And now a few words from our girls.

RR turned 4 last month, and we mark the occasion with a few quotes from her:

 "Ok daddy, you pretend to be a person."
 (She was about to turn me into a caterpillar with her magic wand, and I guess she just wanted to start from a known state.)

 "I can't go potty now, I'm too pretty."
(She wearing a new dress and I think concerned about getting it wrinkled.)

 "No veggies. No clothes. Just toys."
(Explaining what she wants for birthday presents.)

"Today is TODAY! And the sky is sunny. That's funny!"
(While riding in the car... maybe she's been reading too much Dr. Seuss.)

 "Daddy, this house doesn't have much color. I think we should paint the walls green. Dark green, and the ceiling should be pink."
(I'm trying, but failing, to imagine what that might be like.)

Meanwhile, Toddler K has been increasing her vocabulary which now includes:
 dada, mama, deesheee (DG), [sister's name], hi, buh-bye, mo' or mah (more), ~muh (milk), up'n'down, boo!, bubba (bubble), buh (bird), bok (dog), dapa (diaper), tee (tree), mmmbah! (blowing a kiss, like 'mwah'), ahpwah (airplane), ank'ou (thank you).

Giraffe Trouble

RR has accumulated many stuffed animals. We gave Baby K a few animals for her own, and now of course those are the only ones RR wants to play with. One of them is a giraffe she calls "Mrs. Donner" (after Rudolph's mom in the Rudolph Christmas Special). Our scene this evening opens with RR reluctant to go to bed, as per usual.

Me: ...and Thomas and Percy were happy to be best friends again. The End.
RR: Daddy, can we read another book?
Me: That was two books already, sweetie, time to go to bed.
RR: ...Oh wait! Where is Mrs. Donner? I need Mrs. Donner! Where is she?
Me: Behind the the sofa where she fell off after you balanced her standing on the edge.
RR: I'll be right back, I must get her. You stay here. [rushes out]
RR: [returning with toy] ...and Mrs. Donner looked around and there were all the others and (...etc.)
Me: Time to go to bed, sweetie. [helping RR into bed]
RR: ...and Mrs. Donner turned her head all around [fiercely attempting to turn the giraffe's neck a full 360 degrees]
Me: [pulling up the covers] Night-night, sweetie. No talking now.
RR: [wailing] DADDY, Mrs. Donner's neck is bent, I want it to be straight!
Me: Sleep time now sweetie. Let her alone and maybe her neck will get straighter.
RR: Nooo, Daddy, it's all bent. I want you to fix it. You can put some tape on it.
Me: Tape is just for fixing paper sweetie. Mrs. Donner will be better tomorrow. Night night now.

RR tosses & turns, muttering. About 20 minutes later...

RR: [moans] ...Today was an awful day and I had do what D.G. wanted me to do and she left before I wanted her to and I never get do to what *I* want to do. And NOW... [sob] ...and now I have giraffe trouble.

Quotable Quotes

Here are a few recent comments from RR:

While getting ready for bed:
"Mommy, I remember something from yesterday. There was a little bubble and I was thinking it."

---

"Tomorrow I'll be a grown-up."
Context was she wants to be a grown-up and get her own money so she can buy her own toothpaste and squeeze out LOTS at a time instead of the annoyingly pea-size amount her cruel mother limits her to.

---


Having re-watched the 1964 "Rudolph" Christmas Special the night before:

"Daddy, I have an idea. You and me can be independent together. ...Independent means you are very strong. You can carry (...thoughtful pause...) fifteen toys!"

Holiday Season

Both kids have been enjoying the holidays and family visits, and we are happy to see they are starting to play with each other now (though RR still spends plenty of time with her toy trains, as well.) Without any profound summing-up coming to mind, here in the last hour of 2011, I'll just report a few vignettes from RR.

When admiring some fall colors: "I like both seasons: Fall and Christmas!"

One of the kids' presents was a songbook. I realized my rendition of "Clementine" was more effective than expected, when I saw RR was in tears after a few verses. She said several times "I'm so sad! Why 'lost and gone forever'?" She wasn't satisfied with "it's just a story" and T eventually offered that Clementine later resurfaces and lives with the narrator happily ever after (and with some additional comments about swimming lessons.) This version was accepted I think with some suspicion.

We have a large rug in the living room which mysteriously, and incessantly, gets pulled sideways and forms wrinkles. Due to its size, and number of toy bins sitting around the edges, straightening the rug is a several step process. RR surveyed my efforts with a critical eye. "What do you think, is it flat?" I asked while lifting one corner of the sofa and tugging at the rug, expecting approval. "No, there is another bump over there!" she replied, pointing at the opposite corner. This was repeated several more times as I realized I was not going to get away with any half-hearted rug-straightening jobs. Finally I pulled a minor wrinkle flat and asked once more. RR surveyed the floor and pronounced her judgment. "It is a splendid rug, daddy."

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and we wish you a Splendid New Year!