Some funny/surprising quotes...

So much to say. I'll start with Miss Ari's latest statements before I forget them.

The other day she wanted to have a sugary cereal for her before bed snack. I'm not a fan of sugary cereals. Basically, we get her Cookie Crisp every now and then as a treat or as a "we're in a hurry, let's go" snack. Needless to say, she wasn't having sugary anything just before bed!

Me: You can have a glass of milk.

Ari: Daddy, she does not control my tummy.

Wait, what? She said what? Sorry, kid, actually, I do, to an extent!

Earlier today, Ari and her cousin, five, were playing.

Ari: Well, if you want, you can marry me.

Cousin: Nah, I'll marry the ball.

I love when they use words as if they know what they're talking about, but they have no clue what they're saying!

Last but not least! Daddy asked Ari and her cousin to clean up. They ran upstairs and, you guessed it, not much of anything got picked up. Daddy decided to grab the toys that weren't picked up and put them in the basement for a day.

Daddy: I picked up the toys. They'll be downstairs for a little while.

Ari: Ah, ok, I don't play with play dough anymore.

Daddy: Oh, then we can give the play dough set to another kid who will use it.

Ari: Or, we can sell it.

So, the idea that she would get the point and clean up tomorrow… Out the window! She didn't give a crap!

And, apparently, the entrepreneurial spirit is hereditary. Big freakin' sigh!!!

Ari Funnies

Seeing as how today is Thanksgiving, I'll start with that story. Monday morning Ari told me, for the first time this school year, that she did not want to go to school. I told her that this would be a very short week because of Thanksgiving. I explained what Thanksgiving and I told her that I am thankful for my family, our home, etc., etc. Her response: I am very thankful for my mommy! And I am very thankful for my mommy's boobies! I guess that is what happens when you do extended breastfeeding and/or child-led weaning! Don't worry; she knows these conversations only happen at home!

I am a fan of eating with my fingers. And I am not afraid to admit it! Same goes for my child! Daddy, on the other hand, often tells us that we are barbarians! The other day Ari was having pancakes for breakfast. Suddenly, she informed her dad that "I'm going to be a barbarian now because it's easier!" I was so proud! And Daddy rolled his eyes, I'm sure!

Lastly, we have a hair stylist and a trend-setter in the family! Arianna gave herself a haircut the other day. I will admit that I was quite mythed at the time. She has long, gorgeous hair and I love combing it every morning! But, whatever. Most children do this, even kids with very short hair. Those with short hair will find someone with long hair and help her/him do it! That is what my brother and sister did, anyways!

I need to take pictures and share them! She now has multiple lengths near her left ear!

What mischievous thing has your child done recently?

Work Share

Last Thursday was Work Share day for Ari's classroom. I got to spend the first half hour of the school day with her. Unfortunately, Daddy got to stay in the car to avoid sharing germs. The germs most likely came from the classroom, but never you mind that.

We got to work on two different activities. The first activity was described to me as "pressure cylinders." We worked on it on one of the typical Montessori floor rugs. There were about ten wooden cylinders, each one with a knob on it. She pushed down on each knob, would analyze and remember what type of pressure she sensed and would find the matching cylinder.

The second activity turned out to be many activities lumped into one. Ari got a small sheet of paper, a color pencil and a triangle inset. She used the inset to trace a perfect triangle. She then returned the inset and came back with the "push pin" activity.

The "push pin activity" was fascinating in various ways, I felt like. There was a tray. There was a thin sponge. There was a thumb tack in a tiny basket. Ari placed a paper on the sponge. She poked holes on the paper, following the lines of the triangle. Once she traced the entire triangle, she ripped it out. I found this activity to be particularly fascinating. It kept Ari engaged for quite a while. Stuff you could get at the dollar store! Who needs fancy toys when you're four?!

This is where it gets super cute! Ari said that she was saving the triangle for Daddy, that it would be a special surprise, that she would give it to him when she came home. Why? Because when people are sick, giving them hugs and cards makes them feel a little better. She proceeded to draw on it for a while. She later gave it to her dad.

