The Wisdom of Katito, Part 1
Katie has been part of our world for the better part of ten years now. I know everyone thinks their kids are amazing, but...well, mine really is. She is not without fault, of course, but I know her to be kind, obedient, humble, confident, and about as smart as any kid could possibly need to be. She is also one of the happiest, most imaginative, most oddly insightful kids I've ever known.
And yes, she still does that fluttery, Monty-Python-face thing when she's really happy about something or her imagination is working overtime.
She also has a gift for words. As a young child, she would play with words and ideas almost the way she played with toys: Arranging them, making them into new forms, trying things out to see how they worked. Sarah and I have collected some (not nearly enough) of her funny and odd little sayings on Facebook through the years. Now at last I have collected them in one place.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The collected sayings of Katito. Enjoy.
Born: July 8, 2009.
Always eager to devour a good book!
November 2, 2009
I am listening to my baby talk to the goldfish. I'm not sure what she's saying, but they seem to understand each other adequately.
May 4, 2010 ·
We are proud to say that in this era of rampant financial irresponsibility, Katie tore up her first credit card application today.
July 3, 2010 ·
My daughter officially knows three words now: Hi, Happy, and Rocky (the dog's name). "Happy" and "Rocky" actually sound an awful lot alike. I think, as far as Katie is concerned, they might be the same word. If you know my dog, you realize that this is not inappropriate.
AGE 1
August 14, 2010 ·
I'm watching my one-year-old daughter play with my toy badger while saying "bashr" over and over. Most satisfying.
August 29, 2010 ·
In Katie's world, all the animals are horses. And they all say "Baa."
September 6, 2010 ·
My daughter just said "elk" for the first time. I am overwhelmed with fatherly pride.
September 15, 2010 ·
I saw a flight of ducks against the sunrise this morning. Then had a bacon, tomato, and cheese omelet. Then got a hug from my wife and heard my little girl say, "Daddy." So, yeah, I'm pretty much doing OK.
October 7, 2010 ·
My daughter said "Viacom" yesterday. Pretty advanced stuff for a one-year-old. Nevermind that Sarah was trying to get her to say "macaroni."
October 14, 2010 ·
My daughter thinks the blender is absolutely hilarious. I don't know why, but this makes me very happy.
October 17, 2010 ·
My daughter saw me swat a fly this afternoon and yell, "Die!" (I've been really annoyed with flies lately) Now, whenever she sees the swatter, she starts saying, "Die! Die!" in her sweet, sing-song little one-year-old-girl voice.
October 24, 2010 ·
I love how my daughter calls bears "beer."
October 30, 2010 ·
My daughter saw a picture of a caterpillar, and called it a "fly." (her word for butterfly, among other things) I prefer to think she's not wrong, just thinking ahead.
November 9, 2010 ·
Update from the home front, and I quote: "Katie is walking around the
living room, saying 'Baby yeah, baby yeah,' over and over. We have a
strange kiddo."
November 20, 2010 ·
I put the girlie to bed last night, thinking she was ready to crash. As soon as she hit the mattress, she opened her eyes, grinned, and yelled, "BOOM!" When that failed to get a response, she said, "Oh, MAN!" Two minutes later she was asleep.
November 23, 2010 ·
Katie said "pika" today. I'm so proud.
December 23, 2010 ·
We went up the mountain today. Katie rode in the pack with mom, while dad cut and carried the Christmas tree. Katie was whispering, "Dad." "Snow." "Tree." the whole time. And "Caw." (there was a crow)
March 8, 2011 ·
Dad: Are you feeling very negative?
Katie: No. No. No. No. No.
March 29, 2011 ·
Katie: "Cracker? Cracker? Cracker?!"
Dad: "Say 'Cracker, Please.' "
(Repeat 20 or 30 times)
(Dad gives up and gives Katie the cracker)
Katie: "Please! Please! Please!"
March 30, 2011 ·
Looking at the Big Cats book. It is a grown-up book, which means it actually shows big cats doing what they do best.
Dad: "What do lions eat, Katie?"
Katie: "Zebras."
Dad: "And what do zebras eat?"
Katie: (slight pause to ponder this riddle) "LIONS!"
Mom: (singing) "It's the cirrrrcle of liiiife!"
April 29, 2011 ·
I just taught my daughter to say, "Forth Eorlingas!" while riding her rocking horse. It sounds more like, "For ningas!" when she says it, though.
June 1, 2011 ·
Katie: God...made a clouds.
Mom: Yes. What else did God make?
Katie: (glancing at kitchen table) God...made a cheese.
