My girl

so i spent an hour writing a post about our christmas a few days ago, and somehow it got deleted. maybe i'll get back to that someday. for today, however, i'm feeling convicted about the fact that i have an adorable daughter who says hilarious things, and i never write them down. i figure if i blog about a few of my faves, i'll at least be able to remember them forever. i hope it doesn't bore you. i will start with the earliest i remember and attempt to stay in chronological order.

age: under 1 year

-her first word was "dada." that was followed closely by "tot." it was her way of talking about scott bryant, a friend of ours who is like an uncle to her. their sweet friendship later led to moments like this:

age: around 18 months

-one day we were laying in my bed as i desperately struggled to hold my little wiggle worm still in the hopes that she would fall asleep for a nap (which never worked.) suddenly, lorelei used all her strength to try to dive out of my arms and shouted out "pees desus!" (please jesus) as if beckoning the lord to save her from her mean old mother.

age: between 1-2 years.

she would try so hard to say "i love you," but it always came out "i goo goo."

age: 28 months

-i was pregnant and tired, and she was going through a defiant streak. i sat her in the time out chair for disobeying and she kept talking to me. i told her there was no talking in time out, hoping to make it a real punishment for her, but she thought she could outsmart me. as i washed dishes in the kitchen, i heard her singing (not talking, mind you) "time out---is--- a good place" in a sort of old school rock and roll voice.


age: 2 1/2 years

-on halloween day 2007, i explained to lorelei that we would go trick-or-treat then head back to our house to have pizza with our friends. her response to this was, "and then parker will marry me in my minnie mouse skirt." "why do you think parker wants to marry you?" i prodded. "because he's my friend and he 'finks' i'm 'bootiful.'

age: nearing 3 years

-soon before everett was born, people started asking her if she was excited to be getting a baby brother. she would always reply, "yes... but he won't talk or play for a long time. just lay there and be a baby. but i'll share my snacks 'wif' him."

age: 3 years

-my sweet girl was melting down one day in what i only imagined would be more of a teenage girl drama, and i told her that when she stopped crying we could go play together. she replied through her sobs, "i don't want to play or do 'anysang.' i don't 'yike' 'anysang.' not even light pink. i just want to 'yay' here and cry."

age:3 years

-i walked in to the family room one morning while she and everett were laying on the floor watching cartoons. lorelei shouted, "mom! everett got a tooth!"

when i asked how she knew she responded, "i felt it when he was chewing on my toes. i let him do that 'cause he really 'yikes' to do that."

age: 3 years

-again one day she talked about marrying parker and stated that they would live in a pink house. i told her i wasn't sure if parker would want to live in a pink house, and she replied in a very serious tone, "mom-- parker just wants me to be happy."

age: closing in on 4 years (3 weeks ago)

-the day aunt steph and uncle ryan told her that she was going to have a cousin, lorelei was sitting in steph's lap. they talked about her having a baby in her belly, and lu jumped up and said "right there? where i've been sittin'?"

last week

she was in mimi's bathroom with her and the following conversation transpired:

L:"Mimi, how did you get those decorations way up there on that shelf?"

M: "Well, I climbed up on a ladder."

L: "Oh- that's not safe even for grown-ups. Only God and Jesus should climb up ladders."

10 things...

"When you receive the prize, you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in their content or design. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing that they were prized with 'Honest Weblog'. List [if you can and/or dare] at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!"

I have been given this award twice- a long time ago, by jill and kylie, two of my most precious friends. jill has stuck with me through thick and thin (the pun is intentional when it comes to my weight) since 7th grade when we were forced by the school to share a locker with each other. kylie is a friend who i have become close to in the last couple of years as we share our adventures in parenting together, and it makes me really sad that i didn't make the effort to know her better way back at midway high.

ok- let the honesty begin...

1. cleaning house is the bane of my existence. it seems that no matter how hard i try, one day it's clean and the next it's a pit. it's not that i don't enjoy having a clean bathtub. it's the fact that i have to spend a good part of my day on my hands and knees with a sponge surrounded by chemical fumes strong enough to burn the hair out if my nose that i have a hard time with.

2. i have an addictive personality. this is the reason above all moral or health standards why i stay far away from alchohol, cigarettes, coffee products and soft drinks. try to get between me and my chocolate, sugar, or tv, though, and you'll see what i mean by "addicted."

3. i'm a procrastinator. and i have ADD. this can be a near fatal combination. if not for my addiction to chocolate i could feasibly starve. i might seriously put off eating all morning in favor of doing other things i'm already behind on, then finally get to the kitchen and still forget to eat because i got distracted by the magnets that are so out of place on the fridge. before you know it i'd be on my way to target to get some sort of refridgerator organization tool and run out of gas because i waited until the tank was almost empty and then still passed up the gasoline in favor of the candy bar i saw inside the station. ok- so i would never starve. but madness can insue at any minute in my life. be careful not to get too close!

4. i literally just heard myself say to my daughter, "hey- we never sit on our brother's head whether he likes it or not."

5. i often reveal too much about myself to people i hardly know. my friend describes my disorder as "compulsive honesty," but i think it's more of a desire to hear people tell me that they have done that or felt that way too. it makes me feel more normal.

6. i'm not shy, but when faced with meeting lots of new people or an uncomfortable situation, i tend to talk way too much. i can sometimes hear myself and in my mind i'm thinking "just shut-up already." but i almost never do.

7. i was witness to a christmas miracle. for over 2 years, my dear friend meg had been trying to get pregnant and struggling with all the problems that infertility can bring. though she and shane did an amazing job of keeping the faith, i knew that her sweet heart just couldn't take much more disappointment. we found out she was pregnant on december 8, then on christmas eve that she's having twins! woo-hoo! notice i say "we" as if i had any part at all in the process except praying and crying each time the news was stinky. praise god for this gift to the watwood clan!

8. i am procrastinating right now and need to go do dishes.

9. i spent the first 27 years of my life trying to find ways to straighten out my frizzy, curly hair to look sleek and shiny like a pantene add. i am now either being extremely lazy or just learning to embrace the curls, and i attribute this to my overwhelming love for my sweet curly lu of a daughter. i wouldn't change her curls for a million dollars!

10. i sometimes say things wrong. in a way that seems quite dirty. when it's the furthest thing from my mind. these statements have been coined as "mandyisms" and i'm thankful that they seem to be getting fewer and far between now that i watch every syllable so closely having a 3 year old "parrot" at home.

once again- i have waited so long to answer this challenge that there is nobody left for me to tag. i need to get more friends.