Little Boy Dictionary: Zoo Edition

(Little Boy's new "wasside hat" and "padamas")

For those who haven't seen one of my dictionaries before, I like to keep track of the way Little Boy says certain words and how that pronunciation changes over time. Here's the latest.

Stwuh says! = What does a squirrel say?
 effafunt = elephant
 seebuh = zebra
 awadaytuh = alligator
 duhwaff = giraffe
 wahn = lion
 huppo = hippo
 umtee = monkey

Now maybe if you meet Little Boy, you'll be able to understand what he says. Maybe? A little? Eh, probably not.

Golf Quote of the Day

Andrea: "You talk to your golf balls an awful lot." Isaac: "They are mine, and I know them. They are numbered unto me."

Gardening in Miniature

Last Sunday, Little Boy brought home some dirt in a cup. His Nursery teacher said that it might grow into a nasturtium.

So Little Boy and I watered it all week. I put it on the windowsill when it was sunny out, then moved it to the top of the refrigerator when it wasn't--the top of the refrigerator is supposed to be good because it's warm. But the top of our fridge isn't all that warm. So on Friday, I set it on the floor near the heater. I thought that if the fridge wasn't warm enough, the heat vent definitely would be. And if it still didn't grow...oh well. Saturday was cloudy, so I left the dirt cup on the floor. I checked on it, but still nothing (I'm a little impatient.). I forgot all about it yesterday--didn't even check to see if it needed water. And this is what I found in the dirt cup this morning:

Two sprouts. And one of them is an inch tall! Either this is the fastest-growing nasturtium ever, or I seriously missed something when I checked it on Saturday. So I'm happy. I have a flower for my container garden this summer. And Little Boy likes it (mostly he likes pouring water on it). We named it Audrey III.

So far, it hasn't demanded any blood.

Art by Chris Young "Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward. "Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Pajama Wednesday

Every once in awhile, a mom needs a break in the middle of the week. No way is she going to make it to the weekend. That's why we celebrate Pajama Wednesday. We don't do it a lot, but today Little Boy has a cold, and I'm exhausted. Pajama Wednesday is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you need a visual aid:

I'm in my pajama pants and slippers.

And Little Boy is in his footie pajamas.

See? Pajama Wednesday is that easy.

"Yass!"

Little Boy says "yass" instead of "yes." More like "yeah-ss." For a long time, he wouldn't say "yeah" or "yes" or "yup" or any of that--he'd just smile instead. Of course, he was still perfectly willing to say, "no."

But now, not only does he say, "yass," he says it with enthusiasm. Always. Like this:

"Do you want toast for breakfast?" "Yass!"
 "Do you love your bear?" "Yass!"
 "It's time to brush teeth." "Yass!"
 "Do you like putting your cars on the piano?"
 
  "YASS!"

"We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver. Finally, she called a family meeting and announced, 'Something has to go; we have no time to ourselves and no time for each other.' Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together."

-M. Russell Ballard