idea…do math!

Zander: I will not go to college.

Except for mom and dad, who do you trust the most?

Zoey: Mrs. Nestrud…she’s my third grade teacher.

Zander: Mary! (So I can see Sam.)

How many kids will you have when you are a mom/dad?

Zoey: 2

Zander: 129!—I’m actually only going to have 2.

What is the most important rule in our house?

Zoey: I think it is…Clean up after yourselves…which I don’t like to do…cause its cleaning.

Zander: Don’t let mouses in..just joking, and we need money to keep our home.

If a genie gave you one wish, what would it be?

Zoey: To have a clean room and have it stay that way so I don’t have to clean it anymore.

Zander: 900 dollars! and 29…$929.

What is the naughtiest thing you have ever done?

Zoey: (no response)

Zander: Do you know?...oh…ok…I peed all over the bathroom.