We're gearing up for Halloween. Aunt Teresa brought us a tiny pumkin so Lea and I decided to do some decorating. We didn't want to cut into the actaul pumkin, because this was about 4 weeks before halloween and we wanted it to last so... I gave Lea paper and had her draw shapes that I cut out - she did really good with circles. I drew the triangles and the glasses, but Lea drew other eyes and these big round things that she said were the ears so I taped them on the side of the pumkin. Lea also insisted that the pumkin need a chin so in some of the pictues the pumkin has a big chin on the bottom... that's the pink circle under the glasses I think. Lea wanted the pumkin to have glasses so we cut glasses too. We colored on the pumkin with crayon first and then with double sided tape made our pumkin creations. My punkin made a pumpkin.
At one point in our decorating I was helping Lea stick the eyes where the eyes go and the nose where the nose goes, etc. and she looked at me and said "You do it mommy" and I realized I was stifling her creative expression of making a face so this is how Lea wanted the pumpkin to look once I stopped being a stickler for eyes being on the top and all that silly stuff. And one great thing about this pumkin decorating is we could do it over and over again. When Grandma came to town we made new eyes and stuff and had even more fun sticking them to ourselves. Here is some video on how to build a face. This video starts slow, but its worth it for "what does a mouth do?"
When I went to visit Sherry, she asked so are there any cute words Lea can't say and I said "Oh, hippopotamus and rhinoceros." Sherry said "Well those are not usual 2 year old words!" Yes we're very proud, but now she can say Hippopotamus. She and Grandma were reading a book just this morning and she said it just fine. It was so cute and I can'd duplicate it, but I got a bit of rhinoceros on video!
I have been paying attention more and she can be very difficult to understand, but if I ask her to describe the word or what its used for she can. We can usually figure it out, but there are still many "yes, dear" moments.
She Kacks for a duck. And she skips "s" at the beginning of words. I had a perfect example and now can't remember. I'll try to pay attention AND remember.
Note: there are videos at the end. There are 15 in all for the hardcore Lea fans, but the first 3 I think say it all.
We started the trip with a brief stay in Georgia at Grampy and Margaretes (though the Neal's stayed with Tina who Lea took quite a shine too, following her around her house). That was our first swim with Floaties. Lea took right to them, and Grandma, Grampy, Margarete & Dad were such sports they sat under the umbrella in the rain while Lea and I swam.
To Lea Myrtle Beach was only where the sand was. She did not quite comprehend or agree with us that the whole town was called Myrtle Beach. Unless we were going to where the waves and sand were, we were not gong to Myrtle Beach.
When we got there she looked out our balcony, saw the lagoon between the pools and told Grandma that that's where the meremaids lived. It was precious so we would talk about what the mermaids were doing. They went dancing a lot. I don't know where she got any of it, we've only watched the little mermaid once. We've watched Nemo many more times. It was just all out of her imagination.
Above you can see our view of the lagoon and pools and then the beach. Below is the bridge we had to walk over to get to the monkey pool and the beach. This bridge was over the lagoon where the mermaids lived. We didn't actually see any of those, but we did see eels and ducks.
Lea would get so excited swimming with her floaties she would laugh and keep her mouth open. We kept telling her to swim with her mouth closed (it was a salty bromine pool instead of cholorine, but still not tasty or healthy). She was just too enthusiastic!
We had a wonderful time. Most days consited of going to the beach after breakfast, then to what we lovingly called the monkey pool, because it was always full of children and had the best set of steps for jumping and swimming from. Then back up for lunch and a nap (for mommy most days too!) then back to the beach and monkey pool until we came up for dinner. It was so fantastic.
Our bating beauty had a different swim suit for everyday, some days 2 suits! Our view was great, the walk to the beach was minimal. We had it down pat, instead of loading up everything I could think of like the first day, it was grab the bag with towels, the bucket and shovel and we were off. We can't get out of the house to the grocery store as quick as we could head out for the beach. We had our system. Some days Grandma and Grampy and Margarete would come to the beach or the at least the pools, but Dan, me and Lea hit the beach every single day. The drive was long, but for a free beach stay you can't beat it. Thanks so much to Grampy and Margarete for inviting us and for Grandma Lynn paying for gas to get there. Can't beat the price. What a great deal we had. And so much fun.
We did make it out of the condo on two days. We went to a place called Broadway on the Beach which was an outdoor shopping center built around a canal with docks. We took a water taxi across the center just for the ride. Lea saw a dragon at the mini golf place in the shopping center and would recall it later as "I saw a dragon, it was a little scary." We beleive this actually came from the circus as I discussed in the last post, but it manifested itself on this trip. Dan and I came up with some brilliant parenting if I may say so. On her diapers is a picture of Elmo with a drum, so i said if you bang on the drum it will scare the dragon away, and separately Dan told Lea that Dragons are afraid of ice cubes so all you have to do is say "ice cube" and it will scare the dragaon away. So she plays her pretend drum and says "ice cube" now when she tells of seeing "the dragaon. It was a little scary" At Broadway on the Beach... actually the whole reason for heading to Broadway on the Beach was the carousel, which Lea was scared to death of when we finally got on it. That's not quite how she remembers it, but she was not happy to be on the horse that went up and down. We also went on a small train ride and that was a big hit! We got to play on a playground there too. Lea had a blast. The rest of us were hot and thirsty, but then we went for crazy amounts of seafood. Yum, yum. Calabash seafood buffet. Grampy got Lea a chocolate ice cream cone that she managed all on her own.
