Monday, December 31, 2007

Child's logic

We are trying to explain to Gwenchik that it is not nice to talk about someone in the third person while they are present. And she still has trouble sometimes with that. So we were driving in a car and talking and Gwenchik again wasn't addressing a person by their name.
Me: Gwenchik, who are you talking to?
Gwen: Her
Me: Who is her?
Gwen: I just don't get this. I know her name, she knows her name, and you do... so why can't you all understand who am I speaking to?

Friday, December 28, 2007

My angel...

Me: How do you manage to be such an Angel lately?
Gwen: I was born that way!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Sleep in

Ah, holidays. It was very relaxing... We got to stay home as a family for several days: play games and go on play dates, dress up the Christmas tree, wrap presents. We got our best present a bit ahead of schedule on Monday morning, when we got to sleep in till 9:30 (normally we are up at 7), as Gwenchik quietly crawled into our bed.
Gwen: Mom, I thought that you would want to sleep in, so I woke up, put on a CD with Russian fairy tales and just played with my dolls and colored this picture for you, while I listened to them. I looked at the clock and it was later than 9, but I wasn't sure. Is it time now to get up?

Monday, December 17, 2007

MIT fairy

We told Gwenchik that her uncle David, who lives in Indiana, has been accepted to MIT (Congratulations, David!)
Gwen: Does that mean that he will be in Boston now?
Me: Yes, he will actually live here, probably starting this fall
Gwen: So, he wouldn't need to fly on the plane every time to visit us, right?
Me: Right
Gwen: I need to make a nice card (she is into coloring lately) for that nice MIT fairy, that she will make so that Nathan and Seth will come stay as well.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Morning of the snowstorm

Gwenchik crawled into our bed on this snowy Sunday morning,
Gwen: Mom, why are you always so warm in bed?
Me: Because we sleep together with your Papa, and he is really warm
Gwen: Oh, and I sleep with the duck and sheep and many warm blankets.
.....
George got up and went downstairs.
George: Gwenchik, do you want to come down with me?
Gwen: No, no. Mom and I are girls, so we stick together..., at least for a minute (then she runs off after him)
.....
We were eating tuna sandwiches in bed and watching through the latest pictures of Gwenchik on my laptop.
Gwen: I want a snowstorm everyday
Me: Why?
Gwen: Because we get to make so many exceptions in bed: lay in, eat in and look at me being so pretty in pictures.

Friday, December 14, 2007

First snow

We got our real first snow yesterday.
Me: Look the snow is starting to fall
Gwen: Hmmm, I wish I could be on the other side of the earth.
Me: Why is that?
Gwen: Because over there, it is sunny and warm and I would get to go swimming with grandpa and eat ice-cream.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Definition of "grown up"

Today is our first, official snow emergency, so Gwenchik stayed home. At some point, after we exhausted all the puzzled and board games, she wanted to watch the movie Madeline.
Gwen: Mom, Madeline is small, but all grown up.
Me: How is that?
Gwen: She is small in size, but already managed to get into a lot of trouble all by herself--which makes her really grown up!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Queen-Mother

Yesterday, we were rehearsing a children's play 'Princess and the pea'. Gwenchik was the Queen. Today, while cleaning up with me, she saw an old sequenced dress that I had, and said,
Gwen: Mom, remember, that I am Queen-Mother and I really need an appropriate dress, not some Cinderella or Sleeping beauty one (we have these costumes, and more)
Me: Do you have something specific in mind?
Gwen: I think, that this dress looks just like the Queen-Mother.

So, after we dressed her, tied with ropes, as the dress is too long for her, she spent the next few hours regally walking through the house, every few minutes demanding that I announce to Papa that the Queen-Mother is coming.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Who makes the decisions

We were returning from a Russian language class, where Gwenchik performed brilliantly. Normally her grandmother takes her to these, but the teacher asked that I bring Gwenchik, as there seems to be trouble with her concentration.
So, as we come out of the class:
Me: I am so proud that you did so well.
Gwen: I was the best in the class today! I helped everyone read, as I read faster than anyone else.
Me: So then why did you have trouble last time?
Gwen: You know, if it is you or dad taking me to the class, and both of you are decision makers, I decided to listen to you and behave well and follow along in class.
Me: What about grandma?
Gwen: Hmmm, I make all the decisions for grandma, not the other way around, so why do I need to behave well?

Monday, December 3, 2007

I love you like...

Gwen: I love you like bread!
Me: ?
Gwen: Oh, I love bread so much, warm, buttery and I can eat, and eat, and eat it