I’ve compiled a list below of a few of the funny things the girls have said and done during the last year.
LEARNING NEW THINGS: Arianna learned to swim, (she’s nearly a fish), knows her ABCs, danced in her first recital, and finished speech classes. She’s starting to really learn some French through listening to the French singer Remi Comptines et Jeux de Doigts and attending a French camp in the summer. Arianna took her first bike ride with training wheels. At the end of 20 feet on the driveway she exclaimed “Holy cow! That was scary.”
TIME: Kids have little concept of time. This fall when the outdoor swimming pool at the club closed, we informed Arianna that we couldn’t swim there anymore because the weather was too cold. She replied “We’ll have to wait 5 minutes for summer time.” I wish. Arianna showed her ingenuity and lack of time understanding when she said “That’s the cutest song I’ve ever made up myself, Tomorrow.”
MAGIC: Arianna performed her first magic trick: “I will now do a very tricky trick. The flower will mistappear and float.” This was followed by a great interpretive dance. Later she told me “when I get bigger, I can be a magic tricker like you daddy.” That is not her only dream though. Another time she told me “When I get older I’m going to be a fire engine. I’m not a fire engine yet.” I’d like to see that one.
JOKES: I was astounded at how amazingly complex the format of a knock knock joke is when I attempted to “teach” one to the girls. “Knock knock.” They’d answer “Come in.” “No…Knock knock.” “I’m at the door.” “No…Knock knock. Who’s there? Lionel.” “Come in.” “No…Lionel.” “Hi Lionel.” “No…Lionel who? Lionel eat me up if I take too long telling this joke.” I don’t think they ever got it.
LOVE: Brielle said “I love you” for the first time this year. It’s a wonderful time for a parent. It was cancelled out later when Arianna said “I love you because I have a booger.” I asked her one time what it meant to love someone. The definitive answer was “You have to kiss and hug.”
SILLINESS: One of my favorite activities with the girls is acting like I’m incompetent and letting them figure out the right thing. For example, I’ll ask “Do you want a fork to eat your cereal?” After a moment of thought, Arianna said “You’re kiddin’ me dad.”
LANGUAGE: Brielle is repeating the last two words of everything you say as a question. We’re going to the store. The store? Yes. Come eat dinner. Eat dinner? Let’s change your poopy diaper. Poopy diaper? This is a great conversational method for those of us who hate small talk.
CUTENESS: Cuteness is always an important factor for kids. When they are acting up it is sometimes the only thing that saves them. One day at the breakfast table I was staring at Arianna in a moment of amazement and wonder. I found it difficult to believe that this little person was created by the love of my wife and me. She broke the silence “Why are you looking at me dad? Cause I’m cute?” “Yes” I replied, “but you’re not supposed to know that.”
SCARY: One day I heard Arianna in the other room say “Up your butt!”. “Oh my” I thought “where did she learn that?!” When I went to see what was going on Arianna was trying to change Brielle’s diaper. Evidently “Up your butt!” is a good command when you can’t get the Huggies situated correctly.
TOO QUIET: Whenever it’s too quiet in the house. We get a little worried that something is wrong. What are those girls up to?
FOOD INDEPENDENCE: Brielle graduated from the high chair to the table. Quite the milestone for our home allowing her more freedom in eating and getting her own food. Brielle is asserting her independence. One day she got the stool and was reaching into the cupboard. “What are you doing?” She answered “lips!” as she attempted to get mommies lipstick. Good catch. Another time she said she wanted an “obstacle”. What?! After a couple of minutes trying to figure out what she meant, she finally opened the freezer door to show us that what she really wanted was not a road block but a “popsicle”.
SHOPPING: Target gives out free cookies to kid shoppers. If Arianna stays close by mommy or daddy, she can often have such a treat. One time she commented on the cookie “Daddy. This cookie tastes…happy!” So happy is now a new taste. I can’t wait to see it on a menu. The girls also love shopping at Trader Joe’s. They give out free balloons.
SLEEPING: Both of the girls are masters of excuses for NOT sleeping or taking a nap. They simply don’t want to miss out on any of life that might go on during their rest. For Brielle, simple one word commands asking for her favorite things are all it takes. “Book. Little People. Ice Creams”…or the dreaded “Me hungry.” For Arianna, it’s a little more complex. She’ll come downstairs and say that she has a question for us…which is often simply a statement. Another ploy she utilizes is the “I wanted to give you a hug” phrase (even if there have already been many hugs). The subterfuge “I need to go potty” always works.
WAKING UP: Arianna wanted to wake up mommy one day “Mom, you need to wake up! The sun is waked up.”…and so it was. One day, I asked Brielle “How are you this fine morning?” “Awake!” That’s more than I can say for some people at 7 am.
COMPETITION: Everything is a competition with the girls…getting their seat belts on, putting on pajamas, finishing dinner. You’ll often hear “I won!” even if they simply completed a task. Hey, I’m almost done with writing this…”I won!”
ATTACHMENT: Kids get attached to certain items. For Arianna it’s her purple blanket. It’s ripped and torn with multiple repairs and must still be located every night before bed. One night after a successful search and rescue mission, Arianna held it close to her face and said “mmmm…purple blanket…mmmmm.” One night as she struggled to carry it upstairs I heard “Hold on tight purple blanket! Hold on tight!” For Brielle, she likes her Fisher Price Little People Noah’s Ark and “Ice Creams“.
IN PUBLIC: It’s always interesting to find out what kids will say in public. When Arianna saw a bald man for the first time, she said “Daddy, that man doesn’t have any hair on.” Another time she saw a little person (dwarf) and said “That’s a short mommy.”
BIRTHDAYS: Arianna said, “If for my next birthday when I am 5, you will give me Mulan and ‘Pocushantas’, I will be so happy and I will give you a hug.” This shows the simplicity, honesty, and sincerity of a child. What does she have to offer in exchange for something she wants? A hug..and it’s worth a lot.
PRINCESSES: The favorite activity of both of our girls is being princesses and dancing. One day Arianna was singing and said “Daddy, I cleaned up my room and so I’m singing.” I guess you can learn good things from Cinderella, Snow White, and Giselle. Sometimes being a princess is confusing. Arianna came downstairs dressed in full rain gear and galoshes and said “Dad, I’ll be the rainy guy and you be the prince.” So I lived happily ever after with “the rainy guy”. Never to be outdone, Brielle greeted me at the door once dressed only in her snow boots “surprise!”. If only her mother would do that. They love to put on princess clothes and do a fashion show. Arianna announced as Brielle came down the stairs “Princess Brielle is like twinkle little star Cinderella!”
POTTY TRAINING: Arianna is fully potty trained now after putting her favorite toys on top of the fridge, popsicle rewards, some spanking, and lots of patience! Bringing her into public restrooms is always a challenge. One time in the stall of the men’s bathroom while she was doing her business, she looked up at me and said “Daddy, I love you.” That’s fine…but not here please. In bathroom at Potbelly’s, I asked Arianna “Are you done yet?” Her reply “No, I’ve got some poopies coming out. It goes splash. It’s pretty special.” Then one day Arianna exclaimed with excitement, “Now I’ll be AMAZING and go potty in the toilet!” I guess it is something pretty amazing for a child. I don’t think, however, that I’ll add it to my show. “For my first trick…” Other natural body functions are interesting to discuss with kids. One time Arianna tooted (passed gas). I said, “Hmm…I smell something stinky.” Her reply, “It must be a skunk.” I couldn’t find any skunks nearby.
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