Well, I suppose indirectly…
June 25, 2011 ·
Katie, holding the Woodie Guthrie book: "This is your land, and my land.....And California."
June 26, 2011 ·
Katie, looking out the window, "That tree is very big outside. Trees grow in roots. It is confusing."
June 28, 2011 ·
Picture this: Katie walking around the living room, with underwear draped over her head, loudly proclaiming to anyone who will hear: "I need special medicine!"
AGE 2
July 10, 2011 ·
Dad, while adjusting the ipod, "We're going to listen to Mozart." Katie, hopefully, "Is it kinda like Veggie Tales?"
July 21, 2011
Katie’s heart surgery went OK. She is currently alternating between napping and slamming sippies of apple juice as fast as the nurse can bring them...and telling the nurse that she "likes tigers really much."
August 2, 2011 ·
Katie playing her xylophone: "I hear the song of the cricket ball, bouncing back to me! It is a happy song." Don't know what it means, but it sounds sort of poetic, don't you think?
August 14, 2011 ·
Me: Katie, would you like to go for a walk?
Katie: NO!!!
Me: No??
Katie: Just yes.
Mom: Well, she's got that part of being female figured out.
August 15, 2011 ·
I just learned, from my two year old, that lions taste like spinach.
August 17, 2011 ·
Katie (while managing to walk around the house in mom’s sandals): I am wearing Mommy's shoes to Laramie.
Mom: You are wearing mommy's shoes?!
Katie: Yes.
Mom: You are a goofy goof.
Katie: No. Just goofy goof.
Mom: We will have to tell Daddy you are a goofy goof.
Katie: Daddy is just a goofy goof! (while giggling)
Katie (while examining my shoes): Daddy is a spider.
Mom: How is Daddy like a spider?
Katie: He crawls so much...to Laramie!
August 26, 2011 ·
Dancing with Katie last night, and she says, "I'm dancing with Daddy like a prince!" (She's big into disney princesses)
Mom: "Are you his princess?"
Katie: "I am a little princess. Mommy is a big princess."
September 1, 2011 ·
It's a special moment in any daddy's heart when his little girl first says those three immortal words: "Slow-Witted Brute."
Thank you, Beauty and the Beast.
September 5, 2011 ·
Uh oh. Katie just excitedly proclaimed, "We are going to take a bike ride to the p-a-r-k." What do we do now that she's caught onto our spelling trick?
September 10, 2011 ·
We just got back from the air show. Missed the P-51, but got to watch the AT6 do some fly bys. Katie kept saying, "It is not scary. It is not scary." Then stopped for a burger at the Gannett, and blew a tube on the bike trailer on the way home. An eventful morning!
November 7, 2011 ·
Taking an after-dark walk with mom, Katie in the stroller. A car rolls by.
Katie: "Is that someone driving?"
Dad: "I believe it is."
Pause...
Katie (singing) : "Someone's driving, Lord, kum ba ya..."
November 17, 2011 ·
Katie has decided that the fish in the fish tank are smoked salmon.
"They will be so yummy!" If only it were true.
November 19, 2011 ·
Katie, looking at a toy wolf: "The wolf has sharp toes."
Dad: "Those are claws.
Katie: "Does the wolf have claws?"
Dad: "Wolves have claws so they can run fast."
Katie: "And catch tasty animals!"
November 29, 2011 · Lander ·
Katito woke up this morning and said, in her sweetly matter-of-fact way, "I miss my pacifiers and my jumparoo, Daddy." It makes me sad. I hope the joys of growing up eventually outweigh the bummers.
November 29, 2011 ·
Katie was in her bath tonight with her rubber ducky singing, "There's a duck in the sea of Galilee." I think Jesse, Jared, and Joe can pretty much take credit for that one.
December 7, 2011 ·
Tonight, we thanked God for hair spray, wipes, and sanitizer. It was Katie's idea.
December 14, 2011 ·
I just burned my finger with a match lighting the wood stove, and told Katie as much. She decided to "pretend to be a doctor and make daddy better." She did this by waving various kitchen utensils over my body, touching the affected finger with the handle of a frying pan, and listening to my heart with a spatula.
December 16, 2011 ·
Sarah has been teaching Katie about cooking. Today, at the store, Sarah was looking for a bag of sugar. Katie wanted to know where the "whole wheat sugar" was.
December 16, 2011 ·
Katie (while "reading" a science spider book to her stuffed animal): "Once upon a time in a magical kingdom there was a spider. He was friends with this spider. And that spider. And that one. And that one. He liked all the spiders the favorite. The end."
