Riddles

My daughter wants to tell me riddles all the time.... the problem is, she is the WORST riddler ever. 

For example:

"Mommy, guess what is green, has petals, and grows in the ground?"

"What?"

"A flower!"  

Or this happens:

"Mommy, guess what has a trunk and four legs?"

"What?"

*hysterical giggles* "I can't tell you!"

So I've tried to teacher her what a riddle is.  I've given her examples. 

Q: What has 4 legs but can't sit down?
A:  A table!

Nothing has stuck.  And then today I thought she finally got it.  I got this:

"Mommy, what is all around us but we can't see it?"

"Um, air."

I got the riddle right.  However, I was wrong about her getting how to tell riddles, because her response was the funniest answer I've ever heard: 

"MO-OM!  It's not fun if you get it right the first time!!"

Motherhood: Thank you Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Shannon on Pinterest

Wordless Wednesday

Someone needs to catch up...

Hubs: The baby is really starting to hit all kinds of milestones.

Me: She should, she's almost 6 months old.

Hubs: That can't be right.

Me: Why not?

Hubs: Because I just accepted the fact that you are pregnant with her. 

A Loss of Innocence

"Mommy, what's Boston?"

S#$t.

That was the first thought that ran through my mind when my almost six year old asked me this question two days after the Boston Bombing.

And the thing is, I would have sworn I was prepared for this moment.  I don't watch the news when the kids are awake/home.  I don't listen to talk radio when they are in the car.  Their father and I are very careful not to talk about scary things when they are around.

That being said, I had read the parent articles and blogs about "How to Talk To Your Child About ____."  I had thought about what I would say when the question came up -- even as I was praying it wouldn't.  Still, I know that as Girlie spends more and more time away from me, as she is exposed to more of the world, she is going to learn more about the world -- things I may not want her to know about.

But when she asked the question, I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  I could remember nothing that I had read, could recall nothing that her father and I had decided to say.

So I stalled.

"Boston is a city," I said matter of factly, hoping that would end it.

"Are there bad men there?"

Double s#$t.

"Where did you hear about Boston?" I asked.

"At school."

Of course. 

"What did you hear?"

"That there are bad men.  And they had a bomb.  And they hurt runners.  You run, Mommy.  Are the bad men going to hurt you?"

Hell.  Thanks so much, school. 

"No," I said immediately and firmly.  "The bad men are not going to hurt Mommy."

"So there are bad men?"

"Well," I stalled.  "There are bad men -- not like in your TV shows but bad men in real life. But Boston is really far away from us.  You don't have to be scared of them, you know that, right?"

"But I'm a little scared of them," Girlie said.

"I know," I told her.  "Can I tell you a secret?  I'm a little scared of them too.  But then I remember something that makes me less scared."

"What?"

"I remember the helpers.  There are always way more helpers than there are bad men.  Did you know that?"  Thank you, Mr. Rogers.  Thank you.  

"Who are the helpers?"

"Helpers are people like policemen and firefighters and doctors and nurses.  Sometimes helpers are just  people like you and me who decide that they need to make good choices to help others."

"Oh," Girlie said, cuddling up to me on the couch.

So we sat there, quiet, her little blonde head under my chin while my heart ached with sorrow at her loss of innocence -- her realization that bad guys are not just in TV shows and books; that they are real and dangerous.

"Mommy?" she said a few moments later.

"Yes, Love?"

"I want to be a helper."

And then my heart ached with love. 

Wordless Wednesday: At Least I Won't Have To Pay For Horseback Riding Lessons...

Ten Minutes With Boyo

During the 10 minute drive to the movie theater last night....

~ "Mommy, I don't have to die on the cross, right?  Cuz Jesus did it for me?"

~"That's tall grass where skunks live! They pee on you with stinky pee.  Poppa got peed on with a skunk and stinky pee.  TWO TIMES."

~"My favorite part of today was going to the carnival.  I liked hitting the baby the best."

~"BIG CANNONBALL KISSES!"

~"There is no one behind us now so you can go in that lane."

