Life Goes On

Though it's only been a week, it seems like a lifetime since we returned from our 1st vacation without the kids. Life must go on. And on it goes.

Olivia insists on getting out of bed every night and tries to convince us that she should sleep downstairs on the couch since Aunt Karen was here. Yup - that's what they did every night - slumber party in the living room. She also told on Aunt Karen abut a few other things. I fear I have a little tattle tale in the house. Better than keeping secrets, though. The nice thing about it is that she also tells on herself. She comes running when she does something wrong and tells me immediately. She cracks me up.

Which brings me to some funny stuff she does lately. She will just walk up to me, or anyone she feels comfortable with, and say "You're cracking me up!" I respond with, "You're crackin' me up!"

OG - "No, you're crackin' me up!"
Me - "No, you're crackin' me up!"
And on and on and on. FUN!

She stands in front of the mirror experimenting with different emotions and the associated faces. She yells at her reflection, "No, don't do that. You're going in a timeout" and makes several different angry faces, trying to determine which looks best with her eyes and hair.

She tells herself how pretty and smart she is and then makes a really cheezy smile and turns and tilts her head slightly to the side while looking at herself out of the corner of her eye.

She sings constantly, the words change, but the tune is always the same and I'm hoping the theme of the songs is not foreshadowing for some kind of personality disorder.
Example:
I like chicken, I don't like chicken. I had chicken today, no I didn't because I don't like chicken, I like chicken.
Get my drift?

The last thing she says every single night after her elaborate bedtime routine and after being tucked in, putting Cel.ine on, and blowing a kiss is..."turn the light off, OK?"
I have no idea why this started. We ALWAYS turn the hall light out. I think one night we forgot. BIG MISTAKE! Because ever since that night a few weeks ago, she HAS to tell us to do so. She is definitely on her way to "the couch".

Maaaaaahhhhhhh-mee, Maaaaaaahhhhhmeee.
Yes, Olivia?
Ummmmmmmmmmm. Why is there dirt on the ground?
Get it? She wants to talk to us, so she calls our name, all slow and sweet. Once we answer her, she needs a few seconds to think of something to say. She comes up with some real zingers.

The scene: Dining room table
Characters: Mommy, Mama, Olivia, Jake, Emma, The Owl.
What? An owl? Yes, an owl. But only Olivia can see it.
Right in the middle of dinner one night, she looked out the window and shouted sternly, "Go away Ow-ul. Don't get my food!"
She would not continue to eat unless Cindy and I also told the owl to go away and not to get her food. So we did - and now we do - almost every night. But only at the dining room table.

She will eat anything if we sing "If you're happy and you know it, eat your (insert food here)." It's amazing what a little singing can do.

And the #1 reason Olivia makes me LMAO is...

The other night, Olivia passed wind at dinner. I asked, "Did you fluff?" We have always called it fluffing and I'm not sure why, because we call everything else by it's proper biologic term. I just can' say "fart" or "pass wind/gas" to a 3 year old. However, Olivia continues to call it farting and we have no idea where she heard it and we can't get her to stop.
"Yes, I did. Ekshkyooz me."
"You're excused."
"It came out of my gina (rhymes with China)."
I can think of nothing to say. Cindy and I are laughing our asses off. Olivia joins in. Dinner ends.

Cindy starts blogging about her Mom and I put Olivia to bed.
Bedtime goes off without a hitch. But she is up 10 minutes after I shut the door. I hear little feet tiptoeing down the stairs. She emerges from the stairway into the den. "I wanna give Mommy a kiss goodnight".
"You already did".
"But she's sad and needs another one."
"OK, but right back to bed".
"OK".
Hugs Cindy and I put her back down. "Shut the light, OK?"
"Yes, Olivia, I will".
5 minutes pass - footsteps on the stairs, little face peeking around the corner.
"I want a family hug".
"OK".
We go into Cindy's office and do a family hug, including Max, and I take her back to bed.
"Now Olivia, if you get out of bed again and come downstairs, (me thinking fast) you'll be in trouble." WTF! Where did that come from and what does it mean? At this point, I really don't care. She agrees and I exit.
"Shut the light off, Mommy, OK?"
"OK, Olivia. Goodnight."
5 minutes later...footsteps in the hallway, bathroom door opens. I go up - she is on the toilet.
"I have to make peepee".
I can't get mad for this (and she knows it), so I'm stuck eating my words about getting in trouble. I obviously put the fear of God in her with my stern warning about getting up again. (NOT!)
"When you're done, make sure you wash your hands and go back to bed."
"OK".
I went downstairs.
5 minutes pass.
Footsteps on the stairs, but no little face peeking around the corner. So I go up the stairs and see her sitting there, pants around her ankles.
O - In a sing-songy voice, "My gina hurts."
Me - "Why?"
O - "Ummmm, cuz my gina hurts."
Me - "How does it hurt?" (now I'm thinking something must be seriously wrong with me because this is a really stupid question that even I couldn't answer if I were her.)
O - "Ummmm, cuz my gina hurts."
Me - "What happened?"
O - "Ummmmm, cuz my gina hurts cuz I've been farting too much."
Again, I have nothing to say. I put her back to bed and say goodnight through the tears of laughter that I cannot control.

Cindy and I went to a dinner party at our friends and nobody who was there has kids and loves ours, so everyone else held them and Cindy and i got to hold each other for a change.
Just like a man...eat and sleep.
Olivia thought Max would be a good babysitter, so she gave him a chance to watch "Lil' Baby".
Olivia and Jake watching Happy Feet. Yup, those are my thighs. Sorry, OG!