Gracisms. . .

1. "I can't find the other one." What she said while trying to find the second sleeve in her shirt which was followed by "Oh, there I go! There I go!" once she found it:)
2. "I got a cam-flage. A pink cam-flage on a Kitty." This is what she said to Daddy on the telephone when we called him during the meltdown ~ good luck decoding that one! Translation. . .she got a pink camouflage Hello Kitty watch in her Happy Meal. Surprisingly enough, it is an actual digital watch that works. Nice job, Micky Ds!
3. "Are you happy?" She asks me this, over and over, all day long. It is sweet, but always in response to making a "bad decision". I try to tell her it does not matter if I am happy. . .I just want her to make good choices. Teaching a child to "do the right thing, for the right reason" is a really difficult task.

4. "I'm potty trained!" What she told Amma and Poppy at lunch last week. They looked at me and said "Really?" and I said "ask her why she is potty trained." She proudly replied "Because all of the chocolate is gone!" Remember the Advent style calender? We finally finished all of the doors, so she assumed she was trained:) If only it were that easy! Now we are trying the Princess Potty Chart (hearts, stars and dots for tee-tee, poo-poo or miss)! Oh how I long for the day to blog about her being finished!

5. "BUT I WANT TO WASH THE DISHES!" Whose kid is this? Surely, she doesn't belong to me!

Three???

Oh, how different three is than two. We had a great morning "jumping" with friends, followed by lunch at McDonald's (where she actually went in to the tunnels for the first time) and then a car ride home with her new little friend Joslyn. Most of the girls are in her ballet class and will all start Kindergarten together. . .it is surreal watching her develop friendships with the girls she will probably stand next to at Graduation. Anyway, after we got home she played for a few minutes and then went down for a nap. I had very high hopes of a long, winter's rest (like every other "post jump" nap), today. . .not so much. 25 minutes later she was up, wondering the house wailing. The last breakdown was "I DON'T LIKE "LELLOW", I LIKE PINK!" This is the second time this has happened this week and I am really starting to worry it is becoming a habit. I will admit, I actually called Daddy today to talk her down. So pitiful. Now she is totally fine, smiling and asking for a ponytail! I thought I had at least 10 years before mellow drama and mood swings! So, to all of you that warned me about "3". . .let the record show, you're right!

Gracism. . .

First off, this girl loves to cook! So tonight, as I was assembling the dinner, she was right next to me on her stool. I was making a chicken dish that had Swiss cheese slices on top. She looked at the cheese and then looked at me and said "Momma, do you think the mice got it?" It was really funny:)

Priceless. . .

Last spring I purchased a toddler's Bible, which we would read every night at the dinner table. After a few months we had gone through each story several times and sadly, the ritual faded away. Well, Gracie received a new "big girl" Bible for her birthday and tonight we started reading again. I set it on the table before dinner and she was so excited. . .I think she asked at least 10 times if I would read while daddy was grilling. So, after dinner it was finally time and she wanted Mommy to read. I began the creation story (which was significantly longer than in the previous Bible); she kept trying to peek at the next page since there were more words and fewer pictures. I decided I should try to engage her with a few questions. I read how "on the sixth day God created man." I asked if she knew a man. . .of course she replied "Daddy!" I continued reading. . . "Man was created in God's own image" which is when she interjected "Daddy is strong!" To say the least, emotion flowed:) She loves her Daddy so much and I am so thankful that he is a wonderful example of her Heavenly Father. The story goes on to say "God blessed this first man." Quite honestly, He has blessed us, too. Thank you, Lord, for the daily blessings and teachings you bring us through this precious, priceless child. And now she is standing out on the deck with Daddy listening to the "Calliou's" (one of her favorite television shows) or coyote's to the rest of us! She is truly priceless. . .