We love Work Share days! I get a glimpse of what is going on in the classroom, what she is currently drawn to. She gets to show us, often beaming, what she is currently working on, what her latest accomplishments are. For example, during one of the work share days in October, we got to see her do the "100 board." She is fascinated by numbers and counting at the moment.

Children's Fair

Just got back from the children's fair at Ari's school a little while ago. I'm so tired I hurt! But the kids had so much fun! And it is always wonderful to run into parents I wish I got to see more often.

Let's see… What did Ari do? She is currently walking, I mean, running around with a shark on her face. She painted a pumpkin. She did a stamping activity, i.e. lots of ink on one sheet of paper! She made an alligator with Nana. She went on two pony rides. She spent a few minutes in the bounce house. She pet rabbits. She fed llamas. Her hair got licked by a llama!

Both grandmas and my nephew joined us. Daddy got to stay home and enjoy some quiet time. I got to see how all the hard work of about ten moms, including myself, paid off. What a wonderful event! Many families had a blast and the scholarship fund is a bit larger after today. Success!

What fun things have you done with your child(ren) recently? I'm hoping our next big thing will be a trip to Boston. Hint, hint, Yaminette! How is that calendar looking?!

Oh, I'm afraid to type it, but there is a rumor Daddy and I get to go on a date tonight! Ari wants to sleep at Grandma's because her cousin will be there. I know there is a great chance we'll be picking her up at 3:00 a.m. But I don't care! We haven't gone anywhere child free in so long. I can't even remember when the last time was!

Our trip to Boston

Ari and I went on a little trip this weekend. She was very much looking forward to having a sleepover at her friend N’s place in Boston!

We took a bus to Boston yesterday. Crayons, paper, the Scribble and Write and DVD’s came with us, just in case. Turns out the crayons, paper, looking out the window and talking to mommy were enough!

I will take a minute here to share just how sweet and helpful my Amor Chiquito is. South Station in Boston, to me, is a bit of a maze and is quite dark. Given my very limited eyesight, it is hard for me to navigate. As soon as we got off the bus, Ari went to where the driver had piled up luggage and grabbed her car seat. She then started walking. I asked where she was going. “Walking to the door, mama.” Once we got inside I asked her if she saw any benches. She found us chairs. Once we were settled in, she went back to being her almost-4-year-old self, playing, spinning and all that fun stuff.

Traveling with Ari was more than a breeze. It was an opportunity to see the type of little person she is becoming. I am incredibly grateful for that silly and sweet child! The fact that she is, voluntarily, so helpful is very touching for me.


Back to our fun trip, we had a delicious lunch with my friend Yaminette and her not-so-little guy. Ari decided that she loves rice with mango curry sauce. How could you not?! It has been nice to see her try and like new, often spicy foods.

The kids got to play lots – trains, painting, the park, writing with chalk, you name it!

Today we went to the aquarium. Ari had not been before. She was very excited about seeing sharks and sea turtles! She told Daddy all about it on the ride home from the bus station, in fact.

She got to pick something at the store at the aquarium and she went for the pink octopus. I could have sworn she would go for the shark puppet given her many shark games, but she was all about the octopus today.

Thank you, Yaminette, for an awesome weekend! Ari is already wondering when we will have another sleepover. She was asking me five minutes after she got on the bus!

Oh, if you are wondering what went wrong I’d say that my personal, living alarm going off around 5:00 a.m. was it! "Mommy, I have energy. Look, it’s daytime!"

Some funny and sweet Ari remarks...

Just a few little moments I don’t want to forget…

The other day Ari and I were snuggling after a nap. By the way, naps are a big deal around here. She only naps once or twice a month these days. I don’t push it because if she naps she is up until 11 p.m. But it sure is nice to get a little break to nap or get some computer time in!

Back to the day she napped, Ari and I had the following conversation:

Me: Do you know what my favorite thing to do is?

Ari: What?

Me: Hugging you. I love hugging you!

Ari: I love my neighbors!

Me: Thinking to myself. Thanks! WTF! I know she loves the neighbors and that’s great, but…!

