The Car

My car died the other day while the kids and I were at the library, and we had to call Josh to come and rescue us. He took us home, and then went to look at my car. When he returned, we sat on the back patio while the kids played on the swingset, and he told me what happened. (The battery was old.) Now Josh can get a little long winded with his stories, but in his defense, there was a lot to tell. After a while, Olivia yelled from the swing, "Dad, are you still bragging about how you fixed Mom's car?!"

Prison

Olivia: "When I'm in prison..."
Me: "Wait, why will you be in prison?"
Olivia: (Without skipping a beat.) "I took the blame for Dad."

Units of Measurement

Our school is preparing for our Lutheran Schools Track Meet next week. On our way home today, this was the conversation in the backseat......
Olivia: "Emma is a really fast runner! She's the fastest in our class. but I'm fast too. I'm only like a pint slower than her."
Ethan: (In his very best big brother sarcastic tone.) "A pint?"
Olivia: "Come on Ethan. Let's use liquid to measure speed."

Chappy Time!

I know I have more pictures of Olivia than Ethan, but I think they both prefer it that way. Ethan likes to blend as he puts it, and well, Olivia, she never blends! Here are a few recent pictures of my good times with Chappy!

Cuddling Grandma Joni's chickens!

 While the boys were fishing one day, Olivia and I had our very own Girls' Day! 

We rode our bikes to the park.

 While on the swings, Olivia said, "How old are you again, 23?"

I answered, "32."

She said, "You're actually pretty fun for a 32-year-old."

"Thanks, Chap!"

 On another Girls' Day, Olivia convinced me she needed this mermaid tail. She had to try it out in the living room while we concluded our Girls' Day with cheese puffs and Girl Meets World! (She requested this picture, of course!)

 My favorite way to enjoy Chappy time! I lay down while she puts clips in my hair. She took this picture, so I would know how to style her hair for school the next day!

Olivia's Papers

Here are a few pictures I took of some papers Olivia brought home in 1st grade.....

A message to Aunt Jill!

A pretty good opinion!

Why I love our Christian school!

All As, all year!

Most Bizarre Bathroom Statement

I took Olivia into the bathroom while we were visiting the Science Center last week. It was about 11:00am. I'm not quite sure what made me think of this, but I asked her, "Is this the first time you've gone to the bathroom today?"
She replied, "Yes, I can hold my pee for a really long time. It's a blessing and a curse."

Generosity

Olivia: "Mom, I have 4 cents to give to Rachel, see."
(Rachel is her piano teacher, and we are leaving for piano lessons in about an hour.)
Me: "Oh, that's nice. Why are you giving Rachel 4 cents?"
Olivia: (shy smile) "Because I'm generous."
Me: "Yes, you are."
Although it's pretty funny to hear "generous" and "4 cents" in the same conversation, Olivia is actually very generous. What you don't know is that she gave her brother $5 last week for no reason, and those were her last 4 pennies.

Kidneys

Olivia and I were reading one of her favorite Usborne books, "See Inside Your Body" when she asked, "Do grown-ups have kidneys, too?"
I said, "Yes. Everyone has kidneys."
She replied, "Really?!" Then pointing to her knees, she said, "But these are real kid knees!"
I said, "No not kid knees.....kidneys. Wait that does sound the same."
In my 29 years of life, I never put that connection together!

When I Grow Up....

As we were driving home from dance the other afternoon, Olivia asked, "Mom, when you were a kid what did you want to be when you were a grownup?" (She's been talking about what she wants to be a lot lately.)
I said, "I always knew I wanted to be a mom."
She responded, "Just a mom? Not like a princess? Or a vegetarian?"
I can't remember how I responded to that. I believe I was at a loss for words.

The Lord's Prayer Phone Conversations

Olivia was walking around the house with her pretend phone up to her ear when I overheard her say, "Well......it won't lead her not into temptation, but it will deliver her from evil."

