Yetis

Dated 4/4/2017....last spring.....

I was looking through some drafts that I had typed, but never published, and laughed out loud reading this one.  More funny kid antics to come in the next week! 



It's about 8:15 am.  Bleary-eyed, I'm making oatmeal and waffles in the kitchen, and the girls are at the dining room table.

Monica:  Mommy, are yetis real?
Me: <not awake>...umm, what <in my head...yetis?  where do they get these ideas??> ....yetis?  I don't know...I don't think so...no, yetis are not real.
Lauren <with an air of absolute authority>:  They are real.
Monica <wide-eyed>:  How do YOU know??
Lauren:  I know EVERYTHING!
Monica:  Oh yeah???  Do you know ALL the planets?? Even the ones that INDIANS came from??
Lauren:  I sure do!
Monica:  How do you even know this stuff???

Lauren is just laughing.  I see the mischief in her eyes, and I have to smile, as well.  She knows that she doesn't know everything, but she is delighted to have fooled her sister, even for just a moment.  

The yeti conversation continues in the next room.  I hear Monica say something about "they inhabit the Himolays", or something of that nature.  Out of pure curiosity, I google "yeti"

• In the folklore of Nepal, the Yeti (/ˈjɛti/)^[4] or Abominable Snowman (Nepali: हिममानव himamānav, lit. "snow man") is an ape-like entity taller than an average human that is said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.

I have no idea where they have acquired this knowledge about the fabled yetis of the Himalayas, but I love this gentle reminder that the kids are experts on many ideas that I am not.  Hopefully, I'll remember to ask Monica about the Indians from the other planets after I pick her up from school 😉
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As a side note, there have been MANY conversations since this one about "Indians."  Over the last six months, Monica has mentioned that Indians are extinct, Indians are not humans, and Indians no longer exist.  We have also had several conversations to further confuse her when discussing Indians as in Native Americans, versus people from the country of India.  :) :) :)

Don't Blink

Recently, the Sun Valley Alumni Association, in conjunction with the local library, undertook a project to scan every page of every yearbook from 1963 to the present.  My friends from the good old class of 1998 have been having a blast sharing our high school pictures on Facebook, laughing at old hairstyles, and reminiscing about classes, teachers, and lots of awesome memories. 

But, one of the biggest underlying themes in our online conversations is:  
"DON'T BLINK.  HOW HAS 20 YEARS GONE BY SO QUICKLY????"  

I ventured to comment, "The best part is, I don't FEEL like I'm my age, or like anyone's parent. I kind of feel like a big kid with a lot of responsibilities, and who said that I was qualified to parents other little humans???"  I had a ton of fellow classmates echo these same sentiments, in one way or another.  

And then, last night, I woke up in a panic.  I had had a nightmare that I woke up today, and 20 years had gone by, again, and the kids were grown up and gone, and I was so sad because I couldn't remember all of the little nuances of their childhoods.

So.  It's settled.  I will blog once again.  I'm not necessarily looking to capture all the big crazy events in our lives.  Those things will be easy enough to remember, and recall.   Birthdays and dance recitals and vacations will always be documented with pictures, for sure.

No, I'm looking to capture the silly little conversations that I overhear the girls having with each other.  The completely random questions about life, and the discussions that follow.  The impromptu trips to the playground, simply because the sun is shining, and we're loving life at that particular moment. 

So, I'll leave off with these two funny little tidbits:

JK is currently in Texas on an impromptu business trip, and the girls had a lot of questions about whether or not this trip was related to work, or to school, and the we got on to the topic of college.  For the last year, Monica has consistently wanted to grow up to become (in no particular order), a dance teacher, a ninja, a mommy, and a spy.  She specifically has expressed that going to college for spy-related studies is a top priority, as she does not yet have the skills or the equipment for this profession.  

I mentioned that I went to college to study business, and she suddenly blurted out, "I’m totally going to be a business person when I grow up!  Because that’s what I want to study in college!”

Me:  “Ok, that’s what mommy studied, and I found it very interesting.”

Monica:  “And then after that I will take some time off to be a mommy and have babies.  And while I’m doing that, I’ll also be a ninja, because I already have all the skills I need for that job.”

To which I replied:  “A mommy ninja sounds like a great plan!  I love all of your life goals!”

Not to be outdone, Lauren has lofty goals of her own,  She just came up to me holding a penny. “Do you have any more monies? To buy some things?”
Me: “ A penny isn’t getting you much these days. What are you trying to buy?”
Lauren: “A pink unicorn that sings and is magical and can carry me to special places.”
Me: “I’m sorry, I have no idea where to buy that, nor do I think I have enough money….”
Lauren: “I’m sure it’s at the toy store!!!!”

And, just for fun, some recent playground pics from an unusually warm winter day :)