Now a sweet story. Ari really wanted to have oatmeal before bed. We usually do quick snacks, but I figured oatmeal is healthy, so why not? I made her oatmeal and I sat with her at the dining table. We try to eat together as often as possible and she is so used to it that she does not like to sit alone at the table.

Ari: I really love you sitting with me, mommy. I love it.

Very simple, but it made my day! I feel like we love our sweet and super silly child more and more every day! It really does get better and better, we feel like.

What sweet or funny remarks have your little ones made recently?

Time for some Ari stories!

Some random Ari stories…

She can figure out what letter a word starts with. We have been playing that game for about two weeks now. It is currently one of her preferred car games. She gets confused with G’s, C’s and K’s because she cannot pronounce them properly yet. G’s come out as D’s and C’s and K’s come out as T’s.

Speaking of, the other day, we were at a restaurant and she needed to go to the bathroom. “I need to go to the bathroom, mommy. I need to pee. Pee starts with a P, mommy.” My child is not the loudest kid ever or anything, but she is her father’s child, so she is definitely up there! My guess is that a good ten people or so heard about how she needed to pee and how pee starts with a P!

Amor Chiquito is starting to communicate her needs and preferences very clearly, which I love because I want her to be comfortable, of course. Also, I don’t have to think and guess as much as I used to when she was younger.

Here are some examples of her talking about her needs and preferences.

On Tuesday, I gave her a quarter of a homemade waffle, about eight strawberries and some orange juice for lunch. Tuesday evening, when we were talking about her school day, she said that when she was resting she felt hungry. I asked her if the snack her school provides is out all day or if it is only out at certain times. She said it is out all day, but that rest time is quiet time. I told her that she can get something to eat after rest time. I asked her what else she thought we could do so that she would not be hungry. “I need more waffles and more fruit, mommy. Please put more food in my lunchbox. Blueberries, blueberries, more blueberries!”

Yesterday was pizza day at school. I asked if she liked her pizza, if she ate it all, etc. She said she only ate the crust. When I asked why, she said that the pizza was cold and that she does not like cold pizza. “I like the cheese to be warm, mommy. I only ate the trust (crust).”

Onto the cute stuff!

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, right after our family hug, she said “I love my life.” To say that Daddy and I were shocked is an understatement!

When we crawled into bed, she said “I love you, mommy. I really really love you.”

What else could a mom ask for?! For the cute kid to go to sleep right away on the one night when mom wants to watch TV, that’s what!

Almost forgot… Two nights ago Ari was talking about how some kids call their moms mama, some mom and some mommy. She asked if she could call me mom. I said yes, so she said “I love you mom. Good night mom. Can you rub my back, mama?” Very cute!

At the end of the day, she decided to stick with mommy, for now, anyways. I like them all. She can call me whatever makes her happy.

What did she say?!

Wow, my blog has been neglected! No posts in two weeks. Amor Chiquito has been home for almost ten days (spring break). She was also home for a few days the week before spring break because of an evil stomach bug.

So, where to start? Let’s start with the fun stuff!

The other day Amor Chiquito handed her dad something and said something like “Daddy, please hold this. I have a lot of things to do.”

What? Excuse me?! Lots of things to do?! Thanks for the laugh, kid!

The other day Amor Chiquito wanted to go to the park. I did not want to go. It was very windy outside. I had made plans to go visit my mother instead. The conversation went something like this:

Ari: Mommy, I want to go to the park.

Me: We are not going to the park right now.

Ari: Why?

Me: It is very windy outside. I don’t want to be cold! We will go another day. We are going to grandma’s house.

Ari: But I really want to go to the park.

Me: I understand that you want to go to the park. We will go tomorrow. Today we are going to have fun at grandma’s.

Repeat that exchange a few times…

Ari: Mommy, I really really want to go to the park.

Me: Ari, I feel like you are not listening. We are going to grandma’s today and we will go to the park tomorrow.

Ari: Mommy, I feel like you are not listening. I want to go to the park.

A few minutes later…

Ari: I want to go to the park.

Me: I am done talking about the park.