December 19, 2011
Katie: I am strong, daddy.
Dad: Good. It's good to have a strong body, a strong heart, and a strong mind.
Katie: And a strong Popsicle!!!
January 2, 2012 ·
After an evening of extreme goofiness ("Super swimming!" with assorted zoo animals in the pretend ocean on our living room floor, among other things), I was changing Katie into her PJs. Out of the blue she closed her eyes, folded her hands, and said, "God, thank you for soft blankets, and for marshmallows that feel us happy, and for water to drink and swim in, and for mammals and fish. Amen."
January 7, 2012 ·
Tonight, we thanked God for walls, baskets, and changing tables.
January 14, 2012
Katie has already figured out the problem with diets. This morning, while munching her apple spice pancakes, she whispered conspiratorially, "Calories is FUN."
January 21, 2012 · Lander ·
So, we were watching bugs bunny this morning, the one where he's a matador fighting this big, shaggy, foul-tempered bull. Katie says, "Is that yak being naughty?" That's my girl.
January 22, 2012
I told Katie we were sad because it is Baby David's birthday and we miss him. Now she is in the Pretend Kitchen making him a birthday cake.
February 7, 2012
Last night for dinner: Grilled venison sirloin smothered in mushrooms, bacon cheddar hash browns, and Katie's stories about the elk she shot with her pretend rifle.
February 15, 2012
Katie: "The aquarium is very deep. The fish are eating the plants. They should not eat the plants! They have their own food."
February 21, 2012 ·
Katie: An ambulance is kinda like a big, noisy truck. It has sirens to help sick people not get burned.
February 27, 2012 ·
"Mountains are big, big rocks. They are too heavy to throw into the pond."
February 27, 2012 ·
February 18, 2012 ·
Katie, looking at a picture book: "That baby's attitude is squishy."
February 22, 2012
Sarah told Katie we were going to "camp out" in her hospital room tonight. Katie thought about this for a moment, then asked, "Are you gonna roast marshmallows?"
February 23, 2012
This morning, Sarah was lying under one of those loosely knit hospital blankets. Katie pointed out, "Mommy's hospital blanket is leaky!"
February 27, 2012 ·
Katie's random phrase for the evening is 'dumbstruck amazement.' She has no idea what it means, so it's making for some creative sentences. So everyone, please try to use it in at least one sentence tonight.
Also, "I thought I saw a man deep sea diving in the fish tank."
March 6, 2012 ·
My daughter just said "otocinclus" for the first time. I'm so proud.
March 6, 2012 ·
Katie: Today is Tuesday so Daddy has to work. Auntie Liz has to work. But she does not have instruments in her classroom. She teaches scientists. Grandma does not have to work. She is in Michigan. I wish I had to go to Michigan with her.
Me: Michigan is an even longer car ride than Cheyenne.
Katie: Oh.
March 6, 2012 ·
Katie (one train of thought): We could play Moon dough today. Yaks make milk for their babies. Tarantulas are predators. I think that is a very big pumpkin. I bet the biggest one would be even cool and bigger to make pumpkin pie. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...
It's like watch someone flip through Tv channels. Gotta love her mealtimes dialogue.
March 19, 2012 ·
I just taught Katie to say, "I repeat myself incessantly!" She is now repeating this fun new phrase, well, incessantly.
March 31, 2012 ·
Last night, Katie was in her pretend kitchen making me "yummy apple slices and banana corn beef." This morning, she thinks the fish want some ice cream. I am so grateful that God designed small children so that they are too short to actually do these things...
Clarification: The fish are sick, and she will make 'em better with ice cream. So.
April 11, 2012 ·
Any time the toddler is trying something and asks, "Is this a good idea?"...you pretty much already know the answer.
April 15, 2012 ·
Was just out walking with Katie in the pea-size hail. She called the hail stones "Snow drops." Makes sense to me. Katie was trying to pick one up and eat it, but she's so pokey they kept melting. She'd finally get around to bringing her fingers up to her mouth, then say, "HEY! It's GONE!"
April 18, 2012 ·
Katie, while contemplating a beans-and-peppers dish, was singing,
"Peace and Joy,
and happiness,
be-ean bean bean
Some day..."
April 21, 2012 ·
As I was helping her get ready for bed, my sweet daughter asked me, with a completely straight face, "Daddy, what does 'peace and quiet' mean?"
Good question, sweetheart...
May 4, 2012 ·
Katie just informed me that grizzly bears are not good to eat. Good to know.
