Qualified

Rachel has been telling us for some time now things like "You're the best daddy in the whole wide world."

It's become a little less heartwarming lately when it's been immediately followed-up by "And you're my only daddy in the whole wide world!"

TV Commercials

Lori related to me that yesterday she and Rachel were watching TV and Lori began fast-forwarding through a commercial when Rachel exclaimed: "That one's for Lowe's. It's OK. That's a good one. Can we watch the Lowe's commercial?"

My fault. I was ranting last week about the horrible parking situation at the local Home Depot and how it was enough to make me want to start shopping at Lowes. I'm sorry, Home Depot. I didn't mean it. I know I can avoid these problems in the future by driving 10 blocks out of my way and coming back at it from the other direction, passing right by the Lowes and its many easy entrances and exits.

And so it begins...

Yesterday, finding my stacks of clutter next to bed in slight disarray, I asked Rachel if she had been rifling through them.

"No," she responded, suggesting "Maybe Ben did it."

Green

"Daddy, the light is green."
"Yep, it is," I responded, slowly easing off the brake and pressing down gently on the gas pedal.
"So we can go."
"Yep, we can," I responded, easing forward with traffic.
"GO! GO! GO!" she shouted, excitedly.

This early?

After two weeks of preschool and then a week off being sick, at the prospect of going back tomorrow, Rachel told me "I don't want to go to school."

I know she can't really mean it, she loves school and there's even a field trip tomorrow.

....

A few other recent quotes...

After we asked her a question, she responded "I already told you." (Instead of "because" we've been using "I believe I've already answered that." and amazing how quickly she's thrown it back at us.

After her mom got out of the car to drop something off while we stayed in the car... "Well, I guess it's just the two of us now."

Music Thoughts

Out tonight to look at Christmas lights. Listened to Christmas music while driving. Rachel had comments on the songs.

Martina McBride's "Little Drummer Boy"
Martina: "Do you see what I see?"
Rachel: "Yes, I see what you see." (sung)

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Mariah: "All I Want for Christmas is You"
Rachel: "All she wants for Christmas is Rachel!"

Mariah Carey's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
Mariah: "They're singing deck the halls / But it's not like Christmas at all / 'Cuz I remember when you were here / And all the fun we had last year"
Rachel: "It's just not Christmas without her baby."

(Just to be safe, we explained to her that the singer hadn't lost an actual baby.)

She fell asleep before we got home. When we got her out of the car, she started crying because we weren't at Home Depot.

Turns out she thought that we were going to look at lights and then go buy some of our own. (We've actually not purchased lights at Home Depot, just Lowes and Target.)

How's That?

"Glo----o----o----o----o----oria, you make Chelsea stand away."

"Frosty the snowman, was a holly, jolly soul."

(And these are not one-time occurrences -- these are the correct way to sing it, and if you don't sing it this way, she'll correct you.)

Sixteen Questions

List some of the happiest people you know:
Emily, Jacob, Clifford my Favorite Friend Dog

Other words that mean "happy":
Abby and Emily and Jacob

How do you feel when you're happy?
(Rubbed balloon on face and hair and laughed)

What does "happy" mean?
I love you.

Are you happy today?
Yes. I love Emily. She's my big sister.

Have you ever had a problem?
No. "You've never had a problem?" No. I've never ever had a problem!

Have you ever felt lonely?
No. I haven't ever felt lonely in a long time.

What do you wish you were able to do?
Ballerina

Have you ever felt like crying?
No, no daddy. Yes. I felt like crying. "When?" When I watched Calliou. I was crying after Calliou went off. "How come?" Because I feel like it.

Does anything make you angry?
No.

What is as big as you?
Emily

What vegetable is like you?
Karen. The one on Veggie Tales. (Laura) "What kind is she?" She's a carrot. She's like me because she's a girl, daddy. She's a girl like me.

What if you lived in a castle?
I would be a princess.

What if you were a sneaker?
What is a sneaker daddy? "What if you were a shoe?" I would walk people.

What if you were a giant?
I would stomp the whole ground. (Stomping around.) I would shake the whole ground. What if I was a tree, daddy? (Repeated 3 times until I responded.) "What if you were a tree?" I would have fall leaves on me.

Showed her two pictures - a boy, smiling, in a small sailboat; a boy on a small island waving a flag and yelling.
He got lost and he loved it (pointed to first picture as she said "loved it"). He needed help because he was lost at an island and he didn't know how to get back to his family. Daddy, I need the pen. "Why?" I need to draw clouds behind his boat.

Good night, big girl.

Me: "Good night, baby."
Her: "Good night, dad. (pause) I'm not a baby. Say 'Good night, big girl.'"
Me: "Good night, big girl."
Her: "Good night, dad."

You'll always be my baby.

Our little ham

Rachel is developing quite the sense of humor and just a general sense of goofiness.

This just in:

"It's raining, it's pouring,
the old man is snoring,
he fell out of bed and he bumped his head
and he couldn't get up in the morning.

(pause)

Poor man!"

Then she did a little dance and bowed, saying "Thank you! Thank you!"

We're pretty sure she's going to want to be an actress one day.

Don't Call Him That

"He's not Pooh. He's Winnie the Pooh. Don't call him Pooh. That's rude."

Can you s-p-e-l-l?

Last night while out walking, I asked Lori if we should "go to the p-a-r-k?"

Rachel immediately looks up at Lori and asks, "Mom, can we go to the p-a-r-k?"

Not sure she knew exactly what we were talking about, but apparently we may need to have Kevin teach us some Russian or something.

Hi There, Lady!

Rachel was singing with me. Apparently I was getting the words wrong, though. According to her, it's:

London Bridges Falling Down
Falling Down
Falling Down
London Bridges Falling Down
Hi There, Lady

Recent Rachelisms

Tonight after returning home from small group, Lori was checking her email. Rachel kept saying "Can I see the baby show? Can I see the baby show?" When we asked her what "the baby show" was, she said "The one where the baby laughs really hard and her dad says 'perfect.'" She cannot get enough of this video.

Lori relates another recent story where Rachel asks if she can watch TV. When Lori tells her yes and turns the TV on, Rachel then asks "Can you tell me what my options are?"

That's My Girl

Lori relates that earlier today they were driving in the car and Rachel asked "Where are we going?"

Lori replied "Lowes."

And Rachel started saying "No. I don't want to go to Lowes. I don't want to go to Lowes. HOME DEPOT!"