Ari: I am done talking about grandma’s house.

So, then what?!

I can’t get mad at her! She is modeling my actions and statements. That’s what kids do! She was not yelling. She was not being rude. She was saying what she hears me say. I felt like she was being a smart ass! But she really wasn’t.

I have been uncertain as to how to handle this. We could go on and on about what we want and what we are actually going to do for ever. Her and I could compete for the Most Persistent award for quite a long time!

My husband and my friend shared some ideas. I will share those another time. In the meantime, tell me, what would you do? What would you say?

All about Amor Chiquito: stories, funny statements and games

Lots of funny Ari stories, statements and games this week. Here they are, in no particular order:

One of our favorite restaurants, Bertucci’s, an Italian restaurant, is very child-friendly. Ari always gets paper, three crayons, and a piece of dough. We keep the crayons in the car for days when Ari needs/wants something to keep her entertained. The other day she was using her crayons and she said, “The crayons live in Bertucci’s.” I think she was talking about where they came from. Funny how she knows many verbs, but does not use all of them properly.

The other day we were in the car, driving to a yummy pizza restaurant. Ari said, “Mommy dolphin, I hungry!” She insists that she is a pink dolphin and that we are a dolphin family! I wonder what type of family we will be next.

Daddy told Amor Chiquito to go to him so they could brush teeth and get ready for bed. She was in the process of delivering my water bottle to me. She said “daddy, be patient.” We laughed for a while that time!

We were driving home and Ari was asking me repeatedly if she could play with our neighbor’s child, if the little girl was home, etc. Daddy has been thinking about using the “energy drain” concept that the Love and Logic series talks about. Basically, if the child is not listening/does not stop doing X, mom/dad loses energy and can’t play/do fun things. The child needs to restore Dad’s energy somehow. I have mixed feelings about this approach, but that is a post for another day. It seems to me that she does not get it yet. Maybe she is not ready. Maybe we can explain it better. I am not sure which one is true.

Back to the story, Daddy told Ari that if she kept repeating herself, I was going to lose a lot of energy and so I would not be able to call the neighbor to ask if her child could come over.

Two minutes later, Ari was asking again, but she was addressing Daddy this time.

Daddy: Oh, Ari, mommy is losing energy.

Ari: I not talking to her. I talking to you!

What? You didn’t know a 3-year-old could be a smart ass?! I have been starting to see a fair bit of that lately! Pretty funny stuff!

We have an area for shoes. Everyone’s shoes “live” there. Ari forgot/chose not to take her shoes off (I don’t know which it was). She was walking upstairs and Daddy stopped and asked about the shoes. Her response: Daddy, the shoes live upstairs sometimes!

Again, 3-year-old smart ass!

We have a new game. It is the train game. Ari is first, followed by Daddy, his hands on her shoulders. I am last. I put my hands on Daddy. We run at the same time, from the living room, through the dining room, to the kitchen, and back, over and over again. Ari loves it. It is uncomfortable for us grownups because we have to bend, seeing as how she is just over three feet tall and Daddy is almost six feet! But we can do it a few times and it makes her very happy!

Lastly, did you know that our car has the ability to sing? I knew Toyota Corollas are awesome, but I didn’t know they could sing! The other day our “car” sang the ABC song to us! It was Amor Chiquito, of course, singing in a very deep, silly voice!

Have I mentioned lately that I am thoroughly loving this age?! I really love to see her learning how to do new things, learning new words, exploring, figuring out what she loves to do, listening to her talk about how she would love to do such and such, but we can’t do it right now for whatever reason. I even love to see her challenging boundaries and working on conflict resolution because it gives me a glimpse of her true personality. So far, what I see is a little girl who is loving, compassionate, very persistent, but who can back off when it is necessary. I also see a little girl who is willing to compromise but who is also learning to say no. I am heavily biased, but, so far, it looks good!

The Multiple Personalities of Amor Chiquito

I think I mentioned a while back that Amor Chiquito was an elephant for a while. Every few weeks she becomes something different, usually an animal. This has been going on for at least four months now.

