Something Else

Jillian really is something else. If you take a good look at the above picture, you can see just what I mean. Her wheels are always turning, she is full of fire, and she always has something (many things, actually) to say. I do my best to keep up with her and record all the funny things she says or does, but it is impossible. Here are a few gems I've managed to remember in the last month....

-We drive by a couple of horses on our way home each day. Jillian likes to comment on whether or not they are outside, eating, wearing their blanket-like coats, etc. On this particular day, she had a burning question:
J: "Mom, where do horses go potty?"
Me: "They just go on the ground outside".
J: "You have got to be kidding me!!"
I hope she didn't get any ideas....

-On Christmas, Jillian had a difficult time wrapping her head around the fact that though we were celebrating the birth of Jesus with a party and cake, he would not physically be present. Just as we were about to begin the celebration, Jillian shouted, "But we have to wait for Jesus!" This began a whole list of theological questions that centered around faith, God, heaven....stuff that adults have questions about and struggle with, not to mention the fresh mind of a wee 3 year old. I can't remember all the details, but I will never forget the statement she made to conclude the conversation: "Heaven is a very far place, and you need to take a donkey!" Got it.

-Over the last few days we have been talking a lot about Hawaii. This is because we are preparing to go there next month, as Matt is attending a conference in Kona (Yes, we are all going. Yes, I have plenty of reservations about traveling all that distance with 2 young children. Yes, the tickets are purchased so I cannot change my mind!). We have tried and tried to help Jillian pronounce "Hawaii" correctly, but to her, we are going to "We-white". It is pretty cute when used in a sentence. I often hear, "I can't wait to go to we-white!" or "Are we going to we-white today?", or (my favorite), "I'm going to ride a sea turtle in we-white!"

-Though Jillian is an excellent sleeper, she has been waking up briefly in the night every few days over the course of the last month (never at the same time as Adrienne, though, that would be too simple!). Her reasons usually center around being "scared". Most recently, the more specific reason is, "I'm scared of the floor" or "I'm scared of the ground". I usually get her back upstairs, assure her that we are all here together, and are safe, and then turn another light or two on to help her settle down. Last night, I was feeling particularly frazzled since I had been up once every hour between the two little ladies. I hauled Jillian back up to her room, and asked her to show me exactly what she was scared of. Her reply? A very casual, "Oh nothing". The girl really knows how to work it.

-This morning, the girls were playing in my room as I was getting ready. They happened to be playing on the floor below the spot on the wall where our wedding picture hangs. Jillian decided it was the perfect moment to impart her wisdom about weddings as they relate to Hawaii and the customs of wearing flowers in one's hair (a direct application of our conversations regarding what people do/wear in Hawaii, and the fact that I mentioned that married women wear a flower behind their left ear, while single ladies wear them on the right). I heard the following in a semi-hushed voice: "Adrienne, see that picture? That's a wedding. You get to wear a dress like a princess, and then you go to we-white and put flowers behind your ear").

-Jillian had been running low on her favorite princess toothpaste for a good week or so. I kept forgetting about this when I was out running errands, but was reminded nightly about how much she dislikes the "spicy" Crest Kids toothpaste sample the dentist gave her. Today, a miracle occurred, and I actually remembered that she needed some new toothpaste while I was at Target, and I  also picked her up a new toothbrush while I was at it. I was giving Adrienne a bath when Jillian came running upstairs to prepare for hers and discovered the purchases I made earlier in the day. She exclaimed, "Oh Mom, it's perfect! This is just perfect!" It sure makes a mom feel good to know she can do something right from time to time.