May 6, 2012 ·
Katie is lying in bed singing her own version of "All Creatures of our God and King" at the top of her lungs. Never a dull moment...I love her!
May 15, 2012 ·
We have a couple mallards hanging out on the pond. Tonight, Sarah and I were talking about eating mangos, and Katie, the great toddler linguist, noticed the similarity and starting talking about eating mallards. I asked her how she would accomplish this. "We will get scuba dice and go under the pond. Then we can get the mallards and eat them. They will be so yummy."
May 16, 2012 ·
The duck's name is Kersook.
May 20, 2012 ·
Mom: "We're going to a graduation party, because your big buddies are growing up today!"
Katie: "... Will there be cake???"
May 26, 2012 ·
Katie, getting ready to go out and play in the rain: "I'm tough. I don't need pants."
June 3, 2012 ·
Katie just informed me that I "will never get stale." Can I have that in writing, please?
She also said she wants to live in Lander close to us when she grows up. She's quite upset that her "big buddies" (the youth group) are growing up and moving, so she was quite concerned that people move away.
June 4, 2012 ·
Katie just used the word "wedgie." Correctly. This makes me happy.
June 10, 2012 ·
Me: "What book do you want to read, Katie?"
Katie, with the Amelia Bedelia book: "Let's read Medilia...Nemelia...this one!"
July 4, 2012 ·
"Daddy, I think you look very pretty *without* a dress."
July 8, 2012 ·
Katie: "I have a new tri-apple-on to do. It has ballet, biking, running, and swimming."
July 8, 2012 ·
Katie, triumphantly holding aloft her straw: "The Straw says, 'I AM A STRAW!' "
It is hard to argue with such logic.
AGE 3
July 12, 2012 ·
Katie, enthusiastically whacking the porch with a stick: "This is a thrail stick."
Dad: "A frail stick?"
Katie: "No, a Thrail stick. And when an animal comes in the house, you thrail 'em with it. TH-RAIL! That is what Spanish men say to bad animals."
It just gets weirder and weirder…
July 20, 2012 ·
Katie's balloon is named Cornelius. I thought you'd want to know.
August 7, 2012 ·
Katie: "Nimrod [the small cat] dashed into my bed, faster than a slug!!!"
And you know, she's right! Unlike some cats around here…
August 8, 2012 ·
Dad: "I have to go into town and get a hair cut."
Katie: "Why? Is your hair all saggy and not looking very good?"
Well, yes, I suppose that is the problem.
August 9, 2012 ·
"The straw says, 'Yay! I'm in the apple juice!' "
August 13, 2012 ·
Katie, talking about a big buck deer we saw: "I think that deer is a mommy deer. And I think now she is laying down. And I think she was laying eggs for her babies. And I think the daddy deer hatched out of the BIG egg."
Sometimes you just don't know where to start...
August 23, 2012 ·
Katie, looking very seriously at a picture of Saturn in an astronomy book:
"Do planets live in space? I think they look like...like big space oranges."
A few pages later, looking at a diagram of the planets lined up, I point to earth and tell her that is where we live. She points at Jupiter. "Is that where Cody is?"
A few pages still later, she suddenly turns to me and says, "Dad, this stuff wears me out."
August 28, 2012 ·
Earlier this evening, I heard Katie petting Nimrod and calling him "Precious." One Kitten to Rule Them All…
August 31, 2012 ·
Dad: "Good night, little girl."
Girl: "Good night, big man."
September 16, 2012 ·
Katie, dressing up her doll: This princess is more perfect than I thought she could be!
Daddy: But you know, it isn't a dress that really makes you beautiful.
Katie: What makes you beautiful?
Daddy: Your heart. How nice you are to people.
Katie: Yeah, and you know what? Jewelry can make you beautiful, too!
Well, we'll keep trying.
October 14, 2012 ·
Katie: "Obama is a funny sounding name." Stay tuned for opinions on "Mitt."
October 14, 2012 ·
While riding her bike yesterday, Katie observed that riding her bike was "harder than watching Tv." Guess she is an American.
October 26, 2012 ·
Katie: "Actually, some ballerinas hate dancing."
Complex critters, those ballerinas.
October 27, 2012 ·
Katie: What does 'apply' mean?
Mom: It usually means to put something on.
Katie: I need to apply my PJs.
November 12, 2012 ·
I love my daughter. We were listening to some Enya while playing tonight. During bath time, she asked for her boats. While pushing them around, she started singing, "Sail away, sail away, sail away..."
Then there was the part where she requested the Guacamole Song...
November 15, 2012
Katie: Daddy, do you have to do to work?
Daddy: Yes, I to.
