Ready for Santa

"It's taking too long to get home."

H: Mommy, drive faster.

M: I can only go as fast as the car in front of me.   

H: May you get on the highway please?

"Did you wipe all of it?"

[Following a BM on her tiny potty tonight]

H: Did you wipe all of it?

M: Yes, Hopey. I always wipe all of it.

H: Just like daddy does.

M: Yes, daddy wipes all of it too.

H: And Baby Bruva will wipe me too when he gets bigger!

M: By the time your brother is old enough to wipe you, you better be doing it by yourself.

It's been one of those mornings

christmas surprises

I am so excited for Christmas morning, mostly for H to get to hand out the gifts she's been working on the past few days. It's so awesome that she's old enough to experience the joy of gift-giving, and it's a bonus that I think her family members will genuinely like the gifts. Oh my poor parents and the years of "gifts" they endured from Santa's Secret Shop. Here she is multi-tasking just like mommy.
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Always Thinking

[In the backseat on the way home from school, E throws his toy dragonfly and it ends up in H's lap.]

H to M: How about when Baby Bruva throws his toy at me I get to keep it for a while?

It's official. Our kids are just not that impressed with Santa Claus.

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English muffin pizza night

Since Daddy's at his company Christmas party and E turned in early, H and I made the most of our evening together. Our advent calendar from yesterday (snowman craft ) + our advent calendar from today (dinner by candlelight) + English muffin pizzas = a nostalgic night to remember. #holidayspirit #highlyunsanitary #deliciousanyway On December 11, 2015 at 06:59PM

Post-dinner silliness

H to T, while dancing naked through the living room: "You'll never be a power ranger."

At the end of a long day, sometimes you just need your preschooler to comfort you

H to M, while patting me on the shoulder: "All day long, you do things wrong, but that's ok, sweetie."

Tonight our advent calendar said "play window clings with Daddy." This is how a real man celebrates his birthday. #lastyearunder40 #ichosewisely #shessolucky

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Letter to Santa

She knows him so well

H: Where's baby brother?

M: He's home with daddy.

H: Is he pulling his beard?

I asked H what face she made for her school pictures. #foreheadslap #wewilldefinitelypayforthat #yesherjeansarenotsnapped

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I can't win for trying

On the way home from school today...

H: "You didn't ask Humpty Dumpty how his day was!"

M: "Oh, is he in the car with us?"

H: "Yes!"

M: "How was your day, Humpty Dumpty? [pause] What did he say, Hope?"

H: "He can't talk. He's just pretend."

Questions about "Snow ladies" from H

Are they real or pretend?

Are they sticky or not?

Can you hug them and take them to bed?

Wanna play, Hope?

M: "Wanna play, Hope?"
H: "No thanks, I'm working."

Let me just brag on my daughter a bit

So tonight, T went out with a friend for dinner leaving just me and the kids for our after school routine. Here are just a few of the ways H amazed me:

1. She played by herself while I got dinner ready, occupying E when he got fussy before I could even ask.

2. At dinner she turned to me and said, "How was your day?" Then listened to my answer.

3. She ate all of her broccoli without a word from me.

4. She cleared the table, including picking up the pasta she dropped, while I went to give E a bath.

5. She didn't complain when E's evening fussiness kept me from doing all the fun things we had planned in the car on the way home; she just played with her Duplos by herself until I could play with her.

6. She drew this with a trackpad: 

[She said it was "a fruit that didn't taste good." Don't ask me what that means.]

7. She had the patience and perseverance and small motor skills to type the whole alphabet, hunt and peck-style. [I had to sing the song for her to know what came next.]

8. She chose a map of King of Prussia mall for her bedtime story and spent 20 minutes learning about legends and how to read a map. 

Don't get me wrong, there were lots of un-bloggable moments tonight too. But, wow. We must be doing something right.

Our city kid in the suburbs

On the way to the playground at the elementary school, I pointed out a giant mushroom growing near a tree. After some convincing, H touches it.

Later, at the playground, she wanders into a small wooded area and calls me over, "Mommy, mommy, I found two mushrooms!"

I go over to look. She's found two brick-sized rocks.

Some Sunday morning quotes

I'm going to dress up like a super hero teacher!

I'm going to give out flowers. This one has a tag that says, "happy specialist birthday ever! Your favorite neighbor, one one one."

I'm going to dress up like a policeman!

I'm going to pick out clothes for baby Susie. Oh, this looks so cute for her! Look at her bootiful pants! Look at her undershirt!

Polices help babies not cry, right?

1st library trip

Ok, sorry to be such a prolific poster today, but I FINALLY got H to a library for the first time ever. It's shameful that it took so long, but look who's so proud to have a library card with her name on it! She checked out so many books that she couldn't pick up the bag. #takealook #itsinabook #worldatherfingertips On November 17, 2015 at 07:30PM

Actual conversation with H

Actual conversation with my 3 year old while she's getting ready for bed:
H: Don't sit on my bed! If you sit on my bed, I'm going to call your cousin on my hand phone. [holds hand to ear like a phone] What's her number?
M: 123-456-789.
H: No, one number!
M: 5.
H: No, it has to have two.
M: 5-6.
H: No, it has to have two parts.
M: Twenty-three?
H: Ok. #controlfreak #mathnerd #futureteacherofamerica
On November 16, 2015 at 08:29PM

So this just happened

H: [Coloring brown furiously over a picture of Dora] Dora pooped herself!

