It's been awhile since my last post. I'm happy to report that we are all still alive despite the revolving door of sickness - everything from stomach bugs to strep throat to colds that never end. I was reminded the other day that I haven't posted any good stories in awhile and I assure you it is not from lack of content but entirely lack of motivation. Now, on to the story...
Last night at dinner, Ella was being true to her fussy self and refusing to eat her food. Cristina, the sweet child that she is, was trying to coax pasta and salad into Ella. She would hand Ella her food and Ella would push it away and started fussing and jabbering away in quite the annoyed tone. Finally, Cristina got annoyed with Ella being so disagreeable and uninterested in her assistance. So, she says, "Ella, I can't even speak baby. I only speak cat." Then, she gets down from the table, walks out into the livingroom, drops on all fours, and begins meowing like a cat.
Just last week, Cristina was padding around the house pretending to be a dog. She was inspired by Disney's Bolt and kept dropping to all fours to let out a "super bark." Now, if you have seen the movie, Bolt, you will know that the "super bark" is the process of Bolt setting each paw down on the ground in a wide stance with a bit of flair followed by a powerful bark. So, just imagine little Cristina on all fours announcing her SUPER BARK, while firmly planting her feet and hands - one at a time - in a wider stance on the floor followed by her barking. I promise you it is hilarious. I wish I had video of this for the future.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Power of Disney
My kids have been inspired on more than one occasion by a Disney movie. For a long time, the inspiration manifested itself in plays where the girls dressed up in princess dresses and pranced around the house. There was the time I walked in on Emma and Charlotte (aka Prince Eric) kissing, which I have to admit was a bit startling. Most recently, Charlotte and Cristina have been influenced by Mulan. Cristina walks around singing, "Let's get down to business...to defeat the Huns," while simultaneously striking violent poses. A few weeks ago, Charlotte was inspired to climb the light pole in our yard - trying to be like Mulan climbing for the arrow on top of the pole in the movie. Cristina stood next to her singing, "I'll make a man out of YOU!" We have the pictures to prove it.
After spending quite a while trying to climb the pole, Charlotte eventually came in for dinner. Over dinner, she asked me, "Mom, is the reason I'm so good at climbing poles because I'm part-Chinese and part-American?" I had to explain that she wasn't any part Chinese. After dinner, she went back outside and got upset because she just wasn't able to reach the top. I went out to give her a pep talk and explain that Mulan was climbing a pole that was the same size all the way up and our light pole got smaller towards the top. Finally, she says to me, "I'm not sure if I can do it, but if I can, can we put it on Facebook?"
Meanwhile, Cristina gave it a go herself, although she didn't get quite the height that Charlotte attained. She told me, "When I get to the top, I'm changing my name to Mulan." She didn't quite make it to the top, but that hasn't stopped her from telling me on more than one occasion lately that her name is Mulan.
This past weekend, we were out at Stone Mountain. As we neared the top, Charlotte spotted a large boulder over to the right. She looks at me and says, "You remember Lion King, right? That's Pride Rock." She then proceeds to climb a top the rock and start roaring like a lion. I really can't make this stuff up! I was laughing so hard. She was so enthusiastic and LOUD! She came down and told me she was Queen Simba and I suggested maybe Queen Nala.
After spending quite a while trying to climb the pole, Charlotte eventually came in for dinner. Over dinner, she asked me, "Mom, is the reason I'm so good at climbing poles because I'm part-Chinese and part-American?" I had to explain that she wasn't any part Chinese. After dinner, she went back outside and got upset because she just wasn't able to reach the top. I went out to give her a pep talk and explain that Mulan was climbing a pole that was the same size all the way up and our light pole got smaller towards the top. Finally, she says to me, "I'm not sure if I can do it, but if I can, can we put it on Facebook?"
Meanwhile, Cristina gave it a go herself, although she didn't get quite the height that Charlotte attained. She told me, "When I get to the top, I'm changing my name to Mulan." She didn't quite make it to the top, but that hasn't stopped her from telling me on more than one occasion lately that her name is Mulan.
This past weekend, we were out at Stone Mountain. As we neared the top, Charlotte spotted a large boulder over to the right. She looks at me and says, "You remember Lion King, right? That's Pride Rock." She then proceeds to climb a top the rock and start roaring like a lion. I really can't make this stuff up! I was laughing so hard. She was so enthusiastic and LOUD! She came down and told me she was Queen Simba and I suggested maybe Queen Nala.
Monday, August 13, 2012
You're Never Gonna Believe This
Cristina: Mommy, I have to tell you something you're never gonna believe. You're not gonna believe this.
Me: What's that, Cristina?
