On Facebook, Lately

I recently realized that as my posts go from essays to snippets, more and more are landing on facebook instead of here.  So I'm doing that weird, uniquely modern thing of posting facebook status updates to the blog.  I just love all these littlest bits and pieces.

January 19
latest Eleri-isms: she would like to have a "forest field" (force field) and does not like when we get stuck in the "jelly jam" (traffic jam.) Love this age.

February 17
The girls are watching Dora for movie night. Dora: "does a lizard live in the desert or in the snow?" Eleri: "snow." Dora: "that's right, desert!" Eleri: "they're wrong." (Repeat with each question posed.)

February 18
sent the girls outside to play for 10 minutes to get some fresh air while the weather is still in the 40s. They are sitting on the deck, WAILING, in stereo. WAILING.

The girls are back inside, and all the little dolls and animals and small things are out playing. Clio says "all of the kids are watching TV, and all of the grownups are in a meeting!" I asked her what the meeting is about, but she doesn't know.

February 23
Eleri, age 3: "Delicioso is Spanish for 'yummy'"

March 8
Clio: "Liar, liar, pacifier." Me: "Don't you mean liar, liar, pants on fire?" Clio: "no. PA-CI-FI-ER."

Also, Eleri's Barbie is doing yoga. Apparently there is only one yoga mat, and all the (little plastic) animals were sent invitations to the yoga class, but some of them haven't received theirs in the mail yet.

March 11
Just found a little card that Clio made. The outside says "OPNE" with a heart and an arrow pointing to the inside. Inside says "Little bit spicy." I swear. Can't make this stuff up.

March 13
the girls are drawing mazes with sidewalk chalk. Clio's "leads to the sun" and Eleri "wanted hers to lead to an alien." Just one more way these girls are so, so different.

Discovery in reading

I love listening to Clio read right now.  While she is reading some books that are quite big for her age (Ivy and Bean, Junie B. Jones, The Gift of the Magi), the process can still sometimes be halting and slow.  This morning she was reading one of her science readers ("freak out!" I think).  To listen to her read a sentence is to hear the process of comprehension in action.

"Bush

babies

can

leap

20

feet..."

"WOW!  Mom, bush babies can leap 20 feet through the air!"

We take for granted the ability to read full sentences at a scan.  Sometimes, when I get to the end of a book I have loved especially well, I cover the words with my hands so I will not jump ahead and read the very last one out of order.  Clio still gets to read that way, every sentence, all the time.

20 questions

Dave started the girls on twenty questions.  Clio gets it and enjoys both choosing the subject and answering questions as well as making guesses on other people's turns.  (Though she is sometimes short on answers.  Does it live in Minnesota?  I don't know.  Does it have fur?  Um, I don't know.)

This is how Eleri's turns go.

Eleri: I'm thinking of something and it has four legs and fur and a tail.
Clio: Is it a kitty?

It is.  It is almost always whatever Clio guesses first.


Here's Eleri's other favorite:

I'm thinking of something and it is by the toilet.
Clio: toilet paper.

Yup.

Silliness, matched

Eleri may have met her match in Silly in her cousin Saya.

Don't believe me?  There up to something, I tell you.

We were so happy to have a visit from the girls (older sister Mira, too).  There's nothing better than two sets of sisters getting along famously.

Love Notes

The girls love stationery, especially little notecards.  My mom gave them each a package or two at dinner the other night (the 2 inch square ones from the dollar bucket at Micahels' I think), and last night Clio took it upon herself to write a note to bring to each person at a family dinner party with Harringtons and Hewitts.

Carrie's said "I love you"

Mine said "Have a nice day"

Carrie thought perhaps ours were switched, but sure enough, the envelopes were quite clearly marked with our names.

Dave Harrington's said "Good evening."

Gotta love the niceties from a 5 year old.  Love that kid.