Katie: Why?
D: Because if I don't go to work, there is no money.
K: (thinking hard) Wellllll...Sometimes people shearch around the house and find lots of money that way.
D: I like how you're thinking, but that money still comes from work.
K: Wellllll...(thinking very hard) Sometimes people find money in a piggy bank! THAT could solve our problem!
I was tempted to go into a quick lesson on economics, but decided to just savor the cuteness.
November 18, 2012 ·
Katie: Brrrrr!
Dad: Yep, that breeze is pretty chilly, isn't it?
Katie: Yeah, I think there's gotta be some sort of cold thing goin' on!
November 30, 2012 ·
Katie, looking at the "The Universe" book: Space is quite beautiful.
Dad: It can be.
Katie: It is dangerous, too.
Dad: Yes.
Katie: You have to be careful, because I don't want to get whacked in outer space!
December 2, 2012 ·
Katie and Mommy are decorating a gingerbread house. Mommy has just reminded Katie (again) that if she eats this candy, there will be nothing left to decorate the house. Katie says, sadly and earnestly, "Well, it's a problem, mommy. They're just so tasty."
December 7, 2012 ·
Did some sword-fighting with my wife and daughter tonight, using empty wrapping paper tubes as weapons. Much hollering, giggling, and goofy-mean faces. And Katie, my alliterative daughter, yelling "This is a funny family fight!"
Ah, it's these peaceful, heart-warming moments at home that make the holidays special…
December 13, 2012 ·
News from the home front: Katie jumped (was lowered, according to mom) off the low dive today in swim class. "I just dived right in there!!!"
December 29, 2012 ·
Katie wanted to give thanks for dinner--cereal with blueberries--so I told her to go ahead. She warned me that it would be a very short prayer, and I said that was OK. She folded her hands and said, "God, thank you for donuts. Amen."
January 8, 2013
Tonight, Katie was telling stories about when she "Used to be a grown up." Apparently, she was quite a polar explorer, back in the day, since she regaled me with stories of going to Antarctica to see penguins, and also to the North Pole. And here we pick up the conversation:
Dad: What did you eat at the North Pole?
KT: Mostly polar bear meat.
Dad: Do polar bears taste like chicken?
KT (scandalized) : No!!
Mom: What do they taste like?
KT: Muffins.
Let us hope this is not true, and if it is, let us hope it does not become common knowledge. Polar bears are in enough trouble as it is...
January 14, 2013 ·
My three-year-old just spent a half hour watching, with rapt attention, a youtube video of Masur/New York playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. We were halfway through the fourth movement before she lost interest. It's in her blood, I guess. Observations from my budding music critic:
"There are some fiddles!"
"This is powerful music!" (She might have been quoting me, there, so I don't know if that counts)
"This is a really good band!"
"That director sure is hairy!" (NOT quoting me on that one, though she was quite correct)
"Where do the string basses live?"
And best of all: "I want to join an orchestra like that one."
January 16, 2013 ·
"Remember when Mr Phil was being a bad example to LaRhea's cat?"
January 30, 2013 ·
Listening to some quiet music (George Winston) on Pandora.
Katie: This sounds like some sad music.
Dad: No, it isn't sad, just calm and peaceful.
Katie: Well, maybe if we play this for Lucy Dog it will help her calm down.
If only it were that easy…
February 9, 2013 ·
Katie marches into my room, wearing a grimace and a pair of wrap around sunglasses (upside down and crooked) and asks earnestly, "Do I look scary, dad?"
February 16, 2013 ·
"Colds are really boring...and sad...and it makes me sad to have a cold, cause...it kinda hurts my body." --Katito
February 17, 2013 ·
Naming the new dog.
Katie: I like "Ursa."
Dad: Are you still going to like it five minutes from now?
Katie (completely serious): Six minutes.
I guess that's about as good as you can expect…
February 24, 2013 ·
I love the way Katie says "cobbler." It has three syllables: Cobbuhler.
February 24, 2013 ·
Katie: "Doncha think being a princess is more fun than *not* being a princess?"
Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.
March 1, 2013 ·
The fire siren just went off, provoking Katito to share fantasies about being a slurry bomber pilot. I have mixed feeling about this idea…
March 2, 2013 ·
Katie, singing:
"A goldfish went swimming, swimming swimming
A goldfish went swimming
Then she met a shark and it swallowed her."
March 2, 2013 ·
Katie is playing a song on the piano. It is called, "Dictionaries to the Film."
March 6, 2013 ·
"Jesus is the boss of death."
March 10, 2013 ·
"My brain doesn't feel fancy."