Cristina: Today, I punched Ella in the stomach and then I pushed her two times.
Me: What's that, Cristina?
Cristina: Today, I punched Ella in the stomach and then I pushed her two times.
The First Day
Well, the first day of school was success. The girls were swarming me when I came in the door from work. Charlotte was excited to tell me about kindergarten. "Kindergarten was great and I didn't even go to the principal's office on my first day! Can you believe it?" I'm a little concerned that Charlotte's goal for the first day was to not go to the principal's office. It's not like she was in trouble all the time in pre-K! Crazy girl.
After dinner, Charlotte had a little questionnaire that she had to complete and turn in to her teacher. One of the questions was, "What do you hope to learn in kindergarten?" Charlotte's response: "Teacher things, so I can take Mrs. Lisa's place in pre-K, since she is tired all the time." For awhile now, Charlotte has been saying she wanted to take her pre-K teacher's place. I'm sure Mrs. Lisa was tired all the time, since she was pregnant the whole school year and had her baby girl two weeks after school ended.
After dinner, Charlotte had a little questionnaire that she had to complete and turn in to her teacher. One of the questions was, "What do you hope to learn in kindergarten?" Charlotte's response: "Teacher things, so I can take Mrs. Lisa's place in pre-K, since she is tired all the time." For awhile now, Charlotte has been saying she wanted to take her pre-K teacher's place. I'm sure Mrs. Lisa was tired all the time, since she was pregnant the whole school year and had her baby girl two weeks after school ended.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Bullying
Tonight, Emma and Charlotte were talking to me about the first day of school. The conversation quickly turned to bullying.
Charlotte: I'm excited about kindergarten, but I'm a little worried about bullying.
Emma: You should be because I've been bullied a ton.
Me: You have?
Emma: Remember that kid in first grade who was always teasing me?
Me: Oh, yeah, Andrew. (Sidenote: He's a mean little kid. Once when I was volunteering with his mother in Emma's classroom, he yells at her, "Where the fu@# were you? I needed....")
Emma: He was so mean.
Charlotte: Well, did he go to the principal's office?
Emma: He had to sit in the time out chair.
Me: You need to be prepare to tell a bully that you don't like it and you want them to stop, so they know that they can't keep bullying you. You can say something like - I don't appreciate what you are saying and I'm not going to listen to you anymore. Then, just walk away.
Charlotte: Well, I know what I am going to say if someone bullies me.
Me: Practice what you are going to say.
Charlotte: What you are saying to me is inappropriate. Bullying is not nice. This conversation is over. I'm still on God's side. You should be too because God is about love and loving children. God is not about bullying. This conversation is over.
Me: That's good, Charlotte.
Charlotte: Well, I'm still excited about kindergarten. I hope no one bullies me tomorrow because that will just....just ruin my day and I will not like it.
I hope the girls both have a great day and they don't run into any bullies. I've been talking about this with Emma for awhile because she isn't very good about standing up for herself - she clearly takes after me too much. Charlotte, on the other hand, has never been one to keep her opinion to herself, so I'd honestly expect her to tell off any kid that tries to push her around. She has been threatening for years to beat up the kids that pick on Emma!
Charlotte: I'm excited about kindergarten, but I'm a little worried about bullying.
Emma: You should be because I've been bullied a ton.
Me: You have?
Emma: Remember that kid in first grade who was always teasing me?
Me: Oh, yeah, Andrew. (Sidenote: He's a mean little kid. Once when I was volunteering with his mother in Emma's classroom, he yells at her, "Where the fu@# were you? I needed....")
Emma: He was so mean.
Charlotte: Well, did he go to the principal's office?
Emma: He had to sit in the time out chair.
Me: You need to be prepare to tell a bully that you don't like it and you want them to stop, so they know that they can't keep bullying you. You can say something like - I don't appreciate what you are saying and I'm not going to listen to you anymore. Then, just walk away.
Charlotte: Well, I know what I am going to say if someone bullies me.
Me: Practice what you are going to say.
Charlotte: What you are saying to me is inappropriate. Bullying is not nice. This conversation is over. I'm still on God's side. You should be too because God is about love and loving children. God is not about bullying. This conversation is over.
Me: That's good, Charlotte.
Charlotte: Well, I'm still excited about kindergarten. I hope no one bullies me tomorrow because that will just....just ruin my day and I will not like it.
I hope the girls both have a great day and they don't run into any bullies. I've been talking about this with Emma for awhile because she isn't very good about standing up for herself - she clearly takes after me too much. Charlotte, on the other hand, has never been one to keep her opinion to herself, so I'd honestly expect her to tell off any kid that tries to push her around. She has been threatening for years to beat up the kids that pick on Emma!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Happy birthday to us!
