I'm not taking a nap! -- Lil' e

My mom just doesn't seem to believe me when I tell her I'm not tired. She makes me go to bed anyways, to have a nap! Well, I'll have it no more. No more naps. Just to get my point across, I got out of my bed, pooped on the rug and then some more on the hardwood floor and then waited for my mom to find me. I stepped in my poop so you know I would have gotten in way more trouble if I walked around...so I did wait for her. When she found me, I smiled my most flirtatious smile and told her that I did a BIG poop and then a little poop. I also showed her the pee-pee on the rug so she could make it dry again.

I'm not sure my mom got the picture because she still made me take a nap. AND she made my room dark by closing the shades the entire way. I'm not very happy about this situation and I refuse to go to sleep. We'll see how many days it takes her to finally get the message that my "not listening to her" isn't a sign of being tired and thus, needing to nap. Rather, it is a sign that I'm more mature and wise now at two years and nine months so I don't really need to listen to her.

I know not to run into the street. In fact, today I opened the door and ran out to our cars parked in front of our garage while my mom was making breakfast. My Dad came out to tell me that I couldn't go outside by myself but I assured him that "no cars in the street, Daddy." He obviously could see that I'm really fine at this age. I don't need adult supervision, only someone to fix my food and get me more water when I need it.

This weekend we went to "open houses" but we only got to go inside to one. I keep asking to go to "open houses" because I love that I can run around and go upstairs/ downstairs and see new places. I'm not always excited about staying in the car but I do get to see lots of parks. Our house has open house, too. I love our Realtor, he's cool. I say hi to him and give him high fives. He likes to hear my stories, too. This real estate thing is exciting but I don't want to leave Jim and Flo. I love running outside to say hi to them. I like going over to their house to eat and sit in the cool air conditioning. Whenever, I hear them out by my window, I rush over to say, "HI, Jim. Hi, Flo."

I don't think I'll find neighbors like them so I'm not really sure I want to move. I really don't want to have my own room. Too much space! Who needs space? I love sleeping as close to issy as possible. I love giggling and telling stories when lights are out. She keeps me company and snuggles with me when I'm scared. Why would I want to leave that?

Space is overrated. I don't want to move.

Later,

Lil' e

School -- Lil' e

I've officially begun my endless years of school. At the ripe age of 2 years and 9 months, my mother has thrown me to the wolves and made me go to school. Would you expect anything less?

Potty training has been an issue with us because in order to go to school play in the sandbox or play with the Stop signs (for the bikes), I had to become potty trained since no one can wear pull-ups there. I've NOT been happy about it. I love pull-ups. I never have to stop what I'm doing in order to go to the bathroom. Who wants to stop building the world's largest buildings to take care of that kind of business? Not me! It ruins my creativity when I have to stop. When I return, I don't know what I was doing and I have to think about it so much that usually I give up and just clean the whole thing up.

It happened today. I was building with my lil' Legos. My mom MADE me stop and go to the bathroom AND take off my night pull-up. (She lets me wear one at night, thank goodness!) This was not pleasing to me but she threatened me as she always does and made me do it. THEN, when I went to the potty I asked for privacy. Who should have to ask? She should know better. Well, I could see her shadow just around the corner. So I taught her a lesson, I threw my pull-up at her, which I had worn during the night and told her "go way." That'll teach her!

Lately, I've really been enjoying food. Food can be so many things. Take a few bites of toast and bam, you have a boat. Take a few more bites and you get a ga-ga. (otherwise known as heli-opter) The other day, I made a digger with my mouth. My spaghetti would do in first, I'd chew, then I'd use my tongue to push it back out. It went all the way to the floor, in a pile. This was amazing. It was just like a digger, scooping things up and then dumping them out. You can imagine my mother's response -- utter amazement at my brilliant mind. Please! Good mother's respond that way. Conversely, my mom didn't appreciate my creativity. She gave me a time out. She was so mean, she didn't let me be a digger again AND she made me eat my spaghetti. Something about having just mopped the floor...this is child cruelty!

Also annoying is the whole toast issue. I LOVE toast with butter. But my mom puts the butter on the toast and it MELTS. I can't see it again. I don't want the butter to melt. So I cry. And she lets me. I flop on the seat and she still doesn't care. I screamed, "I don't want the butter to melt!" and she didn't fix it. I want Mimi or Grammy back. THEY understand me. They would have made the butter not melt; I know it.

Later,

Lil' e

Back to School and Other Thoughts -- Big E

 

Summer's over and I'm back to doing homework. This does and doesn't please me. I love being at school because I love to see my friends and learn. However, I'm really not too happy about my homework, it cuts into my alone time. Actually, homework would be fine if I didn't have piano, Spanish, Hip Hop AND gymnastics. You can see I'm definitely overscheduled. Where is my childhood? My Mom doesn't understand. If I only had to go to lessons and tutoring, then life would be good and I'd get my alone time. BUT she makes me practice and do work. I have had only ten minutes of alone time in the last two days. This does not make me happy.

Another thing that is completely bothering me is that I had to take down my fort in my room. For the last month, I've had a fort over my bed. It's protection from all others, so I can be alone and stay alone. Well, my Mom and Dad are putting our house up for sale so someone will buy it. So, they made me take down my fort. I just want someone to offer us money so I can put my fort up again. Can someone do it already????

I'm very excited to move. My parents have told me that I don't have to change schools. I better not! Since I've lived in this house my whole life, I'm extremely excited to move. I'm going to really miss my tree, though. I have a spider friend in the tree. We hang out together. Her on her beautiful, HUGE web and me in the tree. She's a orb weaver spider. She has lots of family members. They have taken over our pine tree. I don't climb the pine tree. It hurts. But our Liquid Amber is a perfect climbing tree. I'm going to miss it. I've been climbing it since I was four years old.

