Funny Flanna Quotes

Flanna and her Aunt Jessica

First of all, thank you for all the love and kind words about my sweet little client.  You guys are the best!

Second, please forgive me if I am incoherent while writing this.  Flannery has been sick, and so I've not slept well in at least 3 days.  Last night was the worst--she had a really high fever that got scary in the wee hours of the morning.  I took her to the pediatrician this morning, who diagnosed her with a sinus infection, which I am not sure is right, but hey, who am I to judge?  At least she gave Flanna a prescription.

Anyway, the good thing about having a sick child is that I had a chance to hang out with her all day and to listen to her adorable stories and comments while not:  a) driving or b) cooking dinner (which is what I'm normally doing when she says adorable things, and then I don't have the extra hands to write them down.)  Today, though, I tried to remember to write down some of the hits.  And there were many:

1.  While trying to wiggle her top tooth (which is not at all loose) :  "Mom, I can't wait to lose a tooth.  Because then I'll get money to buy toys with.  But not this one, not this razor tooth (pointing to her canine).  When I lose this baby, I'm keeping it, because it's really cool and pointy."

2.  Telling a story about a sick princess:  "Then, the doctor said to the princess, "Princess, you have appetitis!  And you need to take this medicine to cure it!"  So the princess took the medicine every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then her appetitis went away." 

3.   Continuing her story about a sick princess:  "The princess's friend, a dolphin, swailed over from his island. " 
me:  "Swailed?  Do you mean sailed?"
Flanna:  "No, mom.  Suh-wailed.  Swailed.  It's a type of swimming dolphins do.  Anyway, he swailed over from his island and came to see the princess."
(She almost had me convinced that swailing was possibly a real thing.  Turns out, it is.  But it doesn't mean swimming.)

4.  Chatting about the pizza we were having for lunch:  "P.P.S., mom, I only want cheese on mine." 

5.  Getting ready for bed, she opens her closet door:  "I need to pick out my party dress for tomorrow."
me:  "Flannery, you're staying home sick tomorrow with Grandma."
Flannery:  "Well, yeah, but I'm watching Beauty and the Beast, so I need to wear my party dress."

6.  Making a list of people to invite to her birthday party (which is not for 8 more months, mind you):  Flanna:  "Guess who I'm inviting to my party, mom?"
me: "all your cousins?"
Flanna:  "No.  Well, yes, them, but also--worms!  I'm inviting worms to my party!  Because I love worms, you know that."

7.  In the bathtub:
Flanna:  "Mom, who owns America?"
Me:  "No one does, sweetie.  We all own little bits of land, but no one person owns America."
Flanna:  "But what about the President?"
Me:  "Well, he owns his own house and land, but not everyone else's."
Flanna:  "No, really, mom, who owns America?"

8.  Snuggling before bed:
Flanna:  "When you get to heaven, you're going to have to ask God to make your hair red again."
Me:  "Why?"
Flanna:  "So I'll recognize you when I get there.  That's how I recognize you, is by your hair."

9.  Getting pajamas on:
Flanna:  "Mom, how do we make slime?"
Me:  "huh?"
Flanna:  "You know, mucus?"
Me:  "Oh, I'm not sure.  I'll have to look that up."

10.  Setting up her DVD player with her Beauty & the Beast movie this morning:
me:  "Sweetie, let's set you up so you can watch the movie in your bed instead of on the floor."
Flanna:  "But mom, I can't dance on the bed."
me:  "Well, yes, but you don't usually dance while you watch movies, right?"
Flanna:  "But this time, I'm going to dance.  The whole time."

11.  As we drove past a city bus on the way to get her prescription  (OK, so I was driving for this one, but amazingly, I remembered it anyway!): 
 "When I grow up, I'm going to be a bus driver.  And people will have to call me "Your Highness" when they get on the bus.  I'll be a princess-artist-bus-driver.  And when I'm done driving the bus, I'll park it at home, and will go inside and do my art."

12.  Reading a story about Jonah & the Whale:
me:  "Then the whale spat Jonah out of his mouth onto the beach.  And the next time God asked Jonah to go to Ninevah, he obeyed God and went."
Flanna:  "But I think he still didn't want to.  Look at his face."
(and she was right--the illustration showed a pretty reluctant Jonah--I think I just changed the subject-- Not sure what to say to that!?)

13.  Looking at an illustration of the solar system in a book:  "I don't think stars are really white.  The people who drew these pictures must not have known that real stars are rainbow colors."  (I actually did look that one up.  And you know what?  She's right!)

 So, there you go, folks.  A glimpse into everyday conversation with Flanna Banana.  If only I always had my pen at the ready...her creative little brain is always coming up with interesting ways to look at the world.  



What made you smile or laugh today? 

Marking the Passage of Time

At the park yesterday, Flannery found a stack of logs on top of which she declared herself to be the "Queen of All the Playground!"    The logs were newly cut and perfect for counting the rings that mark the tree's growth each year.  So, we counted, and the tree was over 40 years old.  Some of the years were obviously years of bounty and moisture, when the tree grew a good bit, and other years looked like they were perhaps drought years, because the rings were thinner.

It made me think about how our life is so much like that in retrospect.  Years of bounty, ease, health.  Seasons of illness, fear, grief.  Some years we grow so much.  And other years, we just hang on for dear life hoping to make it through intact.

I hope that one day, my daughter will look back on this childhood of hers as years of "thick ringed" growth.  As much as our life has been at times uncertain--with Robi job-hunting, and me being sick, and being stretched for money and time, and figuring out life in a new city--I really think that these years with Flannery home with us are "bounty years."  It's such a beautiful thing to get to watch her grow and learn, and to be able to be a part of her everyday.  I know it won't be like that forever, and she'll be off to college and making her own life in the blink of an eye.  As it should be.

