Is there Santa 2

Gwen: Where do you mail Santa's letter? If I write in Russian ( our Santa is ded Moroz and he brings presents on the 1st of the year) how will the American mail man figure out where to send it?
Me: When you send letters to Russian you write the entire address in Russian and just and "Russia" in English.
Gwen: True. and that seems to work. So do I just ad "North Pole"? Is there a number on his mailbox?
Me: I suspect that he is the ONLY one who lives there, so no mailbox number.
Gwen: What about the elves?

Is there Santa?

Gwen: I know there is no Santa. Everyone knows that all the presents come from parents!
Me: Who is everyone?
Gwen: Everyone at school.
Me: Ok, if you are so sure, than do not write a letter to Santa and you can continue to loudly proclaim that "he doesn't exist" -- it really wouldn't matter if he truly doesn't exist. On the other hand if he does exists, he might get upset and skip our house entirely.
....
Gwen: Well, I'll write him a letter, just do not tell anyone.

Halloween

This year Gwenchik decided that she will be a pirate -- lately there is this pirate theme in her life, partly thanks to the "Pirate Day" celebrated in school this fall. And a boy who was coming over for the Halloween candy collecting though our neighborhood was very surprised at that.
Gwen: Can you believe it, he was surprised that I want to be a pirate vs a princess!
Me: Well, it is reasonable to expect a girl to be a princess on Halloween...
Gwen: I am so done with princesses -- I have been one kind or the other (Russian, Vampire, Pocahontas  etc) almost all my life. Now I am ready for and adventure and that always starts with the unexpected -- a girl-pirate.

Generational likes

We were talking about Gwenchik's friends and who likes what type of music. I mentioned that Lesha likes "classics" like Beatles vs Taylor Swift, who is very popular with 9 year olds.
Gwen: How is that good taste? Why would you want to listen to some bugs buzzing....

Forceful present

It will be Gwenchik's birthday in a week and we were discussing possible presents on our way home.
Gwen: I know what I want as a birthday presents from YOU!
Me: What is that?
Gwen: You should force me to practice music!
Me: What kind of present is that? And it is very, very hard to force you to do anything, especially music.
Gwen: That is why it is a present. You know that I will whine, complain and evade practicing really soon, but I do what to be able to play, so you have to force me, ok?

Appreciation

Gwenchik just got her own violin for music classes at her school. All excited she ran home violently swinging the case around...
Gwen: I'll go practice outside, so that you do not have to listen to squealing noises as I do not know how to play yet.
Me: Ok, if you want go in the back yard.

Gwenchik went into our driveway, sat on top of our car and proceeded to play her new violin. 20 minutes later she walks back into the house.

Gwen: Mom, can you believe it, non of our neighbors appreciated me playing the violin. Only one politely acknowledge  me, the rest pretended not to see me. Can you believe that?

Beauty doesn't get in the way yet...

From Anya
Gwen: I want to climb over the fence.
Anya: I think that beautiful, well behaved girls do not climb over the fence.
Gwen: I am not beautiful now, but will be soon...

Husband problem

From Anya
Gwen: Where is your husband?
Anya: At work.
Gwen: Yes, we always have problems with husbands -- they work all the time, even on weekends.

Brother

Gwenchik was visiting Max in the hospital.
Gwen: Oh, he is so, so cute! You can love him MORE than me now that I see him.

Do not forget

Gwenchik is helping me pack for the hospital (her baby brother is due this week)

Gwen: You should take these 3 pictures of me!
Me: ?
Gwen: So you do not forget me and what I look like, otherwise after labor you might not recognize me.

Insufficient nepotism

George: Gwenchik, you have to unload the dishwasher.
Gwen: But I do not want to!
George: You have to. If you do not, someone else will have to do it.
Gwen: You would rather YOUR OWN daughter suffer than someone else?

Brave

We went to see the movie "Brave" today. As we are leaving the theater, our faces covered with tear stains...

Me: It is hard to be a parent.

Gwen: It is hard to be a teenage daughter.

Me: ?

Gwen: You can't blame ANYONE for what you've done.

Parents still cool

Gwenchik and I went to Target to pick up some supplies, and while their decided to use a motorized chair to navigate the store considering that I am already 8 months along. The chair would make loud noses when backing up and in general attracted a lot of attention.
Gwen: Mom, you are so cool! You do not seem to care that everyone is looking! Can we just ride around the store one big circle?
....
After several circles, and her riding on my lap (against the general rule, but still fun) pressing buttons
Gwen: You are so cool, not like other moms -- you actually know how to break the rules and not be caught doing it -- and when you are caught -- everyone just smiles and goes along!

Results

Just found out that in her Russian Math class Gwenchik got 100% (!) on their end of the year principle test. So all these endless explanations didn't go to waste!

