Curly Straight

Retiring one of my favorite skirts. It was getting old and threadbare.
Ann Taylor.
Olive green with embroidered flowers at the bottom.
Was good to me all these years.
You will never be replaced, Skirt.

Hello, Chocolate Brown boots.

Julia, a few weeks ago: I want to donate the crying baby. She hates me.

Julia, today, as I found Pink Pink, her baby doll (in a pink pumpkin): I want to keep that baby. Pink Pink loves me.

Had a conversation in the car on the way home from school.

Turns out Julia is excited for Chanukah and TJ believes in both Jesus and Santa.

I have many strong points.

Packing is definitely not one of the higher ranking ones.

We're country folk now!

God bless the person who decided that drinking tea would be a good thing.

I don't have time to be sick.

Boo.

-Nothing says holiday like a nutcracker.

From a website (where, incidentally, I was looking at nutcrackers).

Last year TJ wrote a note to Santa saying "Surprise me, Santa."

This year, he didn't write a note, but he did ask in person for Panda Village.

He also asked for a bell (inspired by the Polar Express book). He also may or may not have mentioned a nutcracker.

Julia wants a pink cat and a snow globe.

See why I love them?

Put the dogs into their area today.

Before I had a chance to tie them up, ZOOM, they both took off running. I couldn't figure out what was happening, until I saw flashes of white zipping through the woods.

They were on a mad chase after four white tailed deer.

Once I got them inside, I looked out a window and saw the neighbor's cows.

We're not in Cranston anymore, that's for sure.

tired, tired so so tired.

too much going on!

For some reason, she has taken a liking to telling me when she sees a man that is bald.

"Mama! I see a bald man," she tells me every now and then.

I am to the point now where I can nip it in the bud before she says it. My motherly instinct tells me before she says it. "Mama," she'll say, when a bald or balding man walks by.

"I know, Julia. I know what you see."

Julia was delighted when she found her jingle bells in a box of her stuff this morning.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is playing and she just asked me to pause it so she could go get her jingle bells.

She melts me.

Julia just asked me: "Mama, will you go fetch my reindeer?"

These short winter days allow us to see the sunrise and the sunset.

Wrapping (with a w) is not my strong point.

This was the best Christmas ever!

Hot dog!

Contents of the left pocket of my powder blue sweatshirt include:

-1 red headband
-3 barrettes consisting of 1 dark pink butterfly, 1 light pink ribbon and one blue barrette with a teddy bear
-an acorn cap

Mama: Give me a J!

Julia: J!

Mama: Give me a U!

Julia: U!

Mama: Give me an L!

Julia: L!

Mama: Give me an I!

Julia: I!

Mama: What does it spell?

Julia: PAJAMMIES!

This little 3-year-old knows all the tricks to avoid bedtime, including:

I'm scared!
I need more kisses (that one works wonders).
My pinkie hurts.
My pajamas are too small.
I have to go potty.
I'm hungry.
I'm thirsty.
I have to tell Daddy something.
Wanders in with a Minnie Mouse polka dotted baseball hat and her Calvin Klein cloud pajamas and tells me she wants a huggie.

This has all seriously happened tonight. And I just looked over and she's standing at my bed. I'm chewing bubble yum and blowing bubbles and she has her finger in front of my mouth because she knows bubbles are in the future.

I need to watch some back episodes of Supernanny, we'll have this girl sleeping through the night again in no time.

Mama: Julia, go to bed.

Julia: But Mama, I wanted a huggie.

Mama puts her back to bed.

10 minutes later:

Julia: Mama, I didn't want my fishies on.

Mama: Then turn them off.

Julia: I can't reach.

Mama: OK, I'll show you.
teaches Julia how to turn off her fishies

Julia, flicking the light switch on and off: Mama, isn't this cool? On, off. On, off. On, off.

Mama: Yes, Julia, so cool. Now go to bed.

Julia: Otay.

...

10 minutes later.

Julia, creeping into the room I'm in: Mama, I heard a huge noise in my room.

Mama: OK, I'll come up with you.

Julia: My sponge bob light isn't on! MAMA! That wasn't nice of you.

Mama: OK, let's put it back on. You want your Christmas lullabies on?

Julia: Yes.

Mama: OK, here's your doll. What's her name, Licklick?

Julia: MAMA! THAT IS NOT HER NAME.

Mama: OK, sorry. What's her name, Toottoot?

Julia: Yes, Toottoot.

20 minutes or so later...
John comes home and rounds the corner. Finds Julia playing in the hallway around the corner from where I'm on the computer. Puts her back to bed.

20 minutes after that.

An angry 3-year-old comes downstairs: You gave me too many blankets. I only want my rainbow blankie and my butterfly blankie. You gave me too many. At the other house, I never had too many.

Oh Roomba I'm never going to let you go.

I am especially impressed with the way you just untangled yourself from the Christmas tree skirt before it turned into a bad situation.

Knowing when to get away is half the battle, Roomba. You're so smart.

Julia, showing her dollies: This is Pinkpink and Purplepurple, her sister. They are so tall. Blueblue, their brother died.

Why do most single lighting fixtures look like nipples?

Thomas, 8 a.m.: Can I watch tv?

Mama: No! Watching tv all the time is not good for you. It rots your brain. It’s like eating cookies all the time, it’s not good for you.

Thomas: Can I have cookies?