Rationale

While eating lunch (you: a bowl of chili, a bowl of Kraft Dinner and a bowl of herbed goat cheese; me: a brown and wild rice Mediterranean salad with artichokes, tomatoes, fresh figs and goat cheese), I tell Nana and Dad that I wouldn't let you play computer games this morning until you tried on the headbands I made you and look in the mirror.

Dad asks, "Why don't you just do what Mom says," all ready exasperated that you must have been hanging from the curtains in the living room while Nana was making chili because the middle bracket was torn from the wall.

"Well," you begin, "I just don't like Mom's ideas. So I don't do them." Simple as that.

***

On a very bright note, as of 2:23 p.m. today (when I left work), I am now on holidays for 21 glorious days. We've got lots of plans and tickets - starting with a pancake breakfast in the morning. And somebody has a birthday coming up...

Little gardener

You have your own garden this year. It's a little box in the front yard with five tomato plants, a few bunches of scallions and nine groups of pole beans. Sometimes you'll call us over to the front window so we can marvel at what your plants are doing at that particular moment. Sometimes it's even an excited, "Mom! Look! My beans are climbing!" And sometimes it's simply, "Don't forget to water my garden, Mom." I do appreciate your enthusiasm.
You also possess the peas in my garden boxes. They are much taller than you and we've been lucky enough in the past couple days to start eating them. Those and carrots and tomorrow our first zucchini should be ready. We have a bunch of little tomatoes, but I'm thinking those will take a while longer still. So far, so good, though.
Mostly though, when we're outside, you are swinging. And swinging. And swinging some more. And now that we have water guns, your outdoor horizons have widened. It's nice to play something that is more interactive, but you sometimes get mad when we shoot you. It's all so one-sided when you're three, going on four.

New trick

This morning, you work up at 5:34 and asked, "Is it morning time?" No, I told you. I'd wake you up when it was morning and you went back to sleep until 7:10. Ta da!

Speaking of tricks, one evening we'd just gotten in the van to go to the greenhouse. "Baby!!!" you screamed, obviously having had forgotten her. "She said she's not coming. She said she isn't feeling well." The look on your face could have cut us, it was so sharp. "No. You're just trying to trick me!" And we were...you just weren't supposed to know.

Can Mommy please just take one nice picture?

Let's just say that for every nice one, I have eighty similar to these...

Here's the deal... (aka: Kids Say the Darndest Things)

"Okay, here's the deal, Nana. You pick up my toys while I finish watching the Wonder Pets."

***

Driving back from the Hyundai dealership to pick up the van last week, you look out the window and say, "Are we in a back alley?" Uh...so we joke about how ghetto anywhere in Regina north of Dewdney is, but now you've confirmed it. Thanks.

***

This morning you run out the door to greet Nana and tell her, "We can go to the art galaxy or the museum today. They're free. That means you don't have to pay."

***

As we head out the door to pick up Nana, you say, "I want a sprinkle donut when we get there." To which I respond, "We're not going to the hospital, we're picking up Nana from the airport. Tells you where we hang out...