I Didn't Do It!

Who did this? I didn't do it! Oh really? You didn't do it? Then, who did? Monkey did it! Oh, I see, Monkey did it. Well, why did Monkey do it? I don't know, but he did it. You don't know? Okay, did you see Monkey do it? Uh huh. Well, I don't think Monkey did it. Yes he did do it! In fact, I know Monkey didn't do it. I think you did it. No, I didn't do it! You didn't do it? You can tell Mommy, it's okay. Did YOU do it? (head nod)

Poor Monkey! He's so innocent and gets blamed for everything. It's so easy to play detective when you have only one child. There's no need to wonder who did it. If a drink is spilled or something is broken or missing, we know who did it... it was Miss Alyssa. It just cracks me up that she thinks if we didn't see it happen, then she can (1) blame Monkey, (2) just say "I didn't do it!", or (3) simply act like it's a mystery how it happened. I certainly enjoy the creativity and struggle to keep a straight face when listening to Alyssa describe what happened. I do not hesitate to put Monkey in Time Out for something he did not do, just to see the look on her face.

I recently got an e-mail from Parent Center about preschoolers and lying. It's pretty common for preschoolers to start lying because they don't understand that it's wrong yet. Sometimes, they might really forget that something happened. Or, they are really sorry that they did something so they try to believe that they didn't have anything to do with it. Children have really vast imaginations. It's hard for them to distinguish between what's real and what's fantasy at this age. They don't fully understand what it means to be untruthful until age 5-6. I guess that's the more appropriate time to start teaching truth and consequences.

Meanwhile, I will continue to work on explaining the difference between truth and lying. I know it's important for her to know that I'm happy when she does nod her head in admission. I really want her to feel comfortable telling the truth and knowing that she's not going to get into trouble for accidentally spilling her drink or knocking something over as long as she tells me about it. Since Monkey is just an innocent bystander, there are certain things that are immediately dealt with and certain things that I'd just like to hear from her what happened. I don't know why Monkey keeps doing all these things he's doing, but the stories sure make me smile.

The Tooth Fairy

We didn't anticipate a visit from the Tooth Fairy for at least a year or two. Alyssa had been complaining over the weekend that her tooth hurt and we found out on Tuesday that she had an abscessed tooth which had to be removed. She is such a little trooper. The abscess caused an infection which swelled up the left side of her face. She started feeling better last night and is on the road to recovery. We're lucky we caught it when we did.

The dentist sent home her tooth in a tiny green treasure box. We explained that the Tooth Fairy comes at night while you are sleeping, takes the tooth, and leaves money under your pillow. She was quite intrigued! So, we placed the little green box on her dresser so it wouldn't get lost in her bed. I finished reading her nightly book and she said to me, "Mommy, please go now. I don't want the Tooth Fairy to see you!" That was the quickest I've ever gotten her to bed. She was overwhelmed with excitement and wanted to be sure she went to sleep right away.

She woke up at 4:00 a.m. to use the restroom. She called for me from her room. I asked what was the matter and she told me she had to go potty. She was afraid to get up, fearful she'd miss the Tooth Fairy. She returned to her room and asked about the Tooth Fairy. I told her to check the little green box. Since she saw the box still sitting on her dresser, she assumed that the Tooth Fairy didn't come. She got a sad look on her face. I suggested that she check under her pillow. She flipped over the small pillow in her bed and looked and me with the saddest face you've ever seen and said, "Look! She didn't come!" So, I suggested that she look under her big pillow. To her surprise, the Tooth Fairy had left a $5.00 bill under her pillow. She got the biggest smile on her face and took off out of the room to shouting to Daddy, "Daddy look! The Tooth Fairy came! She took my tooth and left me money!" Keeping in mind it was 4 o'clock in the morning, Daddy shared her excitement. There were even traces of fairy dust (glitter) on the $5.00 bill as proof that it was from the Tooth Fairy.

This all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to make the Tooth Fairy a special pillow. Hopefully, we won't be seeing the Tooth Fairy for two more years or so.

4-Year Portraits

I'm so pleased with Alyssa's 4-year portraits. We went to Portrait Innovations for the third year in a row and they continue to amaze me. This year, we asked for just a few pictures on black and white backgrounds and took her Little Mermaid costume for some fun pictures on the beach background. I had no idea that I'd end up liking the mermaid pictures the best. They are absolutely beautiful!!! Alyssa is growing up into such a darling little girl.

First Tennis Lesson

Every morning for the past two years we have driven past the Deer Valley High School tennis courts. As we pass, we yell out "Moon shapes!" Those are the moon-shaped cut-outs in the tarps covering the fencing around the courts. Just recently, Alyssa started asking, "What is that?" Of course, I responded, "Moon shapes!" To which she replied, "No, what is it?" So, every day we've been talking about the tennis courts. I told her Daddy would teach her to play and every day as we pass she says, "Can we play tennis?" Yesterday, I told her we would play after dinner.

