As I was in the bathroom a moment ago, putting my make-up on and otherwise getting ready to leave the house, this is what I could hear coming from the nursery (as Tyce decided to call the kids' room since he read Peter Pan): Nathan talking quietly & animatedly to himself (& his toys) as he played with his blocks and rocket ship; Katie sing-talking to one of her dolls; Ivy making gurgly babbling noises, playing with something.
These sounds were beautiful. I loved to hear them. But why, oh why, do I only hear sounds like these coming from the nursery when I've said: "Okay, pick up these toys and we'll go the museum (or zoo, or park, or any other fun destination previously agreed upon)!" The happy sounds I have to add were punctuated by the sounds of Nathan's blocks being dumped upon the ground.
This is certainly not the first time leaving for the zoo has turned in to happy solo play--play that often lasts for hours and, when it's finally too late to go & I'm frustrated with reminding them to pick up so we can go, they cry "Let's go! You promised!"
There really was only a couple of toys on the floor. Nathan begged me to go the museum. I thought for sure this time we were in the clear. Alas. Not so.
I think the problem lies with me. I don't speak kid fluently. Apparently, when I say, "Okay, pick up and let's go (somewhere fun)" what I'm saying in kid is "Play happily with your toys for as long as you can possibly stand it and maybe then we'll go (somewhere fun)." What I need to do is learn how to translate my Mom-speak to kid-speak. What's kid-speak for "Let's do what we already agreed to do. Please just pick up the 2 toys so we can go!"? Maybe next time I'll try: "Leave your toys on the floor and let's play in your room together."
They're still in there playing. Maybe I'll go try it right now.
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My Beauties
Nathan, Katie & Ivy quotes small enough to fit in the sidebar
Ivy (after church): Guess what!!
Dad: What?
Ivy: Rich Blessings are in stores!
Dad: This is good country music, right?
Kids nod or give some sign of assent.
Dad: You know some people don't like country music.
Nathan, thoughtfully: Oh, is that why they made cities?
Nathan to Dad: "Pretty lively for a man your age. 30 years old. Pretty lively."
Nathan: "...great, great, great, great Grandpa. He's so old, he died already!"
Nathan: "That smells like Grandpa Shepherd!"
Mom: "What smell?"
Nathan: "That smell! You know, hair...whitish...oldish..."
Nathan: "What would you like, sir?"
Katie: "Water and cake."
Nathan: "We only have water. That's the problem."
Katie: "Oh... I just want cake then."
Katie (as Nathan & Dad are wrestling on the living room floor): I'm going to go wrestle with the boys. Hi-ya! (She said the last as she dived head first into the mix.)
Katie tends to add consonants to words that end in vowels. My favorites: shampoop & tu-tut (you know, tutu with a t).
Nathan: Mom, why does "shampoo" have the word "pooh" in it?
Mom: Nathan, do you want me to listen while you say your prayers or do you want to say them after I go?
Nathan: All this answering is giving me a crick in the neck!
Nathan: What are you doing?
Dad: Making bagels.
Nathan: You don't know how to make bagels.
Dad: Yes, I do.
Nathan: Do you have a recipe?
Dad: Yes.
Nathan: Hey, what's the bagel idea?!
Dad: If you get burned badly enough, you can die.
Nathan: Did you get burned badly enough and die?
Dad, in an ironic tone: Did I die?
Nathan: Well, did ya?
I was playing with Nathan & Katie and pretending to be their sister. A little while into playing, Nathan decided that I would be "Emily," then said, "Hi, Emily--girl that I was going to marry. I'm sorry I can't marry you now that you're my sister."
During Nathan's nightly prayer:
"Help me to love Mommy as much as you do."
During the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, Nathan saw a balloon of Spongebob and called out, "Spongebob Cheesepants!"
Later, we saw Snoopy. This time he called out, "Snowplow!...uh, what's his name?"
Nathan: "Stuffed animals chase bad dreams away. Didn't you know that?"
Katie, making the sound of a doorbell: "Ping-pong."
Usually, it's not so much what Katie says, but how she says it. Like a little mimic--or, more appropriately, a little mommy. My own mini-me. Gushing: "I so happy to see you!" Stern: "Nathan!" Sweet: "Hi, gorgeous!"
Dad: What?
Ivy: Rich Blessings are in stores!
Dad: This is good country music, right?
Kids nod or give some sign of assent.
Dad: You know some people don't like country music.
Nathan, thoughtfully: Oh, is that why they made cities?
Nathan to Dad: "Pretty lively for a man your age. 30 years old. Pretty lively."
Nathan: "...great, great, great, great Grandpa. He's so old, he died already!"
Nathan: "That smells like Grandpa Shepherd!"
Mom: "What smell?"
Nathan: "That smell! You know, hair...whitish...oldish..."
Nathan: "What would you like, sir?"
Katie: "Water and cake."
Nathan: "We only have water. That's the problem."
Katie: "Oh... I just want cake then."
Katie (as Nathan & Dad are wrestling on the living room floor): I'm going to go wrestle with the boys. Hi-ya! (She said the last as she dived head first into the mix.)
Katie tends to add consonants to words that end in vowels. My favorites: shampoop & tu-tut (you know, tutu with a t).
Nathan: Mom, why does "shampoo" have the word "pooh" in it?
Mom: Nathan, do you want me to listen while you say your prayers or do you want to say them after I go?
Nathan: All this answering is giving me a crick in the neck!
Nathan: What are you doing?
Dad: Making bagels.
Nathan: You don't know how to make bagels.
Dad: Yes, I do.
Nathan: Do you have a recipe?
Dad: Yes.
Nathan: Hey, what's the bagel idea?!
Dad: If you get burned badly enough, you can die.
Nathan: Did you get burned badly enough and die?
Dad, in an ironic tone: Did I die?
Nathan: Well, did ya?
I was playing with Nathan & Katie and pretending to be their sister. A little while into playing, Nathan decided that I would be "Emily," then said, "Hi, Emily--girl that I was going to marry. I'm sorry I can't marry you now that you're my sister."
During Nathan's nightly prayer:
"Help me to love Mommy as much as you do."
During the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, Nathan saw a balloon of Spongebob and called out, "Spongebob Cheesepants!"
Later, we saw Snoopy. This time he called out, "Snowplow!...uh, what's his name?"
Nathan: "Stuffed animals chase bad dreams away. Didn't you know that?"
Katie, making the sound of a doorbell: "Ping-pong."
Usually, it's not so much what Katie says, but how she says it. Like a little mimic--or, more appropriately, a little mommy. My own mini-me. Gushing: "I so happy to see you!" Stern: "Nathan!" Sweet: "Hi, gorgeous!"
About Me
- Penelope
- I love words--the play of words off each other, word games, the right words in just the right order (poetry)--I'm just too dang shy to use them. I'm a mother of 4 with an amazing husband who is more of a supermom than I am. And if you're up for games tonight, we are.
credits
To give credit where credit is due, my blog title was created with help from Dale Ann Cubbage's [DC Designs] scrapbooking pack "strongshoes."
1 comment:
Wow, you're kids are growing up (I guess that's what happens when I slack off on checking out blogs -- the kids all grow up without me knowing it). I still remember Katie with very little hair. :)
How's it going, guys? We should do a game night sometime with all of us again. (I think I'm going through game withdrawals, the only time we play games anymore is over the phone -- not that that's not a great way to do it). Well, miss you guys.
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