28 February 2017

Madelyn and I started Couch to 5k for he today. I ran with Alyson in a jogging stroller I'm borrowing. It's safe to say that Alyson had fun. During one of the run intervals, she put her hands up and yelled, "Wheeeeee!"

27 February 2017

The girls were playing after dinner with some stuffed animals. They "found" an orphaned baby and were talking about it.

Madelyn: The baby's name was.... Mama Lucia.
Alyson: And the baby's name is, um.... Baby.... CiCi!

(To those not familiar, Mama Lucia's is an Italian restaurant and CiCi's is a pizza buffet.)

26 February 2017

I was on one side of a dining room chair cleaning up some papers. Alyson was on the other side.

Me: Can you throw these away for me?
Instead of going around the chair, Alyson started to climb over it.
Me: Why don't you go around?
Alyson: Because I want to go over.
Me: You like making your life difficult.
Alyson: I like life difficult.

Well, she is four, so yes.

25 February 2017

When we left the grocery store, I picked Alyson up from the cart she had been trapped in because she wasn't listening and carried her to the car. I was carrying her pretty high and mostly up over my shoulder just to be silly.

Alyson: Am I heavy?
Me: No, not at all.
Madelyn: Am I heavy when you pick me up?
Me: Nope, I've been lifting weights.
Alyson: Can you lift Daddy?
Me: Ha! No, I can't lift Daddy.
Alyson: You need to lift more weights then! Like 17,000 weights!

24 February 2017

While getting dressed this morning, Alyson needed help snapping her pants. As usual she came into our room without a shirt on yet to get help.

Alyson: Can you help me?
Me, bending down: Sure, but you need to pay the toll.
Alyson: But I don't have any money right now.
Me, planning to blow a raspberry on her belly for her toll: You don't need to give me money.
Alyson: But I want you to have money.
Me: I already have money.
Alyson: But I want you to have MORE money.

Can't really argue with the kid on that one.

23 February 2017

While Madelyn and Alyson were FaceTiming with their aunt Becca this morning:

Madelyn: I'm already learning division in my iReady! Fourteen divided by two is seven!
Becca: That's right! Good job! Aly, what's two plus three?
Alyson, using her fingers to count: Five!
Becca: Yup! Good!
Madelyn, to Alyson: What's seven plus seven?
Alyson: I don't know.
Madelyn, to Alyson: What's two times seven?
Alyson: I don't know. 

22 February 2017

Before leaving for Madelyn's basketball practice, I picked Alyson up to say good bye and good night to her. When I put her back down, she was leaning back into my arms and not standing up straight.

Me: Stand up straight so that I can put you down.
Alyson: But I am down. My feet are on the ground.
Me: But if I let go of you, you are going to fall.
Alyson: But I'm already on the ground!

21 February 2017

I was teasing Alyson and trying to get her to go upstairs to get ready for bed.

Alyson, standing on the stairs: Tickle me!
Me, pretending to be a monster: I'm gonna get you!
Alyson: Well, that's what I want.

Touché, kid, touché.

20 February 2017

Tony was working on his Spanish lessons in DuoLingo right after dinner. Madelyn and I were talking about their "My First Science Textbooks" about protons, neutrons, electrons, and atoms.

Madelyn: How do you say "neutron" in Spanish?
Alyson: Maybe you can ask Siri?

19 February 2017

We bought Madelyn a new bike today because she outgrew her old one. The new one doesn't have training wheels, so we went to the park for her to practice with Tony. Alyson is now riding Madelyn's old bike that has training wheels.

Me, to Alyson: You're getting pretty good at this. Maybe you'll get good enough to take the training wheels off before Madelyn can ride her bike by herself.
Alyson: And then I'll teach Madelyn!

18 February 2017

Today we needed to get onto I-270 to go somewhere. We generally call it, "270". Just before getting onto the highway, I closed the windows.

Alyson: But I wanted my window open!
Me: We're getting onto 270, and we'll be going too fast to have the windows open.
Alyson, after a couple minutes once we were on the highway: Are we on the number yet?

17 February 2017

Alyson got a free small Slurpee coupon as a Valentine from a classmate. Madelyn did not know about this because the coupon stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's for Grandpa to take her sometime. She used her coupon today. It was Alyson's first Slurpee, and I don't think Madelyn has ever had one, but they have had similar things.

Alyson, excitedly to Madelyn: Guess what! Today Grandpa and I got a Slurpee from the Slurpee place!
Madelyn: The what?
Alyson: The Slurpee place! I got a banana one from the place!

16 February 2017

Alyson has been sick with a cold, so every night is a pretty consistent routine of Vick's, honey or other cough syrup, and blowing her nose with or without saline. Tonight we opted for saline because she sounded so congested.

Alyson, covering her nose with both hands and crying and yelling: No saline!
Me: Do you want to help me and hold the bottle?
Alyson, suddenly much happier: Okay.

