Still my little girl

Recently Calli has gotten a couple of Hello Kitty toys in McDonalds' Happy Meals. One is lip gloss, which she loves, and we have hidden. The other is a cute bracelet/ring set, that came in this Hello Kitty tube. She has been playing with it a little bit over the last couple of days.

Today, she asked me for help putting on the bracelet and ring. Almost immediately, she wanted me to help her take them off. She said, "I do it later, after I grow up, like a mom".

She's still my little girl!

Not a Baby

Hard to believe, but Mari is already 15 months old. She's not really a baby anymore. She walks pretty well, and says lots of words: Mamma, Dadda, Whats(Th)at, Agua, More, AllDone, E(l)mo, M(e)ow, Cheese, No, P(l)ease, Mo(re), Bo(ok), Ba(ll), Mine, DeeVee(D), and Tea.

This is my favorite. She has doesn't quite understand "no". I mean, when I tell her "No, we don't hit Calli", she understands that she is in trouble, but usually shouts back "NO" at me, and hits me. (We are still trying to avoid that reaction.)

The cute part is when you ask her if she wants something. If she wants it, she'll shake her head and give this long sweet "nooooo". Then I ask her, "What do you say?" and she says "P(l)eeeeease". So funny!

Well, with my baby getting so grown up, it is a good thing that I have Owen to cuddle with me. Although with all that hair he looks more like a little man than a baby.

Talk to me

While we were at Grandma's house, Calli threw a baseball in the house after I had asked her not to. Nothing broke, but I told her she would need to sit in the "quiet chair" (our name for time-out) because she did not obey. She found a chair and sat down. But being away from home, I didn't have easy access to a timer to set.

I was playing with Mari, and getting ready to go out. So a few minutes went by. Calli was still in the chair, but I had forgotten she was there for a reason. I sat down in front of her, and she said "Mamma, talk to me".

I thought, that is a new request. But maybe she just wants some attention. So I said "Hello Calli, How are you?".

"No" she said. "Say to me 'We do not throw the ball'". I started laughing so hard. I had completely forgot she was still in the quiet chair, but she had my speach all prepared.

Moral Maturity?

As Calli matures, I am starting to try and teach her not only how we behave, but also why. Today in the park, we shared our ball with another boy. That much we have done before. But as we were leaving, his caregiver took it away from him, and gave it back to us. I thought, we have a lot of balls - I don't think he has many. And he really liked ours. So I pulled Calli aside and asked her if we could give the ball to him. I reminded her we had lots of balls at home, and encouraged her that sometimes it is good to give things to other people. At first she said "no", but then agreed we could give it to him - for a present. (She did ask me if it was his birthday :) ) But she gave away her ball, without crying or fussing. I am so proud of her!

Also today, I looked in on her and Mari, and found Mari on the floor crying. I asked Calli if she had pushed Mari. Calli didn't answer. I asked her again. She has never lied, and I don't think she understands the concept yet. Her reply: "Mamma, I don't want to talk to you right now. Please go away."

So we are on our way - but still have a ways to go :)

Calli Chronicles

Just had to throw in some funny Calli stories from today:

Twice this morning, Calli used "for" and "got" seperately, meaning "forgot".
"Mamma, we for almost got to close the curtain" as in, we almost forgot to close the curtain.

Calli loves helping Dadda get the mail. Today she saw a letter with the Evanston Athletic Club logo on it and said "Look - it's from Kids Club", refering to the childcare area of our gym. So add the EAC logo to Starbucks and McDonalds (or "Old McDonald's" as Calli calls it) as ones recognized by our 3 year old :)

Bedtime Stories

Our friends Jim & Megan and their son Joshua, were in town visiting this week. In their honor, we got together with a group of people for dinner to spend some time catching up and hanging out.

We decided to try and put all the kids to bed, to enjoy some real conversation. And more or less, we managed to get 4 out of the 5 kids to sleep fairly easily - Izumi held out a little longer than most ;) Before bed, Koji and Calli were each reading aloud to themselves - so sweet!

Once the kids were finally quiet - we had to take advantage of the rare oppertunity. So we all stayed up until 1am playing Settlers of Catan! (Except Megan, who wisely opted to get some extra sleep.)

