Dinnertime Conversation

The next time I wonder why I can't hold an intelligent adult conversation, I will need to remind myself what dinnertime is like these days.

Beignet, holding up each veggie in her stir fry, was quizzing Bug tonight.
Beignet (with a carrot): Is this a mushroom?
Bug: It NOT a mushroom.
Beignet (with a green bean): Is this a carrot?
Bug: It NOT a carrot!
Beignet (with a water chestnut): Is this a brocolli?
Bug: It NOT a brocolli.
Beignet (with something green--a piece of snap pea, maybe?): Is this a PEA?
Bug: It NOT A POOP!

THREE is a magic number!

Bug woke up this morning: "'Day my birthday? My three now?"
Yup. Today's the day.
"Person say How old are? Bug say THREE!"

Top Three for the Day:
3. A (relatively) cool-ish morning at the playground, followed by a very cool-ish air conditioned lunch at "chicken leg" (aka, Chick Fil A).
2. Birthday candles in breakfast. She was too shy to blow them out at her party, but did in our smaller family.
3. A great celebration with her extended family this afternoon. Showered with cake, gifts and relatives.

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

'Raffe Cake

Ladybug turns THREE on Monday. She's getting old. All she wanted for her birthday was a 'raffe cake and a baby swing. "I get baby swing. I say Thank You." "I eat 'raffe cake my birthday party." We are so fortunate to know the family that Ladybug used to live with. We are more fortunate that they were willing to make the trek from their non-Austin home to ours in south Austin. And we are always fortunate to have Auntie Shannon in our lives.

So a wading pool, sandbox, and slip and slide later, we managed to celebrate being three in style. Bug ate her pizza only as a means to the end: Giraffe Cake. She wouldn't blow out her own candles, but certainly had no problems eating the cake.

Just before bed, she loved playing with the baby swing. And yes, she did say thank you.

Who Needs a TV?

It rained tonight. Hard. Apparently, it's been a while and the girls were so excited. Excited because they got to play in the gutter until the lightening got a little closer. Excited because we have a great living room window to watch the rain from. Excited because C.C. is "not 'fraid funder" and Stubby was "hiding 'hind potty??"

I was making dinner and heard: Can we move chairs to watch the rain?
Then: We eat dinner window? Watch the rain?
Then: This my TV.
And when dinner was done: I turn my TV off now. Good night.

Artwork

Beignet handed Ladybug and me each early birthday presents today. Two colorful pages of her best art. Ladybug's, we were told, says "Happy Birthday. You are going to be three." Mine says: LOVOT DRT.

Will you read this to me, please? I ask.

Sure, it say: Congratulations Tammy! We have a great family!

Church

I, for one, have gotten little out of church for the past four months. I am redirecting, watching, shushing. I am handing out colors, changing colors, picking up colors. I am doing, it seems, everything but paying attention. Apparently I am alone in this. Ladybug keeps giving me glimpses of what I am missing.

A while ago, she walked slowly down the hall, a cat's feather stick held up high, singing "Alleluia" over and over again. "Look, I Kathy church!" Kathy is our friend who often reads at church. At the start of Mass, she carries in the cross each week.

Tonight, Ladybug again walked down the hall. This time with a blanket draped over her shoulders, long train trailing behind her. "Look. I church. I man church! Hallelujah!" Tonight, evidently, she was dressed as a priest.

A Signature

I am not sure it is really just one signature. Buying a house, for example, is pages and pages of signatures. But it was phrased like this: Beignet's mom signed her rights away. A more legal way of saying it is: She relinquished her rights. She gave up her rights to her child, perhaps knowing that she didn't have a chance of getting her back, maybe thinking Beignet would be put into a better situation. I can only imagine what she was thinking and feeling as she did that.

So today was a huge day for Beignet, but she doesn't know it yet. I am not sure how her therapist and I will tell her that her next visit with mom will be her last. I don't know that a 5 year old can wrap her mind around something like that. I know I can't. CPS is in search of Beignet's forever home. We are hopeful that her roots will be planted by the start of kindergarten, but as with everything related to CPS: We just don't know for sure.

Miss Manners

Nothing slips by. I wish it did because hearing it come back to me makes me think I am the biggest nag known to man.

All reminders from Ladybug today at breakfast and dinner:
"Napkin on lap?"
"This fork food? This NOT finger food?"
"No horse around table? Right Tammy?"
"No sing song table? Right Tammy? Too silly 'times?" ('times = sometimes)
"Chew, chew, chew!"
"Little bite, not big bite, right Tammy?"

I guess I should be glad she is listening...

Summer Camp

Beignet hated pre-K. She wished everyday was a stay home day. All I could hope for was to find a summer program that would change her mind about her day to day routine.

We found it. And how lucky we are. These are the rumblings in the house now all thanks to some wonderful staff and curriculum.

Today, something to the effect of...
"Tammy, I need to work on my project. Please give me my space." Later, in a fabulous teacher voice, "You see, this is a SIGN. A SIGN tell us everything that we need for the field trip tomorrow. We need sneakers, yellow shirts, and lunches. We will see some animals and even can touch some. But not all of them. Not some of the snakes." (sign is now on the back door).

Sunday from Ladybug:
"Tammy, need move coffee table, K?"
Why? What are you going to do?
"Ladybug half do 'nastics!"

Thank you to our teachers who let us explore, create, imagine, and learn!

#$%*!!!

For the most part, I have a really really good filter that helps me not cuss in front of kiddos. Sometimes it malfunctions, but usually not. The oldest blond brother would likely still be able to tell you about the one time he heard a cuss word fly from my mouth--while driving over a concrete parking space marker. I've been great around the current two, which is a good thing considering Bug picks up ANYTHING I say.

Three weeks ago, when I spilled water on the floor:
Tammy: "Oh SHOOT!"
Ladybug (laughing hysterically): Oh shoot? Tammy say "Oh shoot."
Walking around the house like ET saying "phone home" over and over: Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot.

One week ago, when I dropped the lotion bottle in the bathroom sink:
Ladybug: Tammy, you 'got say OH SHOOT!!

Tonight, when she dropped her placemat on the floor:
Ladybug: OH SHOOT!! Right Tammy? Bug say OH SHOOT? Right?

Yaay for filters!