Packrat

Annabelle asked me the following today.

"Can you keep all of the baby toys for my chilwen [children] one day?"

Um, nope! Do you realize how many baby toys you kiddos have child? Oh my! I think I have a packrat on my hands.

Just Forget It

Annabelle spilled her Sprite from lunch in her car seat today. After taking a short potty break, I told her to get back into her car seat. Her bottom was bare since her panties were soaked.

Annabelle: I need a napkin!

Mommy: What do you need a napkin for?

Annabelle: Because I spilled Sprite in my car seat.

Mommy: Annabelle, I just used a napkin to dry it up.

Annabelle: But it's still wet!

Mommy: Fine.

[Pause]

Mommy: Here you go.

[Annabelle takes the napkin.]

Annabelle: Just forget it! [as she promptly throws the napkin onto the floorboard of the car]

[Insert chuckles from Grandmama and me]


Hmm...who does that sound like? It sounds a lot like something Grandmama would say if you ask me! But, it was quite hilarious coming from a three year, almost four year old!

Charlotte's Web

We started reading a chapter book to Annabelle this evening. I actually chose "Charlotte's Web" because the Center for Puppetry Arts here in Atlanta has a "Charlotte's Web" puppet show on the schedule from September 30th - October 31st. I snagged an annual membership through Groupon a little over a month ago, so we can get tickets for up to 9 people for $9 (compared to the $16 full price ticket). Of course, the Entertainment book has a coupon for buy one get one, so that is actually cheaper, but I get other perks with the membership, so I'm still very happy with my purchase. We explained to Annabelle that we would attend the "Charlotte's Web" puppet show if we could finish reading the book before the show was no longer in town.


I was pleasantly surprised at how well she listened despite the fact that there are absolutely no pictures! We read two chapters this evening. After each chapter, we discussed the story with her. She joined in on the discussion and even answered most of the questions correctly. She seemed restless after only 2.5 pages into the 2nd chapter (which was only 4 pages long), so I asked her if she wanted to stop reading for the evening or if she wanted to finish the chapter. She wanted to finish the chapter!


Here are some funny things she said in between the first and second chapter.

Mommy: Let's talk a little bit about the story.

Annabelle: I know I like polka dots, but that wasn't part of the story.


This next one was rather random and has nothing to do with the story, but it was rather funny.

Annabelle: I like your beautiful eyes.

Mommy: Oh, thank you, that was sweet.

Annabelle: [whispering] Do you want to say that to me?


Wish us luck with reading our 2nd chapter book ever [to a toddler]! The first and last one I read was "James and the Giant Peach" back in December 2007! It has been a few years. Although, I think it was a lot easier the first time since she couldn't voice her opinion on anything!

Dear Santa

Mommy: Would you like to say your prayer now?

Annabelle: I'm going to say a prayer to Santa first.

Mommy: Umm. Okay.

Annabelle: Dear Santa. Please bring me a bigger playground for my backyard. I will give my smaller playground to another little kid who needs one. Amen.

Mommy: Would you like to say a prayer to God now?

Annabelle: No.


Where have we gone wrong?

Snack for Daddy

As Annabelle and I sat down to read books this evening and hubby said goodnight to Annabelle so he could attempt for a third time to get his haircut before they "closed" (since the last two times over the weekend they shut their doors before closing time just as he was entering), Annabelle had the following to say.

"Daddy, if you'd like a snack before you go, you can have some of my honey Goldfish."

We just bought some Honey Graham Goldfish today because I had a coupon for 50 cents off ($1.00 after the Publix match), and they were on sale for $1.50! She hasn't even tried them yet, but she's already willing to share with her Daddy. When will she learn to hide the snacks instead?

Get Situated

After we picked up our McDonald's from the drive-thru last night for dinner, Annabelle had the following to say to her Daddy.

"Daddy, pull over and get situated."

Get situated? She cracks me up with the things she says sometimes. How does she know what situated means? Oddly enough, she used it appropriately! Of course, I know I've said something very similar to her a time or two.

