do chickens get gas?

One of Ella's finest moments was at the dinner table last night. We heard a little squeak and she said, "I tooted. Like a chicken!!" followed by giggles. We did our best not to laugh but when she started calling her toots "chicken toots", we couldn't help it. And then I began to cluck like a chicken...but I should probably leave that part out...

celebrate good times, c'mon!

So this entry might not translate all that well since most of the amusement came from the inflection and delivery from dear Ella, but it's worth noting just the same. Tonight Ella, Simon and I were in our pjs, reading books in the recliner and getting settled down for the night. Since we were in Simon's room, most of the reading material was pretty basic. As we read a counting book, we came to the page where there were two cupcakes to count. I pointed and said "cupcakes" for Simon and then I asked Ella, "Would you like cupcakes at your birthday?" Of course she answered yes. Then I asked, "What would you like to do for your birthday?" And her answer, with gusto was, "I would like to have a cel-e-BRA-tion!!!!" What the....where did she pick up that word?? We were practically rolling with laughter. We will indeed celebrate when she turns four...and we'll eat cupcakes too!

tenderhearted

Simon is nearly 18 months old now so we are getting a glimpse into his personality more and more. Today in particular we saw his nurturing and affectionate side. He's an early riser, generally up at least an hour before his sister, so when Ella rolled out of bed this morning, Simon was already perky and ready to meet the day full on. She however, went straight to the couch to lie back down to wake up gradually. Seeing that she was still tired and grumpy, he pulled out one of the throws and covered her up for a nap! A bit later, Bryan came in to kiss me goodbye as he headed for work. As he opened the door to head out, I saw Simon heading his way with his lips puckered! As Bryan let the door close behind him I called out, "WAAAIITTT! Simon needs a kiss goodbye!!" It was a moment I hated for Daddy to miss. Sure enough, as Bryan came back through the door, Simon crooked his head up and planted a sweet kiss on Daddy's lips. Then he raised his little pudgy hand and began to wave, "bye-bye". Soooo cute!!! And then he went back to his play! Love that boy.

attitude adjustment

Ella has definitely figured out that she has a will of her own. We've been pretty busy as of late and I've noticed that she has been voicing quite a lot of unwillingness when I ask her to do things like eat her breakfast or get ready for bed. Typical stuff. So I've been telling myself that when we slow down for a second, I really need to talk her through this so she understands why it's important to be obedient and respectful. A couple of days ago, I finally got my chance when she started to give me some push back on getting ready for a nap. Here's our conversation in a nutshell...

Me: Ella, I've noticed that in the last several days you've been complaining a lot when I ask you to do things and that's a bad attitude. Did you know that you have a choice to use a good attitude or a bad attitude?

Ella: Yeah.

Me: Bad attitudes are when you complain and throw a fit and they make other people feel bad and they make you feel bad. But good attitudes make people happy and make YOU happy too!

Ella: Yes, and did you know that if I have a bad attitude to other people, they will have a bad attitude to ME?

Me: Wow Ella! That is very true!!

I love it when she figures it out without me having to explain it to death!

name that tune

I often turn the radio on in Ella's room to the oldies station just for some fun background music and every so often, Ella will recognize the song...especially if it's one by the Monkees. Just a moment ago, Ella came rushing in my room and began swaying her hips as she said, "Mommy MOMMY! The 'a-wiggle-butt-wiggle-butt' song is on in my room!!" I paused to decipher what song she could possibly be hearing. "Ohhhh. Ella, do you mean the 'a-wheeem-a-way' song 'In the Jungle'?" Yup. Har har!!

vocabulary lesson & don't sleep with your mouth full

Ella's favorite thing for me to do with her has always been reading books. She just loves the time spent together and if I'm not reading, she's pretending to read the stories to herself. It's been this way since she was nine months old. So in the last several weeks, we've moved on to reading chapter books since I thought she might be intrigued by some stories that are ongoing. It's been really fun! The first one we finished was "Ramona Forever" by Beverly Cleary. She liked that one so much we checked out "Ramona Quimby, Age 8" from the library. Tonight, as we were finishing up the last two chapters, we came across a few words that were new to her vocabulary.

Ella: What does 'responsibility' mean?

Me: Well, 'responsibility' means something that you're in charge of. Like since I'm your mommy,

it's my responsibility to take care of you and I'm in charge of you.

Ella: Like sometimes when I'm not obedient you tell me I'm not in charge?

Me: Yes, just like that!

I'm so amazed and entertained by the way this little girl's brain works. She's just so verbally sharp and is always putting words together and filing away information. Such a cutie pie!

Another entertaining moment of the day was at lunchtime. Sundays are always a challenge because the kids get pretty tuckered out by the time we make it home from church. Today as we were eating our lunch, Simon was having a difficult time staying awake while he was eating his sandwich. His eyelids were heavy and he kept shaking himself awake but continued to stuff the sandwich in his mouth. Ella kept giggling at him and saying "he's soo tired!" Bryan was scrambling to get the batteries in the camera so we could film him but poor Simon...we just had to get him out of his high chair so he could lie down. He's done this multiple times...I'll post an older video of him doing this once I get it downloaded. Poor little guy...