From the mouth of a three year old.........

(I've been trying to finish this post for days.......)

There have been some hilarious things said around here lately. I try to keep track of all of them to share, making lists, etc. So I've compiled a pretty good list over the past few days and I'll do my best to recapture the authenticity of the moment. Let me issue a warning: if you're not a grandparent or terribly fond of the precociousness of toddlers, this stuff might be really boring to you.

Two weekends ago, we watched V and B's birth videos. Our intent was to begin talking about the new baby, try to help B understand and get him ready for what "a new baby" means. He didn't care for it too much - the crying really got him upset. He would swat and wave his arm toward the TV and make a little growling sound with a furrowed brow. Our interpretation: TURN THAT OFF, THAT BABY IS TOO LOUD!

V, however, loved watching them. She asked for it to be played over and over again and was full of questions. I'm sure you can imagine, we had to dodge quite a few of those. .....Soooooo that was Saturday. The next day, on the way home from church, she was in a very chipper mood and chattering this and that the entire way home......to the point that Jeff and I asked her to "please ride quietly the rest of the way." She complied, but once we pulled up in the driveway, very softly and demurely, she said, "Mommy?"

I replied, "Yes, sweetie?"

"May I watch my birth?"

Jeff and I could not contain ourselves, she was so tentative, so careful. Just hearing a three year old ask "may I watch my birth?" was enough to make us double over in silent, heaving laughter.

One thing that happens often around here is that she gets up before six o'clock and comes into our room......ready for the day, no less. This is what parents get as payback for being early risers as children, both Jeff and I were often up before the sun or anyone else was. I have a regular spiel I give her about how "it's too early to get up, everyone is asleep, the sun is not up yet (which now it rises at 5:30~argument thwarted.....), get back into bed, don't get out until Mommy or Daddy comes to get you," etc. In one of life's classic ironies, somehow this manages to happen EVERY SINGLE Saturday morning. So, this particular Saturday was no different and I had to get her resettled into her bed. Sometimes, unfortunately, the ruckus causes B to wake up.

I was already back in bed, struggling to go back to sleep or at least steady my breathing somewhat, and we heard B calling from his bed, "Sis-sis?"............................."Sis-sis?"...............................after a few more calls, V gets up, pads across the room, opens her door, shouts out "I'M IN MY BED, B" Then closes her door, pads back to crawl into her bed. Jeff and I, lying facing one another, both opened our eyes and very shortly after that, everyone was up.

Another thing I hear on a regular basis is, "Want to play B? C'mon B, it's going to be really funny." Funny means fun.

We've had our house on the market and after very little interest, we've decided to take the sign down and stay here for another year probably. Unless someone comes to our door with a large silver suitcase full of bills and tells us they want it, we're staying. Something we put off doing until we knew this information was our garden. We've been looking forward to building a garden all year and now that we've decided to stay, we're going ahead with it. The other night, as Jeff and I discussed plans, size, shape, etc., I mentioned we might need a fence or some other deterrent to keep rabbits out. It was obvious from my tone that I was not speaking favorably of the rabbits.

V picked up on this and offered up a plea for the rabbits in our yard.

"Daddy?," she said, "Rabbits are bunnies. Bunnies are sweet, they do not eat gardens. Bunnies eat CARROTS." Jeff of course asked, "well where to you think carrots grow?" She replied, "they grow in gardens"........and then thinking about this further she threw in, "and we don't like carrots."

I must say, I understood her logic. Bunnies eat carrots. Yes, carrots grow in gardens, but we don't like carrots, therefore they won't be grown in our garden and therefore will provide no forage for the bunnies.

We do still need a fence though. And truthfully, we DO like carrots.

Since I posted a picture of B in his dress up garb, I had to show this one of V. She looked like a little tennis player to me in the skirt and visor.

And just in case any of you thought I was joking about playing in a diaper box - this is the proof. Things were going great until she realized she'd stuffed herself in there and couldn't get out without help.

The last funny thing said happened yesterday. She was in the glider rocker in B's room, with baby Temple in her arms. She sang "rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top, when the wind blows, the grapes will rock........."