March 14, 2013 ·
"Know what, dad? You always catch flies if ya waste more vinegar!"
March 17, 2013 ·
"Pretty much everything is fun. Except kidnapping."
March 28, 2013 ·
"Does 'I don't see why not' mean 'yes'?"
April 22, 2013 ·
"Below the sky is people; below people is dirt, and below the dirt is the ditch." Crumble before my daughter's irrefutable logic.
April 28, 2013 ·
Riding home from church.
Katie: I'm hot.
Dad: Don't talk in a whiny voice.
Katie: I'm hot, please.
May 25, 2013 ·
"Flip flops are like rafts for your feet."
May 29, 2013 · Lander ·
Well, we finished planting the garden. But, as Katie just pointed out, "We didn't plant shells or pigment." *shrug*
May 31, 2013 ·
Last night, instead of a bed time book, Katie asked me to tell her the story of Paul and Silas in jail. I did. There followed a long, very detailed, mostly one-sided discussion of what the jailer might have fed them for that midnight snack. Top candidates were peanut butter and jelly, guacamole, salad with celery, and bananas. Maybe it's time we start giving our daughter a bed time snack, hmmmm?
June 7, 2013 ·
"My imagination is a purple Christmas tree that glows in the darkness."
July 1, 2013 ·
Katie: How long ago were YOU three, daddy?
Daddy: Oh, about thirty-nine years ago.
Katie: Wow... ... ... How long ago did the dinosaurs live?
*****
Tune in next time for part two...
And yes, she still does that fluttery, Monty-Python-face thing when she's really happy about something or her imagination is working overtime.
She also has a gift for words. As a young child, she would play with words and ideas almost the way she played with toys: Arranging them, making them into new forms, trying things out to see how they worked. Sarah and I have collected some (not nearly enough) of her funny and odd little sayings on Facebook through the years. Now at last I have collected them in one place.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The collected sayings of Katito. Enjoy.
Born: July 8, 2009.
Always eager to devour a good book!
November 2, 2009
I am listening to my baby talk to the goldfish. I'm not sure what she's saying, but they seem to understand each other adequately.
May 4, 2010 ·
We are proud to say that in this era of rampant financial irresponsibility, Katie tore up her first credit card application today.
July 3, 2010 ·
My daughter officially knows three words now: Hi, Happy, and Rocky (the dog's name). "Happy" and "Rocky" actually sound an awful lot alike. I think, as far as Katie is concerned, they might be the same word. If you know my dog, you realize that this is not inappropriate.
AGE 1
August 14, 2010 ·
I'm watching my one-year-old daughter play with my toy badger while saying "bashr" over and over. Most satisfying.
August 29, 2010 ·
In Katie's world, all the animals are horses. And they all say "Baa."
September 6, 2010 ·
My daughter just said "elk" for the first time. I am overwhelmed with fatherly pride.
September 15, 2010 ·
I saw a flight of ducks against the sunrise this morning. Then had a bacon, tomato, and cheese omelet. Then got a hug from my wife and heard my little girl say, "Daddy." So, yeah, I'm pretty much doing OK.
October 7, 2010 ·
My daughter said "Viacom" yesterday. Pretty advanced stuff for a one-year-old. Nevermind that Sarah was trying to get her to say "macaroni."
October 14, 2010 ·
My daughter thinks the blender is absolutely hilarious. I don't know why, but this makes me very happy.
October 17, 2010 ·
My daughter saw me swat a fly this afternoon and yell, "Die!" (I've been really annoyed with flies lately) Now, whenever she sees the swatter, she starts saying, "Die! Die!" in her sweet, sing-song little one-year-old-girl voice.
October 24, 2010 ·
I love how my daughter calls bears "beer."
October 30, 2010 ·
My daughter saw a picture of a caterpillar, and called it a "fly." (her word for butterfly, among other things) I prefer to think she's not wrong, just thinking ahead.
November 9, 2010 ·
Update from the home front, and I quote: "Katie is walking around the
living room, saying 'Baby yeah, baby yeah,' over and over. We have a
strange kiddo."
November 20, 2010 ·
I put the girlie to bed last night, thinking she was ready to crash. As soon as she hit the mattress, she opened her eyes, grinned, and yelled, "BOOM!" When that failed to get a response, she said, "Oh, MAN!" Two minutes later she was asleep.
November 23, 2010 ·
Katie said "pika" today. I'm so proud.