*If you miss Jim too, check out his blog.

Walking & Talking!

As of 7:30pm tonight, Mari is officially walking.

I consider it official - because it was more than 5 steps, several times over, and unprovoked. Before this, she would take a few steps if we set her up and stood in front of her, saying "come on, Mari". But tonight she was walking all of Ian & Ashley's place, and you could tell she was loving it.

She also showed off some of her new words "Whassat" (what's that) and "Bob" (when they put in a Veggie Tale video she starting yelling excitedly "Bob-Bob-Bob-Bob-Bob"). On the way home, talking to Dadda on the phone, she said her usually "Hi" and "Dadda", but also added "Shoe" as she was pulling at her shoe and later stuck the grimmy thing in her mouth.

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Someone once told me:

You spend the first year or so of your child's life trying to get them to walk and talk. You spend the next 18 years trying to get them to sit down and shut up.

Guess we are on our way to phase two :)

Accidents Happen

Today at playgroup Calli got bonked in the head with a giant frisbee. It was by a friend she was playing with, and was not intentional. But she cried, and cried, so I went over to talk to her about it.

"Calli" I said. "He is our friend. He did not mean to hit you - it was an accident."

Calli looks back at me and says "Sometimes we have accidents in our panties Mamma, but we do not hit."

Too funny!

Sneaky, Sneaky

Ever since she gave up her pacy, Calli asks regularly for us to lay with her when she can't fall asleep. Last night, she asked for a chocolate (M&M) and for me to lay with her. I don't want her to think she can always get what she wants, so I said she could have one - I would lay with her for a minute, or a chocolate. She put up two fingers and said "two" - meaning she wanted both.

I repeated "you can have one - solo uno". I wondered what she would pick, and told myself not to feel bad if she thought an M&M was better than my company :) She picked me. So I laid with her for a minute or so.

Then she says something like "okay, you can go now". I thought - good, I'm getting out of here early, and without falling asleep. And she asks, "Can I have a chocolate?", I say "Sure", figuring she just changed her mind.

As I walk out the door to get her chocolate she says "I have two" with this mischievous grin on her face. LOL! She got me - and she's only 3 years old!

So tonight, she asked me to lay with her. I did. Then she asked for a chocolate. I said "no". And she has been crying for the last 10 minutes or so. But bless her heart, Miss Mari has managed to sleep through it. Amazing, considering it is only the second night of them sleeping in the same room. Thank you Mari! you go girl!

Knock-knock

Calli told her first knock-knock joke this week. The exchange went something like this:

Calli: "I'll say 'Knock-knock' and then you say 'Who's there?', okay Mamma?"
Me: "Okay"
Calli: "Knock-knock"
Me: "Who's there?"
Calli: "Mariella"
Me: "Mariella who?"
Calli: "Mariella - Baby" lots of laughing

I guess she learned it from the kids at school.


Another great quote from today:
Me: "Calli are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Calli: "Not yet Mamma"

Hear our prayers - Part II

Tonight, I put Mari to bed first, instead of Calli - who normally goes down first. So Calli was there when I put Mari in her bed and said goodnight. And even though we pray for Calli every night, I haven't started praying for Mari regularly yet.

So as I am about to leave, Calli says "Wait Mamma, we have to pray for Mariella." We stop, and Calli starts to pray. I couldn't make out all of it - but it went something like this:

"Thank you for Mariella.
Bless her -
Give her sweet dreams -
. . . your Spirit . . .
. . . Lord . . .
Amen"

Calli, you are a blessing from the Lord. God is already using you to bless your sister and me as well!

Did you say "Charlie"??

So tonight we were reading Maisy Goes Camping and talking about the characters: Maisy, Tallulah, Charley, Cyril, & Eddie.

Calli says "Like Grandma Keppen's friend - Charlie and (pause) Jerri."


Right! Last time Grandma Keppen was here, her sister Jerri, and Jerri's husband Charlie came along. The thing is, we have only met them once - and it was a month ago. I was having a hard time remembering Charlie's wife name - but Calli remembered! She amazes me sometimes!

