Long Trips in the Van

We are blessed to live 3(ish) hours from Portland and I love it.  Chris has family there and it is always awesome to spend time with them.  You know how you can spend time with people and leave feeling so loved, cared about and spoiled (and well-fed)?  That is how his family makes us feel when we visit.
We always have so much fun.  Between visits to the beach, trips to the lake, motorcycle rides, Cheesecake Factory, the Saturday market, trips to the park, hanging out at home, playing with pets, and partaking of the awesomeness that is Cinetopia, we stay very busy and enjoy every second of our time there.

I even like the drive to and from.  Road trips with Chris are my favorite.  The girls usually spend most of the ride asleep but this time on the home the girls stayed awake the whole time.  This really has never happened and it made for an entertaining trip.

*******

At one point in the trip Juj started crying because she was tired and grumpy.  Pops tried to comfort her by singing a song. It started out as the Baby of Mine song from Dumbo but Pops took creative license and changed the song to be like this:

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Don't act ridiculous
It is just a car ride
I don't want to share my Sully with you

The song was surprisingly effective.

********

Here is a conversation P had with her Dad around hour 2:

P: Dad, can you drive faster?  That sun is always following us and I really don't like it.

Chris: I'm going 67!

P: Oh.  Well, I wish you would go #1.

*******

Nearing hour 3:

Chris: Egh.  And the closer we get to home, the more the green disappears.  Welcome back to our home in the desert.

Pops: Dad!  NO!  We DON'T live in a desert!  We live in a HOUSE!  Stop saying we live in the desert!

*******

Me: Did we ever even give our van a name?

Juj: Caca toots.

Chris and me: What?

Juj: (Shrugging, not seeing what was weird about her suggestion)

Pops: How about Bambi?

Me: ...Yeah.  That's a little better.

Juj: I think our van tooted.

Pops: ...That was you, Juj.

 

Peter Pan, Vacuum Cleaner, and Looking Unusual

P approached me around bed time and was dressed in a long nightgown (which must have made her very warm) and she had put her hair into  ponytail.  She said, "Mom!  I look like Wendy!  Look at my dress and my hair!  Peter Pan is going to come and he'll be so proud!  I'll never be a pirate!  Unless it is a good pirate....like a pirate princess like you!"

*~*~*~*

(Straightening up the living room)
P: We have to pick up the big stuff first?  Or the vacuum will break?
Me: Yes.
P: But we can just try to vacuum everything and if it breaks, maybe dad will get a new one.
Me: We don't have money for a new one.  We'd probably have to sell one of you girls.
P: Okay.  I'll try not to break it.  But if it breaks on accident, pick Juj to sell.

*~*~*~*~*

My kids' clothes rarely match.  They pick out their own clothes.  This means that it is not unusual for us to go out and about with Juj dressed in a princess shirt and batman pants, while P is wearing an old dragon costume backwards.  They also do their own hair.  P will give herself a ponytail and put a few bows in her hair, with a necklace on her head, sort of like a crown.  Juj will have combed and arranged her hair in a way that is...disheveled looking at best.  I try to direct them, but they usually know exactly what they want to wear.  I can tell that they have a clear picture of how they want to look.  I'm okay with that.  I can't shoot down the kind of initiative they take in getting dressed.

Sometimes, though.....

Sometimes I just want to have them looking normal enough to snap a picture of them looking clean and put together like everybody else's children.  I want to go to the park or the store with them and NOT have a million costume pieces to monitor.  I want to avoid the stares from people who might think that the level of my children's independence is a little extreme  Yesterday was one of those days.

P had dressed herself creatively.  She had a nice skirt on with a mismatched shirt and a bathing suit over that.  Her hair was...whimsical...the way it always is.  The skirt she was wearing was just given to her and it came with a matching shirt.  It was cute.

Me: Peyton, why don't you save that skirt and wear it tomorrow.  The shirt that matches it is in the dryer.  Maybe we can find the pants that match the shirt you wearing for today.

Peyton:  Okay.  Good idea.  I don't want to look unusual.

Me: You don't?  Well....is it bad to look unusual?

Peyton: ...Yes?

Me: It is?

Peyton: (Sigh) Course not!  I just don't feel like it today.

Whew.  Good.  I would hate to think that I put out her creative and independent flair.

Salmon Patties and Muscles and Superheroes

Last night I made salmon patties.  The Bingham girls LOVE salmon patties.

P: Mom, I want a big salmon patty.  A really big one.  I'm gonna eat a big salmon patty so I can get big muscles.

I held out the plate for her so that she could select her perfect sized patty.  She chose one that was slightly smaller than the largest one.