When she grows up

While driving from Wills Park on the 4th of July to a medical office building to watch the fireworks, Annabelle and I had the following conversation.

Annabelle: I can't figure out my mind! I can't figure out if I want to be a ballerina or a balloon girl when I grow up.

[Pause]

Annabelle: Actually, I want to be a pool girl.

Mommy: What does a pool girl do?

Annabelle: Just swims all day long.

Lucky Turtle Girl

The title of this blog entry is really just a blend of random Annabelle sayings to hubby today. Very random stuff!

Hubby had the bathroom occupied, and he overheard Annabelle say the following from the hall.

"I'm going to stand in the hall and take my panties down for luck."

And just for the record, I have never said any such thing, ever!


Hubby walked in on Annabelle on the potty. He asked her, "Why do you have the toilet lid up against your back?"

"I'm a turtle. I'm going poopie."

And, that is not news to me. She'll do that and tell me, "I put the toilet seat up when I go tee tee and down on my back when I go poo poo." Of course, the turtle part was news to me.


And before leaving for the Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic, hubby told Annabelle, "We're going to go build something." She responded as follows.

"I don't want to because it sounds like hard work. Boys build stuff, girls don't."


"I want to go to the Okefenokee so I can play on the playground."

We went to the Okefenokee Swamp last year in May for vacation. We've been talking about it vaguely over the last few days, but we've mentioned nothing about the playground. While we were vacationing last year, that is all Annabelle wanted to do. She wanted to play on every new playground she saw. And, much of our time was spent picnicking and then watching her play on the different playgrounds.


Where does she think this stuff up?

Dear Lord

"Give us pretty fowers, and give us pretty polka dots. Amen."

-Annabelle

VeggieTales

I bought the book, "VeggieTales 365 Very Veggie Devos for Kids," to read to Annabelle at bedtime.

For Day 1, the Bible verse was "Then Jesus said, 'I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35 NCV


Annabelle's response:

"No. I will be hungee when I see Jesus because I get hungee sometimes."


And then randomly as we continued reading, she replied:

"I want to go to heaven on a spaceship."

Marriage

While playing at Shorty Howell Park today, Annabelle leaned in towards me and whispered:

"I'm going to marry Pierce."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because he's cute."

Just yesterday I was trying to explain to her the definition of flirting. As a result, we got into the marriage topic and discussed how you typically sought after someone you think is cute. I named out young boys that she knows. And, apparently, she was listening!

Pierce is my best friend's son who is 19 months older than Annabelle.

The Wrong Hour

"I think I woke up at the wrong hour." - Annabelle

She said this first for hubby this weekend while the two of them were out shopping, and Sophia and I were out shopping separately.

Peace and quiet for Mommy because Sophia actually slept in the car seat, and she slept almost the entire time we were shopping (until she realized she was hungry, of course). I even decided to disappoint myself by trying on a bathing suit at Target by placing Sophia on a burp cloth on the dressing room floor asleep (because she was in the Baby Bjorn at this point) so I could remind myself that I just had a baby 6 weeks ago and my belly is stretched and displays those awful dark lines from my belly button down, along with a dark colored belly button. Sigh.

And, that was a run on sentence if I have ever seen one! And, that was also enough about me. Just not looking forward to "bathing suit season." I am even considering joining a gym to help remove the flab so I can look like an albino hottie again. Insert many laughs at the "hottie" part!

Anyhow, hubby said, "You woke up at the wrong hour? What are you? An eighty-five year old woman?"

She's used this phrase several times this week since then, and she's used it properly every time.

Weird

"Mommy, that guy looks weird," commented Annabelle today as a nice man (with a 12 year old daughter) conversed with us regarding teething tablets that apparently work wonders that can be found at natural health remedy stores. That last bit of that sentence is to remind me of these apparently wonderful tablets when "my little man" starts teething. With a temper like hers, she is sure to complain! The man was sure to tell us that he tells everyone he meets with a baby about these wonderful teething tablets, so they must work wonders, right?

