Bull

To our dear Gabbie: 

After talking your dad about something this morning that has frustrated me I said that it was bull. You looked up and serenely corrected me telling me that it was bullshit.  You are 4.5.

I was equally mortified by the not-kiddo language coming out of your mouth, and proud that the context was accurate.  

Mouseling Lessons

Lately at night, Gabrielle has been begging us to let her take her Kindle to bed with her.  She is currently obsessed with a cartoon called Angelina Ballerina, which is about a ballet dancing mouse in dance school.

We are faithfully telling her every night that her kindle is not allowed in her bed, which usually leads to either an argument, a fit, or tears. Sometimes parenthood is really rewarding. 

Tonight after her episode was over, I told her that she had to turn it off and go up to bed. For 45 minutes she argued with Joel or I about playing it upstairs.  Her very last argument of the night was that the ballerina mouse's mother is teaching them to finish what they start, and Gabrielle should have to finish the TV episode she started.  Ummmm.... No.  Just no.  Good try though, kiddo!  

Firecracker

It's official; Independence Day is my favorite holiday.  It's not about gifts, the weather is perfect, the food is delicious, and the fireworks... Oh, the fireworks!  We ate watermelon all day, the girls played at parks, played in the water at home, and just generally had a perfect day of fun.  We went to the park for fireworks, and the anticipation was driving them crazy.  

Once they started, Gabbie settled right in, but Lilah was still pretty keyed up, and she stayed that way most of the time.  Gabbie, initially thought that she was controlling the fireworks with her glow sticks, which was so adorable, then she fell asleep, and she stayed asleep through most of the fireworks show, including the grand finale at the end.  (Pictured below: glow sticks controlling fireworks.)

I was just in heaven that I got to get all snuggled under a blanket with her on my lap, watch the fireworks and get my cuddles in.  Last year I wondered if she would be "over" snuggling for fireworks this year, and tonight I wondered it for next year.  One day it will come true, and I will be so sad.  One day we won't be cool, or fun, or #1 for them.  We will be walking, talking ATMs, whose very presence is a hinderence to their social status, who they won't want to snuggle at fireworks.  

But that day isn't today.  

So, I didn't even mind that Gabbie went right to our bed tonight when we got home. :)