Funny, Funny Abby Kate

Hello all!! This post is starring Abby Kate, and only Abby Kate. The middle child is due for a post all her own, I think, and she's earned it with some funny things that have come out of her mouth recently! I'm pretty sure she is actively trying to "make jokes" every now and then. Cline is taking full credit for passing those genes onto her :) Here are a few things that have cracked us up lately.

1. Abby Kate is really into Dora the Explorer these days. She occasionally likes to assign characters to each member of the family, particularly Dora, Diego, Swiper, and Boots. We don't really do anything when we are "in character." We are just called that for a little while, and we'll say, "Swiper, no swiping" occasionally. (That's a frequent line from the show for those of you who watch something other than Nick Jr. and Disney :). At any rate, Christa and Abby Kate were walking down the stairs a few weeks ago, and Christa happened to be carrying a pair of my boots. Abby Kate, in typical Abby Kate fashion, said something along the lines of, "I not Abby Kate; I Dora." Then she looked at Christa, pointed, and said, "You boots! Ha ha ha" (since Christa was carrying the boots). Cline was the one with them at the time, and he felt pretty certain that the play on words was completely intentional.

2. Last week I was giving the girls a bath. Right before I got them out of the tub, Abby Kate had her washcloth laying over her head, being very silly. Out of the blue, in a very funny tone of voice, she said, "This washcloth is very good," emphasizing the "very good." You might have had to be there, but the way she said it was so random and animated that it was hilarious. Christa and I busted into laughter, and a game of, "this (fill in the blank) is very good," ensued. The girls took turns declaring things very good, and Christa decided to change it up a little and state that some things "were very not good." It was a fun evening, and we eventually made it to bed. The next day, I was trying to tell Cline about it. I told him that Abby Kate had said the funniest thing in the bathtub. (He had been at work). As I was trying to recall exactly how she worded it, Abby Kate piped in, "This washcloth is very good." I was impressed that she knew what I was talking about and remembered it immediately. We laughed again, and then didn't mention it as we got ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Last night, the girls were playing with an old pirate chest that I had gotten at a garage sale as a teenager. Out of the blue, Abby Kate looked at me, smiled, and said, "This pirate chest is very good." Once again, it was hilarious!

3. I posted this story on Facebook, but I had to embellish a little to get the point across in as few words as possible. I'll tell the story as I wrote it there, and then tell you what she actually said. Abby Kate has recently wanted to be a "Pirate Princess" at all times. This basically means she puts on a silvery, shimmery party dress that I got for Christa to wear to a Father/Daughter dance last year. I don't know what it is about this dress, but both girls love to wear it around the house. If I could go and buy 5 more just like it, I would, so that I could wash it without the drama! At any rate, I needed to wash the dress, so I, being the meanest mommy ever, told Abby Kate that she could not be a Pirate Princess. She decided to be Cinderella instead, and Christa decided she would dress up too and be Ariel. All was going well for about 3 minutes until Abby Kate decided that she wanted the Ariel dress. As I was loading the dishwasher, I heard this conversation:

Abby Kate: Christa, do you want to be Cinderella? (Implying that if Christa chose to be Cinderella, she would have to give up the Ariel dress).
Christa: No.
Abby Kate: Do you want to be Snow White?
Christa: No.
Abby Kate: Do you want to be Sleeping Beauty?
Christa: No.
Abby Kate: (thinking outside the box) Do you want to be Naked?

It took me a minute to process what she'd said, and then I asked Christa, "Did she just ask you if you wanted to be naked?" Christa smiled and said, "yes," and we all cracked up!
(Abby Kate actually asked Christa if she wanted to be Cinderella, then skipped straight to the "Naked." Abby Kate was clearly offering "Naked" as an acceptable alternative to Ariel after the "Cinderella" suggestion was turned down. It was hysterical!)

Here is Abby Kate with "Mr. Snowman." She found him in the basement while she was watching Daddy work out earlier today. She loves, "Mr. Snowman," and will not be convinced that his name is actually Santa. She specifically requested that Mr. Snowman sit by her while she ate her cheerios with milk. Such a funny girl!

While I'm bragging on Abby Kate, I have to mention how polite she is! I love having more than one child, because it really reassures me as a mom that some things are just going to come more naturally to some children than others. We do encourage our children to say "please," "thank you," "yes ma'am," and "no ma'am." Abby Kate consistently says "please" and "thank you" completely on her own, without being reminded most of the time. I still have to remind Christa, so I am not taking the credit for this. It amazes me, though! For example, she comes up to me and says, "I stinky again, can you please change my diaper?" In my opinion, if she can articulate her need for a diaper change that well, she should be able to use the potty, but that's another story for another day :) This polite nature does make it very difficult to tell her, "no." She will often ask for candy, or to "be a Pirate Princess" again. After I tell her, "no," she looks at me with the sweetest face and says, "peeeeeeeaaassseee." My heart melts, but I try to stick to my guns. Who am I kidding? She's adorable, and I give in about half the time :)

Have a great night!