15 February 2017

Alyson has her classroom Valentine's Day party today. This evening she was showing Tony all of her Valentines from her classmates. One of the few names she recognized was "her boyfriend's". She saw the card from him and excitedly proclaimed, "I know who this is from! [boy's name]!"

14 February 2017

While trying to get Alyson to leave Mom's this afternoon:

Alyson: What's for dinner?
Me: I'm not telling you. It's a surprise. Put your shoes on.
Alyson: I'm not putting my shoes on unless you tell me what's for dinner.
Me: Well, then you're going to be disappointed because I'm not telling you. One.
Alyson: No! Tell me what's for dinner, or I'm not putting my shoes on.
Me: Two.

Alyson gave up and took her shoes over to my dad to have him put them on. Sorry, kid. You're the second child. That isn't going to work.

13 February 2017

This morning, Alyson saw that I was going to take one of her pictures to work to hang in my office.

Alyson: Are you taking that to work?
Me: Yup, I'm going to hang it on my wall.
Alyson: How are you going to hang it?
Me: Probably with some tape.
Alyson: Or you could glue it.
Me: No, I'll probably get in trouble if I glue it to the wall.
Alyson: And you might get a time out at work.

If only punishments for adults were that simple.

12 February 2017

I tried a sample of a new protein shake today. It really wasn't good, but I drank it anyway. It was vanilla flavored, but was green colored because it boasts to contain two servings of greens. Eventually, Madelyn decided to be adventurous and taste it even though she knew I didn't like it.

Alyson, after Madelyn drank some: What does it taste like? Grass?
Madelyn, after drinking some water: Yuck! No. It just doesn't taste good.

11 February 2017

During Madelyn's basketball game today, we were keeping Alyson busy by asking her to find letters on a big sign. Once Tony made it through the alphabet with her:

Alyson: I want to do more letters!
Tony: But we're done. We finished the alphabet.
Alyson: But I want more letters!

10 January 2017

Tony gave Alyson a new cough syrup this morning after a horrible night last night. It ended up working, but Alyson was not a fan of the taste and declared, "I did not like the taste of that AT ALL!" I had to get her to chug it and chase it with some water when she took it later in the day.

09 February 2017

Tony was sitting in Alyson's room in her rocking chair that is in the corner. He had a dark hoodie on with the hood up.

Me: You look kind of creepy sitting in the corner there.
Alyson: Especially in the dark. You actually looked like a "bampire".

08 February 2017

Alyson had been playing in Mom and Dad's basement before I got there to pick her up this afternoon. She came upstairs right before I got there and started taking off her shoes while Mom was telling her to leave them on the whole time. She got one off when I opened the front door. In a panic, she took off running down the hall with only one shoe on.

07 February 2017

I was teasing Alyson and threatening to catch her. Once I did, I was carrying her around. She didn't seem to mind, though, and randomly said to me, "I want to touch the ceiling!" So, I held her high enough to touch the ceiling.

06 February 2017

As Alyson walked past me, I grabbed her to hug her. I trapped her legs with my legs and had my arms wrapped around her as she was facing away from me.

Tony: Are you trapped?
Alyson: No! If Momma let my arms go and I got my legs out I could get out if I just stepped out like this and...
Madelyn: That sounds like you're trapped.

05 February 2017

Madelyn was looking at some books I brought home that we're going to donate to her school. Alyson wanted to play and frustratedly yelled at Madelyn, "Madelyn, stop looking at books and let's play the game!"

04 February 2017

First

While at Stride Rite getting Alyson new shoes, she pointed to a pair of black and orange ones targeted toward boys and told us, "I don't like this shoe because it's too boy-y."

Second

While Alyson and I were in the bathroom at the mall, she noticed the large recessed shelf above and behind the toilet.

Alyson, pointing at the shelf: What's that for?
Me: It's a place to put your bags from shopping.
Alyson: Or babies.

03 February 2017

During dinner, I was telling everyone about the lunch sale / bake sale / yard sale we had at work today.

Madelyn: Where did you go for lunch?
Me: We got sushi and then came back and bought dessert from the bake sale.
Alyson, excited: Well, where is dessert?
Me: In my belly.
Alyson: Awwww....

02 February 2017

Tired four-year-olds cry at pretty much everything that doesn't go their way. After about the fourth or fifth time that Alyson was crying over something in about a half hour:

Me: Aly, is it hard being four?
Alyson, crying: YES!!!!

01 February 2017

As usual, Alyson was being stubborn about her putting on her coat when I came to pick her up.

Me: Put on your coat, Alyson.
Alyson, looking around but purposefully not looking at her coat: Where is my coat? I don't see it.
Me: It's right in front of you, and you know it.
Alyson, reaching for her sunglasses: Oh! Here's my coat!
Me: You silly goose. Those are your sunglasses! They won't keep you warm.
Alyson, after tucking her sunglasses under her chin: I'm so warm!