Five Head

Me: "Lee, come here so I can put sunscreen on your forehead."

Lee: "Where's my forehead?"

Me: Tapping his forehead.

Lee: "Oh. When I'm older, I'm going to have a five head."

Racing

Lee races EVERYWHERE.

I often hear, "Mama, count to 31!" and then I have to start counting to see if he can get to his destination (or finish a task) before I get to 31 (31 is his favorite number request).

He has picked up on Jessalyn's declaration of not being the "rotten egg." Somehow, though, a bit has been lost in translation.

Lee's version: "Last one there is a rockin' egg! I'm it! I'm a rockin' egg!"

When I Grow Up…(part 2)

Today's statement is a follow up to a previous comment on aspirations to be a circle:

Lee: "After I'm done being a blue circle, I'm going to be a purple triangle."

Open or Closed?

During a recent shopping trip to a clothing store named "The Kloze Klozet," Lee asked me, "Is this the close closet or the open closet?"

When I Grow Up…

Today's conversation:

Jessalyn: "When I grow up, I want to be a veterinarian. Lee, what do you want to be?"

Lee: "Um, how about a circle?"

Things Kids Say

The other day Lee told me, "L-E-E spells me!"

I just thought that was so cute.

Conversations with My Children

Jessalyn

Referring to the ponytails with tiger embellishments she requested for her hair:

Me: "You look so cute!"

Jessalyn: "Thanks, I thought I might."

Lee

Ever the negotiator, trying to stretch his play time:

Me: "Lee, it's time to get ready for bed."

Lee: "One more minute. One minute. Two minutes. Four minutes. Five dollars."

Bathtub Classroom

The other night the children were in the tub playing with foam letters that, when wet, stick to the wall. This is what I heard while they were playing:

Jessalyn: "Look, Lee. A-E-I-O-U. Do you know what those are? Those are vowels. And let me tell you about silent E. He sneaks up on a word and changes the sound a vowel makes to the vowel's name. Like glob to globe and tub to tube…"

A Brand New Smile

After weeks of wiggling, Jessalyn's other top front tooth finally came out...when she accidentally hit her mouth on the bathroom counter! We pretty much had her talked into letting Joe, one of our two dentist uncles, "help" her get it out. At Sunday lunch today we heard a scream of excitement come from the bathroom, "MY TOOTH CAME OUT!" She was giddy as she told me, "I have a brand new smile!" and made the rounds to be sure everyone saw the recent accomplishment.

Lots of pulling, pulling, and more pulling in recent days.

Lee gets in on the tooth-pulling band wagon.

Overheard at lunch today:

Jess: "Joe, did you see my tooth?"

Joe: "No. I saw where your tooth used to be, but I haven't actually seen the tooth yet."

Jess, presenting Joe with the ziploc bag housing the tooth: "It's that little white thing in there."

The Things Babies Say

While rocking Lee tonight at bed time, we were singing songs (he always sings along with me). He noticed that while singing, my mouth made an "O" shape (Lee is as obsessed with shapes as he is with letters and numbers).

Lee: "Mommy, make 'O'!"

Me: making "O" shape.

Lee: "Mommy, make oval!"

Me: making oval shape.

Lee: "Mommy, make hexagon!"

The Things Kids Say

I was watching Jessalyn color a Little Mermaid picture this morning:

Jessalyn: "What color do you want me to make Flounder?"

Me: "How about green?"

Jessalyn: "Excellent choice."

I Love You More Than...

While tucking Jessalyn into bed tonight, she declared, "I love you more than a beautiful diamond."

I thanked her very much and told her that I, too, loved her more than a beautiful diamond. She then went on to say, "I also love you more than an elephant and a flower and a giraffe."

In a whisper she said, " I can't say 'more than a blanket' because that would hurt Taggie's feelings." In her regular volume she topped it off with, "But I do love you more than a monkey and a frog."

Thank you, sweetie. Me, too.

Overheard Prayers

Dear God:

"Thank you for this wonderful day. And please let us have a nice day tomorrow. And if it rains, that's ok with us, because the trees and the flowers need the rain."

"Please tell Grandandy, 'Happy Birthday.'"

"Please let Christy's baby be healthy and safe. And I'm going to teach it everything. Including how to exercise."

Taggie's prayer: "God, I love you. Amen."

"Thank you for my new baby cousin, and please let his name be Diego."

"God, I have a question for you: Why did you make thunder? Amen."

"...and I hope you have a good time at my party..." Whispering to Mommy: "is God invited to my party?"

When I Grow Up

Jessalyn: "I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up."

Mommy: "I thought you were going to be a cook."

Jessalyn: "Well, I can't be BOTH."

Mommy: "Yes you can. You can teach people how to cook!"

Jessalyn: "First of all, I don't know how to cook. Second of all, I don't know the recipe. Third of all, I don't have a cook book, so we'll need to buy one for me. Fourth of all, my apron will be too small for me when I'm a grown up!"

Santa and Wish Lists

Let me start by saying that I wasn't sure if we were going to get a photo of the kids with Santa this year. Last year's photo took weeks of major bribing and a list of conditions by Jessalyn ("He can't look at me, I won't sit on his lap, I'll only stand next to him, I won't talk to him, I'll write him a letter but you have to hand it to him, he can't wear his glasses, I don't want him to talk to me..."). The year before I couldn't pay Jessalyn to be in the same building with Santa, much less sit on his lap.