PorchFest

Another lemonade stand, this one at the end of our driveway during the highly successful Somerville PorchFest. Right after coming back from Tae Kwon Do, Gwyneth and her friend set up the stand and we worked as constant couriers of lemonade -- in an hour and a half they made $8; than her other friend showed up and they made another $14 by the time the signing and dancing was over!! And that is at an old price of 25 cents per cup. About $11 for her for about 3 and a half hours (not counting the cups/lemonade)

Touching reference

In the last few days Gwenchik made me two cards -- one, a birthday card for a friend of mine and another for Mother's day. In both she made sure to include yet to be born brother Max... how sweet is that?

Healthy baby

Gwenchik talking to Dad:
Gwen: Do not worry, the baby should be very healthy!
George:?
Gwen: Mom doesn't smoke, drink and only eats sweets.

Reassurance

Lately, Gwenchik wants to eat anything I eat -- a sandwich, a cookie or any fruit.
Gwen: Mom, may I have your honeydew melon?
Me: You just had yours and this one is mine.
Gwen: You won't share with your only daughter?
Me: Now I have to share with you, and soon I'll have to share with my son? There will be nothing left for me...
Gwen: Oh, don't worry about that - he won't be able to eat normal food for a year!

Understressed child

(From George)
Gwenchik doesn't want to eat her vegetables.
Gwen: Can't I just have the honeydew melon?
George: No, you have to eat some real food first.
Gwen: But Mom just ate melon, without eating vegetables first!
George: Well, Mom is an adult, so she gets to make those decisions for herself, and she's pregnant, so she has had a hard day. You're still growing - you need vegetables to make you grow big, strong, smart, and healthy.
Gwen: I've had a hard day too! I'm an understressed child with a pregnant mother, so I should get to eat honeydew melon without any vegetables!

It's a hard girl's life

It was 90 degrees outside today, and we saw a guy bicycling past without wearing a shirt. Gwenchik watched him pass, envious.
Gwen: I don't like being a girl.
Me: Why?
Gwen: Boys don't have to wear shirts, can pee standing up, and don't have to give birth. Life isn't fair.

The Sharp Point of View

(From George)
I'm putting Gwenchik to bed and bringing her a cat, as she requested. The cat digs her claws into my shoulder.
I say, "Ouch! Be careful, we haven't cut Burka's claws for a while."
Gwen: "Hee-hee-hee!"
A bit later, Gwenchik asks me to bring her a band-aid.
Me: Did Burka scratch you?
Gwen: Uh-huh.
Me: Weren't you laughing just a few minutes ago, when she scratched me?
Gwen: Yes, but when she scratched you it was funny! When she scratched me, it wasn't!

Paranoid

As part of the conversation that Gwenchik overheard I used the word "paranoid" to describe a situation.
Gwen: I know exactly what you mean!
Me: ?
Gwen: Paranoid means that the parents annoy you...

Good life -- vacation week

I don't remember that my childhood vacations were so full of activities...

Yesterday, Gwenchik went to "Disney on Ice" show with a friend; then had a huge ice-cream at Friendly's, and topped it off with xbox game against Dad.

Today she spent the morning at a friend's house, then we hosted a Dominion game with another friend, and now her third playdate of the day is here for the evening.

What will tomorrow bring? How can we beat all this excitement?

Superbowl preference

As I am picking up Gwenchik from school I am surrounded by kids screaming -- "Patriots, Go Pats" and asking who I am supporting in Superbowl. I'm at a loss as I do not follow these, but know enough that Patriots is our New England team. So, I'm about to say Patriots, when Gwenchik screams -- "Giants". So as we walk home I am trying to figure it out....
Me: You do know that Patriots is our home team, right?
Gwen: Of course, I do.
Me: Then why do you support Giants?
Gwen: Because EVERYONE supports them here, and I feel bad for the Yankees. Can you imagine I was the only one who was rooting for Giants???

Love thy name

Gwenchik found out that her uncle will be having a baby this fall.
Gwen: Who do you want? A girl, right?
Roddy: Yes
Gwen: Have you picked out a name? I think Gwenchik is a GREAT name for your baby.

Stomach ache

George got a stomach ache.
Gwen: Dad, I know why your stomach hurts. You see, you ate donuts, but then didn't jump around. I do not have a stomach ache, even though I ate several of them, because with all the sweets you get really hyper and NEED to jump around, like I did with x-box. But you just sat about, that is why your stomach hurts.

The year of the Dragon

Gwenchik returning from her Sunday Russian Math class.
Gwen: One of the boys in class was happily telling everyone that tomorrow is the New Year, but no one knew what he was talking about! I just casually mentioned, that of course, it will be the celebration of the year of the Dragon, and he was so, so impressed!
Me: That is great.
Gwen: It is so nice that I have parents who know these things, then I look so cool.