Forty Hundred Thumbs Up and Other Stories

On the way to my Aunt's for Thanksgiving.  I had my iPhone hooked up to the minivan's stereo.  I had forgotten that I picked a few choice AC/DC songs to add to my play list. They remind me of high school in my post-alternative phase, hanging out with my cousin and his friends, and going to Rush concerts.  

There were cheers for Bieber (or Beaver, as Three calls him).  Suddenly, the first few bars of "Back in Black" began.  Complete silence in the minivan. 

Then a little voice pipes up, it's Three:   Mom, who sings this song?

Me:  AC/DC

Moo:  AC, WHAT?

Three:  "I MEAN what is the NAME of this song!!

Me:  Back in Black.

Three: Forty Thumbs UP! No Forty HUNDRED Thumbs Up!

Moo:  100 Thumbs UP!

Three:  Can you put this on my play list?

Me, dumbfounded:  Um, sure.

Moo:  Me, too Mom.

Me:  Ok.

Doodle:  I don't get it.

*******

This morning, Doodle has a friend over and we are making chocolate chip cookies.

Me:  Are there any other cookies you want me to make for the holidays?

Doodle:  Let's make Spritz cookies!

Me:  Yes, It's a tradition for us. Do you remember whose recipe we use?

Doodle:  Hmmmmm.

Me:  I've give you a hint.  Three is named after her.

Doodle:  Oh, Aunt Helen.

Moo:  She makes the BEST cookies!   (Interesting because Aunt Helen died before Tori was born and Tori never got to taste her cookies.  I do, however, use her recipes.  She was an amazing cook).

Three, sounding it out:  HELL- A- NA.  You mean my name has Hell in it?!  (Three says this in an amused sort of way).

Me:  I guess so. 

A moment later, after thinking about it......Me:  And it's strangely appropriate.


********
Doodle has a sleepover in full force.  Six girls, eight and nine years old, and Three.  We told Three she could watch the movie with the big girls.  There's lots of chatter and Three is getting frustrated.

All of a sudden from the next room I hear, from Three, loudly:  Shut your little pie hole and watch the movie!!

Complete and utter silence.  Trying not to laugh, Three goes in the naughty chair.

Dan:  Horrifying, yet strangely effective.

Me:  Yep, those big girls are still quiet. 

Overheard,Observed and Generally Awesome

Three:  Can I have some chocolate milk?

Me:  Sure, after you eat your dinner.

Three:  Oh, dammit.

************

Three: You have peach skin, I have brown skin.

Me:  Yes.  I think it's beautiful.

Three:  I want to have peach skin.  Peach is my favorite color.

Me:  Isn't orange your favorite color?

Three:  Nope, peach.

Me:  Really?  You know, some of my favorite people are brown.  Auntie R, Grandma S, .....

Three: I LIKE Peach!

Me:  Ok.  We're different, but I think we are both beautiful.  What do you think?

Three:  I have boogers and sneezes and I NEED a Kleenex!!  Now!!

Me:  I'm glad we had this talk.

**********

Me, in the bathroom:  Three, you have to wipe front to back.  No, wait, you need to make sure to wipe your bottom.

Three: But I DID.

Me:  Your whole bottom!

Three:  I DID! I DID IT!

Me:  Not really.  Wipe the WHOLE bottom!

Three, shouting:  I.  Wiped.  MY.  BUTT!

Me, exasperated:  I mean you have to actually wipe your whole butt, even in your butt crack.

Silence.

Three, in a tiny voice:  Butt crack?

Then hysterical laughter. She literally cried, she laughed so hard.  Then...

Three:  Butt crack, butt crack, butt crack...

Me:  You, know, that is a potty word and we can only say it when we are in the potty.

Three:  Ok.

A few hours later, I hear loud, hysterical laughter from the bathroom.  Sounds like there is a party in there. Giggling and snorting and guffaws and dancing.

Then I hear Dan's voice:  BUTT CRACK?  Hahahahhaha!! 
Three:  Yes, Mommy said BUTT CRACK!!

More laughing.

Me:  Grow up, all of you!

******
A story from Hoosier Girl:

So the girls were playing with their dolls and having them get married.  I asked who would be the preacher, and the girls told me I should be the preacher. I started the ceremony, but stopped to ask what the girl doll's name was, and it was Dell.  When I asked who the boy was, Moo replied, in an exasperated voice:  It's KEN.  It says so right there on his underwear!!

