Extra-extroversion

This week we went to get a family picture taken for the church directory. Anaya reveled in the opportunity to spend a little while camped in the foyer of a church with a captive audience of virtual strangers, other people waiting for their pictures to be taken.

"Do you know what?" she announced the moment we walked through the doors. (No hi, how are you, my name is Anaya...) "Mommy is giving me CRANberries. That's because, the night before today, I had OWIES in my BOTTOM." She pranced past the line of giggling people. "Do you know, I am still wearing my pa-JA-mas?"

I ushered her pointedly into the bathroom to get dressed for her picture, and suggested a few things that it might be better not to tell everyone out there about. No problem! She dashed back out the door and continued unabated. "Want to see how fast I can run if I'm in a race?" She darted back and forth. "Want to see how fast I can run if someone is chasing me?" (Sethie obliged.) "NOW you can see how fast I can run--"

"Let's put on your shoes," I interrupted, looking for a way to halt the performance.

She flounced toward me. "Mommy," she responded proudly, "wasn't that a good presen-TA-tion?"

Make a quick mental note...

It's a good idea to mention to kids that just because the name of something starts with "toy" doesn't mean it's a toy.

Like, for example, toiletpaper.

Let's have a potty

I searched Toys R Us in vain for a pint-sized chair for Anaya to sit in at her new school desk, with no cartoon characters. No luck. So I settled for a pink one with a mermaid on the back of it, reasoning that since she has never watched The Little Mermaid, it would have no significance to her and would escape much notice anyway.

Not so. Today she sat down beside me, looked at the mermaid picture, and asked, "Mommy, how does she go potty?"

~~~~~

Potty training is in full force now. (Seth had only two accidents today!) I guess that is what makes the potty topic so hot. Anaya also found it necessary to ask me today, "Mommy, does everything in the world go potty? Do trains go potty?"

(You may be able to guess my answer to that one. But for those who wonder how to answer the mermaid one, I told her she takes off that ridiculous costume and goes just like the rest of us.)

Where are we again?

Today while driving home, Seth startled me with an unusual announcement: "Mommy, we not here."

"Really, Sethie? Where are we?" I was puzzled.

He waited for a few moments until we turned the corner onto our street, then announced joyfully, "We here!"

Hearts on fire

"Mommy, Mommy!" Anaya shrieked. "There is a pretend FIRE in the house! Help, help!"

"Alas! what should we do?" I gasped appropriately. "Quick, quick! Do something!"

"Don't worry, I'm a firefighter," she assured me. "I'll go spray the fire with water!" She sped to the playroom to make good on her promise, leaving just as Seth flew into the kitchen, shouting, "Fire, fire!"

"Oh dear! Should you run grab your toys?" I asked, wide-eyed in mock terror. "What should we save?"

Seth wrapped his arms around my leg. "I'll save YOU."

Helpers

"Anaya, would you please open the door for me?" I implored, trying to maneuver the double stroller through the gym doors.

Anaya bounded ahead, leaned all of her slight body against the glass door and managed to open it and hold it open while I pushed the boys through.

"Wow, Mommy, it's a good thing you have me, isn't it?" she remarked as the door closed. "You wouldn't have had anyone to be a helper with all of these jobs if you didn't have me."

"Yes, of course," I responded. "Good thing I have you!"

She grinned. "I guess that's why God sent me to you."

Biblical reinterpretation

I want bwead wiv almon' butter," Seth requested at lunchtime today.

"Well, that's good. Bread and almond butter will make you healthy and strong," I encouraged, "like Daniel. Do you want to be like Daniel?"

I was surprised at his answer. "No way!"

"What do you mean?" I thought he must have misunderstood. "Why don't you want to be like Daniel?"

"I don't wan' be like Daniel," Seth repeated, stretching his arms up in the air like the picture of Daniel in the bottom of the lions' den in our Daniel storybook. "He couldn't get out!"