things overheard and such

Kindergarten.

The next logical step.

The school we would like abby to attend next year had one of those meet and greet thingys last night. I think I was more excited then abby was. I had high expectations of the evening and I came away throughly satisfied. The best part of the evening was when I had to almost bribe abby to get her out of her classroom. They did have a hamster AND a turtle after all. This post is starting to sound like a book report.

Many short sentences.

Kind of forced.

Not really entertaining to read.

I am actually boring myself to write this.

Ok now it's getting more fun to write.

But still bored.

Joanna is playing with the refrigerator.

Now since I have double spaced all these thoughts, i feel now I have to triple space to make a new paragraph.

subject change: things that have warmed my heart since we have last talked. Though I have already told some you these, they still deserved to be written down.

Abby likes to tie knots. Sometimes they invoke an "awwwwww" and sometimes they invoke a "whoa, that's... weird". She has a very specific piece of line that she prefers to tie the knots with. It has three (maybe four) pieces of different colored yarn that are braided together to form a two and a half foot length of line. This particular line can be found all around the house at different times. Sometimes it is found tying a small plastic horse to a kitchen chair (awwwww), or sometimes found hanging a doll by it's neck from a doorknob (whoa, that's... weird). But sometimes the rope is not to be found and it's then that the frustrating search shall be commenced. As pillows and couch cushions are overturned she comes to me and mumbles something about the pope? As I question her about it, She sighs takes my face into her hand and turns my head so we are nose to nose tilts her head slightly forward and with raised eyebrows she replies, "No dad! Rooope! Roooooooooope!" I now I realize that was a big build up of a story for a punch line that wasn't all that funny unless you were there. But I was there. SO yes, it is funny.

Also overheard this week after playing outside in the creek that runs through our place.

Her: Dad I have some good news and some bad news

Me: OK, I'll take the bad first.

Her: I'm all wet.

Me: What's the good news?

Her with a huge smile: I'm all wet! Your turn dad, say "good news or bad news abby?"

Spinning, spinning.

At six minutes of spinning, it gets kinda long but the giggles make it worth it.

Can you spin for six minutes?

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

...when we have a bored four year old. I can remember back to when Ross and I shared a room when we were little. One of our favorite things to do together was to take a ball of yarn and string up our room. We would run it from every hook, knob and post there was. We had such a good time. Even clean up was fun with the scissors and now it is time to pass on the joy to a new generation.

I think if one could mix confusion with excitement one would come up with the facial expression that was given to me when I asked Abby if she wanted to make a spider web. When she said sure and then held out her hand to receive one, I could tell the idea didn't quite click. Try to imagine her face when I told her that the web was to be as big as the room; it didn't quite explode with excitement but it hit the notch below that.

So I started by tying a knot on the book shelf and stretching it across the room,

Over and under things...

The only trick was I am a few years older then the 8 I was the last time I tried this.

In the end I had a very happy house,

Except for the little one seen in the purple in the bottom left. She kept getting stuck. So it might be a few years til the younger can enjoy it as much as the bigger one did. We would throw things into the middle of it and have races to see who could get if first. We would play chase and tickle games, and in the end the scissors were brought out to have a cutting party. The Kingdom was happy and the peasants rejoiced. It was a good day.

Click here

One of kiddo's favorite games is hide and seek. The whole concept of trying not to be found is still completely lost on her but that doesn't stop her from having an absolute blast playing. Another one of Abby's favorite things to do is to go onto the Nick Jr website. She could spend hours playing games and watching videos.

So on this particular afternoon she wanted to play so she jump started a game of hide and seek abby style. She grabbed a blanket and covered her self up and said "Find me! Find me!". After a little bit of just watching and not finding, I hear from under the blanket "Hey, Click here to find Abby's head!" "Click here to find Abby's body!"

Time to go play outside for a while.

Fighting words

I don't even remember what I asked or told or what ever I did do deserve it but what ever I said to her prompted this reply from my ever surprising four year old:

"Dad, chill. Deep breaths."

I was for sure that this would happen but not exactly now. I was thinking more of the teen years. I think the default setting would be to sit this little lady down and have a talk about what we say and what we don't say to papa bear. I am bigger then her, after all, and that should strike some fear into her little heart but alas no such luck. I think it was the way she said it that made me and my wife laugh so hard we cried. Her little hip was stuck out a little hand when on it while the other was put up with palm facing me. I almost expected the next thing to come out of her mouth to be "I'm just taking the car into town."

I'm guessing preschool is to blame.

Renewal

I figure that this title is appropriate as it has been over a year since my last post. In my defense, I have actually written two and have wisely not posted either. One was hours after I had three wisdom teeth pulled. I was buzzing big time and writing. Enough said. Although I did have the wisdom to not hit post, I hit save instead. Either that or I thought the save button was post. Either way it is forever archived for when ever I need a laugh.

As I write this I have a 4 year old crawling on my head while a one year old is going for her second try at an afternoon nap.

I'll keep this brief.

Abby is at an age now that things are happening so fast and she is doing things everyday that put a joy in my heart that I can barely express. A great example was recently I was awakened from a power nap timed with the younger one's nap by a weight on my chest. As I open my eyes I see a rubber band stretched to it's limit and a little girl giggling and saying "WAIT FOR IT.....". Way more things have happened that have put a smile on my face but are too numerous to remember them all. Today I told her she has beautiful eyes and she batted them like a bad 1920's movie. I asked to see her eyes closer and she went nose to nose to me and using her fingers stretched her eyelids out so I could see it better.

Good stuff

Joanna is now somewhat mobile now and even somewhat mobile is a game changing event. Before, I was able to plop her on her rear and place toys in reach and she'd be good. Now nothing on the floor is safe and no matter how many things you pick up off the floor she will always find a little bit of something to try to eat. Watching her motor skills progress is a blast as she more and more is picking up things with her index and thumb. Abby and I have both learned to keep our fingers out of her mouth as she had four teeth on top and three on the bottom now.

Daddy, Joanna bit me again.

Did you put your fingers in her mouth?

NO... she put them in there.

I have an idea kiddo, don't let her do that.

oh... ok. That's a great idea Dad.

And now at the end of this post, someone is calling me a snicklefritz and is about to get chased and tickled til she can't breathe.