Progress Report

They are growing up so fast. Adding new accomplishments to their repertoire each day. Here are some recent highlights:

Mari
~ Took 5 consecutive steps by herself today
~ Clearly said "Dora" when she saw a picture of Dora today
~ Clearly said "Agua" last week when I prompted her (Ann is my witness)

Calli
~ Got herself completely dressed this morning (almost by herself)
~ Is starting to understand past vs. present. She talks about "last day" which makes sense since we say "last night".
~ Understands relationships. She told me out of the blue the other day "You are Dadda's wife, I am Dadda's daughter, and Mari is Dadda's daughter". Nice Job Calli! And when I call my parents and she hears me say "Hi Mom" or "Hi Dad" she understands that it is Grandma or Grandpa.
~ Is testing my patience . . . Today, for the first time ever, she got 3 consecutive time outs = She was in the quiet chair for 9 minutes. She got the first one for being whiny and demanding. While sitting in the quiet chair, she pushed Mari down, and later hit Mari.
As is our method, after the time out we explain to her what she did wrong, make her apologize, and say she won't do it again. And then we hug her and say we love her. I was explaining all 3 offenses, "We don't fuss", "We don't hit Mari", and "We don't push Mari". I explained further, "You have to listen to Mamma" and I was about to say "You have to obey." I said "Calli, you have to - " and she cuts in with "be prepared". I have no idea where she got that - and it cracked me up. Which was a good way to hug her, and laugh with her, and remind her that I will always love her.

Rules to live by:
Don't fuss, don't push, don't hit, listen to your mom, and be prepared! LOL.

Just waiting for the pee

Ok - for those of you who don't want the gory details - the title should have tipped you off - read no further.

Tuesday night - Calli finishes every bite of her dinner in order to get the Tootsie Roll I promised her. I feel proud my method works. As I'm holding her, she pukes all on me and the hardwood floor. Mari starts to crawl over to see what it is. I'm yelling "Stop, stop". But Calli moves to the carpet and pukes all over it - nice! Thanks to my kind neighbor Ana who drops everything, comes over, and reads to the girls while I clean up.

Wednesday night - Calli is tired and very whiney. I grab her up briskly and continue my phone call. I look down to see I must have bumped her knee, and the scab is bleeding pretty good. She starts crying - probably because she sees the blood. I put her down (yes, there is already blood on me) and go for paper towels. But by the time I get back, it's gone all the way down her leg, and onto the carpet. Same spot!

So I figure if the normal trio is: blood, sweat and tears - then the kid version must be: blood, puke and pee. I got 2 out of 3. Now I'm just waiting for tonight- to see if one of my kids pees in the same spot!!

**Quote for the day: (Calli, crying) "Mamma, I don't want to get my blood on the floor again."

Observations from Today

No pictures, but maybe you can visualize these scenarios in your mind's eye.

• The more dangerous the climbing equipment, the more enticing to preschoolers.
  
  
• Little girls knees don't mix well with pavement.
  
  
• Mom wearing a new shirt increases likelihood of bloodied knees.
  
  
• Curious George DVDVs solve many of life's pains and disappointments.
  
  
• Little girls don't enjoy meatloaf.
  
  
• Macaroni & Cheese can restore peace and joy to dinnertime :)
  
  
• After a long day - a bath is a good way for girls to get ready for bed.
  
  
• Dora books don't do well in the bathtub.
  

What observations did you make today?

Long Weekend in Michigan

We went to Zeeland/Holland to spend the holiday weekend with friends and family. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures later. But here are the best quotes from the weekend.

Calli goes downstairs to check on Tia KT who isn't feeling well. Calli comes back and reports "Tia KT has a stomach, like the caterpillar". Translation: Tia KT has a stomachache, like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in the story who eats too much.

Calli, Mari, Grandma, Grandpa and I are eating breakfast together. Out of nowhere, Calli turns to Grandpa and asks "Grandpa, where did all you hair go?" LOL!

You can do it Jesus!

A friend and I have been having discussions lately about how to let our kids see and experience God's involvement in our lives. I want the girls to know God cares about us and the things we do everyday. I don't want God to be just a prayer before meals and bedtime.