Not totally neatly, but she got most of it in her, not on her. Lea also tried squid and crab, but liked the chicken best. Aunt Teresa will be thrilled to hear that!
We also went to Mini Golf (not with the dragon, with the large octopus). We all played. Lea looked at us a little strange when we would fight to use the club to get the ball in the hole. She would run up, thow her ball in the hole and jump up and down yelling "I did it! I did it!" and then look at us like "its much easier without the stick, silly mommy!"
We had fun, but the long walk got to Margarete so we consoled ourselves with steak from Outback. We had a wonderful and fun dinner and headed home.
Aside from those two days it was delicious home cooked meals and beach and pool, beach and pool. Lea was able to make some friends. With Dan's encouragement I let Lea go on her own toward groups of kids and start her own conversation and interact in her own way. She took a while to warm up, would mostly just stand and watch for a while until she saw something she could help with and she'd jump right in. Most the kids she played with were older and she did very well making her own friends. I was very glad I held back from my instinct to run up and help her meet and play with kids. She didn't need mommy to make friends!
Where oh where has the time gone? Way back in Aug. we went to the cirucs with Teresa. Lea LOVED the elephants! We saw jugglers and elephants and motorcycles and elephants and clowns and elephants. The circus was very good about putting elephants in every couple acts. They only made a real appearance 3 times, but about 3 other times they talked to the audience through a big television screen. Lea approved very much. Smile! You're at the circus! It was so hot and we milled about outside before hand looking at elephants in the parking garage. We saw one poop and don't think that doesn't come up in conversation often! "elephant poop!" "Yes, sweetie, we did see an elephant poop!" "and, and, you touched elephant FOOT" - we did touch the elephant foot. There was a plastic cast of an elephant foot so we could see how big it was and we touched it. That is a favortie conversation starter as well.
There was a dragon that blew up like a Thanksgiving float out of a little circus train car. Lea will say "the dragon was a little scary" and her words get shakey and she shakes as though terrified. She's very dramatic. That's what we get for naming her (middle name) after her acress Aunt Kaitlin!
Daddy with our "free" clown nose
Mommy & Lea with our $12 snow cone
Everyone wrapped in the magic that is the circus. It was really a great expereince.
And on the ride home, engrossed in the circus program
We then took everyone to dinner at Fridays and In this video you hear Teresa and Dan tell the secrets, but all by herself Lea leaned over to me, put her hand to her mouth like she had the greatest secret in the world and whispered "psst, elephants" and it was adorable. We laughed and tried to get her to do it again, but as always the moment is hard to catch on camera. But you get the jist. It was so unexpected and cute.
And now, even though the circus was over a month ago, we still talk about the things we saw. We got a circus book, that has many things that we did not see, like lions and skating bears, but we can relate well to the circus book. More of our little Lea's melodrama occurs near the end of the book where something is missing in Mr. Roly Poly's circus, turns out to be music, but when they are trying to figure it out there is a page of sad animals and a sad clown. In the smallest saddest voice Lea says "pig sad" and then "clown sad too". But "pig sad" will break your heart. I was very happy to find a picture on the fly leaf in the front of a happy pig, so pig is not always sad. At the very end of the book they find music to make the circus the best in the world. In marches the band — the cymbols clang, the drums bang and the HORNS TOOTED! Oh gosh Lea heard that and laughed and laughed. "Horns tooted" and would point to her bottom. I beleive that is her first joke: Horns tooted. She still giggles when we read it and we've read it at least 100 times in the past 30 days!
Not the world's best video, but possibly the world's best 2 yr old party. I had such a great time at Lea's party and it seemed everyone else did, including the birthday girl. I will post more photos soon, but here are the videos we took. Wilder was Lea's first guest and they played by themselves for quite a while. Had a grand old time going from the bucket to the toddler pool. Lea didn't want anyone else in the water she was in, so as soon as Wilder came in she'd go to the other. And it seemed Wilder wanted to be wherever Lea was! It was very cute wathcing them switch pools.
Then more people showed up, including Aunt Bonny, Lalania, Wes & Jennifer with Brannick & Brogen. They looked like they had a great time frolicing. Pam & Andrew brought Anna (3) and Molly (1) who swam and had a grand old time. Ann, Able, Mia & Leo came and swam in the big pool and were a big help, as you can see from one video of Leo helping Lea open presents. They all played a fishing game, where Michael Hopens played "Neptune" and sat behind our canoe and clipped prises to "fishing" poles. The kids seemed to enjoy that. I know I liked it and Michael made a WONDERFUL king of the sea!
