maybe the best book ever written by a 5 1/2 yr old

Clearly, I am totally biased on this issue. So I guess you'll just have to read and then judge for yourselves.

(Oh, in case you can't tell what this is: this is a blank book intended for just this very purpose--to inspire kids to author their own story. This particular book has an empty oval center on each page. L. started with that, and built up the rest of the plot.)

(front cover: I omitted the author's name)

(back cover)

a momentous occasion

L. took a fall first this morning and needed a couple of stitches. We quickly transformed our dining room into a surgical space and Daddy went to work.

It was a little scary, but she was so brave! We were so impressed.

In the end, Daddy made it to work and we made it to church only a few minutes late. Guess he's gotten pretty quick at this sort of thing!

____

I guess L. was sobered by this whole ordeal, and she spent some time reflecting on her failure to heed my warnings not to climb on furniture. She must have decided that some recognition was in order because later on this morning she presented me with this:

note: a "CIA" is what the kids at school get when they are Caught in the Act while doing a good deed. On the notecard, you check off which good deed is being rewarded. If you look closely, you will see that I got mine (and some gobstoppers) for "telling kids to be careful."

look who's new

Check out our newest and youngest cousin! Welcome to the (crazy) family, Baby Margot!
We can't wait to meet you and pinch those cheeks black and blue. (ok, ok, not the black and blue part...)

small successes

why is BR eating ice cream in the middle of the day?

because we celebrate poo around here, that's why.

a little too much Calvin & Hobbes, perhaps?

A: "BR, you insensitive clod!"

it was too quiet...mama should have known better...

In case you can't tell, that's a picture of our livingroom floor covered with the bedding from the girls room, toys, coats, shoes and the contents of a couple of bookshelves piled into boxes.

Am and BR were SO proud of all their "hard work."

guess not

"hey, BR, do you think you could put your pjs on all by yourself tonight because I am cooking dinner."

a week ago today...

...a little girl turned 4!!

we had a triple layer homemade chocolate cake with a marshmallowy frosting (mmm...), animal charades, punch with sherbet, a blindfold game, lots of prizes, a 'mummy' game, and some good friends and family to celebrate with. As a special bonus this year, Grammy and Papa joined us, too!

before the party got started, we even had some time to do some sledding with Granny and Papa! What a great day. Congratulations, A.m.!

can you guess what she meant?

L. is preparing for her first school performance tonight. She told me that last night they practiced in the "Odd Victorian."

Tee hee.

she's on to me

I was trying to be sneaky, but I failed.

L.: "Mommy, why do you get two cookies and we just get one?"
Mommy: "Because I'm a pig."
A.(in a hopeful tone): "I'm a pig, too!"

"Hey Mommy, sometimes YOU look like that!"

excessive caution

Me: "Craft time, kids! BR, do you want to cut some paper with some little scissors?"

BR: "No, I can't! Josefine (babysitter) says that's dangerous!"

_____

Me: "BR, please go back to the table right now and finish eating your breakfast."

BR: "No, I don't want to! It's too poisonous!"

it's like the princess and the pea, in reverse

return of the (exasperated) Poobas

You, the faithful and loyal readers of RandB, might remember from this post that we're very fond of "Poobas" around here. Daddy especially likes to talk about them a lot.
This afternoon, L. decided to illustrate her father's fondness for Poobas. (That's a heart above Daddy's head as he walks, zombie-like, toward the gigantic Poobah.)

Apparently, Poobas tire of so much adulation. (I'm not sure if you can read what those two Poobahs are thinking about. They both have thought bubbles that say: "Enough is enough.")

language

In some ways, I was apprehensive about L. starting school. Kids can be mean, and also there was no telling what new concepts other children might introduce her to.

She came home one day to tell me that one of her friends (who seems like a good kid, and whose parents I have met) says the "S" word all the time. I was horrified! Five year olds, saying that word?

"Oh no! That's not good! Do other kids say it, too?"

"Lots of them do," she told me. "And you know what? They even think it's not a bad word!"

"Well it is!" I insisted. I just couldn't believe it.

Then I thought about it for a minute. "Wait a minute. What's the 's' word?"

She wouldn't speak it so she just whispered: "Stupid."

a simple Valentine treat

all you need is some strawberry yogurt and a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

put it all in the freezer for a couple hours and voila!

not exactly what I meant

When I picked up La Luz from school, I told her a bit about our day while she was gone. At one point, we had done some sorting through boxes and A. and BR had "helped" me.

Me: "Hey L., today A. and BR played with me down in the cellar."
L. (casual as can be): "Oh, was there a tornado?"

then, later:

Me: "Hey L, did I tell you that I had an accident in the car yesterday?"

L. (a little shocked): "You peed in your pants in the car?"

fraggle rock insults

A: "Mom-meee! L. just called me a Gorg!"

snow!

There hasn't been much lately, so we took advantage of the little bit we got yesterday.

pushing (and pulling) Prince BR uphill:

name calling

There is another L. in our L.'s kindergarten class! They have become friends and the other L. came over for a playdate over the weekend. I laughed to discover that they call each other by their first and last names, just like their teacher and classmates do. I tried to explain they didn't have to do that when they addressed each other, but they didn't seem to get it.

_________

Some of you might remember that when Aunt Kay was a little girl, she got fed up with all the extra and unpronounced letters in English words. French is (somewhat) more phonetically-correct and the spelling of words like "brought" and "though" with their silent "gh's" seemed pretty arbitrary (and silly) to her in comparison. She informed us one day: "I am going to change the spelling of my name. From now on, I will spell my name L-U-G-H and it will be pronounced 'Kay.' "

I guess L. has decided something similar. When A. asked her the other day how to spell her name, I overheard her answer: "P-U-B."

So, she might have been craving some fine English ale, or she might have just been messing with her sister. But I kind of think that, like her auntie so many years ago, she has had enough and has decided to liberate herself from the tyranny of the English language.

Bravo!

this mama is a sucker for little kids in overalls

daddy's day off

a fun and productive day.

First, daddy took A. out for a special breakfast treat.

and then he helped BR get dressed.

(let's just hope he is not as confused about the backs and fronts of patients!)