fear the reaper

Yesterday was Chuck's birthday. As Caroline and I were discussing his age, she said, "Wow, 46. 50 is the age of death, you know."

long walks on the beach

Caroline got in the car yesterday and began giggling. Eventually, I asked her what was up. "Mom, I have to tell you something, and it is totally weird."

The totally weird news? She has her first boyfriend. She and Logan are girlfriend and boyfriend.

I asked her very casually what that meant to her, to be boyfriend and girlfriend, hoping to hear nothing of hand-holding or smooching on the playground. I was relieved to hear her take on it. "We are in kindergarten, Mom. We're not like kissing teenager boyfriend/girlfriend. We're good friends, is all. We're like mini-boyfriend/girlfriend."

And how did this all come to be? "Well, Logan kept asking me on the bus, so I said, 'Fine. Ok. I'm your girlfriend.'"

Then she asked me to refrain from telling her dad. I suggested that he might appreciate being in the loop. She agreed, but insisted, "You'll have to tell Daddy because I can't break this kind of news to him. Make him sit down first."

...

Later in the afternoon, we were discussing this a bit more, and I reminded her that she doesn't need to spend too much time worrying about boyfriends and girlfriends at her age -- that she she had a lot of more important stuff to think about right now.

She agreed. "Yeah, I do," she nodded. "Like kittens. And rainbows."

the dear leader's favorite color is red

Chuck was passively irritating Caroline, and she grew more and more bothered by it, until she finally snapped and turned to him and said very coolly, "Daddy, you must be safe, responsible, and productive."

problem solving

At her last dental appointment, the hygienist said that one of her bottom teeth is the sliiiiightest bit wiggly. She's so anxious to lose her first tooth. She was asking tonight, "But wheeeeen will it come out?"

I told her it will take some time, and that it has to get looser and more wiggly before it's close enough to help come out.

"Mom, can you just get me some croutons? That'll take care of it."

the case for a siamese cat

I have slacked on noticing and documenting her quips in this busy time of year, but here is a video from early December. She had the air of drama when she approached me with a "Mom, I have to talk to you about something very serious." So I grabbed my phone to document whatever serious and urgent discussion we were about to have.