December 23, 2010 ·
We went up the mountain today. Katie rode in the pack with mom, while dad cut and carried the Christmas tree. Katie was whispering, "Dad." "Snow." "Tree." the whole time. And "Caw." (there was a crow)
March 8, 2011 ·
Dad: Are you feeling very negative?
Katie: No. No. No. No. No.
March 29, 2011 ·
Katie: "Cracker? Cracker? Cracker?!"
Dad: "Say 'Cracker, Please.' "
(Repeat 20 or 30 times)
(Dad gives up and gives Katie the cracker)
Katie: "Please! Please! Please!"
Looking at the Big Cats book. It is a grown-up book, which means it actually shows big cats doing what they do best.
Dad: "What do lions eat, Katie?"
Katie: "Zebras."
Dad: "And what do zebras eat?"
Katie: (slight pause to ponder this riddle) "LIONS!"
Mom: (singing) "It's the cirrrrcle of liiiife!"
April 29, 2011 ·
I just taught my daughter to say, "Forth Eorlingas!" while riding her rocking horse. It sounds more like, "For ningas!" when she says it, though.
June 1, 2011 ·
Katie: God...made a clouds.
Mom: Yes. What else did God make?
Katie: (glancing at kitchen table) God...made a cheese.
Well, I suppose indirectly…
June 25, 2011 ·
Katie, holding the Woodie Guthrie book: "This is your land, and my land.....And California."
June 26, 2011 ·
Katie, looking out the window, "That tree is very big outside. Trees grow in roots. It is confusing."
June 28, 2011 ·
Picture this: Katie walking around the living room, with underwear draped over her head, loudly proclaiming to anyone who will hear: "I need special medicine!"
AGE 2
July 10, 2011 ·
Dad, while adjusting the ipod, "We're going to listen to Mozart." Katie, hopefully, "Is it kinda like Veggie Tales?"
July 21, 2011
Katie’s heart surgery went OK. She is currently alternating between napping and slamming sippies of apple juice as fast as the nurse can bring them...and telling the nurse that she "likes tigers really much."
August 2, 2011 ·
Katie playing her xylophone: "I hear the song of the cricket ball, bouncing back to me! It is a happy song." Don't know what it means, but it sounds sort of poetic, don't you think?
August 14, 2011 ·
Me: Katie, would you like to go for a walk?
Katie: NO!!!
Me: No??
Katie: Just yes.
Mom: Well, she's got that part of being female figured out.
August 15, 2011 ·
I just learned, from my two year old, that lions taste like spinach.
August 17, 2011 ·
Katie (while managing to walk around the house in mom’s sandals): I am wearing Mommy's shoes to Laramie.
Mom: You are wearing mommy's shoes?!
Katie: Yes.
Mom: You are a goofy goof.
Katie: No. Just goofy goof.
Mom: We will have to tell Daddy you are a goofy goof.
Katie: Daddy is just a goofy goof! (while giggling)
Katie (while examining my shoes): Daddy is a spider.
Mom: How is Daddy like a spider?
Katie: He crawls so much...to Laramie!
August 26, 2011 ·
Dancing with Katie last night, and she says, "I'm dancing with Daddy like a prince!" (She's big into disney princesses)
Mom: "Are you his princess?"
Katie: "I am a little princess. Mommy is a big princess."
September 1, 2011 ·
It's a special moment in any daddy's heart when his little girl first says those three immortal words: "Slow-Witted Brute."
Thank you, Beauty and the Beast.
September 5, 2011 ·
Uh oh. Katie just excitedly proclaimed, "We are going to take a bike ride to the p-a-r-k." What do we do now that she's caught onto our spelling trick?
September 10, 2011 ·
We just got back from the air show. Missed the P-51, but got to watch the AT6 do some fly bys. Katie kept saying, "It is not scary. It is not scary." Then stopped for a burger at the Gannett, and blew a tube on the bike trailer on the way home. An eventful morning!
November 7, 2011 ·
Taking an after-dark walk with mom, Katie in the stroller. A car rolls by.
Katie: "Is that someone driving?"
Dad: "I believe it is."
Pause...
Katie (singing) : "Someone's driving, Lord, kum ba ya..."
November 17, 2011 ·
Katie has decided that the fish in the fish tank are smoked salmon.
"They will be so yummy!" If only it were true.
November 19, 2011 ·
Katie, looking at a toy wolf: "The wolf has sharp toes."
Dad: "Those are claws.
Katie: "Does the wolf have claws?"
Dad: "Wolves have claws so they can run fast."
Katie: "And catch tasty animals!"
