He Died

Today I was a little worried that I was going to have to try to discuss death with Aidyn. Recently we watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes and Aidyn happened to come into the room just as a little boy falls off a tractor and is crushed by the wheel. She commented that there was a lot of "jelly" on the boy's face and on the ground and wasn't sure what to think when the doctor said it was "too late." They never actually said that the boy was dead, so I'm not sure that she made the connection when he didn't show up in any more scenes.

Today she was playing with her guys in the kitchen and the daddy fell off the back of the chair she was playing on. As he hit the ground she said, "He died." I was already trying to plan what I would say if she asked me anything about death but she just continued, "He needs new batteries."

Where Did It Go?

At the museum today Aidyn was fascinated with the coin-spinning vortex bank thing. You know, where you put the coin in the slot and watch it spin around and around? Matter of fact, the coin vortex and the escalator were probably her favorite exhibits. The first time she put a coin in and watched it she was very surprised when it disappeared and actually bent down to try to look underneath and see where it went, exclaiming, "Where did it go!?"

This Reminds Me...

Today at the museum after we went to the Planetarium we were walking down the stairs and Aidyn said, "These stairs remind me of different stairs as ours." I just thought it was funny that she even knows what "this reminds me" means!

I Hear a Macaw

I'm not going to lie. This kind of freaks me out. But those of you who know Donnie really well will probably just agree that this is some kind of weird genetic thing.

Today we went to the Milwaukee Public Museum. Aidyn was very excited to go in the rainforest area after lunch and she really enjoyed seeing the fountain and the big trees that they have in there. The museum has ambient sounds that they play in every area and the rainforest part is no different. The sound loop includes lots of different bird sounds and at one point Aidyn exclaimed, "I hear a macaw!" Sure enough, right above us on the ledge was the macaw exhibit. I have no explanation except maybe genetics and Diego.

Consequences and Considerate

For all of those who still somewhat disbelieve that these are Aidyn's actual words, here are her two newest ones, both four syllables.

A few weeks ago Aidyn was behaving terribly in the store and we were forced to put back something we had planned to buy her. She learned the meaning of the word consequences that day and the lesson has stuck. She understands that there are both good and bad consequences and frequently discusses which one she plans to get based on a desired action.

This past week while Nana and Papa have been visiting they've taught her about the word considerate and it's meaning. Aidyn has always been very polite (under threat of pain :-) and she now understands that being considerate is part of being polite and learning to live with other people. She is not perfect by any means, but having words to go to in some of the more difficult times with her really helps her stop and think about her actions. Are you being considerate? and Will there be good consequences or bad ones? have been some of our best questions lately to help her make good decisions.

Chocolate Ones!!??

Saturday evening I announced that I would make brownies while everyone else went to church. It's ok...I went on Sunday :-) Aidyn was very excited about my forthcoming baking venture and excitedly asked, "Brownies??!!"

"Yep," I replied.

Her excited response: "Chocolate ones!!??"

Stylin'

Aidyn wore a really cute black dress with white designs and black leggings to church today. She picked out a black headband and her shiny black shoes as accessories and I grabbed her sunglasses on the way out the door. When I picked her up from her Sunday School class, she was wearing only the dress and leggings (I'm probably lucky she still had those on) and the rest, including her socks and shoes, was in a pile near the door. After I redressed her, we left to lunch and she put her sunglasses on proclaiming, "I'm stylin'!"

Motorcycles

Aidyn [arriving at church and seeing the motorcycles lined up in the parking lot]: "Mama. Do you see those motorcycles?"

Me: "Yeah, Baby."

Aidyn: "When I get big I'm going to get a motorcycle to ride. And I'll ride in the front and you'll ride in the back."

Me [supressing the desire to scream]: "But you'll wear a helmet, right?"

Aidyn: "Yeah! A red one! And what color helmet do you want?"

Me [almost losing control over that scream]: "Blue, I guess."

Aidyn: "Ok, cool."

Me [praying silently]: Lord, help me in 13 more years.

Why Is the Moon Following Us?

Donnie tells lots of stories about the funny questions he would ask as a very inquisitive little boy. Today I got to hear Donnie's dad speak at church and he highlighted one specific question that has come through the generations.

Don Mingo, age 5, while driving with his mom at night: "Why is the moon following us?"
Donnie Mingo, age 4, while driving with his dad at night: "Why does the moon follow us?"
Aidyn Mingo, just last week, while driving with her mom at night: "Why does the moon look like it is following us?"

What a hilarious coincidence that all three generations have asked this astronomical question with such earnestness. Many people in the church service then came to me asking, "Did she really ask that?" (as if my father-in-law lied throughout his sermon...:-) and I confirmed the story. Aidyn is such a verbally intelligent child, I look forward to the next several years as she gains more understanding to match her vocabulary.

