Hola

Emily's preschool teacher knows Spanish and uses some Spanish in the classroom. Emily came home one day and said Hola Mom. Do you know I just spoke Spanish. Emily thinks this is fabulous that she "knows" Spanish. Sometimes I tell her I have a friend from Mexico that I work with and she speaks Spanish most of the time. Emily is in awe with that. She is always telling me about her "plans" to go on a walk and tell everybody she sees Adios (Hola and Adios mean the same thing to Emily). If only Emily wasn't so reserved around strangers she'd probably try this.
The other day we were eating lunch and Emily was asking me to translate words to Spanish. I consider myself to have the Spanish skills of a language delayed three year old (since that is the majority of my speech students right now) but amazingly I was able to translate what she was asking. She asked me how do I say I have to go to the bathroom in Spanish and I replied Nessisito Bano. She repeated it and ran off to the bathroom.
Later that day we are walking through Sam's Club and Emily repeated a few times the phrase that was something like this Nepblabla Bano. The first 2 times I simply ignored her thinking she was just blabbering. The third and fourth time she was insistent I have her attention but I kept saying I have no idea what you are saying. A couple of more times and I got it and we rushed to the Bathroom.
If you know Spanish try saying Hola to Emily the next time you see her. She'll probably light up in delight that she has a Spanish partner to converse with.

A little gratitude

I have a tendency to be a ungrateful at times. I'm still living down Christmases from days long past from my immediate family members. Since this is the month of gratitude I feel like sharing a little here.
I am so grateful that my handsome husband is 6'5. Yes a very tall man he is. Of course it's nice to stand next to him and feel so small or that the tall genes are in my children's favor but the real reason for gratitude came to me a few days ago when my light in my clothes closet burned out. As I was figuring out a way to maneuver a kitchen chair into the closet and change it an idea came to mind. Why not ask Bart to fix this. I hand him a new bulb and ask in my best "honey do voice" to help. In a moment Bart reaches up unscrews to light bulb and screws the new one in all done flat footed. I then remember I have a Jack O lantern decoration hanging on my porch that needed to come down and once again Bart to the rescue, no ladder needed.

Zuzu pet

Emily has been wanting a zuzu pet like this for a while now.

Her preschool class has a pet gerbal or hamster. I really don't know the difference but I guess it doesn't matter because if you call it a hamster or a gerbal Emily will argue until she is blue in the face that it is neither because she believes it is a real zuzu pet.
While visiting her Grandma Becky, Emily discovered this old McDonald's happy meal toy. Yes it is small plush hamster but to Emily it is the Zuzu pet she's always dreamed off. After a little persuasion she convinced Grandma Becky to give it to her. She named him Geek and now "Geek" is Emily's BFF. She sleeps with it and plays all day with it and even produces all these annoying squeaks as if "Geek" is talking to us. I guess you never know what will float a 4 year old's boat


Since Jane continues to want to be just like Emily she has "Toothy" as her playmate. Toothy was given to Emily by her Papa (he won it at a benefit meeting at work and Emily happen to be at his house when he got home from work so he gave it to her). She graciously gave it to Jane when she inherited Geek and Jane was indeed honored. Now whenever Emily has Geek Jane yells for Toothy and totes it around just like her big sister.

Which Scary Witch has a black cat named "Jane"?

Happy Halloween!

Other interests

Bart finally gave into Emily's requests to carve the pumpkin. At first Emily and Jane were right with him as he gutted the pumpkin. As soon as Emily caught a whiff of raw pumpkin guts she had no interest in participating.


So a lone man Bart carved the pumpkin.


Meanwhile my girls set up "house" in my room and Emily played mom and read to Jane out of "Mormon Recipes"


Here's the final product with Emily begrudgingly posing for a picture holding her nose dealing with in her own words " the awful smell"

Worth a thousand words

I'm sure everyone has been there when you really wished you would have remembered your camera. Last weekend at Cornbelly's was that time for me. At first it was almost a little depressing because I didn't have my camera to capture the moment but then I thought well I have tons of memories as a child that is not associated with a picture so I might as well enjoy myself. So instead of a "picture that's worth a thousand words" I'll have to settle for the thousand words . Here is a description of the times I really wished I would have had my camera.
* Emily and Jane sitting on the horse pulling the princess' carriage and Jane giving me that super grin like she's waiting for the camera to flash.
* My girls rolling around in the sandbox of corn kernals
* Emily directing us around the corn maze with full confidence that she knows the way out.
* Both of my girls hesitantly walking up to this blown up giant hog like dinosaur and then hearing a growl and with a shriek turning and full on running away from it.
* Jane dancing and laughing to the mechanical chickens singing.
* Jane riding the cow ride with her big blue coat and hood with her eyes wide open and holding completely still while Emily in the cow behind her practically hanging off the side of hers
* Jane's delight as her dad pushed her around on the over sized pink tricycle.
*Sliding down the homemade slides getting our butts completely wet and running up the stairs to do it again. (We got there right after a huge rain storm)
*My girls and I sitting on the giant rocking chair while Bart attempted to rock us.

A Drive in Movie; illustrated and written by Emily, transcribed by her mom

Once upon a time they were going to Dark Valley but the way to Dark Valley were up a mountain, down a mountain through the woods up a hill through the forest up the hill to Dark Valley and then whenever you want to leave from Dark Valley you go up the hill but when you come back to Dark Valley there will be a fairy there. Whenever you meet a fairy and the sun they meet and marry each other. Whenever they get married they see a sun cloud and a miching cloud.

But the fairy needed to go she heard a girl crying for help. The girl was drowning. The fox was about to throw her in the water. And the fairy just appeared and kicked the fox away. Whenever the fox rolled away the fox never was alive again. The girl pushed her so far it made the fox die. When the miching clouds flew by there were 4 and then the sun landed and killed the water too. And the girl was thanked and thanked that they helped her get out of the water.

And then, and then, and then, here's the third one. (singing- There was a little girl who lost her girl and found her in a joke) and then they found each other together and she stepped in the river and she drowned but she couldn't help. And then when the clouds went rolling by.

The last (singing- there was a little girl who needed to go potty she lost her camel and found him in a joke. She had to go potty and couldn't find one so we went in her pants and she couldn't change her pants until she got home)

And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.