Olivia's Take on the "Bottom Line"

In the kids' favorite song in the movie The Lorax they sing, "shake that bottom line." When I asked Olivia what bottom line means, she said, "butt crack."

Well....I guess that is a bottom line, too!

Line Leader

After Olivia's 5th day of preschool, she came home proudly proclaiming that she was line leader yet again. This was her 3rd day as line leader after only 5 days of preschool! There are 12 students in her class! I asked her, "Why do you think you have been line leader so many times?"
Without missing a beat, she responded, "Probably because I'm the best at everything!"
Wow. No self-esteem issues here.

My Little Book Lover

While Olivia was helping me cook supper last night, she said, "Mom, the mushrooms have pages!"

I love the way her little mind works!

In Awe of the Human Body

Last night during supper Olivia said, "Mom, food falls down our neck and into our tummy."
I replied, "Yes, it does."
To which she responded, "Isn't our body so amazing!"

The World Through Olivia's Ears

A few days ago, Josh and I were talking about someone we know named Scott. Olivia overheard us, and asked, "Scott Talon?"
We said, "Who?"
She replied, "America Scott Talon."
She actually thought the name of the show "America's Got Talent" was "America Scott Talon."

This isn't the first time she's heard something wrong like this. In one of her movies there is a horse named Bonacelli. She heard spot-a jelly, and has been calling it that ever since. There's no point in correcting her. She thinks she's right and everyone else is wrong.

Also, when her hair is tangled she asks for air conditioning. When we say, "Do you mean hair conditioner?"
She laughs and says, "No, air conditioning!"

Beauty and Joy

I'm what most people would probably call a "Plain Jane." I don't wear much make-up, dye my hair, or tan, most of my wardrobe is from garage sales or Walmart, and when it comes to decorating the house, well, I really don't decorate. It's not that I dislike these things or can't afford them. It's just that I don't think they are necessary.

Olivia, on the other hand, is the opposite of a Plain Jane. She likes things to be beautiful!

She has been requesting center pieces for the table, usually a vase of flowers. Sometimes I'll remove them to make room for the food, and she'll ask that I put it back. When I ask, "Why do they need to be on the table?"
She'll say, "Because they're beautiful!"

Last week, Olivia asked me, "Mom, why don't you just wear your hair regular?"
I said, "What do you mean?"
She responded, "Well, why is it always a ponytail?"

Then this week she said to me, "Mom a braid with a pretty dress would look good! A bun with a pretty dress would be good, too. Pick one."
I said, "Ummm, I choose a ponytail!"
She responded, "That wasn't a choice."

It's true, making things look beautiful isn't necessary, but it is nice! I must admit that I do stand a little taller when my hair is nicely done, and dinner time is more pleasant when we are looking at a nice bouquet of flowers. And the beautiful smile on my princess brings me more joy than I ever imagined! Miss Olivia, thank you for helping me discover the joy of beauty and the beauty of joy!

Reality Check!

Olivia discovered that it looked like her Rapunzel doll's hair was glowing when she put it in the sun by the window.
(In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel's magical healing hair glows when a special song is sung. Mother Gothel sings that song while touching Rapunzel's hair, so she can stay youthful.)
I held onto the hair and sang the song from the movie:
Flower, gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
Then I handed the doll back to Olivia and said,"Do I look younger?"
She replied, "Well.....you know that's not a real baby, right?!"

Cheesy Face!

As Olivia was watching me apply my make-up Saturday morning, she pretended to put on her own make-up. She said, "Mom, do you like it? I put some blush on my cheeks and mozzarella on my eyes!"
(If you haven't figured it out yet, she was talking about mascara.)

What I Really Meant

I tried a bite of Olivia's Tropical Snow cone and said, "Mmm, that's pretty good."
Olivia responded, "Did you mean to say that's rainbow rock solid?"
Yes, Olivia, that's what I meant to say. Thank you.

This Dream is Not Recommended for Parents

When Olivia woke up yesterday morning, she said, "I had a bad dream."

I said, "Oh, tell me about it."

She responded, "It's too violent."