Do you know where your fivehead is?

So there I was, minding my own business.  Peacefully lying on the couch with a flame shooting out of my ear (ear candling - it's amazing).  Ava chose that moment to say what quite possibly is the funniest thing she has EVER said...well this week anyway.  Now, Ava rambles.  She asks me at least 500 questions a day.  I think she says "mom" or "mama" at least 1000 times a day.  Around 8 or so if she hasn't met her quota, she usually starts saying it 5 or 6 times in a row before asking or telling me what is weighing on her little 4 year old mind.  But, I digress.  As I was lying with a candle stuck in my ear...Jill sitting next to me to ensure that my hair did not catch on fire (or the couch for that matter), Ava was in the midst if a litany of questions and observations. Thrown in was, "Mom, where's your fivehead?"  Of course, I was confused.  "Huh?"  She then pats the top of her head and says, "Is this my fivehead?"  Still confused, "Huh??"  She explains, "Well, this is your fourhead...." (pointing, of course, to her forehead.)  Unfortunately, I was unable to laugh very hard at that point because:  (1) I try not to laugh at her because I don't want to embarrass her and make her not want to come to me with her questions and (2) I was afraid that if my head was shaking, my hair would catch on fire.

Ava is a very logical kid.  If you have a fourhead, why wouldn't you have a fivehead? or a twohead or three head for that matter.  We were recently in Michigan visiting friends who have a daughter the same age as Ava.  Like Ava, she's a little smarty pants.  She does attend preschool, but advised me in no uncertain terms that although she does go to school, she does not NEED to go to school.  She's the smartest one in the class...and the teacher's favorite.  She and Ava were assisting with brownie making and assigned the task of stirring to the count of 10.  Miss Smart says to Ava, "I can count to 1000!"  Not to be outdone, Ava replies, "Well, I can count to 2010!"  (Now, Ava constantly throws numbers at me asking if it is the biggest number ever.  2010 (twenty-ten) is a current favorite.  I thought it was because of the year, but I was wrong.)  Miss Smart says, "There is no 2010."  Ava says, "Yes there is:  24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 2010 (twenty-ten)!"  No response.  Soft laughter from me and Miss Smart's mommy.  Later:  reminder to Ava that 30 comes after 29.  Days later:  we counted to 2010 again.  Another reminder that 30 comes after 29.  "Mom, I know that but I like to shake things up."  Seriously.  She said that.  She's still 4.

On to more religious things.  Yesterday I was talking with Ava about Palm Sunday (today).  We talked about what happened on Palm Sunday - the donkey, the palm branches, the shouts of Hosanna!  Ava's question:  "Were there fireworks?"

Not to be outdone by her big sister, Michaela has been exerting her...ummm...twoness.  Her current favorite thing to do is to "throw back" things that Ava has said over the past 2 years of Michaela's life.  For example, Ava gets a little car sick (no vomiting thank goodness) - especially when we go over little bumps or hills (as hilly as the flatland gets around here).  She complains of a headache, I crack her window, she whines a little more, and all is well.  Michaela has picked on this, so when we hit the aforementioned bumps, hills, etc., she says "Wheeeee!"  Until a few days ago.  We went over a little bump and I hear, "Mom.  I have a headache! I sick!"  and then laughter.  Nice Michaela.

Ava also complains about Michaela talking or singing too loudly.  (Of course, it is perfectly acceptable for Ava to sing at the top of her lungs while galloping around the house.)  Today as I was trying to get them ready for church, Michaela voiced a complaint of her own:  "Mom.  Ava's chewing too loud."

Cupcake Day

Well, the BIG DAY has finally arrived.  Tomorrow is cupcake day.  Cupcake day is the day we leave for Michigan.  Named "cupcake day" because we marked the day on the calendar with a cupcake sticker. Yes, I made the mistake of telling Ava we were going to Michigan and have had to live through almost 2 1/2 weeks of "how many more days...."  You would think that I would have learned something for the 4 week countdown to the big sleepover at Auntie Jill's.  But, no, I did not.  I just put a cupcake sticker on the day we leave, and we've been crossing of days ever since.

