Chatty little ladies

Josie often says "No thanks!" when she is asked to do something she doesn't want to do. While I appreciate her manners, she often doesn't have a choice in the matter and her assertiveness with it has me hiding a smile behind my hands while I insist that she does what she is asked to do. Also, it sometimes sounds more like, "No sanks!" which is just a tiny glimpse at the toddler/preschooler she is no longer. That part isn't so funny...why do they grow up so fast? She also says "No thanks!" when someone else is doing something she doesn't like. If a friend or sister is trying to take something from her or wants her to play a game she doesn't like, she looks around desperately while yelling ever so politely, "No thanks! NO THANKS!" Again, while the manners are appreciated, the tone is not the most pleasant. We are working on that part.

Josie can be very expressive with what is around her. She exclaims how beautiful the view is or pretty the sky looks. She is quick to tell me that the garbage smells disgusting. Everything is silly or crazy. It's neither a compliment or an insult, just an extreme. She is an excellent complimenter. She tells women that they are beautiful and men that they are handsome. She only sometimes adds the disclaimer that all men are handsome and all women are beautiful. She hasn't quite figured out that she is lessening her compliment when she adds that at the end. It does make for many smiles followed with many laughs.

Audrey still hardly uses the "sss" sound. Many words come out leaving everyone puzzled, silently adding an "s" to words to figure out what she is saying. She will say that something is 'parkly, that she doesn't want a 'pankin when we tease her about it, that she loves to 'twim, and that her favorite meal is 'paghetti. When we ask her say the words again, you can tell she knows why we are asking because she often takes the time to slowly say the "s" before each word. She is capable of it, but for whatever reason chooses not to. It creates many a head 'cratch in confusion.

Many statements made by Audrey start and end with an affirmation. "Yep, I like this food, mm hmm." "Dad did you know that my hair is in an Elsa braid? Yep!" "Mom, this meal is so good for me. Yes!" It's like she is answering for you, even when it doesn't call for an answer. Or maybe she is reassuring herself that what she is saying is true. Either way, I often have to stifle a laugh or smile since she can be more sensitive to being teased.

Both Audrey and Josie often will say the word "even" instead of "too or also" Audrey will say, "I want to go to the park even!" or "I like ice cream even!" I don't correct it because I know how fast they learn and grow. It's so sweet with it's innocence. Both girls love to say one thing and then correct it by using the word "actually." "I want to empty the dishwasher! Actually, Josie can." "I want to go outside! Actually, I don't want to. I want to stay inside." (Most of the time, it's because they agree to something before actually processing it. Once they realize it's not the most fun option, they change their minds.) The other day, they sat at the table saying, "I am literally eating this bread. I am literally drinking this milk. I am literally using my fork." through the whole meal. What could I say? While kind of annoying, they were using it correctly.

The girls can't be bothered with details such as names while playing. The roles are often just "mother" and "kid" and that is how they refer to each other. I hear it constantly, "Kid! Come over here and eat your supper." "Mother, I don't want to go to sleep!" At least it makes it easy to tell when they are imagining and playing, because they never call me "Mother" and I never call them "Kid" in real life. 

Audrey calls Josie "Jojo" when she's excited about something or when they are sharing a story or thought. Both girls alternate between Mimi and Millie for Amelia. Josie doesn't call Audrey "Audge Podge" anymore, though. Audrey is always just Audrey when they talk to each other. They don't seem to notice that she doesn't have a nickname. In fact, when asked what her name is, she insists that it is just "Audrey." Maybe she likes that she's the only one without one.

Amelia went from showing no interest in words and talking to trying to say everything. She succeeds at a handful: mama, mimi, da for dad, papa, nah for Hannah, mo for more, moo, neigh, meow, woo for woof, highn for hi, bye, wa for water. Then there are the words that only she knows. All day, she points and says words that we are not understanding. We look around and ask her millions of questions, and when we finally figure it out, she beams at us with satisfaction. She watches our lips very closely to try to understand how we make these crazy sounds. If I break words up into one syllable at a time, she copies me more and more accurately, and slowly some of them are coming together. Our absolute favorite right now is when she joins in with her sisters in excitement. I will ask, "Who wants to eat lunch?" and she'll raise her hand and shout "Me me me me!" when she sees the older two do it. There's nothing sweeter than an 18 month old trying to talk like her big sisters. We do it over and over and none of us have tired of it.

Kids are fun.