Hot Sauce

"I want some," the girls echoed one another with excitement throughout my sister's house. The hot sauce they want is my nephew's ultimate punishment for the use of bad words.

The girls love chips & salsa, so why not add a little hot sauce to spice up their lives. As Jackson reformed his behavior to avoid the dreaded sample, Abby & Lauren geared up for their spicy treat.

Like friends lined up at the bar to throw back shots, the girls stood anxiously with their spoons in hand, ready to sink their teeth into this highly talked about delight.

Abby went just a few seconds ahead of her little sister. A quick quiver from her shoulders to her feet was all she had to show for her taste of Louisiana's finest. Tiny was not deterred, and sunk her lips around the small red dot on the spoon. Her face, frozen blank, was suddenly stuffed with her chaser-- a bottomless glass of H2Oh-I-Can't-Get-Enough. Abby, still unsure what to think, was met with Jack over her shoulder offering a sympathetic drink.

Aubrey & I could not contain our laughter. And while part of me feels like a mean mother for letting them try something I know is so offensive, the other part of me hopes they will think twice before next time desiring the unknown.

The Hole Story

During their nightly play and tickle session, Abby found herself positioned in her papa's chair fanny up. When out of nowhere she proclaimed, "Cover it up, its loaded." She continued, "With germs!" Papa laughed in agreement when Abby finished, "And it has a hole in it."

Oh the things they know.

Crying

Today the girls assisted me in taking my grandpa to his radiation appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. It was a really nice day. Grandma went over, too. The appointment was short, and when it was over, the fun began. We walked through the clinic and all of its tunnels, rode the escalators, walked through the sky walk, and capped off our trip with lunch at Red Lobster. It wasn't a lot of dwelling on illness or sick people, just a beautiful day full of sunshine and flowers, and best of all we got some quality time with our (great) grandparents.

But tonight Abby was crying. When asked why she was crying she replied, "I am crying about the people in Rochester."

"Which people?" I inquired.

"The old people," she replied without hesitation.

I turned around to see if my mom had heard her answer, and we gave each other a collective smile. You know the one, "Awe."

But in true Abby fashion, that sweet moment was soured when she finished her thought, "I was ticked off. They were walking behind me."

Awe, Abby.

Treasure Hunt

The other day the girls and I were walking through the woods with Grandpa when I noticed they were missing all of the good stuff.... you know, those little things grown-ups tell you, but go in one ear and out the other. Since my grandpa has lived on this farm all his life, he knows about every inch of the land, what grows on it, where to find it, etc.

That is when I remembered an idea my friend, Carrie, had given me for a treasure bag. So I put the two together and off we went on our Treasure Hunt! With one-gallon bags in hand, the girls and I headed for a walk around Mom & Dad's. It's loaded with treasures, from pine cones, to sticks, rocks, clovers & corn cobs.

A rest was in order after a lengthy walk, so we used the time to debrief, "Find me something yellow.... green.... round.... long.... crunchy...." Lauren especially loved the project. It was a great way to talk about our treasures' names & properties, get exercise, and spend time together. And who knows, just maybe they'll be up to the task of taking a treasure hunt with Great Grandpa.

Knowing my grandpa, he'll think that's great!

Conversations

The girls had some Mom-&-Dad-free time with relatives in Duluth this past weekend. Abby, especially, is very in tune with the world around her and she is not afraid to ask anything. Here are a few conversations between Abby, her cousin Jess, and her Aunt Kathleen.



Abby: What's that on your face?
Jess: A zit
Abby: A zit? Will it go away?
Jess: Yeah, it shows up one day and is gone in a couple of days.
Abby: I don't want a zit.
Jess: Me neither, but it's all a part of getting older.



We were watching a part of Aladdin. At the end of the movie when they are confronting the sorcerer, Jasmine was telling Jafar that she should have "never trusted him". Abby asked me if "trust" was a bad word. I told her that when I was helping her jump the rocks I asked her if she felt safe with me holding her hand to make the jump. She said yes and I told her that she had trust in me that I wouldn't let her fall.

Abby: Where do you live?
Kathleen: This is my house, I live here.
Abby: Will you move to Ohio?
Kathleen: No, I can't because I live in Minnesota.
Abby: You can come to Ohio in the summer, but we swim in the winter.

Abby: Do wear a bra?
Kathleen: Yes, I do.
Abby: Do you wear one with your dresses?
Kathleen: Yes, I wear one all the time.
Abby: I have a bra.
Kathleen: You do?
Abby: Yeah, it's part of my swimsuit.



I was coloring with both girls - I love to color:
Jess: Mom, I bet you wish we were little again.
Me: Yes, they were some of the best days of my life.
I wouldn't trade being at home with you guys for anything.
--Aunt Kathleen


Neither would I!

Fashion Finale

It is evident I jumped the gun with the last picture. The girls have one more piece of fashion advice: never be afraid to accessorise!

No joke, this is really how they roll.

Fashion 101

In the interest of fairness, Lauren is not the only child of mine to show off her oufit-matching skills. Abby, too, is a fashionista all her own. And just in case you are left in the dark when it comes to pulling clothes from your closet, here a few things you should keep in mind: stripes do go with stripes, and purple is purple.... if the sweater has purple & so do the pants you're good to go!

I have yet to get to the bottom of the Christmas socks.