Of course, we corrected Annabelle politely for her comment and told her that wasn't a very nice thing to say. She looked so sad after we corrected her because she didn't realize she had done anything wrong. Of course, I then had to explain that she didn't realize it was rude and that she hadn't done anything wrong since she didn't realize it was rude.

I got to thinking later that "weird" is a pretty hard word to actually understand the true meaning. But, I think she did understand what she was saying because he did look a little "weird."

Isn't it amazing the things a child knows that we take for granted? I mean she's three and a half years old! She didn't start really talking somewhat well until she was two and a half years old. In only a short year, she has picked up on the meaning of "weird."

Rude

"Mommy, you are being rude! Say you are sorry."

I've heard this a time or two lately from Annabelle. It does make me sad when I hear it because she realizes that my mood has changed and I've lost my patience with either her or her Daddy.

But, I am trying to look on the brighter side of it all. I do want to teach her that as human beings and God's children, we are not perfect and even Mommies and Daddies make mistakes. Since Annabelle was old enough to communicate with me, I have tried to apologize to her when I've been in the wrong and lost my patience. Just as we tell her that she is being rude sometimes, I have told her something similar to this. "Mommy lost her patience with you today and wasn't being very nice. I shouldn't have treated you that way, and that is no way to treat anyone. If I act like that again, please just tell me nicely that I'm being rude to you."

Perhaps that is why she called me out last time hubby and I were arguing. "Mommy, you are being rude!" (with an emphasis on rude). Why doesn't she tell him that he's being rude? Because quite frankly he is rude in the first place or I wouldn't have been rude back to him! LOL!

If Mama Ain't Happy

Daddy to Annabelle this evening: "Because if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, right?"

Annabelle nodded her head and then responded, "Except both of us," as she pointed back and forth between herself and her Daddy.

I said, "You guys are a little more alike than I thought."

Fun to be a Baby

"It is fun to be a baby because big sisters can snuggle you," Annabelle said this morning after she crawled into bed with Sophia and me and was snuggling with Sophia.

Why do you want a brother?

Mommy: Tell me why you think you want a brother.

Annabelle: Because we're all women [with an emphasis on women].

Mommy: Who told you we need a boy?

Annabelle: Nobody. I figured it out all on my own when my big girl and me were hiking.

["Big girl" is her Madam Alexander doll that looks like an American Girl doll that she got from Nonnie for Christmas. She also refers to "big girl" as Mary Annabelle Grace {insert our last name}.]

Mommy: Hiking? Where were you hiking?

Annabelle: At Stone Mountain [with some attitude in her voice]!

No ma'am Mommy!

Shortly after Annabelle was sleeping in her big girl bed, she yelled out "No ma'am Mommy!" early in the morning (before her usual wake time), just as hubby was walking in the door from working out before work.

Fortunately, we didn't hear another peep from her, so she apparently was dreaming, and she fell back asleep. Hubby and I laughed about it later with her and asked her if she remembered it.

It has now become a habit just about every single morning before she gets up out of bed. I will hear her say, "No ma'am Mommy!" And then shortly thereafter, I hear the cracking of her door opening and pitter patter of little feet.

She claims that she says "No ma'am Mommy!" because she thinks I'm trying to come in her room, and she doesn't want me to walk in. Ha! I don't believe that for one minute.

Random Thoughts by Annabelle

"Mommy, does tee tee bring carrots out?" she asked me this evening as she lay in bed trying to fall asleep.

She's been learning that poo poo and tee tee is food that her body does not need. I just wonder what made her think that one up! We didn't even have carrots to eat at all today.

Motor Mouth

My Daddy nicknamed me Motor Mouth at a very early age. And, now, my daughter is falling in my footsteps. She was a late talker, but now, she will NOT shut up, ever! Apparently, she was just observing at an early age.