Where does she come up with this stuff?

"This part of my bed is made of wood [gestures at slats]. This part [thumps mattress] is made of hair."

Playing with baby brother's toys

You can't tell her Bumbos are for babies.

Backseat observations

"Mommy! When I pick my nose, it bleeds!" 

"Only cars go in the street. And people go on the sidewalk."

"Some houses are apart, and some houses are close."

"There's leaves on that house!"

"Some trees are sick."

"Daddy looks like a monster because he has a beard. Baby bruva can't have a beard because his chin is too small."

While reading a book in which all the characters have dark hair: "Mommy, where's the one with the blond hair?"

Sometimes parents need some prompting

H: [to T right after she poops] Say "good job, Hope! I'm so proud of you."

My little ducky

Just chillin' with my little ducky on a Wednesday night....

#doesnteveryoneweartheircostumeeveryday #getyourmoneysworth #preschoolersrock On November 04, 2015 at 06:45PM

Every night

Hope poops right before bed. And every night, she tells us what the poop resembles. Tonight it was a banana.

"you look like a doctor...

...because you're a girl."

Do you love me when...

H to M: Do you love me when I'm not a good listener?

Can I have some money?

H: Can I have some money?
M: What are you going to do with it?
H: Read it.

Dirt between her fingers

Nothing really prepares you for those transcendent parent moments--like when Hope grabs my hand to go find Daddy during hide and seek and I catch a glimpse of the preschool dirt between her fingers. In that moment, the dirt itself seems sacred to me. How much longer will she play so honestly and remain totally oblivious to how she looks on the outside? #theygrowupsofast #treasurethesmallthings On October 15, 2015 at 08:14PM

"I'm in my nest!"

This day was bound to come

But so soon?

H: Mommy, I want my own phone.

Hope in a new house

"Can we take my toys?"

"Can I play in the living room all day long?"

"Where's my washcloth?"

"But we can't bring my bed because it's too heavy."

"We need a couch in here. For all of us!"

More Responsibility

Our impending move is stressing me out, so I'm choosing gratitude instead. I'm grateful for my folks for providing such a comfortable sanctuary for us Papal refugees the past few days. For a safe and quiet ride back to Philadelphia this morning (Elliot slept almost the whole way). For Hope stepping up and taking on more and more responsibility around the house and just generally being a great kid. For an amazing employer who allowed me to take an extended maternity leave to help get my family settled in our new house. For a father-in-law who arrives Thursday to help us paint aforementioned house. #oneluckymama #bigchangesarecoming #ittakesavillage #nuggetunited On September 28, 2015 at 01:10PM

Frozen

H: (handing me a blanket) Tie this on real tight! I want to be Elsa!

M: ok. (Ties)

H: (commences singing) Let it go! Let it go! (Walks around the house singing the same line over and over for about 3 min) Maybe I don't really know how to sing Elsa.

On the NFL

"All of those guys are being mean to each other."

Potty training moments (Ongoing series)

H: (Standing in the living room after dinner) "I'm pooping and pooping and pooping!"
M: "Hope, are you pooping?"
H: "No."

Playing Ring Around the Rosie with herself in the living room after dinner
H: "I'm not pooping!"
M: "You sure look like you're pooping."
H: (Squatting down and scrunching up her face) "Well, I'm not."


H: (Sitting on the potty before bed) "I think maybe my poop said my butt looks like a nest and it wants to stay in there."
M: ...

On storms

"I don't like storms. They crack the sky. It's too loud."

Compliments

One thing Hope knows how to do really well is accept compliments. If you say anything nice to her (ie. "What a big girl you are!", "You're really strong/smart/tough") she immediately responds with "Thank you." or "Yes I am."

I wish I could guarantee that she would keep this self-confidence and assuredness forever.

While stringing beads

"These beads have to wait them turns!"

You tell'em, Hopey.

Denied

H: wanna ride on my boat? [referring to her latest Duplo creation]

M: sure, that sounds like fun!

H: maybe on Sunday.

Who should turn off the light?

[After bedtime story tonight]

M: Do you want to turn off the light, or should mommy do it?
H: There's another option!
M: Yeah?
H: We could do it together.

[Mom's heart melts]

H to J

(While holding out a plastic container from the recycling bin): "See, smell how cold it is."

[There's no real explanation here. She just said the container was "too cold" for her to carry downstairs, then asked me to smell to verify that it was cold.]

H to T

"You're stressing me out."

When a search for the other star produces no fruit

"Maybe I'll just have to live with one."

How many...