******

A sign on Moobear's door:

"Sleep over.  No boys allowed.  Except Daddy and Star Wars Boy*"

* Name has been changed to protect the name of Moobear's good friend.

*******

Family Movie Night, we're watching Rudy.

Moobear, "They keep talking about dressing for the football game, where are the dresses?!!  Who is going to wear the dresses?!"

Me:  If you're waiting for the dresses in this movie, you're going to wait a loooooong time.

Later, we're playing let's see if we can spot Daddy in the band in the movie.  I'm convinced I see Dan.

Me:  Look honey! It's you.! That is TOTALLY you.

Dan: That looks EXACTLY like me, except that he's playing trombone, and I played trumpet.

Me:  Whoops.  He's totally cute, though.

Dan:  Nice save.

Has it been three years?

We have some friends who are in China meeting their daughter for the first time.  Just about this same time of year three years ago, end of April/beginning of May, we were in Ethiopia.  Thus, we have been thinking about and remembering our adoption trip.  I just can't believe that three years ago about this time we were in Ethiopia and Three looked like this:

And now she looks like this:

Racisim and Stereotypes Alive and Well in America!

Shame on you, Disney, and shame on the makers of this candy.
 Here's a link to one of my must read blogs, Racialicious, if you want to join the conversation.  Photo credit:  Racialicious.

Priorities

After the Superbowl, on the way home from a party:

Moo:  I liked that car the player got.  The black one.

She's referring to the Corvette gifted to Eli Manning.

Doodle:  It was cool. 

Moo:  And he forgot to get the keys at first!

Doodle:  Can we get a car like that?

Dan:  Yes, but we will need to use your college fund to pay for it.  Should we do that?

Moo:  No!  College is more important than a car.

Doodle:  A car is a want, not a NEED.


My heart swells with pride.  Briefly.

Three:  I want a green one.  No, maybe an orange one.  The fast one car.  That one.  Yes.

An Admirer From Afar....

I got this email from the Mom of a boy in Moobear's class two days ago:

Hi there,

I am Mark's* mom and am writing to ask what Mark* can get for Moobear for Christmas?  It turns out he has a crush on her (I found out after the Halloween get-together) and wants to give her an anonymous gift.  I only have tonight and tomorrow night to get her something...any suggestions?

thanks!

 

My response:

How cute!  That is adorable.  I won't tell!

Moobear loves anything pink, mini erasers, Barb*e, plain notebooks or journals--especially ones with cats on them-- she is obsessed with cats right now, legos, stickers, stuffed animals, lip gloss.  She also loves to bake cupcakes and cookies.  Does that give you enough to go on?

 

Mark's* Mom:

Thanks!  I'll see what I can come up with.  Please don't say anything, Mark* is very shy about it.  I guess other boys like her too so he can't even tell his friends!  Have a great holiday.

 

My reaction, reading the last email was, oh that is so sweet, but wait a minute,  OTHER BOYS LIKE HER TOO?

 

It appears that the pretty pink princess Halloween costume was an amazing choice!

 

I've kept the secret, and I can't wait to hear about the present that is mysteriously going to appear in her locker today.   Every girl deserves to have a secret admirer in her life. 

 

In other news, Doodle tells me she can beat up boys.  Apparently there is a boy in her class that she pretend fights with all the time at recess.  Who knew the girls would be so different?

 

*Not his real name.  All names have been changed to protect the feelings, hopes and dreams of one very cute, very sweet little boy. 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

 

A Challenge for Santa

As of this morning, we had no idea what Santa was going to bring Three for Christmas.  Previous conversations went like this:

Me:  Three, what do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?

Three:  A DS.  And a pen.

Me:  But you can't have a DS until you are 7.  Is there anything else you want Santa to bring you?

Three:  A DS and a pen.

Me:  Never mind.

This morning, we made some progress (sort-of).

Me:  Three, what should Santa bring you for Christmas?

Three:  A DS and a pen.

Me:  You can't have a DS until you are seven.  Is there anything else you want Santa to bring you?

Three:  A laser.  Lasers.

Me:  A laser???

Three:  Yes, lasers.

Me:  What, may I ask, are you going to do with a laser?

Three:  I'm going to shoot them.  Pew! Pew! (shooting noises).  And I'm going to kill her.

Me:  Three, it's not nice to kill people.  We don't shoot people with lasers.

Three:  It's pretend.  It's just lasers.

Me:  So the only thing you want from Santa is a laser?

Three (exasperated, speaking as if I am a complete idiot):  YES.  And a DS.

Awesome.  Those elves have their work cut out for them.