Athena talk

I say, “you can’t throw hard things, only soft things.”
She says, “Don’t fwo afina, cause I’m not a bah; I’m hard.” (bah=ball)

While outside in the garden; “don’t water me!”

Did you push buttons in the elevator?
“No! dats vay vay bad.” Vay = very

Fire has been more of a serious discussion as we talk about smoke detectors and firemen and loud siren trucks. She’s been somber about fire. Well, against my better judgment Conrad showed Athena a lighter. Wide eyed and serious she said, “fire… is fun!”

“No Daddy I don’t pay dubba-dubba-doo.” –playing dubba dubba doo: she invented the phrase and she says it in a sing song voice.

"stuff” –her word of the week

While playing blocks with Athena: She dropped a toy salt-shaker on the house I was building. It did little to no damage to the block house I was building, but she picked him up and said, “Oh no! You byate mommy’s house. You are nawdee. You hafa go to your woom. You hafa go to sweep.” She ran down the hall and set him in her bed. When she came back I said, “Is he sad?”

“Yes, he’s sad.” She held up a single pink block. “He needa yite.” (he needs a light.) She ran down the hall with a single block to give him as a night light.

“Does he need some chocolate milk when he sleeps?” I asked her.
“Oh, yes.” She ran down the hall again.

Sunday afternoon; “No daddy. You don’t sweep!” Then she sits on his head.
Deeper into his nap she says, “I spate daddy’s bobbin”- She ran over there, and spanked his bum.

Sitting on the swings looking at the sky- random disconnected talk:
Me: “Birds don’t have babies in their tummies. Birds have eggs, and the babies come out of the eggs.”
“Mommies have babies in their tummies. Birds have babies in their eggs.”
She thinks a while….
“You hava bird in your tummy,” She concludes.

In the highchair over lunch she recalls an occurrence from a few weeks ago:
“I pook at uh store.”
“Yeah, you threw up at the store huh?”
“Yeah. And, a daddy keen it up.”
“That was not a daddy. That was an employee. When you go to work you are an employee. Leah works at the store so she is an employee. Is mommy an employee?”
“No.”
“No, mommy doesn’t go to work like daddy. Is daddy an employee?”
“No!”
“Yes, daddy is an employee, because he goes bye-bye to work every day.”
“No! Daddy’s not uh… poy-ee.”
“Want to call him and ask?”
“Noo! Daddy’s not uh …poy-eee!”
We didn’t call because Carson was fussing and daddy was on a plane anyway.

“Deh smote attetter, keep me safe.” – The smoke detector keeps me safe
“Oh no! My tatters!” -my crackers!

More pictures- making up for lost time

I'm a feast or famine blogger so here ya go. More pics; pictures seem to be what people like best.

Misunderstood- odd moments

I am one of the most trustworthy people you will ever meet. Not always the most dependably punctual; but sincere, genuine, and honest -yes. My mom always knew what was going on in my life because I had to talk about it to feel even, accounted for, and set aright. I don't flatter people, and I won't tell you I like your haircut if I don't. -When I give a compliment it's genuine. I think most people see this in me and find me to be a harmless, guile-less person. But today I recall odd moments of being mistaken for a mugger, a robber, and a wierdo/social misfit.

As a newly wed in school I needed to trade in my ten dollars for quarters so I could do my laundry. My complex didn't have one of those 'trade-ya' machines so I went to the neighboring complex. Their laundry room was also unequipped so I set out to ask the manager if she might trade me. I had really let my laundry pile up and I needed underwear! So, I was not giving up on this. The manager was just leaving but I ran up to her car to ask her anyway. She didn't see me and she backed out. I waved her down five feet from her car window. She turned her head and suddenly I was there, holding my long black wallet. She may have thought my wallet was a gun because she looked scared and locked her door. I instantly felt like a mugger. I gave her my most innocent look; hands up, shrug- apologetic face. She rolled her window down just enough to exchange words. I told her I was hoping to trade her quarters. I felt stupid for interrupting her on her way out. She gave some excuse as to why she didn't have quarters and I didn't bother her more. Lame and defeated I walked home thinking, for the love of clean underwear, somebody gimme some quarters!

