Introducing the poor third child...

Before Phoebe's language starts to change permanently, I need to document some of her very cutest "talking points." Phoebe will be TWO years old in less than a month. Crazy much?

A few months ago, Phoebe started calling the car a "wee wee" (go ahead and giggle, we did, too, at first). "Dat's mommy's wee wee!" "Dat's daddy's wee wee!" Just thankful we use the anatomically correct terms for our private parts or else we'd always be laughing.
Now, everything that moves on wheels is a wee wee: bike, train, wagon, etc. She can say the other words correctly, and has the receptive language for almost all of them, but always reverts back to wee wee for her expressive language.

Phoebe can say Zoey and says it all. the. time. But Kaia is affectionately referred to as Sissy. Again, she can say Kaia when we ask her to, but she never deviates from calling Kaia Sissy.

For months Phoebe has been asking where Daddy is all the freakin' live-long day. It was cute on day one. For maybe an hour. Five months and one million times later, it is quite irritating. And she has added anyone she can think of: Where's Daddy? Where's Zoey? Where's Sissy? Where's Jesus? Where's Elnor (Eleanor)? Where's Ruf Ruf (Ruthie)? And, my favorite, "Where's Mommy? when I am standing right in front of her.

We have this conversation about a thousand times a day:
P: Where's Daddy?
M: He's at work.
P: Daddy's in wee wee?
M: Yes, he went in the car.
P: And Daddy went ishide?
M: Yes, he went inside.
P: Oh. Where's Zoey... and, you see where this is going.

When Phoebe wants something from the kitchen she says, "Mommy, show me," because for months I have been asking her to show me what she wants when I cannot understand her.

Phoebe loves the LDS Children's song "I Love to See the Temple." About twelve times a day she says, "Sing temple again!" and we oblige. Just last week we heard her singing it to her baby doll and she knew every single word. Oh, cuteness.

book = read - "Dat's my read!"
food = eat - "Dat's my eat!"
treat = teat - "Dat's my teat!"

Oh, did I mention that everything belongs to Phoebe now? Everything.

This is a hard age. She cries and tantrums and always needs me. But, it is also the cutest age. It feels like she says or discovers something new every single day. We all love her to pieces.

Phoebe Christine
December 2016
(Hey, that rhymes!)

Haters gonna hate...

Mommy: Zoey, do you know what I heard today?

Zoey: What?

M: I heard a little girl about your age say to her mommy, "I HATE you."

[Gasps from Zoey and Kaia.]

Daddy: If I ever hear you say that, you will be in BIG trouble.

Zoey: Yeah, we don't say we hate anything, especially people.

M: Right.

Kaia: Yeah, it is NOT nice to say we ATE someone. That is yuck!

Letters are Confusing!

Kaia: Mommy, do you know where Kiera lives?

M: Um, no, I don't.

K: Do you know her address?

M: Hmm, no I do not have her address.

K: That's okay. The ABC can tell us how to get there.

M: You mean the GPS?

K: Yeah, that's too hard to say, though.

Santa

Kaia: Mommy, I didn't know Santa was a pirate!

M: I did not know that either. He is?

Kaia: Yeah, he says, "Yo, ho, ho, ho," just like the pirates at Disney World!

Don't sting me!

Kaia has been saying, "Don't sting me!" a lot recently.

I finally figured out she was talking about being shocked from static electricity.

I love how little ones use words they know to describe something unfamiliar.

More on marriage...

While looking at Daddy's and Mommy's wedding pictures this morning:

Kaia: I want to get married, too, when I'm a big girl.

Mommy: You do? That's great! When you're 30!

K: Yeah, with Grant!

Daddy: With Grant?

K: Yeah, he's my friend. He hits me all the time.

Daddy: Um...

Kaia is praying...

...and I don't think anything could be any cuter.

Some things she has said in her prayers this week:

We bless that Mommy will stay home from seminary.

We bless that Baby Owen will be 5.

Thankful that Daddy works and does not come home until after dinner.

We bless that we will have no night times (nightmares).

Thankful that my Elsa doll that is Zoey's could come in the car with me but not into Target or into Zoey's school or into the bathtub.

We bless that Baby Owen will not be a baby any more.

We bless the food and that we can play at the Clawson's house for a little bit and then go home and not go to bed for two minutes.

We bless that Grant will not hit me and that I will not hit Grant in the nursery.

We bless that Zoey will be a good girl and a good listener and not get on time out.

Thankful for Jesus and my new underwear.

More Kaiaisms...

...not to be confused with Chiasm...

Instead of saying top or bottom Kaia says up and down. For example, "Mommy, I buckled the up and the down [buckles] on my car seat!" It's too cute to correct.

