Hanging as punishment

We went on a cruise ship around Boston Harbor, that had jugglers and pirates for kids activities. There was this pretty authentic looking pirate, who at some point started to tell a story about Black Beard pirate that got hanged in Boston for his crimes. On the way home, Gwenchik was still talking about the pirate.
Gwen: You know, he did not behave well, that is why he got hanged. What is a hanging?
Me: Killing by putting a rope on the persons neck
Gwen: They asked him to put away his shoes, and he didn't do it... so he was hanged.

Obedience 101

Gwen: I have obedient kids
Me: How?
Gwen: It is a long story.. oh well. Once upon a time, I was walking in the woods and came across a small hut on a chicken legs. Inside lived a bad witch, so I had to tie her up, and then I saw these kids! Poor kids! I went into the basement, found all the treasures and gold and took the kids with me. So now I have three well-behaved kids: my duck, little piggy and sheep
Me: As well behaved as I have you, right?
Gwen: No, sometimes I am naughty. It is really really hard to be obedient. You really have to escape the witch to be well-behaved
.....
Amazing how Russian folklore seeps into everyday fantasy

Child of a child

Gwen: Mom, I am your child
Me: Yes
Gwen: But you are grandmother's child, right?
Me: Right
Gwen: Ha-ha, I am the child of a child

Water from flowers

Gwenchik was playing outside with her grandfather with a hand-held mini water pump. However, that toy was taken away from her a week before, because she sprayed everyone around on purpose, have not been returned to her yet.
Me: So how did you get the pump
Gwen: Grandfather gave it to me.
Me: Oh
Gwen: It is too late to do anything, because, you know, we can't take back the water from the flowers

Anniversary cake

We had our anniversary this week and were able to go to a restaurant, just the two of us. Gwenchik was really disappointed that she couldn't join.
Gwen: Is anniversary as important as birthday?
Me: Yes, I think so. May be even more important.
Gwen: Than why isn't there a big cake?
.......

Good question, so next day we went to the store together so that she can pick our the 'right anniversary cake', which turned out to be a carrot cake with cute frosting carrots.

Guests

As usual we had a fun, activities filled weekend and yesterday evening we had our favorite boy Lesha at our place. So Gwenchik wakes up this morning...
Gwen: Mom, is it Sunday again?
Me: No, sweet, it is Monday and I have to go to work
Gwen: What about guests?
Me: What guests?
Gwen: It was so nice the last two days, can we get more guests to come and visit us after you come from work? Doesn't really matter who, as long as they come!

Beggar

We are on the playground and Gwenchik suggests that we should role-play shopping for food.
Gwen: Mom, you are working in the shop
Me: Ok
Gwen: And I am a beggar, and I do not have any money, but I want you to sell me a candy
Me: But how can I sell you something if you do not have money?
Gwen: Even though I am a beggar, I am very cute and you are my mom, so you'll just have to sell me one for nothing

Let me sleep

I came to pick up Gwenchik from the Cape. So in the morning, she came to give me a kiss, crawled into my bed and told me a long story about beasts, water piglets and treasures in the magic sand.

Then, we agreed that I would get to sleep until she finishes breakfast.So she went downstairs. My parents yelled for me to get up... Gwenchik, explained that we agreed that I would sleep a little more.
Gwen: Mom, it is my grandparents were yelling, but mom, you can sleep a little more. I'll finish telling my story
......
after about five minutes I got up :)

Opera, not for nothing

We are driving from a friend's house and listening to a quick, rather funny song in Russian about a barber.
Gwen: The solder is singing the song
Me: ?
Gwen: Remember the sly barber and the solder that wanted the princess

And it is true, the song has a similar melody/rithm as the "Barber of Seville" mini opera that we went with her back in the spring.

Chocolate

Gwenchick is back from her vacation on Cape Cod and she looks quite tanned.

George: Oh, you are so tanned, so brown
Gwen: I am not brown, I am CHOCOLATE!

Buying

We stopped by at a street yard sale and Gwenchik really wanted to get several things. Finally we agreed on two:glass bead bracelet and a woven wallet.We get home and she is showcasing her new stuff.
Gwen: Look what I got! And it is mine now.
Grandparents: How did you get it?
Gwen: I bought these
Grandparents: ?
Gwen: I smiled, and smiled and then mom gave them money.

Bicycling along

Today Gwenchik bicycled over to her grandmother's house strawberry patch and back for the first time.

Gwen: Papa, I bicycled to and from my grandmothers house so fast, so fast that the squirrels didn't have enough time to pick strawberries. And I eat them all!

Love

From Veronika
Gwen: I love you grandma, but I do not love my uncle.
A minute later...
Gwen: I love my uncle, but not my grandma
Veronika: Why is that?
Gwen: I can only love one person at a time...

KingKong

We are playing the letter game: I name the letter -- Gwenchik comes up with the word that starts with that letter. Than she gives me a word and I have to figure out what letter it starts with. Some times we just make up our own words, so we always explain the word means.
Me: A
Gwen: Apple. It is a fruit that you can eat in the car (she often munches on apple on her way to the child care)
Gwen: KingKong
Me: I think it starts with K…What does this word mean?
Gwen: There is a King and he is married to a prince Kong and because they live together there are King and Kong. A princess can't have a name like Kong, so it is definitely a prince…

Definition of more human

From grandfather
Gwenchik is going to sleep (normally she has a duck and a sheep toy that she sleeps with)
Gwen: I do not want to sleep with stuffed animals, I want to sleep with something more human
We give her a stuffed panda, that is dress as a ballerina...
Gwen: Ok
and she immediately falls asleep.

True love

From George
Gwen is sitting on the potty, and is taken with a surfeit of emotion.
Gwen: I love you, Papa!
George: Thank you! I love you too!
Gwen: And I love Mama!
George: That's great, I'll tell her and she will be very happy!
Gwen: And I love my grandmothers and grandfathers!
George:That's great too! I'll tell them!
Gwen: And I love our cats!
George: That's nice.
Gwen: And I love my toy sheep! And my toy duck!
George: Um...
Gwen: And I love my toilet paper!

Growing in my sleep

I am tucking Gwenchik in bed.
Gwen: Mom, I do not want to sleep
and she starts crying
Me: Honey, you should sleep because then your body would relax and your brain recover from all that you learned today
Gwen: But I GROW while I sleep. And I do not want to grow up, because when I grow up you will die. So I will not go to sleep!

Dirty hands

Gwenchik and grandfather were talking about washing hands and why it is important.
Grandfather: I do not really know any kids that do not wash their hands after they come in from the street
Gwen: I do
Grandfather: Probably their parents forgot to tell them about microbes or may be there are without parents?
Gwen: No, she has a mother, a father, and grandparents!
Grandfather: Oh, and what is name of this kid? That doesn't wash her hands and always sticks dirty fingers into the mouth?
Gwen: Gwenchik!

Water from the flowers

Gwenchik was playing outside with her grandfather with a hand-held mini water pump. However, that toy was taken away from her a week before, because she sprayed everyone around on purpose,and it had not been returned to her yet.
Me: So how did you get the pump?
Gwen: Grandfather gave it to me.
Me: Oh
Gwen: It is too late to do anything, because, you know, we can't take back the water from the flowers

Mommy Rules

Just came back from build-a-bear birthday party. Gwenchik's panda bear ballerina Biddy-Bop Chivava (Gwen selected that name, because it is really funny to pronounce) is sitting on Gwen's lap.
Gwen: Biddy-Bop, I am your mommy, so I am the one setting rules.
Me: So what are your rules?
Gwen: Doesn't matter which ones, it matters that now I AM setting them