Long story short, as a teenager I got left behind while wrapping a house- that's tp'ing a house to those who don't know 'wrapped.' Everybody piled into two cars and left; each car thought the other car had me. ---skipping the long middle of the story and now arriving at the end --- After a few hours sitting in the front of the subdivision off a four lane main road I decided to see if I could find an open business so I could get a phone. I found a craft store who left their doors unlocked at all times, but monitored the store by surveillance. (Why would you do that?) Anyway I was caught on surveillance wandering through the store at 5am ish looking for a phone. A woman in a truck drove into the parking lot within minutes of my having been there, and of course, I walked out to meet her. I told her my sob story and she was very uncaring and disbelieving. She didn't let me see her face through the truck. Her voice was raspy like an experienced smoker's voice often is and she kept asking why I was in her store. I felt like a criminal, when, in truth, I was more the victim. I was able to make a phone call however, and I got out of that mess.

I had an experience being the weirdo/social misfit, but now it escapes me because my kids are interrupting me. I'll come back and write it if I remember it. Anyway, hope I'm not the only one who has been considered a criminal and mistaken for a mugger. :)

Update on kids

Athena’s words:
“Teenta teena yitta staR how I wonder wha-shoo are
...
Yite a di-mun in de sty”

Birds are chirping outside the open window and she says, “No birds, Noooo!”
They don’t listen.
“NO BIRDS!”
How dare they don’t listen!
“NOOOO BIRRRDS!”
They fly off in the distance.

The neighbor’s dog barks; “Be tiet dod!” (be quiet dog) She yells that a few times and it’s what I’d like to say so I don’t silence her. She can get away with it, after all.

We hear her friend crying over the fence: “be tiet ayayna!” (that’s alaina)

All done in her highchair and she yells out, “mommy I wanta hava spider.”

Singing leisurely in her high chair, “Ev EE budDY tan do ….. steuf.” (everybody can do stuff.) Don't ask me, I'm just the observer.

Playing outside with daddy; she wanted him to hurry up so she said, “No daddy! No time!!” (Yes, that had to have come from me.)

Athena’s typical day:
Wake at 8:00; eat, dress
Play for an hour at the kids cove at the gym.
At home, play with toys, interact with Carson, watch tv with snacks to relax, sometimes play outside while mom does yard work.
Lunch at 12 ish
A two hour nap somewhere between one and three o’clock; or if she’s not tired, play in her room for an hour or two while mommy edits. She gets some good imaginative play in her room and she enjoys it.
Dinner at 6:30 ish when daddy gets home
Dance with daddy to music.
Play outside with daddy and mommy. Mom and dad like to garden and mow, and weed and water. We also play on the swings, or play soccer.
Bath, if she needs it, then sit in front of one of her favorite shows while I jammie her up, brush teeth and hair.
9:00 ish Now in her bed, relate what she did that day, sing songs, say a prayer, tuck her in, sing more songs, tuck her in again; she tries a myriad of things to prolong the inevitable, but finally she whispers gently, “doodnight, I wuv you, bye.”

Carson’s day is the same only he takes three naps. I love to sniff his sweet little neck and bury my nose into his tummy. He's so squishy and smiley and chubby legged.

Family Update

Athena likes to hunt for candy eggs. Every day I put a few jelly beans in five or six eggs and she hunts for them in the living room or backyard. She asked me for "pot and tandy" yesterday. She meant cotton candy. She stuck a small black bean up her nose a few days ago. She alerted me and I looked up her nostril. Sure enough there was a black bean. I told her to blow. She sniffed. I said, "No, blow like this." She sniffed. So the bean disappeared up her nose and was never seen again.

Athena is learning that people have different preferences: She had her first sweet cantaloupe and she liked it. I asked her, "Does Mommy like cantaloupe?"
"Yes!"
"Does Daddy like cantaloupe?"
"Yes!"
I smiled. "Nope, Daddy does not like cantaloupe. He thinks it's yucky."
She thought for a second. "No! Daddy likes cantaloupe!"
I smiled. "You want to call him and find out?"
So we called him on the phone and he told her he did not like cantaloupe.
"Does Daddy like cantaloupe?"
She smiled. "No."

Carson uses his neck and stomach muscles to crunch up like he wants to sit. It will be a while, but he's showing interest. He's got the baby bald spot on the back of his head. He has a bit of eczema on his face- my genes at work there. But he doesn't complain about it. We use Eucerine. He's coming outside with us in the evenings now for as long as he will allow it, now that it's warmer. He loves when Athena talks to him. He just lights up. She talks to him like I do; It's so funny to hear her call him, "yidda man," or "yidda boy." Or "is otay, tarson; don't fuss." "Be happy!" she says energetically. And it works for a little while. She puts his bink in his mouth. Funny how I go to talk about Carson and say more about Athena, but they are a package deal I guess. He is a well-adjusted, solid, and happy kid.