~"Mommy, when I grow up I want to do what you do -- play games on the computer."

~"Mommy, I have three girlfriends.  It's hard to have three girlfriends.  I think when I am five I will only have two."

~"Mommy, did you know that seven comes after six?"

~"In Star Wars, Lando tricks Han.  I don't like Lando.  Han should cut him to ribbons." 

~"IT'S NOT YOUR TURN TO TALK!"

~"I see a box that the juice for the lights comes from.  And fireworks."

~"That's the way to Baby Beach!  Let's go there."

~"Tomorrow, when we go to Disneyland, can we go on the pony roller coaster?"

~"This is where the movie is!  And sticks!"

Sentence Structure

BabyGirlie is beginning to understand the concept of sentence structure. 

She has moved from "No" being her favorite word to "I WANT IT" being her favorite phrase. 

And last week she realized that "I want it" actually means something. 

So she screams, "I WANT IT" as often as possible, while pointing to the object of her desire. 

And if I say no, because I'm a mean mommy and don't want her to die from a penny, Lego, knife, or whatever else she has decided she wants, the tantrum starts.

It begins with her face slowly crumbling, while she watches me with knowing eyes.

When I don't fall for the face crumble, one or two big, fat tear drops settle on her cheeks.

When I still don't budge, she begins to shake her head violently, screaming, "NO I WANT IT! NO I WANT IT! NO I WANT IT!" This part of the tantrum normally lasts for five minutes if I can't distract her.

Side note - five minutes is a very long time when you are in a grocery store and people are watching you.

After the face crumble, crocodile tears, and five minute scream fest, she stops, gains control of herself, and then puts her sweet little arms up and says, "Mommy up?  Mommy up?  Mommy I want up." 

So I pick her up and soothe.  She snuggles in, gives me a kiss, and pets my face.  And then she says, "Mommy, I see it.  Mommy, I want it."

And round two commences. 

Wordless Wednesday: Some People Just Can't Handle the Merry Go Round

Giraffe

My son wants a pet "of his very very own to make him so happy!"

I asked what he wanted -- thinking he was going to say fish.  Or cat.  Or dog.

Nope.  He wants a giraffe.

"Well," I said.  "Giraffes are really tall.  We don't have room in our house."

"Yes we do," he informed me.  "In the living room."

Okay, that is true. But I wasn't done yet.

"Okay, but how will we get it in the house?  It's too tall to fit through the door."

After thinking about it, Boyo said, "Well, when it's a baby it will fit.  So we have to get a baby giraffe."

"But when it gets big, it won't fit outside to go potty.  I don't want giraffe poop in my living room."

"Mommy, it's okay.  Daddy will clean it up."

I love my boy.

Legoland!

We won tickets to Legoland last month.  It was AWESOME.  Fun family day.  And exhausting.  We'll go back in about 2-3 years when everyone is tall enough to ride all the rides :)

Hurry, Hurry Mommy!

Lego Mom greeted us when we got there.  Lego Baby was creepy.  So were Lego Mom's boobs.

Girl's got sass.

Her favorite Princess who "doesn't live at Disneyland."  She does now, Girlie.

Legos and Star Wars.

My son was in HEAVEN.

Peek A Boo! 

Explaining the scene to the "girls"

BabyBug was not impressed.

One of THREE temper tantrums.

BabyGirlie is so short you can't even see her over the ride!

She fell asleep 5 minutes before we left the park.

Building our new Legos!

For someone who didn't do anything, she sure was tired!

Wordless Wednesday: This is what a good sister looks like....

Remember when I blogged here about what a good brother looks like?  

Well, this is what a good sister looks like...

Soccer Boyo

My soccer stud.

Go Boyo Go!

First Goal! (Well, for the right team)

He decided it was break time.

His turn to be goalie.

Three is better than one!

With his certificate.  I'm not sure if he is saluting or blocking the sun.

Remember how I mentioned here how this one didn't want to play?  Guess who is begging to be signed up for AYSO.

Even BabyGirlie got in the spirit of the game.