She makes the animal sound occasionally.

She talks about how such and such animal may or may not eat whatever we are having for dinner.

She talks about how such and such animal does not wear clothes, but she is a dolphin that gets to wear clothes and mittens!

This is the list so far:
Elephant for most of December.
Kitty cat for most of January, I think.
Sister jaguar for over a month (Go Diego Go).
Fairy for about three weeks, after Nana brought her a fairy costume.
Pink dolphin as of last Monday.

I think I got them all. Oh, every now and then she says she is a mermaid when she is in the tub.

Funny, fascinating stuff!

I wonder how much of this is because it is developmentally appropriate, because she comes from a crazy family with puppets and talking monkeys, or because she is simply a very silly and creative kid!

Does your child do this every now and then? Tell me some funny stories!

Preschoolers throw the best birthday parties ever!

My birthday was yesterday. Geeky Entrepreneur is working on a huge, time-sensitive project so I had anticipated that Ari and I would be on our own for the day. It turns out that my brother needed a sitter for a few hours. Sounded good to me; Ari would get to play with her cousin!

This is how we celebrated my birthday!

The kids wanted to play with playdough. Ari chose pink and my nephew chose purple.

Next thing I know, they come over with playdough cakes, playdough candles, they are singing happy birthday, and they are cutting pieces of playdough cake for me to eat!

They did this a few times. They then chased each other for a while. We played hide and seek. We had pizza, grapes and orange juice for lunch. They thoroughly trashed my living room, but I had a great, unforgettable birthday! It was very cute, just priceless!

On Saturday, Geeky Entrepreneur wanted to celebrate my birthday. He wanted to get Ari involved. We went out for lunch and then Ari and Daddy went to get me a surprise. Ari came back with a huge smile, a big hug, a loud "surprise" and a piece of yummy chocolate espresso cake! What a cute and sweet family I have!

I think I will remember when I turned 28 for a while!

What celebrations have your children enjoyed recently? Ari is a big fan of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and birthdays. She is already planning her Dora birthday party!

What did she say?!

Several funny Ari stories!

We went to visit Nana this weekend. Ari was very excited. She loves going “to the hotel” and seeing Nana, of course. Once I told her we would be going to the hotel, she knew instantly that we would be seeing Nana. She said “mommy, when we go to the hotel, our house is far away, but Nana is not! We can go see Nana after we sleep. I want to surprise her! Is that a good idea?!” So cute!

At the hotel, out of the blue, Ari started jumping, dancing on the bed, and singing “coca-doodle-doo” over and over again! We have a video! I’ll try to upload it on here another time.

On the ride home, Ari started playing silly games and saying silly things. “The highway is… pink. The hotel is… orange. The road is… red!“

Later on, “Daddy, your name is… Grandma! Your name is… Monkey!”

Silly Daddy responded with “and your name is… Shoe!”

Ari: “That not my name! I not a shoe! I Arianna! I a ferry!” )She was a jaguar for a month (thanks, Go Diego Go!) but she moved on about a week ago!

Then… A different, strange sounding, deep voice… “I a shoe. I don’t have a name!”

A shoe talked to us! Yes, you did read that right! You see, my mother-in-law is a puppeteer. My husband has many talking stuffed animals, mostly monkeys.

All that being said, I was not prepared to hear a shoe talk to me! Heck, my crazy, I mean, creative, husband was not prepared for it either! We are still laughing about it! Daddy and Nana are proud as can be!

Moving on… Last night Ari was looking at some of our wedding photos at my mother’s. She said that I was a princess. Daddy explained that we got married that day and that is why we were dressed that way. Her response: “Oh. I want to get married too. I want to marry my cousin.”

Lastly, tonight, at some point during the hour we spent together trying to get her to go to sleep, Ari said that she and her friend R (her best friend, a male classmate) were talking about having a play date. I asked where they thought they would play. At school? She said that she does not know yet, that they have not talked about it yet. Maybe at his house.

What? My daughter is marrying her cousin and she is going on a date with a cute and sweet 4-year-old boy?! I can’t stop laughing!