P: I don't want one that is too big.  I don't want my muscles to get too, too big....like an elephant.  No.  I don't want that.  I just want my muscles to be big.  Like my dad and Batman.

Me: Well, P, do you think I have strong muscles?

P: Yeah....but you're just strong like Superman.

I see how it is.

Pirates, Animals, Your Highness, Prayers, and Affirmations

Me: Good morning, Pops!
P: (With enthusiasm) Ahoy, Mom! (Switching to serious tone) I can only talk pirate talk today.

~*~*~*~*

Peyton: What's your favorite animal to like, Juj?

Juj: Yellow!

P: Mom, what's your favorite animal to like?

Me: Have you heard of a platypus?

P: Huh?

Me: I like elephants.

P: (Disappointed) Oh.

Me:  What's wrong, Pops?  What is your favorite animal?

P: My favorite animal is worms! (Like it was the obvious choice)

Me: Interesting.  Why?

P: Because they are so cute.  And they love their families!  And I love mine.  And they can be in our family!

Me: Hmm....

I just want you guys to know, she really does love worms.  She goes outside and digs them up and brings them to me.  Sometimes in empty water bottles, but not always.  She says, "Look what I brought you!"  I fall for it every time.

~*~*~*~*~

Me: P, will you hand me that water bottle next to you?
P: Yes, your highness. (Hands me the bottle) But I'm a your highness, too.  And don't you forget it!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Peyton's prayer tonight:
Dear Heavenly Father, I'm not allowed to jump on the bed.  I'm not allowed to stand on the table.  I'm not allowed to stand on the window, either.  I'm not allowed to play in the refrigerator.  And thanks for Juj.  I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

~*~*~*~

I tucked the girls into bed today and as I shut the door they both insisted they needed more hugs and kisses.  I went back in to give them hugs and kisses.
P: Love you, Mom.
Me:  Love you, too!  You guys are the best!
P: You are, too!
Me: Thanks!
P: You are the best, and also you are very strong!
Me: Thank you.
P: And also, your hair looks great, too!
Me: Wow.  Thanks, P. (My hair looks absolutely terrible.  Very similar to bed head)
P: You are a princess, Mom.  A pirate princess.

Voodoo Mama Juju

Guys, this little sweet potato just turned TWO!

She is awesome.  Here are just a few things that about Juju that I hope I remember forever.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few times a day she tells me that I look like Cinderella.  I like to think she means post-makeover Cinderella.

~

She adores Popeye.  Whenever Popeye changes her clothes, Juj will say, "You are beau-sho, Pops!"

~

She is very shy around anybody she doesn't live with.  She will pretend that she doesn't even know how to speak.  She does talk at home, though.  A lot.  The most common phrases she uses are, "That's not very nice, Popeye/Mom/Dad!" and, "Mom, Dad's not listening to me!"  She's a little bossy.

~

She loves Monsters Inc.  She really, really loves "Mike Bigowski."

~

She enjoys saying prayers.  Hers are usually incoherent and 5 minutes long.

~

She doesn't like to go to bed unless we "shuggle" with her, first.  Snuggling is her favorite. 

~

She loves to color.  She colors for at least an hour every day.  She can't get enough.

~

She is constantly asking Popeye to play hide and seek with her.  Popeye usually complies.  Juj cannot stay hidden for more than 10 seconds, though.  If it takes longer than 10 seconds to find her, she pops out and says, "I'm right here!"  It usually doesn't take very long to find her, though.  She only likes to hide in 2 places, and she only uses one of those places a day.  Popeye has learned to act surprised when Juj hides in the same place 10 times in a row.

~

She loves to eat.  She will eat anything and she can out-eat me. 

~

If she gets hurt and it is not that bad she stands up and says, "Walk it off, Juj."

~

Her favorite color is yellow.  That's what she says.   She doesn't know what yellow is, though.  She can't pick it out of the other colors.  She just always requests yellow things.  "Yellow popsicle, please."  "May I please have yellow paper?"  "I want a yellow blanket!"  We don't have that stuff in yellow but she seems to be accepting of whatever we give her.  I'm sure this is going to make learning colors very confusing for her.

~

She loves to Skype.  She begs for it.  She gets a little heartbroken if nobody is on.  If you want to talk to this kid, Skype her.  She will love it.

~

She likes to sing.  In church she gets frustrated if we sing songs other than "I am a Child of God" or "Sunbeam."  We usually don't sing those songs in Sacrament meeting, which presents many opportunities for her to be frustrated.  She combats this by singing those songs, anyway.  Really loudly.  A hymn will start and it won't sound familiar.  She will suggest, "How 'bout "Sunbeam?"  Obviously, nobody hears her because they are singing.  She sings with more volume, though, and it can be distracting.  Basically, you don't want to sit by us in church.