31 August 2015

Before bed, Madelyn and I were talking again about her day. I think her day wore her out because she asked me, "Will tomorrow be as long as today was?"

Bonus

Madelyn is planning to buy lunch at school on Wednesday. Her grandma was asking her how buying lunch works.

Mom: Did you see how buying lunch works?
Madelyn: Not really.
Mom: Maybe you should watch the kids tomorrow so that you know what to do on Wednesday.
Madelyn, very matter-of-factly: Why? I can just watch the kids in front of me in line.

30 August 2015

Madelyn is so used to running in the Healthy Kids Running Series​, where the bottom of the race bib is torn off to track the order runners finish, that she confusedly asked as after her fun run today, "But, why didn't they tear this off?"

29 August 2015

My kid has a crazy imagination. While Madelyn was playing by herself, she told me, "The little children start out as elephants and then as they grow up to adults, they turn into unicorns."

28 August 2015

The girls were saying good night, and Alyson was laying on Madelyn's bed. Madelyn was kneeling over Alyson and about to plop down on her to give her kisses.

Madelyn: Prepare to be banquet! What does that mean anyway?
Me: I think you mean "Prepare to be vanquished".
Tony: You're going to eat your sister?!

27 August 2015

As we were driving back to Mom's to get Alyson after kindergarten orientation, we passed a football team practicing.

Me: Hey, look, there's a school's football team over there practicing.
Madelyn: I want to play football! Wait. How do you play football?

26 August 2015

Madelyn in the kitchen: I need a cup! There are no cups in the bathroom!
Me, back in the pantry: I'll be right there.
Madelyn: No, I have everything all under control!

I walked into the kitchen and see her with a stool getting cups from the cabinet.

Madelyn, smiling at me: See? All under control.

25 August 2015

Tony in the kitchen, calling to Alyson in the living room: Hey, Aly, can you come here?
Alyson, running in: What?
Tony: Can I have a hug?
Alyson ran into Tony's arms for a hug, and Tony picked her up.
Madelyn, running in and grabbing Tony's legs for a hug: I am crashing this cuddle!

24 August 2015

At Mom's today, Madelyn cut up a piece of paper into small squares and started coloring each one.
Mom: What are you doing with those?
Madelyn: Grandma, I'm going to tape each one and make a planet. You will believe it when you see it!

23 August 2015

While playing with her toys in the car while I got gas, Madelyn decided that "Spooky (her ghost) is allergic to pollen but only daisy pollen." That's highly specific.

22 August 2015

In the car on the back from Rehoboth, I was telling Tony about a woman I saw with a tattoo on her calf.
Madelyn: Where's your calf?
Me: It's the muscle on the back of the lower part of your leg.
Madelyn: Here?
Tony, reaching back to tickle Madelyn: Right here.
Madelyn started laughing: My calf has a noise breaker inside!
Me: A noise breaker?
Madelyn: Yeah, a noise breaker. It makes noise when I'm tickled like this [she fake laughed].

21 August 2015

Often when Madelyn has a bagel at Grandma's she has cream cheese and jelly on it. Today for breakfast, Madelyn said, "I only want cream cheese because that's healthier."

20 August 2015

While trying to figure out what to do today with Grandma:

Madelyn: Grandma, what do you want to do right now?
Mom: I don't know. What do you want to do?
Madelyn: Whatever you want to do.

19 August 2015

We had BLTs tonight for dinner. I put a very thin coat of mayo on Madelyn's sandwich. When she sat down at the table, she started taking her sandwich apart and immediately saw the mayo.

Madelyn: What is this?!
Me: It's mayonnaise.
Madelyn: I don't like mayonnaise.
Me: Actually, you do when it's a really small amount.
Madelyn: Why isn't it butter?

18 August 2015

First

Tony and Madelyn are reading "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling before bed. Tonight they got to a critical part. (Spoiler alert.)

