Clean up

We were sitting on the sofa in Gwenchik's room, which is covered with books, toys and clothes.
Me: After we eat, let's clean up this mess.
Gwen: Do not want to.
Me: You know, princesses always live in clean castles
Gwen: First of all, I am not a princess. I am queen-mother and they always have someone else to clean. Do you want to be my cleaning helper? Second, we do not have to do it today, because it will be messy again tomorrow.

Sharing the love

Gwen: Mom, I love you so much! You can have my half!
Me: Who will have the other half
Gwen: You too
Me: What about Dad?
Gwen: Ok, Dad can have another half, but than I have to give something to my grandmother and grandfather and all the uncles. And there are no more halves left.
Me: Are there more than two halves?
Gwen: Silly mom. There are only two halves. But I will give you a leg, and other to papa, right arm to grandmother, left one to grandfather.....

Scary tiger

We went to a company organized function for the 8th of March, that included F1 racing for grown ups and clowns, caricatures and face painting for kids. Most of the kids rushed to the 'kid activity room', but not my daughter. Gwenchik spent half a hour staring on the racing tracks, we were only able to get her out, after George did his round and she decided to run a look for him (separate room where kids were not allowed).
....

Then we did stand in a long line of girls to get her face painted. Most girls wold get a small flower on their cheeks or a tiny unicorn. Gwenchiks turn:
Gwen: I want a fierce, scary tiger
Face painter: Not a flower?
Gwen: If not fierce, that for sure a very very scary tiger!!!
So she got a full face paint, looked unbelievably adorable and ran around roaring like a fierce tiger she was. She was the only girl in a cute dress with a full face orange with black stripes tiger and got a lot of attention!

...
There is a huge stuffed lion in her room. Gwenchik begged to go to sleep with the face paint. In the morning, we hear:
Gwen: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Papa, mama, come over and save the poor lion from a fierce tiger. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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.

Birthday presents

From Veronika
Gwen: My Mom is having her birthday very soon.
V: Oh Great. Let's have a nice party. How old is she?
Gwen: 35 years old (I am younger than that)
V: How old are you?
Gwen: 3.5 years old, but Dodik is even older. He has a very old car. I will get him a new car for his birthday. A new car for Dodik and a new crown for Mom.

Ballet

We were watching Russian Swan Lake ballet on dvd.
Gwen: The prince is strange.
Me: ??
Gwen: He has no pants and a big butt. So is he the real prince?
Me: Yes, it is a ballet, so that is why he is dressed that way, so it will be easier to dance.
Gwen: But the princess has a beautiful dress, so she doesn't need special clothes to dance. Is that because she is a swan, and he is just human?

It is OK to be second...

From George
Usually, when we come home we race from the car to the entrance door. Somehow, Gwenchik always gets there first, triumphantly.
Gwen: I'm first, I'm first!
Me: Yes, you are. You're always first. I'm second.
Gwen, consolingly: It's OK to be second.
Me: What if next time I'm first, and you're second?
Gwen: Then I will cry!
Me: But isn't it OK to be second?
Gwen: It's OK for YOU to be second!

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 :)

Mother Queen

From Veronika
Gwen: Tell me about Mother Queen, and Gwenchik, and Lesha. They feed carrots to horses and build stone house on the beach.
Veronika: OK. Mother Queen woke up in her queen bed...
Gwen: Do you know that Mother Queen and Gwenchik are the same?
Veronika: OK. Mother Queen woke up...
Gwen: It was a secret before but I can tell you now that Mother Queen and Gwenchik are the same.
Veronika: OK. Thank you for telling me. Mother Queen woke up...

Compromise

From George:
We have a one candy per day rule. Gwen's day care had given her a lollipop, which she ate in the car on the way home. At home, she asked for an ice cream candy.
George: Gwyneth, you know our rule, you already ate one candy today.
Gwen: Let's compromise.

I was stunned.

George: What do you mean by compromise?
Gwen: I'll eat two candies today, and one candy tomorrow, OK?
I was impressed enough that we settled on an additional half an ice cream candy for today.

When you die

I am reminding Gwenchik, that she has another five minutes left until she has to go to bed.
Gwen: When you die, I will get to do anything I want to!
Me: You want us to die?
Gwen: No, not right now. You can still live for a while, just remember one day I'll get to do what I want!

How true, how true ...

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.

Snow

From Veronika
On our way to childcare, there is a dusting of snow on the ground:
Gwen: Dogs do not like the snow because it is cold and wet.
Veronika: Do you like the snow?
Gwen: I like to eat it, but my hands get cold and I cry.
Veronika: What should we do?
Gwen: You get the snow and bring it to the car, and you give it to me.
Veronika: I have a better idea. We both collect the snow in a plastic bag and keep it in the plastic bag.

So this is what we did. We collected the snow and she did not cry.

Rank has its privileges

Before lunch we are all cleaning up the house. I have asked Gwenchik to clean up her toys in the living room.

Gwen: Princesses do not clean!
Me: What about Cinderella?
Gwen: She cleaned before she was a Princess, but not after.

You can't really argue with that....

Arranged marriage

From Veronika
Gwen: Do you know that I will get a husband when I grow up?
V:?
Gwen: I want to marry my Dad, but mama does not let me. She will get me a different husband.
V: Why do you need a husband?
Gwen: I do not know. I just know that Mom will get me one when I grow up, so I do not take Daddy.

Electra complex

From George
While putting Gwenchik to bed, out of the blue comes the following:
Gwen: When I grow up, I will marry you, Dad.
George: But I already have a wife. What about Mom?
Gwen: But I do not want to marry Mom.

What Gwyneth says

From George
When Gwyneth was two, we were walking down the street and discussing the sounds different animals make.
Me: What does a dog say?
Gwen: Ruff, ruff!
Me: Right. Now, what does a lion say?
Gwen: Roar!
Me: Right. Now, what does a cat say?
Gwen: Meow, meow!
Me: Right. Now, what does Gwyneth say?
Gwen: (thinks about it) No! No! No!

Saber fight

From Veronika
On the way to childcare, we are reading "Tarakanije":
Gwen: I will cut off his (bug's) head. I will scratch him and kill him.
Veronika: ?
Gwen: Because he wants to eat the small ones.
Veronika:?
Gwen: I could have had a saber but I am a Princess and a Princess does not have a saber.
Veronika: The Nutcracker does. You can borrow the saber from the Nutcracker.
Gwen (thinking): OK, but do not tell him. I will kill Tarakanije and put the saber back.

Sharing

Lately I noticed that Gwenchik likes to share her toys, but now always makes sure that the others are aware that she is sharing and will get all her stuff back after before they leave.
Gwen: Here is my balloon. Do you want to play with it?
Nastya (her friend): Yes.
Gwen: Here, you can play with it now, but before you go home you will give it back to me, because it is mine, ok?
Than she turns to me to make sure that I saw that she shared. I keep asking myself what prompted my daughter to do these upfront verifications to whom things belong?

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.