20 Questions

I saw this idea on another website and I've decided to steal it.  There's a list of 20 simple questions to ask a child on their birthday.  You record the answers and the  ask the same questions each year to see how the answers change.  I figured it would be a fun thing to try, but didn't expect it to make much sense.  With my printed questionnaire in hand, I sat down with the girls at lunch to interview them, Barbara Walters, style.  Well, aside from not knowing what cereal is, they blew this one out of the water.

Below are the answers of these amazing 3 year olds who live in my house.


                                                                                       Naomi                                                      Lillian

1. What is your favorite color?                            
Pink                                                            Blue


2. What is your favorite toy                                 
Caterpillar                                                  Basketball

3. What is your favorite fruit?                             
Banana Orange                                         Banana Orange

4. What is your favorite tv show?                      
Chica                                                          Super Why

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  
 Hot dogs                                                   Pancakes

6. What is your favorite outfit?                          
 Pink                                                            Blue

7. What is your favorite game?                            Matching                                                   My friends

8. What is your favorite snack?                               
Cheddar Bunnies                                     Bread

9. What is your favorite animal?                             
 Giraffe (balloon)                                       Giraffe

10. What is your favorite song?                            
"You are My Sunshine"                        "Hello, Bye"

11. What is your favorite book?                          Olivia                                                           "Pinkalicous"

12. Who is your best friend?                                  Lillian                                                          Joey

13. What is your favorite cereal?                         
Black                                                          Orange

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?      
Toys, like a puppy                                   My friends

15. What is your favorite drink?                          
Chocolate Milk                                          Milk

16. What is your favorite holiday?                      
Candy                                                         Halloween

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? 
Puppy                                          Puppy and Blankie

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  
Sausage                                          Hot dogs

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? 
Cake                                                  Cake

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? 
A big boy                                             At Nana's House

Happy Veteran's Day!

Recovering

Mere hours after the harmonica video was posted, the remnants of Hurricane Sandy blew into town and knocked out our power.  We slept peacefully in a quiet, dark house, happy to get the phone call that school was cancelled the next day.  In the morning, I dug the coffee percolator out of the camping gear and set about making coffee by lantern light.  It was setting up to be kind of an adventure.  We had no damage to the house or the tree and I expected the lights to come back on soon.  But, it got colder inside.  By noon, it was down to 62 and we made the decision to head off to Nana and Papa's for the day.  We packed up enough gear and clothes for the night.  Weren't we optomistic? 

We stayed for a week.

Aside from the unease of not knowing and the long commute to work, it couldn't have been better.  The girls were thrilled to have all sorts of time with Nana and Papa.  Nana stayed with them Wednesday and Papa had all day Thursday and Friday morning.  There were many rounds of , "Noooo, Paaapaaa!" and much approval for the wagon ride from the shed.  Upon arrival at the woodpile, both girls declared, "That was awesome!"

Everyone painted and drew and discovered Thomas the Train videos on YouTube.

My parents are saints. 

Seriously. 

All told, I have very little to complain about.  So I won't.  Here are pictures instead.

Before the freak weather, we had a week of gorgeous sunshine and warmth.

Would you like this leaf?

Here is Naomi, exclaiming over her 'tiny baby leaf'.  Mama Leaf and Daddy Leaf were discovered in the driveway soon after.

Now, both girls have a tiny baby leaf.  And they are quite pleased about it.

After the week of gorgeous sunshine, there was a weekend of blah.  But, in that there was Boo at the Zoo again.  Where, again, I failed to take any pictures suitable for publication.  The ladies really seem to be getting into it, though, pointing out the decorations and costumes. Naomi was totally enchanted by a woman on stilts with a bubblewrap skirt.  Both girls were quite terrified of Papa in a turkey suit.  Seriously. He had to go change in the car.

Because of the disgusting weather and total lck of electrical illumination, Trick or Treat was postponed until Sunday night.  We were home with a few hours to spare.  (The big 3 birthday party was supposed to be that day!)

Aunt Pat made amazing fairy costumes this year.  Complete with hats and tops and skirts and wands and masks and matching sparkly tights and butterfly doo-dads for their shoes.  I would like to have it down for the record how hard I negotiated to get them to wear all the pieces at once.  And how hard I failed that negotiation.

Apparently, sometimes, fairies are terrifying.

 

Trick or Treating itself was kind of a bust.  With power so newly on, few familes were home and fewer kids were out.  We went to the three houses on the street that actually had lights on.  I think two of those were false alarms; folks had left their porch light on the previous Monday and weren't home to turn them off yet.  But they still loved it.  Running down the darkened sidewalk, tutus fluttering behind them, cackling and practicing the recitations and clutching the treat bags they'd made with Nana earlier in the week, it was still a thrill. 

Most importantly, we got a 'kip kap' bar. Apparently that was what it took to get Lillian into the hat.  Naomi's price is a little higher yet.

And lastly, this: