A Coughing Spell

While driving home tonight, Sophia is practicing her spelling words out loud:

S: C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c! U-u-u-u-u-u-u-u! P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p!...
Me: That's great, honey! It might be easier, though, if you just repeat the letters two or three times.
S: But I like repeating the letters! C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c!...
Laura: Let her do it her way.
Me: I mean like this, "C-c-c..." 
(My demonstration suddenly turns into loud coughing) Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!...
S: C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c!...
Thalia: (from her baby seat adds to the cacophony with little baby coughs) Cough, cough, cough!
Laura: Oh, Thalia is practicing her spelling, too!
S: C-c-c-cup!...

The Annie Cast List!

Laura's Post:

S: I want to play Annie in the movie Annie. You could be Annie's new mother, and daddy could be the new daddy, Daddy Warbucks.
Me: And Thalia?
Sophia: She's going to be the dog...

Smoke Free Living

Laura's Post: 
Sophia said the most amazing thing today...

Me: Eww! Sophia DON'T TOUCH THAT! It is dirty. That's where people put their cigarettes.
S: What's a cigarette?...
(It's a small reason for hope this Thanksgiving ; )

Life is But a Dream

Teaching Sophia to play "Row Your Boat" on my ukulele:

Me: "...Life is but a dream!"
S: (with shocked confusion) Life is a butt dream?! 
Me: No, it's "but a dream."
S: Hahahaha! I thought you said "a butt dream"! Hahahahaha!...
Laura: We don't say that word!...

(So that's how today's music lesson got rear ended.)

Daddy-Daughter Date Photos

The Potty Dance

S: Do you have to go potty?
Me: No.
S: Then why did you do the potty dance?
Me: When?
S: You were doing the potty dance in the kitchen.
Me: I was just dancing!
S: Oh...

(So that's what she thinks of my smooth moves?!)

The No Drama Rule

At bedtime:
S: (calling out from her bedroom) When are you going to check on me?!
Me: I just did.
S: Well, check on me again to make sure I'm not doing drama!...
Me: (sigh)

A-men

At bedtime prayers:
Me: ...Amen.
S: A-women! Hahahaha!...

Woman Coins

Sophia was helping me count bills and coins today:
S: I made a pile for the man coins and a pile for the woman coins.
Me: The women coins? What women coins?
S: (holds up a nickel to show me Thomas Jefferson's image) This woman coin.
Me: Oh, he's a man. He just kind of looks like a woman because he's wearing a wig. Men used to wear wigs a long time ago.
S: No, he's a woman...

Bear Meat

Laura's Post:

Me: Sophia, what do you feel like eating for dinner?
S: Can we have some bear meat?
Me: Um...I know we live in Northern Michigan, but....
(She has agreed to settle for buffalo. Thanks for that, Laura Ingalls Wilder.)

Bathroom Wildlife

Laura's Post:

Sophia: I'm SCARED of the dark!
Me: Why?
Sophia: Because there's wolves and lions and dragons in there!
Me: In our tiny bathroom?
Sophia: Yes.
(That's a lot of wildlife in a two bedroom condo.)

Shooting Stars & Space Robots

Sophia and I stood outside together admiring the beautiful stars tonight:

Me: Did you know that shooting stars aren't really stars?
S: They aren't?
Me: No, they're actually space rocks flying through the atmosphere so fast that they catch on fire and burn up. Sometimes you can see them shooting through the sky really, really fast....
S: But what will happen to the robots!
Me: What robots?
S: What will happen to all the robots in space? The space rocks  might hit them really hard and knock their batteries out and the robots won't work anymore.
Me: I guess you're right. I've never thought about that.
S: I don't want to go to space. It's too dangerous.
Me: I don't want to go to space either. I'd rather stay right here with you....