When I got home from work, Emma and Charlotte were eager to make a presentation for our anniversary. They had Brian and I sit on the couch and close our eyes, while they brought us a limited edition card and gift. The gift was two rings - one handcrafted especially for Brian by Emma and the other a cupcake topper for me.
Emma: Happy anniversary! Happy anniversary!
Cristina (Quite exuberantly): Happy birthday! Happy birthday!
Emma: It's not their birthday. It is their anniversary.
Me: It's okay. Today is like the birthday of our wedding. We've been married for 13 years.
Charlotte: Bravo! Bravo!
Then, Emma had us close our eyes again while she brought out another surprise. CONFETTI! What a gift....all over the living room floor. Then, she sang a "Happy Anniversary" song that she wrote all by herself.
Afterwards, Brian and I decided we should go out to dinner as a family in celebration of our anniversary. Charlotte suggested we pick the restaurant, while Emma was lobbying very hard for Chick-fil-A. Emma is pretty smart when it comes to her persuasive arguments. Her key points: 1) we could order without the kids distracting us, 2) we could eat in peace because they'd be on the playground and 3) we could all have ice cream for dessert. In order to win out over Chick-fil-A, I suggested we all get dressed up fancy and eat at Taco Mac. For those of you familiar with Taco Mac, it is definitely not five-star dining, but I'd say it is a step up from Chick-fil-A.
Emma: Happy anniversary! Happy anniversary!
Cristina (Quite exuberantly): Happy birthday! Happy birthday!
Emma: It's not their birthday. It is their anniversary.
Me: It's okay. Today is like the birthday of our wedding. We've been married for 13 years.
Charlotte: Bravo! Bravo!
Then, Emma had us close our eyes again while she brought out another surprise. CONFETTI! What a gift....all over the living room floor. Then, she sang a "Happy Anniversary" song that she wrote all by herself.
Afterwards, Brian and I decided we should go out to dinner as a family in celebration of our anniversary. Charlotte suggested we pick the restaurant, while Emma was lobbying very hard for Chick-fil-A. Emma is pretty smart when it comes to her persuasive arguments. Her key points: 1) we could order without the kids distracting us, 2) we could eat in peace because they'd be on the playground and 3) we could all have ice cream for dessert. In order to win out over Chick-fil-A, I suggested we all get dressed up fancy and eat at Taco Mac. For those of you familiar with Taco Mac, it is definitely not five-star dining, but I'd say it is a step up from Chick-fil-A.
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Pot of Gold
Tonight, in the midst of our mourning over the loss of Belle Barbie, we were graced with a beautiful rainbow. Emma came running into the house to tell us to come outside to see a rainbow. So, Brian and I went outside to see it. The girls were giddy with excitement.
I'm standing in the front yard talking with a neighbor and the girls are running up the street saying they are going to find the pot of gold. Cristina comes back into the yard and grabs me around the legs and says, "Thank you for the rainbow, Mama." I had to chuckle at that one. Finally, the neighbor gets the hint that I want to go back inside before Ella gets bit by another mosquito and I yell at the girls to get back in the yard.
Charlotte comes dashing down the street and runs up to me.
Charlotte: Mommy, can Emma and I please go look for the pot of gold?
Me: No, you need to stay in the yard. You know you're not supposed to be walking up the hill by yourselves.
Charlotte: Please, Mama, I promise we'll be back by morning.
Me: No, Charlotte, you can't go.
Charlotte: I said I promise we'll be back by morning.
I about fell out. Like I'm going to let my 5 year old and 8 year old go venturing off into the sunset looking for a pot of gold as long as they promise to be back by morning?!
I'm standing in the front yard talking with a neighbor and the girls are running up the street saying they are going to find the pot of gold. Cristina comes back into the yard and grabs me around the legs and says, "Thank you for the rainbow, Mama." I had to chuckle at that one. Finally, the neighbor gets the hint that I want to go back inside before Ella gets bit by another mosquito and I yell at the girls to get back in the yard.
Charlotte comes dashing down the street and runs up to me.
Charlotte: Mommy, can Emma and I please go look for the pot of gold?
Me: No, you need to stay in the yard. You know you're not supposed to be walking up the hill by yourselves.
Charlotte: Please, Mama, I promise we'll be back by morning.
Me: No, Charlotte, you can't go.
Charlotte: I said I promise we'll be back by morning.
I about fell out. Like I'm going to let my 5 year old and 8 year old go venturing off into the sunset looking for a pot of gold as long as they promise to be back by morning?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)