It is scary how much we are alike. I think she looks like her Daddy, but she's got my personality through and through. And, there are two specific things I wish she had not inherited from me.

1. She is NOT a morning person unless she has gotten sufficient sleep the night before. Sufficient meaning 12 hours. Keep in mind that my child no longer naps nor does she go down or into her room for quiet time during the day. This habit is mainly annoying to me because two people who are not morning persons really butt heads in the morning. That is why we both have a much better day when Mommy wakes up early enough to get a shower, makeup applied and clothes on, down to the shoes, with enough time to check my e-mail or complete a simple chore all before Annabelle wakes up. Of course, keep in mind that I hate mornings, so that is a very difficult task for me to accomplish.

2. She is anal retentive which probably means she is going to have the personality of a perfectionist in a few short years. Enough said? No? Well, if you are a perfectionist, then you completely understand without any additional words. If you aren't, life can be very difficult for the perfectionist, A type personality, and most of it you bring on yourself with your anal retentive ways. But, try changing it! It isn't going to happen! But, those who aren't perfectionists cannot understand it. So, for the sake of her own sanity and happiness, I really hope those anal retentive ways change. Not to mention, one perfectionist (aka control freak) in one household is enough! We are so going to butt heads in a few years. Oh, wait, we already do!

So, I went off on another tangent, big surprise!

This evening, it took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get Annabelle down for the evening. I left the room when she was snoring at 10:15 p.m. Will someone please explain how I am going to get two kids down in a few short months? And, I don't want to hear, "let 'em cry!" Not to say I won't change my tune. If you've read my blog, you know I let Annabelle "cry it out" at 18 months because I couldn't take any more, but her "cry it out" session only took 5 minutes at that point. Somehow though, since naptimes were done away with completely (back in July), we have digressed to Mommy rocking Annabelle to sleep every evening or at a minimum, Mommy staying in the room with Annabelle until Annabelle falls asleep in her crib. Perhaps that is why I always feel behind on everything!

So, what was her problem this evening? Do you remember that Disney commercial from many years ago? The one were the kids were leaving for Disney World the next day. She was "too excited to sleep!" Of course, those weren't her words, but she's especially excited about Thanksgiving at Granny's and visiting Santa with Annalee because that is pretty much all I heard about for an entire hour.

"Daddy normally stands up to eat at Ganny's. You normally sit down Mommy."

"Does Ganny have two tables? I don't tank she does. Where is everyone going to sit? Where are all the ittle kids going to sit? I tank Nonnie has two tables at her house. We should have Tanksgiving at our house. We have more room."

We do? We have more room than Granny? God love her!

"Is Annalee's Mommy going to be dare? Where are we going to park? I hope we don't park far away and have to walk a wheely long way."

"I want to weed some of Annalee's books. I tank her has books. I remember her has books. And, I want to pay dress up and put on slippers."

"I tank Annalee is going to sit in Santa's lap, but I don't on't to sit in Santa's lap. Will you get the candy from Santa for me? I tank Santa's going to take my book and hide it."

She has a little tiny book that came with her Waterbabies for Christmas last year. We were reading it today, and it had pictures of about 5 baby dolls in it. She decided that is what she wanted for Christmas, and she told me that she wanted to take it to show it to Santa. Oh bother! Where am I going to find baby dolls that look like those? And, not to mention, the child has enough baby dolls! So many, that she was NOT getting one from us this year. Sad, I know, but she only plays with three of the baby dolls she got for Christmas last year, and two of them were the Waterbaby twins we got her for Christmas. The other one is the one she got from Granny. Have I mentioned that she got 7 baby dolls for Christmas last year?!?! Seven folks! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!!! Stop the violence, please?!?! Oh, and those weren't her first baby dolls by any means. I think I have suddenly decided to pray for a boy!

"I've had a wheely long day Mommy."

Really? Then why aren't you asleep yet?

And, believe me, there was much, much more. I just cannot remember it all! Perhaps next time I should record it all with a voice recorder.