Tony, reading:
     "The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'"
     Professor Flitwick burst into tears.
     "Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak0kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"
     "Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Madelyn, in shock: What?!?!?!?!?!

Second

As Tony was leaving her room so Madelyn could go to bed, she kept asking questions about Harry Potter.

Madelyn: Why did Harry want to go save Ginny?
Tony: Because that's what Harry does because Harry is brave.
Madelyn: Ron.... Not so much....

17 August 2015

While playing before dinner, Madelyn and Alyson were playing school. Madelyn was the teacher and she was talking to her class (Alyson) about an "old student, Madelyn".

Madelyn to her "class": Raise your hand if you like playing with the old student, Madelyn.
Alyson ignored her.
Madelyn, more insistently: Raise your hand if you like playing with the old student, Madelyn.
Alyson still ignored her.
Madelyn, frustrated: Okay, class, raise your hand or foot if you liked playing with the old student, Madelyn.

I would have liked to have seen what Alyson was doing.

16 August 2015

First

At the National Aquarium today, we saw their new exhibit where you can touch skates, horseshoe crabs, and moon jelly fish. Madelyn was really afraid to touch the jellies because she didn't want to get stung. After I reassured her that humans can't feel the stings of moon jelly fish, she was willing to touch, but every time she did, she jumped back and was shaking. When other people around asked if they sting, Madelyn piped up and repeated me word for word, "They sting but humans can't feel it!"

Second

At least she has goals. I don't know the context, but Madelyn told Tony, "I want to stay alive until I am old enough to die."

15 August 2015

When Alyson got up from her nap, I told Madelyn to come upstairs and get in her bathing suit. The girls didn't know that we were surprising them by taking them to play in the fountain in the center of Rockville. Alyson heard me downstairs and was yelling that she wanted to get in her bathing suit, too. I took her out of the the crib, and she guessed that we were taking them to a "swimming park" and started doing her "swimming park" dance of excitement. The dance was her jumping up and down while moving her arms up and down in front of her body.

Madelyn: Why is that your swimming dance?
Alyson: Because me swimming!
Madelyn: Swimming standing? No, this is swimming.

Madelyn got down on the floor on her stomach and started moving her arms and legs like she was swimming. Alyson got down next to her and copied every move.

14 August 2015

While in the car with Tony:

Song lyrics: Let's all go to Uncle Geek's house where we all get pie at 3:14.
Madelyn: Are they all getting pie or are they all getting high?
Tony: They are getting pie because the number pi is 3.14159, so they're getting it at 3-1-4 or 3:14. It's a math joke.

(Song: "Uncle Geek's House" by The Doubleclicks.)

13 August 2015

After Alyson got told to get her shoes off of the couch at Mom and Dad's, Madelyn realized that she had her foot up on the chair to put her sandals on. She looked at me somewhat defensively as she said, "I'm just putting my heel on the cushion to strap on my sandal. I'm not going it for any particular reason to get in trouble!"

12 August 2015

Looking down at her plate for dinner:

Madelyn: Why are they called "mashed potatoes"?
Me: Why do you think they are called "mashed potatoes"?
Madelyn: Because they are potatoes that have been mashed. [She ate a bite.] Mmmm.... I like mashed potatoes better than regular potatoes!

No, this was not the first time the girl has had mashed potatoes.

11 August 2015

Over the weekend, Madelyn decided that she wants to take a soccer rec class this fall. There is a tennis class at the same time that she was also thinking about. I told her that she had until registration opens to really decide. This morning:

Me: I think registration is Thursday, but I need to double check that. It might be next week.
Madelyn: I hope it's next week!
Me: Why?
Madelyn: Because then I have longer to decide between tennis and soccer!

10 August 2015

After we got home today, Madelyn started trying on some of her clothes so that we could figure out what, if anything, she needs before school starts. Today, we were working on her closet. After taking a skirt off a hanger with clips, Madelyn was looking at and admiring the hanger:

Madelyn: It's cool that it has snips!
Me: What did you call them?
Madelyn: Snips.
Me: I think you mean clips.
Madelyn: Oh, they're called "clips"?

