First
Madelyn was already eating her pancake for breakfast as Tony and I were about ready to sit down with our breakfasts. As I sat down with my food and Madelyn looked at my plate:
Madelyn: I'm guessing you both have your pancakes over easy.
Tony and me: Ummm....
Madelyn: Oops! I mean eggs!
Second
While Madelyn was playing with her LEGOs today, she made the astute observation:
"As long as I keep playing with LEGOs and Playdoh, I'll get better at pushing buttons."
And by "pushing buttons," she actually meant squeezing the snaps together on her jeans.
First
Alyson was being quite silly today. While Madelyn and I were fixing dinner, she came up to us.
Alyson, as she poked Madelyn: Boop!
Madelyn to me: I don't want Aly booping me!
Second
We've instituted Friday Family Game Nights at our house. Generally, Tony, Madelyn, and I play a board game while Alyson plays with the extra game pieces. Tonight, we were playing "Ticket to Ride". It was Madelyn's first time playing, so we helped her out a bit. She did pretty well, but was never winning. Throughout the game, she kept saying, "I hope I win!" At one point, she decided, "I hope the whole family wins!"
Tony was showing Madelyn a video tutorial of a board game we'll probably play for game night tomorrow evening. As they were watching it, Madelyn kept asking, "Are we going to win? Is the other player going to beat us?"
Madelyn was helping me fix spaghetti for dinner tonight. She went back to the pantry to get the spaghetti after I explained to her what a pantry is. Suddenly, she was back in the kitchen without the pasta. Alyson was in the playroom the entire time.
"Mommy, don't let Aly go into the food storage place because I'm going to go potty."
While waiting for the pediatrician to come in and go their check-ups, Madelyn was playing with a Magna Doodle type toy they got in their toy bucket.
Madelyn, scribbling lines on the Magna Doodle: I'm writing checks. Aly, I'm the doctor. Here's what you need to do.
Me: Do you mean that you're giving her a check-up?
Madelyn: Oh, yeah. Okay, here's the next one. Ugh, there are so many people who want check...ups!
Tony: Well, if you're the doctor, you're supposed to give people check...ups.
Madelyn: But there are so many!
When I came to pick the girls up from Mom's:
Madelyn: What are we having for dinner?
Me: Barbecue chicken pizza.
Madelyn: Yuck! I don't like barbecue chicken pizza.
Me: Have you ever had it?
Madelyn: No....
Me: Do you like pizza? Rotisserie chicken? Cheese? Barbecue sauce?
Madelyn: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Kind of....
After Tony got home, we started putting the pizza together. Madelyn wanted to help "squish out the pizza dough", so Tony and her ended up making dinner while I supervised. Repeatedly while they were putting the pizza together:
"This is going to be the best pizza ever in the whole pizza world!"
During dinner, while eating the pizza:
"I love the pizza! Aly, isn't it the best? Can we have this pizza again, like next week on Tuesday?"
Gotta love the changing opinion of a 5-year-old.
Today, while hanging up her race medals, I asked Madelyn if she wanted to run a 5K with me. She said she did and after explaining more to her about how long the race is, we were talking about some logistics.
Me: The race I'm thinking of having you do is in DC. We would have to take the Metro to get there.
Madelyn, jumping up and down excitedly and clapping: Really?!?!?!
While building a LEGO set today:
Madelyn: Daddy, I need help!
Tony: What do you need help with?
Madelyn: I can't figure out this part.
Tony: Okay, I'll be there in a minute.
Madelyn, a few seconds later: Never mind! I figured it out!
Madelyn and Alyson were pushing baby dolls in strollers around Mom's house while we were waiting for Tony to get there with dinner. Madelyn came out from the hallway and very matter-of-factly stated, "Strollers are good for parents to take babies on walks. Then, they don't have to carry them and switch parents later."
No idea what was going on, but while they were in the bath, I overheard Madelyn say, "Alsy, you are the best little sister ever." Awwww....
I was talking about something at work today while we were eating dinner. Madelyn decided to chime in:
"When I grow up, I'm going to work in the same work you work in and sit in the same desk you sit in."
Madelyn was trying to get Alyson to eat more of her dinner tonight:
"Aly, it's really good..... The flavor, the tastes-es, the veggies....."
Tonight we told the girls about our probable trip to San Diego. Madelyn was excited about going on an airplane.
Madelyn: How long will it take?
Me: You know how long it takes to get to Nana and Poppop's?
Madelyn: Yeah.
Me: Double that. Pretend like we drive to Nana and Poppop's and turn right around and come home.
She just looked at me in disbelief.
We are in the process of replacing the rugs in the living room and hall downstairs. We just got the new one in hall last night. Apparently, new rugs are prime places for children to play.
This morning, Madelyn had finished her breakfast and Alyson was just finishing up. Madelyn was in the hall with the light on.
Madelyn: Aly, when you're done, do you want to play in the hallway?
Alyson: Yeah.
Madelyn: Okay, when you get down, just follow the light!
First
How dare I not be where my kids expect me to be. After she finished eating breakfast, Madelyn was looking for some Duplos that Alyson had put away in the playroom the day before. When she started looking, I was still in the kitchen. At this point, I was in the living room.
Madelyn, walking into the kitchen holding the Duplos she had been looking for: Aly didn't.....
She stopped and walked into the dining room: Aly didn't....