Much like the sleepover adventure, Ava packed her suitcase 3 days ago.  This was after asking for several days if she could pack it.  I kept telling her no - she tends to pack all of her underwear - and then she "got smart."  Hmmmm.....let's use this cute little blonde-haired-blue-eyed girl..."Mom!  Michaela wants to pack our suitcase for Michigan.  Is that ok?"  Well, if Michaela wants to, then go ahead.  Earlier today I unpacked it to see exactly what she thought was important enough to take to Michigan:

• 8 pairs of pajamas, including her halloween bat pajamas and random pajama bottoms with no matching top
• 10 pairs of underwear ("in case I pee my pants")
• 1 pair of pants
• 4 shirts
• a dinosaur (a tyranosaurus to be exact) + plastic dino eggs
• a few large checkers
• 1 necklace
• a plastic cell phone that has lipgloss inside ("so that I can look beautiful")
• a dolphin beanie baby
• a few random Littlest Pet Shop pets and pieces

Of course, there was absolutely nothing of Michaela's in the suitcase (except for the Littlest Pet Shop pieces).  In addition to packing early, I been flooded with "When we go to Michigan can I bring...[cat cookies, gum, suckers, milk, nightgown that is far to big for her, etc., etc."

I hope this trip meets her expectations.  And note to self:  don't tell her in advance that we are going ANYWHERE!

Yep, she said that

One of my main purposes of blogging is to try to keep track of the minutia I might otherwise forget.   Such as:

Ava:

"Is my heart behind my left boob or my right boob?"
"Dad, your coffee is stupendous."
Ava completely obsessed with having a sleepover with her cousins.  We had to create a calendar to count down the days.  She planned the events for the evening and packed her suitcase 10 days in advance.  What's even better than sleepovers in Ava-land?  Going to Michigan in 7, make that 6 days.
asked daddy:  "I know how Jesus gets into my heart, but how do we get into HIS heart?"
Ava is doing very well learning site words, as well as with her writing.  Hopefully she'll be reading by summer.

Michaela:

M:  "Woo Hoo!"  Mommy:  "Who taught you to say that?"  M:  "My mouth."
M can't make the "er" sound - she says "ee" as in "buttee"; "flowee"; "lettee"; etc. so cute

Bitee = diaper; bagee = garbage; prollaby = probably
She still teases me about my age...randomly looks at me and says "you 40" and laughs
loves Backyardigans and yells at me when I sing the theme song incorrectly
rolls her hands while singing the ABC song
The best, though, has to be her love of my cell phone.  Last week she picked it up flipped it to the side (which causes the key board to come up) and told me she was "looking at the lettees."  Then she starts tapping away, "I sending a text."  This is now common.  She picks up my phone, looks at me innocently as she taps away and says, "I'm texting."  She actually CRIES when I won't let her have my phone:  "I need to text!"  (Michaela - you are 2.  Who are you texting?)

What I'm reading this month

I'm trying to read more now that the kids are only attached to me 22 hours a day instead of 24.  Pete even bought me a clip-on book light so that I don't ruin my eyes...well any more than they are already ruined from a childhood of voracious reading, followed by a lit/writing major in college, and then 3 years of law school. Here's my current reading list, as I know you are MOST interested:

recently read:

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt - I really liked this book a lot - even read during the Olympics
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner - an easy read with way too much gratuitous sex (which I define as completely unrelated to the plot and only exposes the writer's....well, I'll stop there).
The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond - well, don't you read cookbooks?  Loved it.  I'm going to actually buy it.

currently reading:

Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin - he spoke at our church; maybe I need a paradigm shift.
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
Crazy Love by Frances Chan - determined to finish this month

on my desk:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby - why?  because my friend Flo started a blog & mentioned this title.  it intrigued me.
Same Kind of Different as Me

We are headed to our vacation house in Michigan later this month, so I plan to sit and read while other people watch my kids.