In a very adult manner, Kaia says things like, "The apples are all gone now, but they are not all gone," and "I need to take a bath, but I do not need to take a bath." The first part is usually what she means, so I'm not sure if it's her stubborn persona still needing a voice (or what?) but it makes me laugh.

When Kaia does NOT want to do something she says, "I can't. My leg hurts!" We think her leg really did hurt for a few days. Months ago. But she is still trying to use it. Smart girl.

When Kaia is not able to do something she says, "I can't... I'm not 5, I'm 2." For example, "I can't reach it! I'm not 5, I'm 2!" or "Come wipe my poopy! I'm not 5, I'm 2!" She sees her 5-year-old sister as being able to do anything and everything, poor girl.

Distinction

Zoey goes to half-day Kindergarten in the morning at one school and then attends an afternoon enrichment program at her former preschool. Kaia has labeled the first "Zoey's new school," which makes sense since we've been dropping off Zoey at the other school for 2 1/2 years. Her "old" school, however, Kaia has labeled "Zoey's white school." It's a red brick church... but we go with it, anyway, everyday.

Roosters

ANY time Kaia is trying to wake up a sleeping doll, Daddy, or Mommy she yells, "Cock-a-doodle! Cock-a-doodle!"

Now, that's a stretch...

The other day I heard the girls playing together in their bedroom:

Z: Kaia, let's pretend we're sisters and we live in this house.

K: Okay, and you is bigger than me.

Z: Yeah, and let's pretend this is our bedroom.

K: Okay! And can we pretend this is my bed?

Z: Yeah, and let's pretend Mommy is folding laundry.

K: Okay!

hosdipal

We pass the Doylestown Hospital almost every single day, most days multiple times a day. I can't remember exactly when she started this, but every. single. time. we pass it Kaia exclaims (and by exclaims I mean EXCLAIMS): MOMMY! LOOK, IT'S MY NEW HOSDIPAL! THAT'S WHERE I GOT BORNED! Her excitement every time makes me happy, and the novelty has yet to wear off.

Christmasisms

Kaia,upon opening clothes for her Bitty Baby (in a whining near-tears voice): But it doesn't fit me!

Zoey, upon opening a third accessory/outfit item for her American Girl doll: Well, it looks like I finally have a party here.

Kaia, upon seeing every single gift with a bow: It's so pretty... here, I'll help you open it.

Zoey, at the end of opening presents: I find it very interesting that no one got bean bags except for Kaia.

hospitalisms

Nurse: Okay, sweet pea. Can I listen to your lungs?
Kaia: No, you can't. I don't have lungs!

Nurse: This medicine tastes like berries. It's yummy.
Kaia: No, it is yucky!

Nurse: Oh, sweetie, you look so tired!
Kaia: I not your sweetie!

Nurse: She's so cute!
Kaia: I not cute! I sick!

Pleasant, as always.

Pwivacy

Brian was helping Kaia in the restroom.

K: Daddy, pease cose the door! I actually need some pwivacy in here!

Smarty Pants

Zoey always requests a plain ham sandwich from Panera, but rarely eats the ham. I'm always reminding her she needs the protein, not just the bread. Tonight was the same story.

Mommy: Eat the ham, please.
Z: I'm cutting it up with my nails because they are so long and sharp.
Daddy: Why don't you try cutting it up with your teeth?
Z: Oh, dear. I know where this is going.

Alarms

I have several alarms set throughout the day to remind me when I need to drop off/pick up, etc. When one sounds, Kaia comes running and exclaiming, "It's the alarmer!" She's combining timer and alarm and it's funny to me.

Pronouns

Even though I have spent a lot of my life correcting pronoun usage, I actually LOVE pronoun confusion with my little girls. My favorite of Kaia's right now is her use of she for really any pronoun describing a girl or something belonging to a girl. "That's she's car!" "Is that she's Mommy?" "I am she's friend!" I just don't even want to correct her.

Misses

Zoey and Kaia call our sitter "Miss Teagan" and Kaia has started adding Miss to all names: Miss Zoey, Miss Sister, Miss Mommy, and - my favorite - Miss Daddy! It really makes me laugh every. single. time.

napping

Kaia dislikes bedtime and napping so much that her antonym for both is "happy."

When she's playing with her babies and I ask, "Kaia, is your baby sleeping?" she responds, "No, Kaia's baby is happy."

When it's time for a nap and I say, "Kaia, it's time for a nap," she says, "No, Kaia wants to be happy."

Then when you're my age happy becomes synonymous with nap. Oh, the irony.