All grown up birthday surprise

My now 10 year old daughter woke up at 5:30 am in the morning to clean up the house before rushing off to school for my birthday!!!! On her own, without any prodding or suggestions from me -- it was a total awesome surprise. Now she is all grow up.

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?

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?

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?

Low present expectations

We got this really cool present for Gwenchik and I couldn't resist and asked if we could give it to her before Santa flies in.
Gwen: You didn't get me a math book as a present, did you?
Me: ?
Gwen: Well, OF COURSE, I would be happy with the book... but mom, what kind of parents give a math book to their child for a holiday! When I grow up and have kids, I will never give books that you need to learn from as presents!
......
What does it say about us as parents if our child automatically expects getting a math book as a present? Of course we didn't dissuade her from her erroneous notion, but it was nice that even though she was disappointed, she still tried to pretend that she was happy with the present, just to please us. She is really sweet and I can't wait to see her face once she actually gets her present. :)

Santa presents

Gwen: At school everyone knows that there is really no Santa and all the presents are bought by parents, which is kind of sad.
Me: Well, of course parents buy presents as it is a holiday, but Santa brings some too.
Gwen: Than why no one ever seen him? How can he really exist?
Me: He is a magical being, you know. So the entire point is to appear ONLY when everyone is asleep or not around.
Gwen: Ha, so no one really knows the truth, right? Do not tell anyone, but that means that I will get more than one present, right? You, Dad, Santa -- as least three.....

From the goodness of your heart

A friend of mine is visiting us and we are redecorating our living room. On the side we decided to make a few change to Gwenchik's room which eventually grew to a lot of changes. We are discussing that for the upcoming birthday the major redecoration of her room is her presents because we really didn't plan on it and Ksenia is doing it " from the goodness of her heart".

Gwen: Ok, than I do not want the redecorated room.

Me: Do you want us to put everything back as it were.

Gwen: No, I want to keep the new room, I just do not want it as a present. I already know about the redecoration and I want a surprise.

Me: So all the effort and labor and new stuff that we are buying doesn't count as a present? How do you expect to keep the new room?

.....

Gwen: Hmmm, from the goodness of your hearts?

Birthday present check-in

Gwenchik is playing at the playground with her Dad and called me

Gwen: Mom, are you thinking about my birthday present?

Me: No yet, to be honest.

Gwen: Well, Dad isn't thinking about it and neither are you... so who IS thinking about my present?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Gwenchik lazily woke up this morning to happy birthday singing and the family crowding her bed with presents (family tradition). She thought to wait on unwrapping presents until the evening when the rest of the family gang would be showing up for the unwrapping of the entire heap of presents all at once -- but changed her mind in five minutes. I couldn't have waited even that long. :)

Gwen: It is my birthday, so I do not have to go to school.

Me: Yes, you do.

Gwen: What is the point of a birthday if I have to be in school on that day?

Birthday party

We had an absolutely wonderful birthday party, as the weather cooperated, almost all the kids showed up (24!) and our castle and dragon withstood the wind and the lashings from the toy swords. We got to find the magic key, looked for gold coins and begged the pirate to spill his secrets.
.....
This morning she had a princess ring on each of her fingers (with lip gloss) and requested to take a cake to the day care.
Gwen: Mom, I am four! So now I can wear all my jewelry at once.
Me: It is ok, but remember, that you have to share.
Gwen: I am bringing a cake so that they can all celebrate my birthday. It would be again so much fun, even without the presents! They get the cake, they do not need my rings, right?

Presents

Lately, we have been having conversation about presents, and that Gwenchik shouldn't necessarily have the same thing as a would be present for herself.

Gwen: Papa, when I grow up I will buy you a real horse!
George: Thank you.
Gwen: Then you will be able to pull my princess carriage to the ball.

Candy bribe

Gwenchik came back from the childcare clutching two large candies wrapped in coloful foil. She asked both of us which one she should choose, to determine which one is better to eat after dinner.
Me: The other candy I will put away for tomorrow.
Gwen: No, the other candy is for Santa Clause.
Me:??
Gwen: He will really like this wrapped candy and will bring me TWO presents!!!
Me: You will have to wait for a long time...
Gwen: Mom, for this candy he'll come sooner :)

Peer acceptance

Gwenchik got back from her first day at a new daycare.
Me: So, how was it?
Gwen: It was so much fun!!! And I got a present!
Me: Who did you play with?
Gwen: Jasmin
Me: What about other kids?
Gwen: Angela told me that she will not play with me because I am mean. But, of course, she lied to me, because I am not mean at all! So I told her that it is really bad when a person lies so obviously.

Reminder to Santa

New 2007 Year! We did the proper thing of leaving a glass of milk and a cookie on our fireplace mantel; and Gwenchik actually wrote her name (with my help) in Russian and in English, in case Santa can only speak one language.
Next morning we awoke to loud whoops of joy when Gwenchik discovered the Cinderella dress on the hook above the fireplace. She was thrilled! In the evening, before going to bed, she explained to me that Santa forgot the crown and the shoes to go with the dress.
Gwen: It is probably because he is a boy, and they do not wear crowns. Mom, you have to tell him, otherwise he will forget again.
Me: I will tell him for the next New Year.

Santa

Gwen: Mom, how will Santa get in the house?
Me: Down the chimney.
Gwen: Why?
Me: He doesn't have the keys and he only comes down when we are all asleep.
Gwen: But he has a big belly (because he eats a lot of sweets) so he might get stuck in the chimney, like Winnie-the-Pooh. Should we just give him the key?