So a couple months back, it was a very windy day and really cold in our place. I thought closing all the storm windows would make a big difference keeping the heat in. So I went around from room to room closing the windows. The window in Calli's room was really difficult. But rather than say something to express my frustration, I thought I would use this opportunity to show Calli how God helps us. So I said "Help me Jesus, help me close this window". I was able to close the window.

Then this week, it was really warm. I thought Calli's room was too warm, so I decided to open the storm window to let some air in. As soon as I started trying to move the screen (it is kinda stubborn) Calli started saying "Come on Jesus! You can do it Jesus". It was amazing. She gets it, and she really has faith. I thought I wasn't going to be able to get it this time, but Jesus did help me open the window.

Lord, help me model for my kids how you are always by our side, and how much you long to be involved in even the mundane parts of our lives. Help me demonstrate your power in more than just opening and closing windows.

What did you say?

Today we were looking at a book with all kinds of shops. A music shop, a pet shop, a hardware store, a toy store, etc. Calli says to me, "I got a guitar at the sandwich store".

I think she must be making up a story to go with the music shop in the book. I say: "That is silly".

She says it again: "I got a guitar at the sandwich store".

Whatever. I say: "You can get a guitar at a music store, or a sandwich at a sandwich store, but not a guitar at a sandwich store".

She says it again: "I got a guitar at the sandwich store". So I think really hard. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Subway, and for her toy she got - of course - a guitar. She really does know what she is talking about :)

It's a lip, it's a lip, it's a lip lip lip

This morning, I decided to give the girls a bath before we went to playgroup. Somehow, despite having been changed just prior to breakfast, Mari managed to do a big, stinky, messy poo that was not contained in the diaper. Thinking this made the bath even more appropriate I went to clean her up. Then I brought diaperless Mari to the bathroom to get the bath started. (I know, you are already asking why I would leave her for even a minute without a diaper.)

But before I got the water running, I was trying to clean out her pajama bottems in the sink. And the phone rings. So I left the girls to run and get the phone. As I come back, Mari has fallen and is crying. I'm not sure how, but she apparently bumped her mouth on either the toilet seat or the tiles on the wall. She's got blood all over her top front teeth. Ahhhh!

So I comfort her, take the call, and try to finish the clean up. I call the dentist, who says to bring her in. In the midst of all that, Mari stops crying, but yells out when she pees on the bath mat. AHHHH!

The girls get their bath and we go to the dentist before playgroup. Apparently she has torn the frenulum on her uppper lip. (Check this mountain biking website for details.) The teeth are not loose - so that is good. And the dentist assured me the tear would heal on it's own. Not only that, but tearing the frenulum on one's upper lip in childhood is supposed to prevent the gap between the two front teeth some adults have. (He mentions David Letterman & Madonna.) Who knew?

No, this is not Mari's mouth. She cried enough when the dentist tried to look at it.

Hear our prayers

We have gotten in the habit of praying for Calli every night as we put her in bed. We lay a hand on her and pray for her. I tend to pray the same things every night. I thank God for fun things we did that day. I pray for her to have good Christian girlfriends, and a husband that loves God. I pray for the Holy Spirit to comfort her in the night. I pray for her to have good dreams. I thank God that she is a good big sister, and that she is in our family. The order changes, but the topics are the same.

Just now I put Calli down for her afternoon nap. She said she wanted me to pray. Rather than try and explain the difference between nap and bedtime, I figured I'd go the easy route and pray for her. But since it was only the nap I opted for an abbreviated version. As I walked out the door, she was asking for something, but I couldn't understand her because she had her pacy in her mouth. I figured it was another stalling technique and kept walking.

As I was walking out the door, I changed my mind and went back. She said "Good Christian girlfriends to encourage her". Part of my "regular" prayer - repeated word for word! I know I am praying to God, and I know He always hears our prayers. But I had never thought about the impact they may have on Calli, to know the things that we pray for her. God, please bless Calli as she learns how to talk with you, and present her requests to you. And also, please bless her with good Christian girlfriends to encourage her!