I was trying not to laugh at her as she stopped again and turned to come into the living room.
When she finally saw me: Mommy, Aly didn't put the horses in the Duplo bin!
Second
On the walk to ballet, Madelyn was skipping down the hill. Then, she realized something:
"My sunglasses jump on my face when I jump!"
Alyson was sitting on our bed this morning waiting for me to finish getting dressed so that I could go get her dressed. As she sat, she was trying to take her pajamas off herself so that she could put her shirt. Madelyn could see her directly from her room. After Alyson got her pajamas off, Madelyn told her daddy, "I think Aly can do anything except climb on the roof."
We were talking about vacation options if we ever don't go to North Myrtle.
Madelyn: We could go to the beach!
Tony: Yeah, we could do that. Or, maybe an amusement park.
Madelyn: Sprinkler! Sprinkler! Could we go in a sprinkler?
Tony: Um....yeah....I guess so.
As we were leaving Mom's today, I was reminding Madelyn that she needed to work on her Alphabet Journal when we got home. Alyson has her own "journal" that she scribbles and puts stickers in while Madelyn works on her homework.
Me: Remember, Madelyn, you need to do your journal page today.
Madelyn: Yeah, I know.
Me: Alyson, are you going to work on your journal, too?
Alyson: Yeah!
Madelyn: Aly loves homework more better than I do.
One of the projects Madelyn brought home from school today was a "Healthy Eating" plate. They glued pictures of food onto a paper plate. On the plate, I noticed a picture of a box of Lucky Charms.
Me: Lucky Charms aren't healthy.
Madelyn: I know, but I wanted it there!
Poor Miss Alyson has had a stuffy nose since the weekend. During dinner, her nose got stuffy and she got fussy.
Alyson, crying and pointing to her nose: Nose!
Me: Will you let me help you blow it?
Alyson, crying harder: No!
Me: Can Daddy help you?
Alyson, more crying: No!
Me, running out of ideas: Can Madelyn help you?
Alyson, calming down some: Yeah.
Madelyn went to get a tissue and helped Alyson blow her nose by holding the tissue for her. After three tissues, Madelyn wanted to go back to eating her dinner.
Madelyn, in a very motherly tone to Alyson: Alyson, if you want to blow your nose more, can you let Mommy help you?
Alyson: No. Manno! (Madelyn!)
Madelyn: Alyson, let Mommy help you.
Me: Will you let me help you?
Alyson: Yeah.
The beginnings of self-regulation?
Madelyn was playing the iPad and with her LEGO Fusion game this afternoon while waiting for our neighbors to get home so that she could go play. When they got home, Madelyn announced, "I'm going to play [whatever game she said] with them because I've had enough screen time today."
Madelyn was asking us about all of the football teams and their team colors today.
Madelyn, after Tony and I had mentioned a few teams: What does the other team wear?
Tony: Which team?
Madelyn: The monster one.
Me: The Giants?
Madelyn: Yeah, that one!
Should we be afraid?
Madelyn: When can I do experiments?
Tony: You mean your LEGO science set?
Madelyn: No, real human experiments.
We then went on to explain the permissions needed to perform human experiments and consent forms and the fact that it would be a long, long time before anyone allowed her to do an experiment on them. We don't think she got it.
The girls are allowed to jump on Grandma and Grandpa's bed as long as someone is holding their hand and until they get a new mattress. Today, while jumping:
Grandma, holding Madelyn's hand: Okay, my arm is worn out.
Madelyn: But my feet aren't!
While in the bath, Madelyn was blowing bubbles in the water and made it sound like she was going to stay in there for quite a long time:
"I'm practicing blowing bubbles until my next swim class."
While outside playing in the snow, the girls made snow angels. After they got up, Madelyn excitedly said, "Look at my snow angel and look at Aly's snow baby!"
Madelyn and Alyson were planning a princess party. Madelyn was telling Alyson who they were going to invite:
"Everyone is invited except the wizard because he never learned not to have sorcerer powers. No one can come if they have sorcerer powers."
I was explaining to Madelyn today the important job she has coming up of helping to potty train her sister. She was very excited and was taking her duties very responsibly. She declared, "I'm going to be the goodest big sister ever!"
We went to see "Inside Out" at The Imagination Stage today. In this show, there is a brother and sister that are playing pretend instead of going to bed. All of the Early Childhood shows there are very interactive for the kids. Madelyn was definitely interacting:
At a point in the show where the little girl suggests to tie her older brother's "special hat" to a rope of shirts to make it longer:
Brother to the audience: Are you sure this is a good idea? Should I do it?
Madelyn: No! It's not a good idea!
Brother to the sister: See! She says it's not a good idea!
And later as the brother and sister in the show are continuing to play and not go to bed:
Madelyn, yelling to brother and sister: When are you going to go to bed?
We ate dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight. While eating dinner, Madelyn was distracted and just couldn't sit still, and we had to keep reminding her to eat.
Alyson, over and over because we kept asking her to say it because it's cute: Diculo! (Ridiculous!)
Madelyn: Aly, stop saying that! You're distracting me!
First
Singing yet another Christmas song over and over to herself:
"Save me, hide me, a wonderful Christmas time."
Second
While cleaning the playroom, this happened multiple times:
Alyson, coming from the playroom into the living room: Done!
Madelyn, yelling back from the playroom: Aly! We are not done!