Then we opened presents and everyone was so wonderful to us. Lea loves everything she got! Thanks you guys so much. We went back to swimming and then we had cake before EVERYONE left. We waited a little too long for cake and I'm sorry to those who didn't get some. Kids clammoring for swimming had my ear and I didn't realize it had gotten as late as it had! Lea never took a nap and swam and played until about 4pm I think.
We had such a wonderful day with all our friends and family. Thanks so much to those who came and those who were not able to because they were too far away or other obligations, we sure missed you!
"Deerlick beloved we are gathered here today..." Lea's pun during Punderdome game 5-22
"Boat, Boat, Boat!" = Danger when there was water coming into the boat on Beavers Bend Lake in 4-22 with Kim
Puff Puff Piffle make me sniffle — Lea argues that that is the saying, not make me just as small as Sniffles 2017
Osonate [Aw-son-ate] sauce = Arsenic sauce in the Grinch song "You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!" 2016
Germ hole to germ hole = a kiss at church during peace be with you when mommy is sick
anti quote = always comes with finger quotes. I believe she means "And I quote" but she is adamant that it is anti quote. 5-12
Sam Philips Hand = Philips head screwdriver after Dan told Lea it was named for a man named Philips.
Compliment = The word Lea kept using instead of Accusation during our first games of clue. As in "I can't make a compliment until I get to room, right?"
Ark el Harold's Angels Sing and And The Jelly Hosts Proclaim= Hark the Harold Angel's Sing and With Angelic Hosts Proclaim
"Wolf gloves" = Fox Glove flowers. In a story Lea asked what foxgloves look like, so the next morning she wanted to look them up and asked Dan to look up Wolf gloves. It took us a while to figure out what she was talking about. 8/10
"mows my teeth" = what the electric tooth brush does
Seener = Venus I think. As in "I love you to Seener and Mars and back again"
Box of socks = what's inside a wrapped package so Lea doesn't give the gift way.
amn't = "I am not" as in "No, mommy I amn't"
Ep-a-cot = Epcot center. On our Disney trip Lea made this word 3 syllables.
Ray-B-C = CB Radio. There is a picture of the pigeon talking on the CB Radio in a book and Lea can never get the name right. You know talking on the Ray-B-C.
Smash 'em Turvy = Smash 'em up Derby. Smashable Turvey is what Lea thought I said, so now when we play cars we play Smashable Turvy.
skull = pirates. Anything decorated with skulls Lea says are pirates, as in "Your shoes have pirates on them."
licky pills = cough drop/throat lozenge
chicken hairs = tiny hairs on mommy. I remember my grandmother calling the tiny mostly invisible hairs on her face "chicken feathers" so I said that to Lea one day. Now even hair on my legs are "chicken hairs" as in sitting in my lap saying, "Mommy your chicken hairs are POKING me!"
Ouchie Lea! = The natural equivalent to "Ouchie Mama" which I say... me being the mama... so Lea figured out she needed to say "Ouchie Lea" Took me longer to figure out why she said it that way. Makes perfect sense if you're 3.
Be Patient, Be Calm Mommy =Lea's calming influence on mommy. Her cute little voice when I've spilled something all over the kitchen floor.
Cotton Ball = Cannon Ball... that's what Lea called Dan's "diving" in the pool, as in "Do another cotton ball Daddy"
schlopp schlopp = ice cream or treat. It comes from The Dr. Seuss book The Thinks You Can Think. "You can eat schlopp schlopp, you don't have to stop." And there is a picture of two people sitting at a table. Lea said that was Mommy & Daddy, so the next time we went out without Lea I said we were going for Schlopp Schlopp and that she and Grandma could have ice cream which then became schlopp schlopp on its own.
Bergen = "Let's find a Bergen" -This means, let's do the Gem Hunt on Webkins which features an old salty dog. After several days of wondering what she was talking about, we heard the dog say in a drawl, "Let's see what Bargains we can find" and we both had an "ah ha" moment.
"Den DC" = Where Godmother Sherry lives. Lea's shorthand for Washington DC.
"Heavy Strong" = chin ups or pull ups. Lea used to do "heavy strong" on the bars of her crib and now does them on the playground.
"If you say so, I say so"= I will relent to doing what you say or you have relented to what I have insisted on for the past 20 min. Very cute in a staccato voice.
Old McDomino's=McDonalds, as in "I want to eat at Old McDomino's"
"ploblems" = problems as in "Mommy I'm having shoe ploblems"
"oat mill" = windmill @ grandpa's house
"floppy nest" = pack and play bed @ Grandma's
"za-cunni" = zucchini — usually as in "No, no za-cunni"
"why cause" = because
"nap thirty" = response to what time is it after lunch?
"attention horde" = extension cord
"as fast as me can"
amn't I = aren't I. I've listed this before but thought I'd note that she still says it at 8 yrs/third grade old even though she reads at a 6th grade level. I still find it cute.
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