She was so excited to get out her racquet and hit balls. Daddy showed her how to hold the racquet and swing even with her waste. I still remember when I was 19 and he taught me how to play tennis with the same methods. First step, learning how to swing the racquet properly and connect with the ball. It's just like spanking a baby, but you're spanking the tennis balls. Alyssa got a kick out of that! "Spank the baby!" she said as she hit the balls. She never ceases to amaze me! She was making great contact and hitting a majority of the balls that Daddy bounced to her. There's nothing greater than the look she has on her face when she does something she's proud of. It makes me smile!

As we were practicing hitting, Alyssa would run around picking up the balls for us. It was really nice to have a ball girl. We're looking forward to getting back into tennis. We haven't played since before she was born. We fell in love playing tennis together and it's so wonderful to finally share that with our daughter. My husband is an amazing tennis player and great teacher. I love watching her learn something new from her Daddy. It's something she will cherish for the rest of her life.

My Little Fish

Alyssa has been in swimming lessons at Aqua-Tots since last August. We go every week for 30 minutes. In that time, I've seen improvements during her lessons, but I had no idea how well she was swimming until last weekend. We spent the 4th of July weekend at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. They have a wonderful family pool with a large section for kids that goes up to 3 ft. deep. She was swimming like a fish! I am filled with amazement and absolutely speechless over her swimming.

She can swim from the middle of the pool to the side without taking any breaths, then climb out of the pool on her own. She loves to dive for her Disney Princess toys and rings. When she misses one, she pops up for a breath and quickly dives back down. She watched another little girl do a summersault under water and quickly did the same. She loves to jump in the deep end and quickly swims to the surface. She can even jump in the deep end, surface, float on her back, and then swim back to the side of the pool. Her favorite thing to do in the pool is to have Daddy toss her high in the air. She pops back up and asks for more. She is amazing!

I simply cannot find the words to express how impressed I am and how pleased I am with the instructors at Aqua-Tots. I am very confident that if my daughter fell into a swimming pool that she would be able to swim to the edge and get out. She is learning the fundamentals of swimming that will be with her a lifetime. I'm so very thankful that she's developed confidence in the water and is not fearful to try new things. She has quickly advanced through her classes and I'm very proud of her! Way to go, my little fish!

Good Job, Daddy!

Last night, Alyssa asked if she could put stickers on the papers that she brought home from school. As she was putting on the stickers, she was telling herself, "Good job!" Her coloring is just amazing! She doesn't just pick one color and stay in the lines, she selects multiple colors and blends them. Naturally, all of her pictures are well-deserving of a sticker.

Someone else received a "Good job!" sticker last night too. Alyssa awarded one to Daddy for the good job he did on his painting. He's had weeks of artist block and finally started painting again. She placed the sticker right in the middle of his painting and said, "Good job, Daddy!" Of all the thoughts going through his head, he smiled and said, "Thank you, honey!"

Luckily, the sticker came off without damaging the painting. It's hard to explain that we don't put stickers on Daddy's paintings. When Alyssa does a good job painting or coloring at school, she gets a sticker. She was just rewarding Daddy for the good job he did. He earned that sticker and he should be proud!

The Bad Words

It all started with Shrek telling the donkey to "Shut up!" Then, it was the beast in Beauty & the Beast saying, "Stupid!" I remember the day Alyssa put all of her dolls and stuffed animals in time out for saying "Shut up!" She'd tell each one that they were in time-out for saying "Shut up!" Essentially, she was repeating it over and over without getting in trouble because, after all, they were the ones that said it, not her.

We try to be mindful of the things that we say and the word choices that we make. We try not to use words that we don't want to hear repeated. However, in case we forget, we now have a little person to remind us exactly what was said.

"Is 'weirdo' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I tell her that it's not exactly a bad word, but it's not really nice either. It's a silly word that people say when they see someone who is different or acting goofy. She tells me she heard the word from a friend at school. Her friend said, "You're a weirdo!" She seems a bit sad and says, "But I'm not a weirdo!" We have a talk.

"Is 'crazy old buzzard' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I couldn't help but laugh. It's not a bad word, but it's also not nice to call someone that. I gave an example and told her if she said that to her Grandma it wouldn't be very nice. Sure enough, the next time we see Grandma she looks at her and says, "You crazy old buzzard!" Grandma's looked at her sternly and says, "I don't like that!" Alyssa cried. Talk not required.

"Is 'friggin nuts' a bad word?" Alyssa asks. I turned my head and busted laughing. Upon gaining my composure, I asked where she heard that. She tells me she heard it at school. Interested, I asked what the kid said to her. She told me the kid looked at her and said, "You're friggin' nuts!" I tell her it's not nice to say and we have another talk.

I was driving home on the highway and there was a slow car in front of me going about 25 in a 55. As my patience was wearing and I said out loud, "I have to change lanes... this car is driving me friggin' nuts!" Oh my! Did she hear that from me? How often do I say that? Is "friggin" even a word? Maybe she didn't hear that from a kid at school? Well, it's better than the alternative. Ohhhh boy!

As I said before, in case we forget what we say, there's always someone to remind us.