Quotable EJ

Lately, there have too many funny and sweet things coming out of EJ's mouth to get them all documented---I catch myself making a mental note to write something she has said down during the day, but unable to exactly recount the phrase later in the evening. Her brain is on verbal overdrive, and I think that her recent reading explosion goes hand in hand with her chattiness.

Here are a few of my favorite EJ quotes from the last week, which fall into a few categories:

1) "Parentally" Revealing: Sometimes EJ says stuff that I can actual hear Mike or I saying, and the way she puts together idiomatic phrases with certain situations slays me. I occasionally wince at her catching on to an expression that, when uttered by a three-year old, seems less benign than I had originally thought. Most of the time, though, they are just funny. Here's one from the other morning, at roughly quarter past six, when she was wide awake and in our bedroom trying to wake me:

"Mommy, why in the world are you still asleep?"

Here's another, that mirrors what I tell her whenever I am disciplining her---I love her always, when she chooses good behavior AND when she chooses bad behavior:

"Mommy, I love you all the time. I love you when I am happy and when I am sad. That means love all the time."

2) Double Entendre: Let's face it, munchkins say stuff that they have no idea means anything else to adult ears. The fact that they say it with such earnestness makes it that much funnier. Take EJ at the park on Friday, in the glorious 60 degree weather, rediscovering the playground in her post-winter, taller, older body:

"Look! I'm at the bar! I'm so big now, I can be at the bar! I can swing at the bar!"

3) Mix-Ups: I find it delightful that with no prompting on my part, EJ calls spaghetti, pasketti, just like my brothers and I did when we were small. Maybe that is universal among kids, but it charms me nonetheless. Here's another quote from this week, as she asks to watch her new obsession, Super Why:

"Mommy, can you turn on Super Why for me? My favorite episode, 'It Was Twice Before Christmas,' okay?"

I'd pity Santa if he had to make that journey twice in one night. Apparently EJ is gearing up, because "Twas the Night..." is the one episode she wants to watch over and over, leaving us all with a version of "Jingle Bells" with reading lyrics running through our heads.

4) Imaginative/Creative: Here's another one about Super Why---I swear, she doesn't watch television all day, but when she is focused, she is really focused. I love this one because it shows how really creative we all start out, and how nice it is to share in that space with a little one while they are deep in imagination.

We made a switch a week ago, moving EJ out of one of my Saturday music classes into a class led by Marsha, the director of the studio. It had become apparent for about a month that EJ had entered a different stage, and having her mommy shared with all the other kids, even when Mike was attending, too, was not sitting well with her. By switching classes, I can attend with her just as a parent, and we are both really enjoying ourselves. In class on Wednesday, Marsha asked for some suggestions, and EJ started spinning. When Marsha said, "Let's spin like EJ," my daughter said this:

"Marsha, I'm not spinning. I'm transforming. I'm transforming into a super-reader so we can solve the problem and save the day."