OneMoreTime

Lucas has an all consuming obsession with two DVDs: Mighty Machines at the Firehall and Robert Munch Gift of Stories.

He is working on stringing multiple words together, but there are lengthy pauses between each word. That's why it's funny when he asks for the DVDs by saying, "OneMoreTime". It's a giant word. I don't know if he thinks it's one word, or if he is so motivated to get the phrase out that they words just tumble out speedy fast. Or...maybe it is just the practice he's had with that particular phrase...after all, he says it 65,931 times a day.

He starts his "OneMoreTime" campaign about three minutes before the end of each show. It doesn't matter how many times he has watched it that day, either. It's never enough. I should really teach him "TenThousandTimesMore", because that would be more accurate.
Last night, we were playing "Broken Telephone" as a family in bed. It's a silly game to play really, since kids can't whisper well and we were in close proximity to one another. Plus Finny doesn't hear super well so she said, "What?" every single time I whispered to her. But, there we were...playing anyway.

We found out quickly where our telephone was broken. We were all phones of varying quality, but Lukey was this:



No matter what words we whispered into his ear, he always passed along the same message......."Munch". We were howling. The phrase changed but EVERY SINGLE GAME went like this:

Me to Finny: "Birthday cake"
Finny to Me: "What?"
Me to Finny: "Birthday cake"
Finny to Molly: "Birthday cake"
Molly to Lukey: "Birthday cake"
Lukey to Eric: "Munch"

And before you feel sorry for the little two year old who didn't understand the rules of the (very simple) game...don't. He got it. Believe me, he totally got it.

*FULL DISCLOSURE* To get the ten minutes I needed to post this, I put on Munch. He just said, "OneMoreTime". Seriously.

Night at the Theatre and my own Mime

Tonight, I had the pleasure of watching my dear friend Paulina perform in the play Some Girl(s), currently running in repertoire at The Havana Theatre. She was fantastic. So good that it gave me the creeps to see someone I know so well behaving in such an uncharacteristic way. I was reminded how much I enjoy live theatre and have made a mental note to see more. Particularly since one of Eric's Christmas gifts to me was season's tickets to the theatre of my choice.

The mime part of my post title is Lukey. He isn't really a mime. He talks his face off, you just can't understand most of what he says, so we often rely on his gestures and facial expressions to catch his meaning. Sometimes though, he is creative in his use of the limited amount of language he has command over. For instance, he doesn't use the word "because". So, he does this: "Helmet...off...why?...hurts...me" or "Sad...why?...miss...you". If you substitute "why?" with because, these statements make sense.

The part of me that loves words deeply has been impatient with Lou's slow language development. That same part of me is slightly mollified by his innovative method of getting his meaning across. Maybe he will be a poet...with a great three point shot.

The Conceit of Childhood

One of my favourite overheard things lately happened in Point Roberts last weekend. The girls were jumping on the trampoline (as they do and do and do). We have some neighbours who live kitty corner behind us who also have a trampoline. Instead of little girls bouncing on their tramp, they have teenage boys trying to injure themselves and each other. It appears to be a big difference.

In any case, at one point normally shy-ish Molly decided it was time to meet the neighbours. As though on a mission, she hopped off the trampoline, bee-lined to the back corner of the lot and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Hey you neighbour boys!"

Cue me, turning around, shocked at my daughter shouting at the slightly scary teenage boys. She wasn't done.

"Hey, are you wondering who we are?"

Cue me, wondering what the heck she's going to say. I mean, I don't know how to answer that.

"We're Molly and Finny!"

As if that explained absolutely everything. All they could possibly need to know.

The world in her eyes is still small. Filled with people who know both her and her sister. On a first name basis.

When those big boys didn't answer her (in fact, a strange, very still silence reigned over there while the pint-sized girl screeched at them), she shrugged as if to say, "I give up" and then turned on her heel and marched away. Back to the trampoline.

I guess it was just in case they were wondering.


And in case you were wondering (and I doubt you were) who they are, here are some questions I asked the girls tonight. I found this (edited) list of questions on Belgian Waffle, a blog I read. Some of them are funny. Some are not funny at all (you will see what I mean).


1. What is something mummy always says to you?
Molly: I love you.
Finny: I love you.

2. What makes mummy happy?
Molly: Me hugging her.
Finny: When I listen when she says socks and shoes on…and then I do it.

3. What makes mummy sad?
Molly: Having to do work and not seeing us.
Finny: When I don’t listen.

4. How does your mummy make you laugh?
Molly: Tickles me.
Finny: She doesn’t. Not usually. When she scares me. When I am in the bathroom and she comes in to surprise me…it scares me in a nice way.

5. What did your mummy like to do when she was a child?
Molly: Play with her friends.
Finny: Play with her little brother

6. How old is your mummy? (Oh My God)
Molly: I don’t know. 40? (I didn’t think it could get worse than this)
Finny: I don’t know…how old are you? 65? (It could)

7. How tall is your mummy ?
Molly: I don’t know. Can I measure you? Do I have to count?
Finny: This high (about two inches taller than her)

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Molly: Arthur.
Finny: Oprah.

9. What does your mummy do when you’re not around?
Molly: Go to Sandy’s.
Finny: I don’t know because I am not around.

10. If your mummy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Molly: Writing books.
Finny: Drawing. (???)

11. What is your mummy really good at?
Molly: Writing books.
Finny: Helping me.

12. What is your mummy not very good at?
Molly: Nothing.
Finny: Taking care of plants.

13. If your mummy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Molly: D.W.
Finny: You. But a cartoon.

14. How do you know your mummy loves you?
Molly: Because she hugs me a lot and I love her too.
Finny: Because she always says I love you.

15. What does your mummy like most about your daddy?
Molly: He’s him.
Finny: You played with him when he was a little boy.

16. Where is your mummy ’s favorite place to go?
Molly: Bubble tea.
Finny: With us everywhere.

17. What’s your favorite TV show?
Molly: I really like Arthur
Finny: I have two. Mine favourite on Treehouse is Max and Ruby and on the other, Arthur. That’s my most favourite. Oh, and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. That’s three.

18. What is your favorite knock knock joke.
Molly: The banana one.
Finny: Daddy has to have Hollandaise.

19. What do you want for your birthday?
Molly: A machine that makes me a baby again.
Finny: I don’t know yet.

20. If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?
Molly: A camper we can camp in with beds and stuff.
Finny: For my mumma to stay alive forever.

21. Something Daddy did that he wasn’t supposed to?
Molly: Go through private roads.
Finny: I don’t know. That’s hard to know because daddy does a lot of stuff right.

22. If a genie could make you beautiful, smart or famous, what would you choose?
Molly: I would choose to be me.
Finny: Smart and beautiful. Well, I would be me even if I was smart and beautiful. I still would be me.

E-Les worked...we ate ice cream