M: How many is 1 and 1?
H: 2!
M: How many is 2 and 2?
H: 4!
M: How many is 3 and 3?
[Pause]
H: A lot!

All of a sudden I have 3 kids?!?

Talking to grandparents on the phone

To GamGam and Dibby

H: Do you have cheese and broccoli?

To Grammy and Pappy Jack

H: (aside to us) Grammy's not there. (To phone) Is Grammy lost?

Listen!

M: Listen, Hope, the birds are chirping! They're saying, "Wake up, Hopie!"

H: Birds can't talk, Mommy.

#rainonmyparade #literalthreenager

Nugget makes a good pillow

My toddler just said

"I'm going to clean up all these toys so I can watch Yo Gabba Gabba with options."

So I said, "good idea! Would you like some help?"

And she replied, "no thanks."

#yesplease

#dumbstruckmama

Only a toddler

Opens the door on you while you're in the bathroom and commands, "say thank you!" 

How was your day?

We do our best to hold family dinner time as sacred, at least during the week. Today at the table Hope asked me, unprovoked, "how was your day?" and every tough thing from the past four days just evaporated, poof. #theylisten #amomentisallittakes On May 21, 2015 at 07:00PM

What Hope wants for her 3rd Birthday

A book.

When prompted, she added to the list:

A cake.
Her family.


<Swoon>

Who needs sleep

My children are conspiring against me. Nugget permitted absolutely no longer than a 3-hour stretch of sleep last night and Hope popped AWAKE at 5:45am. #whoneedssleep #thankgoodnessitstheweekend #nugget On May 03, 2015 at 07:35AM

Movie Reviews by Hope

Star Wars: "THAT'S not Daniel Tiger." On April 24, 2015 at 05:34PM

Brave: "Her mom is a BEAR!" June 28, 2015

Cars 2: "they're going too fast!" Aug 2015

Poopoo on the potty

yay!

Sibling love

Reading her bedtime story (a gift from Aunt Mary about a boy and his dog who gets temporarily lost in Philadelphia):

M: Have we ever gone to that zoo?
H: Yes! We did. Me, and you, and Daddy... and ...[patting my belly] baby brother too!

Hope on...

Poop: "it's not that good to eat."

T-Rex: "he's big and strong like me."

Hope's interpretation of what a PB&J contains

"Sparkles and butter" and "I put boogies in it" and also there are some cats in there.

The Great Duplo War of 2015

I'm happy to report that The Great Duplo War of 2015 ended today when the toddler side unexpectedly capitulated after 3 days of a tense stalemate in which neither side was willing to concede any ground. #witsend #smallvictories #youwillnotoutlastus

On February 24, 2015

"Don't spin around mommy!

You might get busy!"

Bargaining

H somewhere picked up the skill of bargaining? Is this instinctive?!? H: I want 5 magazines. M: 1 magazine is enough. H: 5. M: 1. H: 3. M: 2. H: 3. M: Gah, ok, 3. #issheforreal #gettinghardertostayonestepahead

On February 18, 2015 

Just Like You Make Pancakes for Me

H playing with Baby Susie this morning: "I want to make her pancakes just like you make pancakes for me." #heartmelting #gettingoutwhatyouputin

On February 14, 2015 

We'll Do That on Sunday

As proud as I am of her recent language development, there's something kind of unnerving about the moment your kid starts using the days of the week in conversation, as in "Not tomorrow, mommy, we'll do that on Sunday." #growinguptoofast #whatsaweekend

On February 13, 2015

So far she's taking it pretty well.

M: mommy and daddy found out today that the baby in mommy's belly is a boy. You're going to have a baby brother.

H: Don't say "your", it's MY baby brother.

How could I be so silly?

I ask H where one of her imaginary friends is standing (so I can address him directly, of course) and she replies, "right next to Toodee (her other imaginary friend)." Duh, mom.

Don't put Christmas upstairs, mommy!

"Don't put Christmas upstairs, mommy. That's not very nice." Will she forever hate MLK because he's the one who made Christmas go away? #theholidayslastabitlongeraroundhere #tinydictator

Dressing Mommy

Hope wanted to help me get dressed this morning. Not just pick out my clothing (which she also wanted to do). She held out my underwear for me to put my feet in, then insisted on pulling it up herself and adjusting the waistband perfectly. She was adamant that the jeans I wanted to wear (maternity) were "daddy's" but eventually she conceded. She did best with the socks, which she managed to get half-way on to my feet. There was a lot of twisting in the 6 minutes she spent tying my shoelaces. I feel very lucky to have Fridays off to engage in such delights, and to have a 2.5 year old who wants to be helpful. #mayshestaythiswayforever #toddlersideaoffun

Come again?

At dinner tonight, Hope apparently said, "I want to play sex at school."

After asking her to repeat it 4 or 5 times, we finally identified her actual statement as "I want to bring socks to school."

WHEW. That was a close one.

It's hard not to feel good about yourself...

When your daughter says, "Good job making these, mommy" as she carries her pancakes to her table for breakfast. #gratefulnessstartsearly #treasurethesmallmoments