I think 4 is a great age for a lot of reasons… one of which is the funny little things 4 year olds say…
Today we were walking to the van and she was carrying her coat, Kit, and her baby. I said, “If you wear your coat you’ll have more hands.” to which she said, “No, Mom, I’ll still only have 2 hands.”
Last week before she went into her gymnastics class I told her to work hard and have fun. “Oh Mom, that won’t be a problem at all… when I’m doing my back hip circle and I swing back from the bar and flip around, it’s just like I am flying through the air.” The look of pure joy on her face as she described flying through the air is one I want to remember forever.
A few weeks ago I served split pea soup for dinner. While my husband and sons both enjoyed it, my girls did not. AT ALL. I suppose somewhere during the dinner I said something about how I worked hard to make that meal for them and I didn’t appreciate their disgusted faces and comments about the food. And I suppose it sunk in a little even though they didn’t really eat it all that well. Because a whole week later out of the blue she says to me, “Mom, remember when you made that soup last week that I didn’t like?” “Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t like that you made it for me, it’s just that when it was in my mouth… pause… well…. when it was in my mouth it just made me feel like I had to cough.” (essentially she said, “Mom it’s not that I didn’t appreciate your cooking me food, it’s just your food made me want to gag).
Seriously, I love this girl and am not at all eager for her to grow up anytime soon.
This afternoon my smiley, mild mannered, easy going baby suddenly channeled his inner Dennis the Menace and went all toddler boy on me for 30 minutes.
First I looked over and found him standing on his tool bench (oops look who forgot to put away the advent calendar with her Christmas decorations)
I got him down and shortly after realized things had been mighty quiet for awhile and went searching for him. Found him in the master bathroom STANDING on the toilet.
After shutting all the doors in the hallway we headed back out to the kitchen/living room. He attempted to get water from the fridge dispenser but thankfully it was locked. So, instead he opted for emptying my clean dishes from the dish washer into the dog bowl.
I didn’t get them out right away b/c I figured the harm had already been done, and I would go ahead and finish emptying the dishwasher before he got into more mischief.
But, that plan was thwarted when he then decided to DRINK FROM THE DOG BOWL! While I moved the bowl onto the counter and the dirty cups into the sink, I turn around to find him standing in the dishwasher reaching for my leftover pizza from lunch.
At this point, I decide that this has TRULY BEEN THE CRAZIEST HALF HOUR OF HIS LIFE and strap him into his booster seat with my pizza in hopes of keeping him safe and me sane!
When talking to my oldest daughter about things to look forward to in 2012, I mentioned to her that the Summer Olympics were going to happen in 2012.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I’ll be 6, can I be in the Olympics?”
I told her that when she was 6 she can try out for the gymnastics team at her gym, but she has to be 16 to try out for the Olympics.
“Well,” she said, “I’ll have the 6, I just need the teen!”
I opted to leave it at that and omitted details about the selection committee, the Károlyi’s and the slew of other things that would stand in the way of her and London this summer. No need to dash a young girls dreams!
Even though she isn’t on the Olympic team… or any team for that matter, I am super proud of the skills she’s accomplished this past year. A year ago she couldn’t yet do a pullover… now she can do a pullover, cast, back hip circle and is working on her dismount. A year ago I couldn’t have told you what any of those things meant… I guess we’ve both learned a lot this past year! Here’s a clip we snapped of her at practice a few weeks ago.
My four year old asked for a drink the other day. I always pour the kids small amounts since we have a propensity to spill things round the circus. When I handed her the glass she said to me, “Now Mom, that is what I call HALF FULL!” I couldn’t help but chuckle, guess we know how she sees the world.
As my 4 yr old sat coloring in the waiting room this afternoon the mom beside me commented on her neat job of staying in the lines.
Then we both did a double take and looked over at each other.
Don’t mind the fact that the dress is green and should “really” be yellow… I love the fact that my girl goes against the flow and colors it how she wants… sure give Belle purple hair and a green dress. Why not?
But, what is up with that neck line? Seems a bit low cut don’t ya think? I am hoping that somehow the coloring book missed a line or something. But it sure looks to me like she was coloring it in correctly…
Never expected that from Belle… Ariel maybe, but Belle… with her nose stuck in a book… ya gotta watch those good girls I suppose!
On the wall in my bedroom, tucked away in the corner on my side of the bed is a shadow box in which I pressed some dried flowers from my wedding bouquet. I’ll confess I don’t look at it often, but when I do I smile and remember that special day.
My children, however, don’t share my sentimentality.
The other day my 5 yr old and I were sitting on my bed and she said, “Mom, why do you have those old dead flowers hanging on your wall?” I told her that Daddy had given me those flowers on our wedding day. I of course thought this obviously answered her question. But she looked up at me like I was crazy and said very matter of factly, “But now they’re dead.” (as in so why do you have them hanging there now Mom?) It was then obvious to me that she thought her mom was crazy for hanging dead flowers on her wall. I then remembered the conversation I had with her brother a few years ago when he asked me why I had poop hanging on my wall. I told him it wasn’t poop, they were dried flowers from my wedding. “Oh,” he replied, “they look like poop to me.”
Something tells me 50 years from now when the kids are cleaning out our house and divvying up our our belongings, none of them are going to be fighting for the right to take mom’s dead flowers to their homes.
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Meet the MC
My roles as wife, homemaker and mother of 4 feel much like a circus with 3 rings constantly vying for my attention. Life is often chaotic but I'm loving every minute and wouldn't want it any other way. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I won't let you miss a thing.
