Juice

Chicken loves "owan duce" (aka orange juice).   The thing is that all juice is "orange" juice.  This took me awhile to figure out.  In order to differentiate which kind of juice he'd like there is "yeyow (yellow) owan duce" and "black owan duce".

No amount of convincing can persuade him otherwise.

Independence

Edee and I have had several conversations lately that have ended like this one.

Edee:  Mommy will you take my socks off?
Me:  Your feet are going to be cold if I do.
Edee--I know Mom, but I don care.  I wanna do what I wanna do.

And Chicken and I have had just as many which have ended like this:

Chicken:  Leave my lone!!!!!

Such independent little people they think they are.

Trampoline

Driving home from Joy School, we were spelling out names of some of Edee's friends.  It just so happened that all of the names we had spelled so far all had "L's" in them.

Me:  Did you know your full name has an "L" in it too, Edee?  E-V-A-N-G-E-L-I-N-E.   Evangeline.
Edee:  Ban-jo-ween?  Why my name is Ban-jo-ween?
Me:  Because Mommy and Daddy named you Evangeline and we just call you Edee for short.  Remember?
Edee:  Oh. Yeah.

A minute later.

Edee: I wish we had a tam-po-ween (trampoline).
Me:  What....why?  Who has a trampoline? None of your friends do.
Edee:  My new friends in Idaho did.
Me (wondering where this shift in conversation suddenly came from):  Did you see one today?
Edee:  no, I just want a tampoween.  To jump on all da time.
Me:  I don't think we are going to get one.  Sorry.
Edee:  We can get one for Kissmas!
Me:  Christmas is over.
Edee:  Yeah, I aweady know dat.  We can get one for next Kissmas.
Me:  Good luck convincing Daddy of that one.

It took me a moment or two more to realize that 'Evangeline' and 'trampoline' sound just enough alike to have started this whole thought process.  If I would have know that giving her this name would have caused trampoline envy, I might have rethought that.

Jelly Beans

Chicken has been in this phase lately where he runs away and hides when it's time to change his diaper....not fun.  So this morning after really not wanting to chase him again, I resorted to the classic, reliable parenting technique:  bribery.  With jelly beans. My kids are pretty obsessed with jelly beans (what kid isn't?) and Daddy had stocked up on them while I was out of town.

Me:  Chicken, time to change your diaper.
Chicken:  Okay!  (and then he runs away)
Me:  Chicken, if you go lay down on the floor and let me change your diaper I'll give you jelly beans.
Chicken:  Okay!  (this time he complies)

I give him one jelly bean.

Chicken:  Mmmm, gum??
Me:  Yep I think that was the bubble gum flavor.  You'll get another one when we are done.
Chicken:  I wanna geen (green) one!
Me:  Okay, when we are finished.
Edee:  I want one!
Me:  Clean up the dishes and you can have one.

She does.  We finish the diaper change. They surround me jumping up and down for the jelly beans as I get ready to deal out the goods.

Me:  What color did you want again?
Chicken:  ALL A 'DEM!  ALL A DEM!!!!!
Edee:  Yeah!  All of dem!

Now that I'm thinking about it,  I recall it was green that Chicken wanted.  They each ran off with two extra jelly beans than originally bargained for.....somehow they always have the upper hand, especially when I start patting myself on the back for my parenting skills....

Big Sister

It's 2015.  Chicken and Edee are two and four years old.

They are cutely snuggling up together on the couch.  Chicken reaches up and strokes Edee's cheek, looking at her lovingly.

Chicken:  You my big yit-yahr (sister)?
Then not waiting for an answer and nodding his head--
Chicken:  Yeah. My big yit-yahr.
Edee:  Yeah I is you big yister.  I take care of you.
Me:  You do a good job taking care of him.
Edee:  Yeah and you take care of me, Mommy, and Daddy take care of you!!
Me:  Ha....something like that.

I love the little thought process to that.