By the way, just as a random aside, I can’t believe it took her over an hour to fall asleep even though she had been up for about 12 hours. This does not happen often, but, clearly, it does happen every now and then. Oh, that reminds me… At one point I said that I was feeling frustrated and tired. I got a “huh?” as if “what the hell are you saying, mommy?” She did not know that word, I get it.

10 seconds later, “I feel fuh-tay-ted too, mommy. I not ready for sleep.”

I can’t get over it! This kid is too much! I just love love her silliness, her strange, made up games, and the remarks that come out of that little mouth! It does not get old!

Three-year-olds are so clever!

This is a good one! I am heavily biased, but, still, Ari is just too funny and impish!

We went out to dinner last night and I got a tiramisu. I shared it with her. We had some of it and I was going to save the rest for later.

Ari: Mommy, why you not eating anymore?

Me: Because I am full. I will finish eating it later.

Ari: But I'm not. When people are full, the kid eats the cake.

Geeky Entrepreneur and I could not stop laughing! I just love the remarks and realizations she makes. It never gets old!

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Today is Geeky Entrepreneur's birthday. As is typical with us, we did something simple and low key. I baked a blueberry cake and made lasagna for dinner.

I was feeling like I could have planned better, like I could have made his birthday more fun. It turns out I was wrong!

When Ari and I came home from school, she ran in Daddy's home office to say, more like scream, happy birthday! Unfortunately, Daddy was on the phone.

When we were getting ready to sing happy birthday, I asked Ari if she would like to bring the dessert plates to the table. She said yes. She not only brought them to the table. She walked around and gave everyone a plate, Daddy, grandma, Mommy, and herself!

She then did the same with spoons.

I asked her if she would like to bring the cake to the table. She was ecstatic! She very cautiously and carefully carried the cake!

We sang happy birthday together. Ari was beaming the entire time!

Daddy got many "happy birthday, Daddy" and many family hugs today!

At the end of the day, he said this was the best birthday he ever had! He enjoyed the meal and the cake, but I know that isn't what made it the best birthday ever! It was all about the fact that his 3-year-old was aware of the whole birthday celebration for the first time ever. Last year, as far as she was concerned, it was a chance to eat cake! This year, she was talking about it and looking forward to it for days. She made her Daddy feel very special!

It's the little things... I am so happy and so grateful. I love my little family!

Surprising Daddy, 3-year-old style!

Yesterday, my mother told Ari her cousin's birthday is coming up in February. Ari happily informed her grandma that her Daddy's birthday comes first. Brilliant me joined the conversation and told Ari we could bake Daddy a cake together and that it would be a surprise. She asked what type of cake it would be, what we would put in it, etc.

Fast-forward about half an hour... Ari and I come home.

Ari: Daddy, we have surprise for you. We make blueberry cake for you with milk and flour!"

I ended up baking the cake today so Ari could be part of the process, as opposed to baking it tomorrow morning, when everyone is gone. Tomorrow I'll prepare one of his favorite meals and I will not tell Ari ahead of time what that meal will be!

Silly kid! So darn cute!

My stay in the basement today!

So, I was in the basement, on the elliptical and doing laundry. When I went downstairs, Geeky Entrepreneur was playing a video game. Ari was with my mother.

When I finished on the elliptical and walked up the stairs, I realized the door was locked!

Some fun facts:
I almost never get signal down there.
My battery was down to two bars.
I usually bring the cordless phone, but I didn't today.
I was able to call Geeky Entrepreneur, but he didn't pick up.

So, there I was, thinking! I called my mom. Maybe he left to go get Ari. I was right. There he was, being a cute daddy, having a blast with his kid, at my mom's!

Here is the deal. Any time he walks by the door to our basement, if it's not locked, he locks it, so his kid won't fall down the stairs and all that. Awesome, ain't it?! But, wait, the child wasn't home! And, wait, the wife was down there, and he knew that! He even admits that he called my name to tell me he was leaving. Somehow, after trying to talk to me, "auto pilot" took over and he locked the door!