I'm going to miss my neighbors, Jim, Flo and Dorothy. I love visiting them, especially because they are always so glad to see me. It's going to be different moving. Two of my best friends, who were my neighbors, moved away two years ago and I was very sad. I want to move like they did. But I guess there are a lot of unanswered questions, like where we're going to live. My parents have been discussing whether they have enough money to buy a new house. I told them I have $400.00 in the bank that they can use. I've been saving it for six years now. Both Lil' e and I have a savings account.

Of course! As if MY mom would let me spend all my birthday and Christmas money! Please! She ALWAYS makes me save some and even give some away. Last year a bought a goat for a family at Christmas. I guess that wasn't so bad. It still makes me mad that I HAVE to do it. As if I wouldn't want to give some of my own money away without her telling me.

I've gotta go. I need my alone time before Lil' e figures out I'm home and available.

Love,

Big E

appy Birt'day to you, Daddy -- Lil e

We had the greatest birthday celebration, yet. In the morning, real early, Issy and I burst into the garage, where my dad was sleeping because Mimi and Papa were sleeping in his bed, and sang "Appy Birt'day to you, 'Appy Birt'day to you" at the top of our lungs. We gave him our cards that we had made with Mimi. Eventually, he got up and treated US to chocolate chip pancakes. My mom refused to join us, claiming she was too tired and needed more sleep.

Of course, she did get up at some point and my dad left. I couldn't find him, "Where's 'appy birt'day?" I asked my mom. She let me know he was at church so I knew he would come back. I was just glad I didn't have to go and be left behind. You see, they have no feelings and it makes me anxious. I hang onto my Mommy's neck crying and screaming, "No. No. Don't go." only to have her pry my arms off her neck and my legs off her body by another worker. She walks out telling me that she'll be back. She always does come back, with my Dad, but sometime you never know, she might not. But I digress, back to my dad's birt'day.

Later, after my dad returned from church, Issy and I celebrated him again. Issy told him, "Close your eyes." He closed his eyes. She sang "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you" before leaping into his arms and giving him a big hug. Of course, I had to follow that act. Anything she can do, I can do bigger AND better.

I told him, "Cloz your eye." Then I sang to him, "Appy Birt'day to you, 'Appy Birt'day to you." Finally, with his eyes closed, I sprang onto him and hit him in the head with my glow stick. He was so surprised, he jolted up with a laugh and rubbed his head. It was so funny, I almost fell over on the floor. WAYY better than Issy's surprise.

At the end of the day, I helped Mommy make a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, his favorite. She tried to jip me out of some dough but I wouldn't let her. I demanded a bowl with dough. Daddy got one too, enjoying it before our dinner.

I wish birthdays were everyday! We had a good one.

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I get to play in the sand AND on the bike.

Later,

Lil' e

Zoo, then Alone -- Big E

This is a Mom and Baby Giraffe. They were at the San Diego Zoo.

 

This is an AMAZING BIRD. So beautiful, AND big. It's a Secretary bird, in the elephant odyssey.

 

Look closely, can you see what is beside the Lily Pad?

 

I'm up in the air, riding the thing that goes across the zoo and you can look down. We only got to ride ONCE, a BIG disappointment. Decision made by you-know-who.

 

We made a fabulous trip down to the San Diego Zoo. The only thing on my mind to see-- a salamander. Would you believe that they only have ONE tank with them? We waited and waited and waited but we never saw it. Their absence and disrespect to viewers may be the reason they only have one. Salamanders can go on both land and water, staying under water for long periods of time. I was disappointed but made the best of the day. The giraffes were soo very cool, second best to the Lemonade Icee I got to eat for dinner. My third favorite animal was the komodo dragon. It was asleep, the best way to look at it. I would've been scared had it been up and awake. Seeing all the animals was great, especially when we got to ride in the cart in the air. I saw the gorillas running around below me. It was very fun. Lil' e and I tried to get my mom to take us on the ride again but she wouldn't negotiate. She said something about being late and needing to get home...who needs sleep? I never sleep. I told her I could drive for her but she didn't go for it. So, we only traveled across once.

After the zoo, we spent a couple days at home before she, well, they, abandoned me and Lil' e. My Mom and my Dad left us with Mimi and Papa to go on their very first trip alone for my entire life. They went to Maui, for eight days. It looked like a long ways away on the map. I think there may only be people vacationing there. I don't think anyone lives on the island itself. It looks too small or something. Besides, how would anyone get there to live? Every night, I asked them what they saw. One day, they swam with sharks and saw a white tip reef shark. Almost everyday they saw spotted eagle rays. Lil' e and I watched one of my shark dvds. (When I was little I LOVED sharks and probably have every shark dvd ever made). Anyways, when we saw the shark video, we saw some of the animals they saw. It was cool.

I really wished they would've been here to see all the Orb Weaving Spiders make their webs. We have a family of them living in our trees. Before you feel to bad for me being left by my parents, let me remind you who I was with -- Mimi and Grandpa. Do you know what this means? It means daily bike rides with Grandpa, daily trips to Wild Berry yogurt (do you think MY parents take me there? PLEASE! maybe once every three months.), daily packages full of surprises because my parents felt guilty about leaving us so they filled bags with lots of goodies, AND a special trip to see my cousins in Santa Barbara. We didn't miss them, well at least not very much. Lil' e even got upset when Mimi said she wasn't coming back down to visit just yet. He wants Mimi back. I want Mimi AND Grandpa back.

I'm hoping my Grammy comes out soon because you know where she likes to take me, Baskins and Robbins. I'm hoping at least sometime soon I'll get to go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. No luck without visitors.

I'm off for some alone time,

Big E