Seren can read!

So, with less than two weeks before Kindergarten, Seren finally read her first word! "Puppy." I've been working on this girl for ages. Evy read her first word just shy of age 3. I've been working with Seren on her letters and sounds since she could talk (just like Evy), but this girl is SO stubborn about it that I had not made any progress until this past year. Although, she seems to know more than she lets on. So, I took her for a ride yesterday and bought some Puppy Chow for the cats (that's a different story) and she was expressing her frustration that she couldn't read. I told her she could read; she just needed to listen. When we got home, I took out the box and she refused to name any of the letters or sound them out. Stubborn! Then, I did the practice run and insisted she follow suit. Once she figured out the word Puppy, she wanted to work on the word Chow, which she did with ease. Of course, instead of being happy that she learned how to read, she threw a tantrum for the next hour because I was right...lol...Gah! From terrible two's thru to terrible twenties...and she's only five...

I remember when Evy first learned how to read.  Her first word was "kitten."  After that, she was trouble.  She was only 3 when we were standing under a menu of a closed concession stand.  Evy looked up at the menu and read, "P-I-Z-Z-A.  Pizza! That word spells Pizza! I'd like to have some of that!"  Mike looked up at the menu, "You're right, Evy.  The word 'pizza' is up there.  Daddy sees something up there he'd like to have too." 

(Insert long pause here as Evy considers the menu).  Evy, "B-E-E-R.  Yup!  I'll bet that's what you'd like to have!"

Now Seren will be as much trouble...lol

How many girls does it take to kill an earwig?

I dunno, but at least two have tried without much success.  The smart one (Evy) decided to wrap it and take it's battered body outside.  The other one (Seren) will remain jumpy until she sees it's corpse for herself.  Uh-oh, the cat just rubbed up against her...let me scrape her off the ceiling...now she's screaming at the cat for startling her.  Good morning!

Only at Walmart

Apparently, I could not use this as an exit this time of night...

Earl Smells Elegant!

That was what Evy said when she comforted Earl (our gray cat) over his ordeal with Mike's cologne.

I think I could put it in a very popular poetic format (like "If You Give Whoever-it-is a Cookie):

If Daddy Leaves Out a Spray Bottle of Cologne

If Daddy leaves out a spray bottle of cologne
Earl might knock it over onto the floor
If he  doesn't, then he might sit on it
If he sits on it, chances are, it will spray his bottom
If it sprays his bottom, he will jump into the mirror
When he jumps into the mirror, he'll startle his brother, Grimmy
If Grimmy is startled, he'll jump (maybe onto the bottle of cologne?)
If Grimmy jumps, Earl will likely jump again
Then run as far away from the spraying cologne as possible
This will cause Evy to pick him up and comfort him
Picking him up will remind Evy how good he smells
Evy will say: "Earl smells elegant!"
If Earl smells elegant, Evy will have Daddy smell and explain the events to him
If Dally smells Earl, chances are,
Daddy will no longer want to use a cologne that reminds him of a cat's rear
But, since Daddy doesn't like to waste stuff
He might continue to use it for that purpose
After all, it is Earl, who just walked by
And smells quite elegant

Yesterday's Penny Thought

What I heard in the back of our van from Penny (our two year old) as we were driving around caused me to bust out laughing so hard listening to her.  Mike asks me what is going on back there, then suggests (because I'm laughing so hard I cannot answer) that she is yelling something about Snow White.  I got myself together enough to explain that what he heard was not "Snow White", but "smell it."  It happened as stated below:

"Penny farted..."  Yes, she still speaks of herself in the third person.

"Ewww...It stinks!"

"I smell it, mommy!  I smell it! I SMELL it!  I SMELL IIIIIIITTT!"

I suppose Penny is used to farting without smelling it, so this one took her by surprise.

Tonight's Serenism

Happened while the girls were getting ready for bed.  Seren had changed into her bedtime clothes and was about to put away her dress she wore all day away (like a good girl) back into her closet to wear again. 

Mommy: "Seren, don't hang that up.  You wore it all day; it's dirty."

Seren: " Mommy, it's not dirty.  I didn't pee in it yet."

Shopping

The things I have learned from my children this week

I have learned two things from my children this week so far: 1) A spider must be smashed with something at least twice the size of the Smasher in order for it to die properly, 2) my little Penny has a sarcastic sense of humor.

This is how the events unfolded:

Item 1 - Penny informs me that Seren has a spider Evy (my oldest) had crafted and Penny wanted to play with it.  I asked Seren to let Penny play with it.  Seren tries to hand it to Penny, Penny pretends to be scared.  Seren tosses it on the floor and yells, "Smash it, Penny!"  Penny starts to stomp it with her foot.  Seren: "Not with your own foot!!!"  Seren grabs a very large stuffed animal, about her size, and begins to beat the toy spider with it.  She hands the stuffed animal to Penny, which is about twice her size, and Penny pulverizes Evy's hand-made-from-odds-and-ends spider to satisfaction.

Item 2 - Seren was warned at dinner that since she wasn't eating hers while everyone else was eating theirs, she would be eating it while everyone else had ice cream.  Penny comments to Seren in an attempt to rub it in: "Mmmm, Seren, enjoy your arse cream!" Mommy: "ICE cream, Penny."  Daddy: "Dinner flavored ice cream, Seren."  My two year old is sarcastic.  I must be doing something right!  Although Penny has had problems pronouncing "ice cream" correctly from time to time, I wonder if she purposely used the mispronounciation in this instance...