Classical Barbie

On the way to kindergarten today we were listening to 88.9 FM, Minnesota's Public Radio station, and Sofi asked me to turn it up. They were playing Peter Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty: Waltz being performed by the Vienna Philharmonic.

Expressing some surprise at her interest, Sofi replied: "This is what Barbie dances to!" Of course, I should have expected; where else would her interest in classical music stem from!

She's probably referring to one of her favorite DVDs, Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses. And to Sofi's credit, she may actually be correct; that DVD, along with several other Barbie DVDs, has classical music (or what at least sounds like classical music) as part of its soundtrack.

While I'm not a big fan of Barbie (I've been known to ban her from being checked out from the library) due to impression she can leave regarding physical appearance on the mind of our young, impressionable daughter, I will give Barbie this credit (and my Mom has said this before): she does a good job of promoting the arts.

Isaac is All Well

Isaac had his three year check up yesterday. He handled it VERY well, and did everything the nurse asked him to do, without any fussing. It was the cutest when she asked him to take deep breaths while she was listening to his lungs. He quickly learned that every time she moved the stethoscope that she wanted him to breath deep, so he did so without being asked; these cute little inhales followed by cute little exhales. He is 3' 1" tall and weighs 28 lbs., which puts him in 50% percentile for height and 25% percentile for weight. He even handled getting his H1N1 booster shot really well: cried some, but not for very long.

Sofi is home sick watching an old superheroes video. I comment that wonderwoman looks cold. "that's because she doesn't have a@@drewmarkcreative.ftae@blogger.com ny clothes on!" She intelligently observes.
@

I just heard Mary say: ''And don't wipe boogers on that dress....''

Home Sick

Sofi is home sick, again. She asked to watch TV, so I turned on PBS. The last few minutes of Sesame Street were on, so she watched that, but after a few announcements from sponsors it changed to a show about southern Gulf states; not exactly kid-fare like Word Girl or CyberChase.

Listening to the show in the background I was thinking it sounded pretty dry, and was about to get up and show some sympathy and put in a DVD when I heard "Wow! Mississippi is a BIG state!" and looked up to find Sofi engrossed. So I let it go, went outside to rake, and let Sofi continue to soak up the trivia being dispensed about our Gulf states.

While raking outside Sofi came out later to tell me what she wanted to do for her birthday. Knowing PBS, I quickly figured this was leading to another birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, since they are a frequent sponsor of kids programming on PBS (talk about hitching a rotten wagon to an excellent horse; utter marketing genius). But instead she surprised me: "For my birthday... can we go to a museum... with a mastodon?"

Thank you, PBS. My check's in the mail.

You May Be a Red Neck If...

So we are driving home from school the other day, and I look into the rear view mirror to find Sofi flossing her teeth... with her hair.

And then on the weekend we were raking up the leaves in our front yard, when suddenly I realize I've lost track of Sofi. She isn't anywhere to be found. I look around a bit... and find her under the topper of our pickup, which is currently off the pickup and leaning against the house—a make-shift shelter. A make-shelter that is perfect, it turns out, for copping a squat... because I look up just in time to see her bare bum, yanking up her pants.

'Suppose I should be grateful that she at least had the decency to seek out a little privacy under the pick-up topper.

Local Celebrity

I returned home from a TV interview for the madrigal dinner and the kids greeted me at the door. Sofi said she waved at me on TV and wondered if I saw her and Isaac laughed and said I looked funny!

Kiss the Hand

I asked Isaac for a bedtime kiss tonight and instead got the hand in my face pushing me away, and was told: "Kiss the hand". I countered "But I need a kiss from my favorite son!"

After a dramatic pause I was answered with an even more dramatic... "KISS ME!"

Pass that Buck

On one of these "below normal" days in August of all months where the current outside temp is 56º....

Dad: "Hey, who left the back door open!"

Issac: "I did."

Dad: "OK, then go close it."

Isaac: "Oh! Then YOU did."

The Big Boy

As Mary said this morning, "Isaac is getting to be such a big boy!"

This was in response to two things: 1) letting Mom brush his teeth without throwing a fit, and 2) wearing underwear for the first time. The latter of which he ran into the kitchen to show me, pantless, quickly spinning round to show me his butt with Lightning McQeen printed across it. He was very proud. We thought this indulgence in Disney marketing might motivate his transition out of diapers, and this first attempt is proving that Mom and Dad are correct in their assumption.

So while getting ready for the day this morning, and in response to the above, I announced to Isaac as he was finishing up his accomplishments in the bathroom "I'm going to brush my tooth too, so I can be a be a big boy like Isaac!"

To which Isaac replied: "But you can't wear unnerwear"

Dad: "Oh. OK."

Isaac: "Because unnerwear is for birfdays... and you don't have a birfday."

Dad: "I don't!"

Isaac: "Nope. Only kids have birfdays... and Sofi."

Possesive Punctuation

Sofi's discovery: "Hey Mama! Did you know that you can get whatever you want? All you have to do is write your name and add a capostrophy s!"

Mom: "Where did you learn that?"

Sofi: "On TV somewhere...:

We are currently in Duluth, hanging out at Canal Park, but find ourselves more frequently visiting Great Harvest Bread Co.

Isaac: When I go' up I gonnabe a bad guy! Us: Oh no! Isaac: But I not yet.

Sofi: "It's big! Is this the lake you were talking about? It's beautiful!", commenting on her first view of Superior.

Arrived at Amnicon Falls State Park around 9:15. Kids awake but very tired, but still wanted to help pitch the tent.

Big

On the way to Sofi's dance class at the YMCA I overheard this conversation in the backseat:

Sofi: "...and some day Isaac you'll be really big." [makes a gesture of tallness with her hands above her head]

Isaac: [matter-of-factly] "I am big."

Sofi: "No, you're not. Not like Papa. But someday you will be... if you eat all your vegetables."

Power to the Pedal

This one is for Papa....

While biking on the way home from church today, pedaling hard on her trail-a-bike behind mom, Sofi declared: "Checkered flag, here we come!"

Buzz Before Bed

After frozen custard at culvers tonight I casually noted Isaac running around in a pre-sleep frenzy. Suddenly he stopped, looked at me with a big grin, and wisely noted: "ice cream makes me run around!"

Isaac wants "bloo ice keem on a pine cone"

A declaration from Isaac as we were driving down the road: "We shud buy a gahbags truck... to drive it."