Tan Pup

Eliana approached me yesterday, cradling her very limp Tan Pup in her arms, and looking forlorn.

"Oh dear, did Tan Pup get hurt?"
Elly: "No. He's..." (sniff) "dead!" (starts crying real tears)
Me: "Oh, no. How terrible! You must be so sad."
Elly continues crying real tears.
Me: "Why don't we have a funeral for him."
Elly: "Oh. No! Wait, look! He's just hurt!" (stops crying) "Oh Tan Pup! You're alive! Oh Tan Pup, I'm so happy!" And she walked off to administer first aid to his wounds.

The minute she was gone I could not contain myself. This child got theatre genes from both sides of the family. And while it manifests itself in the dramatic quite frequently, it was fun watching that it may actually also involve real talent. This scene was really good!!!

I heart NoseFrida

I already loved the nosefrida. I thought it was well worth the $18 I paid for it, just to have a snotsucker that actually worked, as opposed to the bulb syringes, which just make D mad. And the past few weeks, it has occasionally been solely responsible for allowing D to nurse and breathe at the same time. Which is sort of necessary. But this morning, the NoseFrida became worth its weight in gold. It started like this:

Eliana: "Uh-oh. Mooooooom!"
That's never good, but I wasn't prepared for what came next.
Eliana: "Kessa put a bead up her nose!"

I ran to their room, and looked up her nose. It was so high up I could not see it. ("Are you sure it's in there? It didn't fall back out?") I felt her nose and could barely feel it right below the bridge of her nose. I ran back to D's room, grabbed the NoseFrida, and ran back. As she giggled and sniffed ("no don't suck it in further!") I applied the nosefrida and it popped right out.

Now there's a use for it I never thought about. But it just earned a permanent place in my home, even after the baby phase is over!

The country-western clean-up blues

Eliana, singing dramatically (with Kes howling in the background for effect):

I want you I want you I want youuuuu
I'm never gonna clean up without youuuu
I'm gonna have to leave
and say goodbye
and never see you again
if you don't help me clean uuuuuup
Yeah I need help cleaning up my room
Or I'm gonna have to leave home
And I'll leave really soon
I'm gonna leave really sooooooooon
if you don't come
before I leave
I really want to stay
because I love youuuuuu

(starts crying)
and I can't handle the crying
so I'm gonna leave soon
oh please I need you to help me crying
oh stop me crying (stops crying)

so come here
before I say goodbye
and have a goodbye hug
a goodbye hug
I'm going to leave in one minute
so you better help me clean up in one minute
before I leave
and I'm gonna get tooken by a stranger
or you can come help me clean up
which choice are you gonna have, Mom and Dad,
what are you going to choose?
I'm going to leave without saying goodbye
or having a hug
I'm gonna sit on that front step outside
until you come out
oh please
I'm gonna leave in a second
I'm going to go out in a second
I'm going to leave you alone with only one child
and only one baby
the second's almost finished
I would never like to leave you
oh please come
I would never want to leave you
so I need you
cause I would never love you again
I would never come back
I would never come here
so I need you so I don't have to go

Simple questions

As the kids and I came home and Scott answered the door, the first thing Elly said to him was, "Daddy, Daddy! Can you take us to ride bikes at the park, and can we have four babies???"

Because, you know, having another child is as simple as a day at the park.

Seriously, though, she won't let go of the idea that we should have another one, no matter how many times Scott and I tell her we're done. I say, "We always wanted three children and now we have three." Scott says, "No." (So, I suppose it really was a simple question since it had an easy answer.) And, "That would be too expensive." I've tried explaining that part too - she had told me we should have four or five and I mentioned the money aspect and she said, "OK just one more then. Four's OK, that won't cost as much as five."

Updates

Elly, reading: "This reusable drawing board is excellent for doodling and coloring..." About at this point, I realized she was reading upside-down. 5.5 years. Sheesh.

Kes, today: "Mommy, I'm angry with you." Why? "You maked me mad." How? "You were a wild child."
Later: "Look at that gigangous truck!"

I started pottying Donovan. He goes almost every time I offer, but we've only had one dry diaper, so mixed success. Still, not bad for starting out.

They grow so fast

Eliana rode a bike with no training wheels for the first time over the holidays. And, her 3rd loose tooth is hanging by a thread. My baby!