Kids Say the Funniest Things - Part 2

While at my mom's house a couple of months ago, I was putting Hannah to bed in my room. My mom has pictures from my wedding day in my bedroom. Hannah was studying the pictures and pointing out faces she recognized. "Dat's Mommy?" she would ask.

"Yes," I replied.

"Dat's Daddy?" she questioned further.

"Yes," I answered again.

"Dat's Day?" Another question and Hannah's version of "Gran."

"Yes."

"Where's me?"

I laughed so hard, but I'm sure she had no idea what was so funny. To her, the world didn't exist prior to her birth.

My Little Snow Bunny

We don't get much snow here in Nashville. Sure, maybe a few flurries a couple of times a year, but 4" - 5" inches? Not likely for us. So when it snowed all day on Friday we were super excited. We waited until Saturday afternoon to try out the snow, and then we got all bundled up in our coats, hats and gloves and went sledding. In a laundry basket. Like I said, we don't get much snow here in Nashville. There's never been a reason to invest in a sled. But I sure wished we had one on Saturday.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

Potty training Hannah has been a much lengthier process than I'd imagined. I guess I thought she would “get it” a little sooner and without much training. Weaning her off the pacifier at six months was a breeze. She’s a good eater and doesn’t refuse most things on her plate. She does well obeying me and Steve. But this potty training is sure taking some work.

She misses no opportunity to tell you she’s a big girl and even knows that “big girls pee pee in potty.” She usually follows me when I use the bathroom, so the other day I decided to use it as a training experience for her. She watched me sit down on the toilet and then asked, “You pee pee on potty?”

I responded, “Yes because I’m a big girl.”

“No, you Den-fer, I big girl.” Apparently, there can be only one big girl at our house.

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While we were having Christmas at my mom’s house Hannah started to get a little cranky about 30 minutes before dinner was ready. I thought maybe she just needed a little snack to tide her over until the meal was ready. I asked her if she wanted something to eat, and she said she needed a cracker. So, I asked, “Do you need an appetizer?”

“No, I need a cracker.”

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While lying in bed with me the other day, Hannah poked me in the chest and said, “What’s that?”

“That’s Mommy’s bosom,” I replied. “Where’s your bosom?”

Hannah pulled out her shirt, looked down at her chest and said, “I got lil' bosoms.”

Aren't two year olds hilarious?

Santa Claus Progress

Last year we took Hannah to see Santa Claus completely unaware of how she would react. We stood in line for 45 minutes while she watched all of the other children walk up and climb in his lap. When it was finally our turn, Hannah held on for dear life and screamed bloody murder while I tried to take a quick picture.

See?



So this year we decided to try the Santa experience again fully prepared for a complete melt down. While Hannah had no interest in sitting in Santa's lap, she agreed to stand in front of him while I took a few pictures. I think the candy cane, pencil and rubber bracelet Santa gave her might have had something to do with it. Instead of learning that Santa is really a nice man, I think we may have just taught her that strange men give you presents if you don't scream.

Elmo's Party

Since Steve and I have been together, we've always spent Thanksgiving with his family. My family has never really done anything special for the day except enjoy a day off of work or school. But since it's a long weekend, and my mom's birthday is November 25th, we always go visit her for her birthday more than Thanksgiving. So, this past Thanksgiving when Hannah saw my mom's birthday present wrapped in pretty pink paper while we were in Georgia, she informed us she was "reh-reh go to the party." For four and half hours while we drove from Columbus to Pulaski she talked about going to the party. About half way through the trip, it went from just a party to Elmo's party. I'm still not sure where the idea of Elmo having a party came from, but Hannah was adamant that we should be going. We made it to my mom's house, and my mom unwrapped her birthday presents. I think Hannah may have been a little disappointed in my mom's gifts and that Elmo didn't show up for the "party."

So when we heard that Sesame Street Live would be coming to Nashville, we decided Hannah would love to go. I worried that the adult size characters would scare her since she'd only seen Elmo on TV, in books or the doll size version. We tried to prepare her by telling her we were going to see a BIG Elmo so she wouldn't be too freaked out at the show.

For the first 15 minutes of the performance, Hannah didn't move. She stared in complete awe at the stage. But as soon as she realized the child in front of her had some sort of toy that could spin and light up, her attention quickly shifted from the stage. She still enjoyed the characters, but she constantly pointed to the child's toy and said, "I have that." The toy didn't look particularly safe to me, so I didn't jump at the chance to spend $15 so my child could poke her eye out. Even without the toy, I think Hannah did very well and really enjoyed her first musical.

Madison

After 15 years of being my faithful companion, Madison is no longer with me. He still longed to play and jump into my arms, but his little body was giving out. Steve and I were with him as we let his body relax, and the pain went away. We took him to his Gran’s house to be reunited with Maggie.

Steve, Hannah and I miss him terribly, but I am so grateful I was able to keep him as long as I did. He took care of me when I was sick or just sad. He was with me as I grew from a dependent college student to an independent adult, wife and mother.

I will always love my sweet baby boy.

End of Summer Vacation

A few weeks ago, we were able to take a family trip to Gulf Shores for a little relaxation on the beach. This year’s vacation included the whole family with Gran, Daddy B, Steve, Hannah and even Madison joining me. Nashville was in the middle of a two week rainy season, so we were glad to get away and enjoy some sunshine and sand!

I’d been a little apprehensive prior to the trip since Hannah doesn’t have a very good track record with long drives in the car. Last year’s trip does not bring back happy thoughts when I remember the drive home from Ft. Walton. Maybe she’s just a little older and her attention span has gotten a bit longer, but she did really well travelling both to and from Gulf Shores. We were grateful for her love of Elmo since his books and movies helped keep her occupied for several hours.

During last year’s vacation, Hannah didn’t seem to have the same love for the beach as her Daddy and I do. She didn’t want to go near the ocean and couldn’t stand one grain of sand touching her which meant she spent the entire time on a sheet playing with toys and bird watching. This year she decided to be a little braver and even took her shoes off to walk in the sand. She let us cover her feet with sand and didn’t seem to mind when we even got it on her face. And the ocean? Well, we’ve got to save something for next year.

Each day was spent soaking up the sun, finding sea shells, tickling our toes in the ocean, swimming in the pool and taking naps. We ate fabulous meals of seafood with my favorite being the crab and shrimp au gratin at Louisiana Lagniappe. The weather was gorgeous every day, and going in September meant the beaches and restaurants weren’t quite as crowded.

We’ve been home two and half weeks, and Hannah is still asking to go back to the beach. I know I’m ready.