I told him he's sleeping in the car tonight! And I said he's pretty freakin' lucky that that is not a phobia of mine! Actually, I was laughing about it almost the whole time!

The best part? My adorable child had a word with him, multiple times!

"Daddy, that not nice. You need to be nice to mommy. You need to say you're sorry."

Everybody has had a blast with my stay at the Basement Hotel! My sister just called and asked "how was your stay at that awesome hotel?"

What a day! I bake him banana bread and bread pudding! I make sure he sleeps in because he is sick. I am taking care of logistics so I can keep him company at the hospital when he has gallbladder surgery this Thursday. And the man locks me in the basement! But I still love him!

Moral of the story: my husband is not allowed to take Nightquil!

We're a team!

That's what Ari said yesterday! I forget what we were working on together, but it led to some cuteness! She said something like: "Mommy, you do it. I do it too. We're a team!"

I think it's pretty cool that my 3-year-old thinks her family is a team! I hope that she remembers that forever! I look forward to always being a team, a kick ass, awesome, inseparable team. I hope that's not too much to ask for!

What cute thing has your little one said recently?

Update from the Elephant Family

So, here is the deal! This week my child is an elephant! All of us are elephants! If you call her name, she will tell you "I'm not Arianna; I an elephant!"

The other morning, my sister said good morning to her.
Her response: That's not fair. Elephants don't like good morning."

If you talk about her clothes, shoes, etc., they are not her clothes or shoes. They are elephant clothes and shoes!

That reminds me... She is using many words and phrases that she clearly has heard but whose meanings she does not know. This is a bit dangerous! My kid could currently get anyone in trouble! The other day she told me that her grandma is not fair, that she is mean, and that she hurt her (Ari's) arm. She forgot to explain that she wanted to take her cousin's silly band, even though it was not hers and she already had three of her own. See what I'm saying?!

Back to the elephant silliness, I say it's all her dad's fault! Nana is a puppeteer. Daddy grew up with puppets and talking stuffed animals. He has over ten monkeys. Yes, still, right now! They are in front of me right now, all lined up on our love seat! The monkeys still talk to people. They talk to our friends and they even have talked to tenants and coworkers. The ones that talk the most are Momo and Bobo. Ari's first word was Momo, in fact! They have personalities. Momo is an annoying and impish troublemaker. Bobo speaks very slowly and is kind-hearted. He sounds like a pothead!

My child is learning from the best! What can I say?! We're never bored around here!

What silly thing did your child do or say recently?!

The questions and hypotheses of a three-year-old

Last Wednesday was a short school day so I decided to stay at school and hang out with a mom of a child in Ari's classroom. We were sitting right outside Ari's classroom. Every now and then I could hear her voice.

At one point I heard this:
"Karen (a teacher), you take shower today?"

What? Did my child really ask this? She asked her teacher of all people?! Yes, she did, I'm pretty sure!

At one point today Ari said her mouth was hurting. Not quite sure what she meant by that. What I thought was interesting, to say the least, was her theory:
"Maybe my mouth stop hurting when I pee."

She pees. When she is done, she announces:
"Oh, my mouth still hurting. That did not work."

Can't make this crap up! I love it, absolutely love it!

Oh, the other day she insisted on bringing a book to bed. She fell asleep with the book on her hands. She remembered in the morning and asked for it right away. Like father like daughter. That's all I have to say!

So long as she doesn't do this in the bathroom for hours each day, it's all good. If she starts imitating her dad that way, too, I'll be having some chats with my two favorite people in this world! You have no idea how grateful I am that there are two bathrooms in this house. People, really, it's not like toilets are comfortable! I don't get it!

Impish in sickness and in health!

That's my kid!

Amor Chiquito was about to eat a piece of bread. She loves Italian bread, just like her daddy.

Daddy told her to please sit at the dining table. She grabbed her plate and went to the couch.

Me: Ari, that is not the table, silly goose!

Ari: Yes it is, mommy. I pretend!

Me: What are you pretending?

Ari: The couch is the dining table. I pretending!

Crafty kid! Clever! So, so impish, but oh how I love it!