Everything is blooming and leafing out in the backyard!! I am having so much fun watching it all grow. I know all my little trees will grow another one to three feet taller this year. Every evening we go outside and play in dirt, rocks, water, and weeds.


Conrad put a play set together and got very sunburned doing it. (I had asked him if he wanted sunscreen. He said, "no, the first sunburn of the year is the rite of passage into summer.")
"Look at the park Daddy built for you!" I told Athena.
She replied, "No, unca Dan buiwd my part."
(Athena was inside during the sunniest part of the day and hadn't seen Conrad out there all Saturday. She did however come out in the evening with me and saw uncle Dan helping with the swing set a little.)

Kiddo Update

Carson is three months old. He sleeps and eats great. His 'teeth' are beginning to move under his gums and bother him. He is happy boy though. He doesn't really complain much. He fusses when he's about to fall asleep and that's about it. pretty chill. It's so different having a boy- he is one solid kid. kind of tall I think. Chubbier than Athena was- she never had any chub. He likes to be sung to - fun songs like "Jesus wants me for a suuun BEAN!" and I make up rhymes on the spot. Some days I'm good at it, but other days, I'm not.

When we're driving in the car and he gets cranky I sing the "sun beam song" it makes him coo and smile, but Athena has appointed herself the singing police and she tries to silence me, so it's either he cries and she's quiet, or he's cooing and she complains that I'm singing.

She has begun to throw temper tantrums as of a week ago. She averages about 5 a day. I put her in her room and when she's done raging she can come out. "I happy now." she says with a tear streaked face. It's wearing to be around this raw emotion all day. It makes me want to throw my own adult form of a temper tantrum, and I have, but I never feel good after, so I have to be careful not to let her emotions rule mine.

I think she shocked herself yesterday but I'm not certain. She plays with her night light; turns it off and on, unscrews the bulb from the socket- yeah a bit scary. BUT yesterday I noticed she pulled the glass bulb out of the metal encasing when she was playing in her room before her nap. The encasing stayed inside the night light socket and the bulb hung from the encasing by a metal thread. It looked really dangerous so I took the night light away and later when I talked to her about how she won't have a light tonight, because it's broken, she said, "yeah, an i hurt my theener." (finger) We talked about it for a while and it seemed like she might have shocked herself. It would have happened while I was in the shower for fifteen minutes. But she's happy and there's no blood. So.. I guess we're good.

I still edit and really like it. I go to a gym I just joined and really like it. Athena says, "I wanna goda-a bym" (go to the gym). They go to the kid's cove while I work out. (Freedom Fitness in Kuna)
Conrad dutifully plays World of Warcraft with Vanessa (his sister). Funny thing; he woke up yesterday from a couch nap and spoke kind of rushed, "Vanessa.... get that..." something something something. I thought he was calling me Vanessa, and he thought he was playing World of Warcraft. Here is a picture of Athena and her friend taking a wheel barrow ride.

Athena has a Monster

I don't need a lot of help spooking myself; I have an active imagination and I could write some pretty gruesome tales. I don't watch anything scary. If it has an ounce of scary I won't watch it, read it, or listen to it. It will bother me for too long and disturb my peace too much. Likewise, I keep Athena from anything scary. I don't want her seeing violence, or anything like that. No spooky eerie music, nothing that is intended to spook. At all. I take my peace very seriously and I protect hers. There is a solid strength in a person's peace and it's not something I want to undermine.

Well, she's going through a phase where she won't let us leave her room after we put her in bed for the night. She is afraid. And she's also been waking up at night crying, and I think she's got some fears. She'll look at the top of her dresser like she's afraid of it. She did this a couple months ago then forgot about it, and now she's picking it back up again.

Tonight she pointed at her door and said in a worried tone, "blue eyes, white teeth." My daughter has a monster in her room... :( I asked if he was her friend and she said yes, but that's just because she's agreeable and doesn't know how to verbalize any other answer. So then I gave her some extra toys and books in her bed; I told her to read a book to her babies and I put some kid lullaby music on. Maybe I'll have to put something up on the wall in her room. Like a wow wow wubbzy decal, or princess decal- something that will be sure to chase any monsters away... Some princesses though, -if you stare at them in the dark long enough, start to wiggle their eyebrows and scowl at you. You see what I deal with? There goes my active imagination again. :)