This year Jessalyn wasn't too keen on the idea all over again. I'd make a nonchalant suggestion every now and then which would be immediately shot down (even though I reminded her how brave she was last year and how nice Santa was to her). Before I had a chance to think up a really great bribe, Jessalyn declared that she would take a photo with Santa. "What changed your mind?" I asked. "Well, when I sit on Santa's lap, I'm going to ask him if he's the real Santa, or one of Santa's helpers."  "That's a good question," I replied. Gulp. I wonder if Santa has gotten that one before.

Now, for the request. Jessalyn has been asking for a puppy for the past few months. I told her that we had two cats and we weren't getting a puppy. "OK, but when can I get a puppy!?" "Not for a long time, if we ever get a puppy." "But I really, really, really want one!"

Her first written request of Santa:

In case you're having trouble deciphering this jumbled letter, it reads (or what it's supposed to say is) "Santa I want a real dog."

Fast-forward several weeks. We are shopping at our favorite and most-frequented spot, Wally-World, when Jessalyn spies a toy dog. And not just any toy dog, but a dog that barks, walks and plays tug-of-war: Lucky, the Incredible Wonder Pup. "Oh, Mama, I want him! We have to get him!" I kindly explain to her that we don't buy toys when we go to the store, especially this close to Christmas. "But, but, but...." Sulky face. It is our practice, however, to pick out a toy to admire and play with during our shopping excursion and then put back on the shelf before it is time to go. As Jessalyn is holding and pining over Lucky, she declares, "Mama, I hate to tell you this, but it says, 'Take Me Home!'" Drat those reading skills! "Yes, it does say 'Take Me Home!', but we're not taking him home. You can ask Santa for him if you really want him that badly."

Her second written request of Santa:

"Dear Santa I rally rally rally rally rally want a dog. A toy that walks and plays tug of war. Jessalyn." "I love you, love Jessalyn." The drawing is of a reindeer and the wonder pup.

Jessalyn's class took a field trip to the bank last week to meet Santa. Here is Jessalyn making her request for Lucky:

She forgot to ask him if he was the real deal, though.

Then I got my chance to get a photo of Jessalyn and Lee with Santa together. Jessalyn did great. Lee did, too, but wasn't too thrilled about the situation. At least he waited until the photo was over to start crying.

We still have lots of fun stuff to look forward to this Christmas season including Jessalyn's youth choir performance, get-togethers with friends, school Christmas parties, baking cookies, visiting with family and much, much more. Stay tuned...

Conversations with my 5-year-old

Conversation #1

Jess: Why do mommies get old?

Me: Well, everybody gets old, honey.

Jess: I'm sad that you're already old.

Me: (incredulously) What!? I'm not old!

Jess: Well, you're cramping ("cramping" is her word for getting wrinkles).

Me: No, I'm not!

Jess: Well, look at your hands. They're cramping (looking at the skin on my knuckles). Then looking at her own hands says, "Oh, everybody has that!"

Me: Yes, everybody has that. I am NOT cramping.

Jess: Oh, sorry.

Me: That's ok.

Conversation #2

Jess: Look, mom! I found the pink pants to match this shirt.

Me: They look  a little short

Jess: Oh, PLEASE, mom, can we keep them? I look so cute in this outfit.

Me: (chuckling) Yes, you do look cute.

Jess: Then, can we keep them!?

Me: (still chuckling) Yes, we can. 

Jess: Oh, thanks mom! You're the best mom in the whole world!

Quotes of the Day

Upon strapping Jessalyn into her car seat: "Mama, it's too tight...my heart can't beep!"

Jessalyn reminiscing about meeting a new friend 3 months ago:  "I remember it like it was yesterday."

Quote of the Day

“I don’t like homework. It’s nauseating.”

Quote of the Day

While reading an I-Spy type of book to Jessalyn this evening, we were trying to find different things on each page. I asked her to find a specific object and her reply, after a few contemplative moments was, “I would like to tell you that I can find it but, alas, I can not.”

Vacation Bible School

What a week we've had! Jessalyn and I both participated in Vacation Bible School. She was in one of the three Pre-K groups, and my friend Alison and I were the Pre-K craft teachers. Lee was on the tail end of a viral infection, but was not contagious, so he was able to stay in the nursery. It was a fun, albeit exhausting, experience. Jessalyn had a great time and loved that I was her teacher. The boys and girls were separated into different groups, so she didn't get to hang out with her best buds, Noah and Jeremiah, very much. We had a little bit of drama at the beginning of the week: Jeremiah told Jessalyn that he was not going to marry her. She was crushed. During this past school year, Jessalyn and Jeremiah sat next to each other in their preschool class and, on most days, were determined to get married. However, this became null and void on the days that she and Noah (her best friend since she was two) were to be married. So, she was a bit on the sulky side on Tuesday. On Wednesday she got mad at Noah for something he did or didn't do, so she announced that she wasn't his friend anymore. After realizing that that was not very nice and that she hurt his feelings, she apologized, gave him a very big and sincere hug, and told Noah that she would marry him. Connor, Noah's 2.5-year-old little brother said, "I wanna marry you, too." Jessalyn, quite apologetically, told him, "I can't marry you, Connor, because I'm taller than you." On a side note, Eli, one of Jessalyn's preschool classmates, told me during one of our craft classes that Jessalyn was his girlfriend (and, when I relayed this bit of info to her, she smiled and happily stated that she guessed she would marry Eli, then!). All of this marrying/girlfriend business reminds me of a story that one of Jessalyn's AWANA leaders told me earlier in the year: as Jessalyn was surrounded by three boys, each of them tugging on her, she told them, woefully, "No, no, I can only marry one!"

Noah & Jessalyn

Noah, Jessalyn & Connor