09 August 2015

As we were leaving Starbucks this morning, Madelyn heard a cricket chirping in a bush.

Madelyn: Why is a cricket chirping?
Me: Because crickets like to be noisy.
Madelyn, spinning around: Just like me!

08 August 2015

Recently, Madelyn picked up the annoying habit of making a gulping sound while swallowing her food. After the gazillionth time she did it during dinner:

Me: Stop it. That's annoying and you might choke.
Madelyn: That was just me trying to push down my milk.

07 August 2015

This morning, when Madelyn noticed my eye make-up:

Madelyn: Are you wearing gold eye paint?
Me: No, it's pinkish-brown eye shadow.
Madelyn: Oooohhhh....eye shadow.

06 August 2015

We went to Target today to start some back-to-school shopping. While there, Madelyn excitedly told everyone she saw in the Back To School section, "I'm going to start kindergarten in the fall!"

05 August 2015

I don't remember what started this, but while eating dinner at Mom and Dad's tonight for Dad's birthday:

Madelyn, pointing to herself: Piglet. [pointing to Alyson] Piglet. [pointing to Tony] Pig. [pointing to me] Pig. [pointing to Mom] Pig. [pointing to Dad] Pig. 
Tony: Hey, Madelyn. [pointing to Madelyn and Alyson] Piglets. [pointing to himself and Dad] Hogs. [pointing to Mom and me] Sows.
Madelyn: What are hogs and sogs?

(Note: I wasn't sure that Tony was right about hogs being male pigs, so I looked it up. According to one website I found, he wasn't really wrong, but more correctly boars are male pigs, sows are female pigs who have had a liter of piglets, gilts are female pigs who have not had piglets, and there were other names for different castrated male pigs. Go figure.)

04 August 2015

Madelyn has been coloring parts of a beach scene with Grandma and putting it up as decoration in the hall at their house. Today, she added a daddy, mommy, and little girl, but they couldn't find a good toddler girl to color and add. Madelyn wasn't worried. She decided, "That's okay. We can just pretend that Alyson is still in Mommy's tummy."

03 August 2015

Alyson was being picky about dinner and not eating too much at one point. Madelyn was bugging her about it.

Madelyn: Miss Guinea Pig, are you going to eat more?
Tony: Why are you calling her a Guinea Pig?
Madelyn: Because she eats a lot, and she's a little piggy, and she's... Guinea... What's a Guinea Pig anyway?

02 August 2015

This afternoon we visited "Auntie" Julie​ for her housewarming party. Julie's parents, Donna​ and Wayne​, were great with the girls. Donna had a wonderful conversation with Madelyn that went something like this:

Donna: Madelyn, what is your favorite fruit?
Madelyn: I like all the fruits!
Donna: Okay, tell me your two favorite fruits.
Madelyn, thinking: My two favorite summer fruits are cherries and peaches.
Donna: Oh, I love peaches! We go to the farmer's market and get fresh peaches right from the orchard. Do you go to the farmer's market around here?
Madelyn: My grandma and grandma go to an orchard and get peaches.
Me: Hey, Madelyn, I think they went this week, so they might have peaches now.
Donna: Ooh! Do you think they want company? Maybe we could go visit them.
Madelyn: You don't know where they live!

01 August 2015

When Madelyn and I say goodnight, she's allowed to jump on her bed a few times with me right there. That's the only time she's allowed to do it. While at the beach this past week, we didn't let her jump on the bed (not our bed and we couldn't trust that it was strong enough). The look of pure joy on her face this evening when she realized she was on her own bed was adorable. After she finished jumping, she jumped into my arms for a hug.

Me: You missed being able to do that, didn't you?
Madelyn: YEAH!