But for now, I'm tracing my fingers on the rough rings of a tree trunk.  Listening to Flanna hum a Valentine song.  Watching the sunlight stream through her hair.   Marking the passage of time.

And trying to hold all these things in my heart.

Has the past year been a year of thin or thick ringed growth for you?   Does time seem to move quickly or slowly for you at this point in your life? 

5 Ways to Enjoy a Lazy Sunday

1.  Sleep late, but not so late that you miss church.  You'll be happy you went.

2.  Braid your daughter's hair when she asks you to.  She'll play with those braids all day, smiling to herself.  

3.  Walk to the pond down the street to feed the ducks.  You'll have to give your daughter a piggy-back ride home, but you'll both feel refreshed.  Plus, you'll see that cool house down the street where they already decorated for Halloween, and you would've missed that from inside a car.

4.  Snuggle up on the couch with your dogs and your daughter to watch "Good Luck Charlie" on the Disney Channel.  You could've hung those curtains you've been meaning to get to, or tried to get your closet in order.  But that snuggly time will mean a lot to the kiddo, and she could care less about your curtains.

5.  Eat dinner at the table as a family.   With something fresh and green thrown in.  It feels good to be around a table together, and even better to eat a homemade meal.  

How did you enjoy your lazy Sunday?

Gallop-a-trot, Gallop-a-trot

Flannery is currently obsessed with princesses and horses.

And unicorns, well, that's just the combination of all that is princess and horse, right?

So you can imagine her giddy delight when she was able to ride a REAL!  UNICORN!  (her words exactly) yesterday at the back-to-school festival at the Speech School.  The pony's (er, unicorn's) name was Glory, and I think she will go down in history as the most perfect horse in all the ages.

If you ask Flanna, I mean.


What brings you giddy delight these days? 

Mothers' Day Tea

On Friday, my daughter's preschool had a Mothers' Day Tea for us.  The kids were so excited to show their moms the classroom, and their favorite "work."  Flannery and her friends kept saying, "Look!  This is my mom!" to one another.  It was really sweet. 

Flannery showed me where she does "spelling work" and where they sing their scales (the piano).  She even played some notes and let me feel the piano strings vibrate while she played, which was neat.  I especially liked that the teachers had the kiddos serve their moms the food and tea.  The kids were so proud pouring tea into tiny cups for us!

The best part of the visit was just watching Flanna with her sweet classmates.  She has such kind, silly, and just generally good friends at her school.  I know she's going to miss them when we move. 

Do you still know any friends you had from preschool?  I'm lucky enough to say I do! 

Experience Nature: A Gorgeous Weekend

enjoying Locopops at American Tobacco

One of the things that makes me happiest is being outside in nature.  Some of my happiest memories as a child are sitting in a special climbing tree in our woods reading a book, or taking walks in the woods to a special mossy spot with my dogs. 

Anyway, this weekend was just gorgeous, and we got to spend so much time outdoors.  It was really wonderful.  On Friday, Robi, Flannery, and I joined our friends and their daughter to see a band play at American Tobacco.  Flannery and her friend got to play, dance, and eat Locopops popsicles together.  We stayed out way too late, but it was worth it. 

On Saturday, Flannery and I walked to the park and spent several hours playing and picnicking there.  While Flanna played, I got to read a few chapters of my Harry Potter book, which I've really been enjoying!  (I'm going to be sad when I finish the series, I think!  It's so exciting having a new chapter to look forward to each day!)  Flannery's learning to cross the monkey bars and kept wanting to practice it over and over with me "spotting" her (a.k.a., catching her every few seconds!).   

Flanna said, "It's gonna take you 11 years to finish that book!"  But I finished it today!

Can you believe these amazing gardenias?

The most beautiful flower I've seen this spring.

Then, today after church, we transplanted the seedlings that we had started from seed several weeks back.  Flannery made some cute tomato-teepees from sticks to keep the squirrels from digging up our delicate seedlings, and she also wrote the tiny plant markers.  I thought it was really cool that, not only did she write them (with me helping her sound out each letter), but after she wrote them, she was able to pick out which one we needed from the group of markers when I asked for the one that said "peppers" or "basil."  It's exciting to see her reading & writing skills coming along bit by bit. 

The "tomato teepee" Flannery made to protect our seedlings from squirrels.

Dill

Rosemary

mint

yellow flowers...so cheery!

We planted some herbs, tomatoes, and flowers, and then the mosquitoes emerged and chased us inside.  Robi made an amazing BBLT (bacon, basil, lettuce, & tomato sandwich) that was such a simple and fresh (can I describe a bacon meal as fresh?) way to end the day.   It was just such a gorgeous weekend, and I tried to really be in the moment and appreciate it. 

I know that too soon, lazy days spent with our little family will be few and far between.  Flanna will be busy with sports or drama or ballet or whatever it is she's going to be into, and Robi's job will get more demanding when he's tenure-track, too.   But for now, I am soaking up these sweet weekends spent together with my wonderful hubby and daughter. 



How did you experience nature this week?  Did it make you happier? 

Funny Flanna Quotes

"Don't you ever get tired of speaking all that Spanish, mom?"

"Was daddy your prince?"

"When I go to college, you need to have another baby, because you'll be sad without me. But it's okay, we can Skype!"

"I need to find a husband to marry so I can have a baby one day."

"Mommy, can we say a prayer to God so he will make my kitty cat [doll] real? Or maybe he won't, 'cause he's allergic."

and my favorite from today:

"I'm going to save the world tomorrow."



Gotta love that kid!


What's something funny you heard today?