Hearty Guffaw

Jess has become increasingly articulate, add a wacky sense of humor (shaken, not stirred) and wow...she's had us in stitches!
I decided to keep a "Loolie Log", of most of the funny-ish things she says. (There are a few things she learned from her Uncle Jared that I'll skip.) Here it goes.

Today as we were leaving the church house, Jess was dragging me buy the arm to the car. I asked " Why are you in such a rush to get home? Is there something amazing waiting for you there?" She said yes. I asked what, and she said "Daddy". (Steve had presidency meeting this morning so we had driven separately.)She's right. He is amazing. He fixed the garage door and installed the other garage door opener yesterday and it works beautifully. Mad skills. Mad skills and power tools.

Jess' teacher gave her a book of nursery rhymes when we registered for school. We read it and read it and read it some more. Jess loves to sing. I found a CD of them being sung. She's created her own lyrics... here's one you might recognize:
Bah bah black sheep Winnie Winnie woof, yes sir yes sir 3 bags full. One for my nurser, one for my name, one for the little girl who lived down the lane. She also sings Abba in the shower...or where ever she is.

Jess also has an inclination towards the medical field.
During personal prayer last night she prayer for her Grandma Kim to feel better. Then she started explaining to Heavenly Father that one time she felt awful and thought it was because she had too many fries, but that she really just had a cold , so please bless grandma because she probably didn't eat fries. I love prayers.

She also discovered earwax(I know, yummmy!). She asked what it was and why it's in there. I explained briefly that it keeps stuff in that needs to be there and things that need to stay out, out. A few days later she had a fever. She came in with her shoulders slumped and her head down. Mom, I know why I'm sick she told me in penitent tones. I took some of that earwax out and the germs got into my head.

She also has a really strong gag reflex. Giving her medicine is a circus. I had to give her some allergy medicine. She didn't want to take it, so I had to advertise the delicious flavor. She agreed to take it and choked it down. With watering eyes she smiled and said " Mom, that was grody-delicious." At least she humors me!

When she goes down for a nap, we read a few books first and then snuggle up. On this particular day, we had read and were snuggling. I was telling her some of the good things I had noticed about her, and told her that I loved her. She told me, " I love you too, I want to be a boy." pause pause..."Why?" Then she explains "So I can be your husband because I love you."

Last week she went to a fabulous princess party. I was late picking her up. She told me " Oh! I thought you would never come. I waited for like a year. I thought maybe sharks ate you (in a land locked state?) ...or you went to another planet(We've been star gazing and I've tried to teach her some of the constellations and planets.)..or that the car filled with butterflies.

Jess wanted to know why I wear a wedding ring. We talked about special promises and symbols. A few days later we were with family. Jess asked her aunt "Where's your husband?". Her very patient aunt explained that she didn't have one(She's divorced and has 4 terrific kids, 2 sons at home right now). Jess told her, " Don't you think you should have a ring on your finger before you have those two boys?" Her very good aunt laughed and told her to keep thinking that way!
Jess is always entertaining. I love her..winnie winnie woof!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Rainbows and Brownies

Steve,(For such a tall man, it's amazing how neatly he fits around Jessica's little finger.), purchased Jess a pack of plastic goats at Cal-Ranch. She plays with them all of the time and sometimes I end up playing goats too...it's better than Barbies! There are 4 brown kids and 4 black kids and then a set of parents in each color, and a random Paul Bunyan looking guy and a fence. Add a few pretty ponies and it makes for an interesting time.
She introduced me to the goats before I could play with them. She held up one brown kid-goat and told me it was named Brownie. Next she held a black kid-goat,I'm predicting "Blackie". Nope. Rainbow is it's name. I asked her what all of the goats were named. She told me she only needs two names because they all look the same. I guess keeping it simple is the idea!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Life is a Stage

While I do Jess' hair she likes to play with a plastic giraffe and a plastic lion. She's named them after characters from he Lion King II. This time she didn't have them so she used her hands. I didn't notice until her hands started arguing with each other and her little fingers were going like hummingbird wings. She did the same thing with the crayons the other day. The colorful 8 pack had been cast into another feature film, and then her play veggies... she made me "dinner" and as I was pretending to eat, she informed me that I was eating Little John the avocado.
With minimal protest, our cat Edison has become a thespian extraordinaire. Jessica likes him in the roll of Princess Ballerina. I tried to explain that Edison is a boy. She told me "Well, he's a girl now!" Good Luck Edison.
I think she'll be surprised when she finds out that animals aren't all made of plastic. 4-H might be shocking for her.

Ridin' the Cheese Wagon

Yesterday was Jessica's first day to board the "cheese wagon" to Kindergarten without me. We stood out at the end of the lane. With a growl and a zoom it shot right past us! I took her to school unaware of the matag of emotion I had avoided. I got things squared away with the transportation dept.
Again this morning, we stood hand in hand at the end of the lane; red hooded sweater "zipped up like Misto Wajors ( Mr. Rogers)" , skrunchy bun hair, and a pink Kungfoo Panda backpack. The cheese wagon came this time. She climbed on the bus and walked down the isle looking for a seat. As she went farther and farther toward the back of the bus the kids got bigger and bigger and so did the pounding in my chest. She slid into a seat and pressed her nose to the window and waved and waved and waved. I waved and waved and waved until I couldn't see the bus anymore. Then I sobbed. I walked back to the house and sobbed some more. It's not so much that Jess is growing up, but the safety issue. I want her to have all of these new experiences, but I know some of them are going to be hard. If she gets on the wrong bus, or someone doesn't want her on their team or what ever. Will she make good choices even when it's hard? I wonder if Heavenly Father felt this way when we left Him.
I painted the porch and watched for the bus. I trimmed the roses and watched for the bus. It finally came. She held my hand as we walked up the lane to the house( Yep. I ran down the lane to the bus stop. I probably scared the bus driver. I didn't realize it until I got to the gates!).
Jess told me all about the nice kid on the bus who told the bus driver she was in K-garten so she could get on the correct bus. Snickering she told me that she farted on the bus on the way home but the 2 girls she was sitting by didn't know because she was quiet. I seriously doubt that! I don't think SBD's are going to help her win friends and influence people!
With a little lunch, a nap and some perspective, things are good.