Flashback and Mayonnaisey

I have posted before about Aidyn's ability to add -y to the end of any word to describe what she's talking about. I thought that I had also blogged about her ideas about how soda tastes, but apparantly I had not. The first time Aidyn had soda she was just around 2 (yes...I am a bad mama, I know). She described it very eloquently: "It tickles my throat and makes my mouth hot."

Last night she upped the ante: "Pepsi is very mayonnaisey." We're not sure exactly what the idea is behind this statement, but knowing Aidyn we're sure it has some deep philosophical meaning.

Riddle

Aidyn in the bathtub the other night:

"Ok, Mama. Here's a riddle. What says 'boom, boom,' and has four legs, and [looking around the bathroom] a towel?"
"I don't know, Baby. What What says 'boom, boom,' and has four legs, and a towel?"
"I don't know Mama. That's why it's a riddle!"

Right Behind Cinderella

I have always been so thankful that Aidyn has the vocabulary to tell me what's wrong, even at this tiny age. She is very articulate about it, too. Just a few days ago she was describing how her ear hurt "way down deep inside." That's pretty precise and very helpful from a parenting standpoint!

The best example of this was from two nights ago. Aidyn had on a Disney Princesses t-shirt (that if you know me well was only on her because we didn't have any other clean clothes around) and was complaining of a tummy ache. I asked her to show me where it hurt and she pointed to her stomach saying, "Right here. Right behind Cinderella."

First Day of School

Today was Aidyn's first official day of school (yes, I know it's only May and it's a Saturday, but we haven't taught her the calendar yet so we're good!). She really enjoyed using all of her new school supplies (scissors, glue stick, crayons, pointing finger, pencils) and made an art project for the first page of her school file that she entitled: "The Boat" (I guess if you squint really hard....)

Here are a few pics of her first day:

Writing her name with the big pencil.

Using scissors with such small hands is really hard!! (She is so patient and only asks for help when she's tried hard to make it work herself. We will practice lots with scissors!)



I think the glue stick was probably her favorite part. I love how intently she works on a project.

We worked on this "practice" project and learned about the light and darkness that God created on the first day. She made the first page of a creation book by coloring half the page with a black crayon and the other half with a white crayon (she didn't think that one worked too well :-). She got to glue on a big number "1" and a sentence about God creating the light and the darkness. Over two hours later as I type this post she remembers what God created on the first day ("The dark and the light") and the first two verses of the creation song we're learning this week (she seriously remembers it better than I do...hmmm...maybe Mommy needs preschool??).

We had a great time and I'm looking forward to these times with her over the next days, weeks, months, years...who knows??!! What have I gotten myself into?? LOL!

It's Too Hard To Be A Kid

I don't remember what she wasn't allowed to do, but Aidyn came up with a sentence to voice her frustrations, complete with the stomping of feet and folding of arms typical of other three-year-olds: "It's too hard to be a kid!"

Don't Worry, I'll Help You

I've been really sick for the past 2 weeks with a terrible migraine that I couldn't shake. I tried several medicines, endured a spinal tap, and have now won myself an appointment with neurology but I'm only just now feeling well enough to read the computer screen.

At the beginning of my headache quest Aidyn was wanting to play with me. I was sitting on the couch and she was pleading with me to get up and play some active game but I just couldn't. "Mommy is stuck on the couch, Baby," I told her.

Her thoughtful response as she tried to pull me up by the arm: "Don't worry. I'll help you!"

Eating Pink Hearts

Aidyn got to choose the breakfast cereal at the grocery store with Nana last week and she chose Chocolate Lucky Charms (What!!?? There isn't NEARLY enough sugar in Lucky Charms...we must IMMEDATELY add chocolate!!). While snacking on a bowl of them she found one of the marshmallows.

Aidyn [holding up the marshmallow for identification]: What's this, Mom?
Me: A pink heart, I think.
Aidyn: But we don't eat pink hearts for real, do we?
Me: No, not for real.
Aidyn [popping it into her mouth]: Ok, good.

Daddy! Get Me Hided!

Aidyn plays a wonderful type of Hide and Seek which usually amounts to her hiding under a blanket. This past week she really needed some help getting under the blanket when Nana was looking for her and excitedly asked for some help: "Daddy! Get me hided!"

The Lord's Breakfast

I've decided that I need to bring Aidyn's classical art education up to speed. This past week while visiting Nana and Papa's house she discovered a wooden representation of The Last Supper and pronounced: "Look! The Lord's Breakfast!"