Monday, May 21, 2012

Just an Update

Here's what's coming up on our calendar in the next month: Move to a shiny new house, have 6 house guests, travel the world, and throw an epic 3rd birthday party. Those mega tasks all overlap, and I really can't prepare for much of it. It's not like I can make the cake in advance. The moving guys will pack everything, so I'm not boxing things up. And because we won't move into the new house until the day half of our guests arrive, there's no sense in scrubbing the guest bathroom to prepare. So basically waiting is driving me nuts. But I guess that's better than saying "there is so much I have to do!" We're getting acquainted with our new town. (the one we're moving closer to) Yesterday we went to church there, and during confession I taught the very elderly priest how to use an iPhone app. Afterward we tried out a restaurant nearby. Daniel asked Bella to taste the "Kraut Salat" and then she shouted "MM! I LOVE CRAP SALAD!"

No, even with impending chaos, life goes on as usual. One steady ritual we have, that I enjoy very much, is listening to Daniel tell stories to Isabella at bedtime. Jonah and the Whale is her current favorite, and she usually tells it to him.  But Daniel decided to switch it up a few nights ago and tell her the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. You remember the story. With the troll? "who's that tromping over my bridge?!" Yeah, that one. Anyway, like a typical three year old, any new story is interrupted by a "why? why?" about 487 times. Which leads to Daniel explaining tons of stuff that has nothing to do with the story, really. So he starts the story about the billy goats, and he pauses to make sure she remembers that a goat is "kind of like sheep, but with horns" or something. She says yeah, and he continues the story. About two minutes in she says thoughtfully "daddy? Goats are fatter than mommy." Daniel pauses for a second and is like, "uh, yeah. Yeah they are"
They sure know how to make a girl feel nice.

Isabella has some tricks up her sleeve. Some might call it "manipulation" but we figure it is sheer brilliance and call it "bargaining." She has pink, round cheeks, and ginormous blue eyes. She gives hugs and kisses and pops off an "I wuv you mommy" at all the right times. I think most toddlers are probably pretty good at that stuff. She is trying to master the art of compromise with things like "Ok, but how bout I stay in the bath just one more minute, then I get out?"  It's a fair question, but unfortunately she has no idea how long one minute is, being not even three years old yet. Sometimes she will offer such a fantastic explanation of why she has done something she knows not to do, that our heads are left spinning as we grasp for some way to salvage a learning opportunity (aka discipline) out of it. Her fool-proof method, though, is to do something bad while looking very cute, and right as we catch her, make us laugh hysterically. You might remember this story. It works every time. Sometimes, when we're about to give her a talk, she'll just quote a movie. One of her favorites is a line from the movie Rio. "look, I know you're just doing your job" she'll say. Serious moment ruined. I'll give you another example. We have lots of rosaries, and Isabella LOVES jewelry. But she knows that the rosaries are not toys and are not to be played with. She is still often tempted to play with them. So a couple of days ago we were all in Daniel's office, playing with the dog and chatting, when Bella suddenly leaves the room for several minutes. When she returned, she was wearing every rosary in the house. And nothing else. We stifled some laughter and I was about to say "Isabella, you know you may not play with those, and why are you naked??" but right as my mouth opened she broke out into the most wild dancing. She was trying to make the rosaries swing back and forth and it looked like some crazy pagan moon dance. It was literally the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. We completely lost all composure. Daniel finally managed to remind her that rosaries are for prayer, not for hip thrusts.

So that's what's going on here in Germany, just enjoying our family in this gorgeous spring weather. We also went to Cologne recently and it was SO beautiful. I got a few pictures, but I'll probably just throw them in with my next travel post. Happy Monday!

2 comments:

  1. hahaha. Laughter. Laughter is all I have for this.

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  2. All I can say is, you guys are in for some real trouble when she's a teenager!!! I can't wait to see her and Sophia. (and you and Daniel)I had to list them first, that's what Mam-Maw's do. 24 and counting!

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