November 29, 2011 · Lander ·
Katito woke up this morning and said, in her sweetly matter-of-fact way, "I miss my pacifiers and my jumparoo, Daddy." It makes me sad. I hope the joys of growing up eventually outweigh the bummers.
November 29, 2011 ·
Katie was in her bath tonight with her rubber ducky singing, "There's a duck in the sea of Galilee." I think Jesse, Jared, and Joe can pretty much take credit for that one.
December 7, 2011 ·
Tonight, we thanked God for hair spray, wipes, and sanitizer. It was Katie's idea.
December 14, 2011 ·
I just burned my finger with a match lighting the wood stove, and told Katie as much. She decided to "pretend to be a doctor and make daddy better." She did this by waving various kitchen utensils over my body, touching the affected finger with the handle of a frying pan, and listening to my heart with a spatula.
December 16, 2011 ·
Sarah has been teaching Katie about cooking. Today, at the store, Sarah was looking for a bag of sugar. Katie wanted to know where the "whole wheat sugar" was.
December 16, 2011 ·
Katie (while "reading" a science spider book to her stuffed animal): "Once upon a time in a magical kingdom there was a spider. He was friends with this spider. And that spider. And that one. And that one. He liked all the spiders the favorite. The end."
December 19, 2011
Katie: I am strong, daddy.
Dad: Good. It's good to have a strong body, a strong heart, and a strong mind.
Katie: And a strong Popsicle!!!
January 2, 2012 ·
After an evening of extreme goofiness ("Super swimming!" with assorted zoo animals in the pretend ocean on our living room floor, among other things), I was changing Katie into her PJs. Out of the blue she closed her eyes, folded her hands, and said, "God, thank you for soft blankets, and for marshmallows that feel us happy, and for water to drink and swim in, and for mammals and fish. Amen."
January 7, 2012 ·
Tonight, we thanked God for walls, baskets, and changing tables.
January 14, 2012
Katie has already figured out the problem with diets. This morning, while munching her apple spice pancakes, she whispered conspiratorially, "Calories is FUN."
January 21, 2012 · Lander ·
So, we were watching bugs bunny this morning, the one where he's a matador fighting this big, shaggy, foul-tempered bull. Katie says, "Is that yak being naughty?" That's my girl.
January 22, 2012
I told Katie we were sad because it is Baby David's birthday and we miss him. Now she is in the Pretend Kitchen making him a birthday cake.
February 7, 2012
Last night for dinner: Grilled venison sirloin smothered in mushrooms, bacon cheddar hash browns, and Katie's stories about the elk she shot with her pretend rifle.
February 15, 2012
Katie: "The aquarium is very deep. The fish are eating the plants. They should not eat the plants! They have their own food."
February 21, 2012 ·
Katie: An ambulance is kinda like a big, noisy truck. It has sirens to help sick people not get burned.
February 27, 2012 ·
"Mountains are big, big rocks. They are too heavy to throw into the pond."
February 27, 2012 ·
Mom and Katie were playing with the numbers on the fridge. She would say a number, like, "twenty-four," and I would put a "24" up. So she picked 24, 26, 23, 21, and then she paused and said, "How about twenty-zero?" And then she wanted to know why you couldn't just write twenty with only a 2.
Katie, looking at a picture book: "That baby's attitude is squishy."
February 22, 2012
Sarah told Katie we were going to "camp out" in her hospital room tonight. Katie thought about this for a moment, then asked, "Are you gonna roast marshmallows?"
February 23, 2012
This morning, Sarah was lying under one of those loosely knit hospital blankets. Katie pointed out, "Mommy's hospital blanket is leaky!"
February 27, 2012 ·
Katie's random phrase for the evening is 'dumbstruck amazement.' She has no idea what it means, so it's making for some creative sentences. So everyone, please try to use it in at least one sentence tonight.
Also, "I thought I saw a man deep sea diving in the fish tank."
March 6, 2012 ·
My daughter just said "otocinclus" for the first time. I'm so proud.
March 6, 2012 ·
Katie: Today is Tuesday so Daddy has to work. Auntie Liz has to work. But she does not have instruments in her classroom. She teaches scientists. Grandma does not have to work. She is in Michigan. I wish I had to go to Michigan with her.
Me: Michigan is an even longer car ride than Cheyenne.
Katie: Oh.
March 6, 2012 ·
Katie (one train of thought): We could play Moon dough today. Yaks make milk for their babies. Tarantulas are predators. I think that is a very big pumpkin. I bet the biggest one would be even cool and bigger to make pumpkin pie. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...
It's like watch someone flip through Tv channels. Gotta love her mealtimes dialogue.
March 19, 2012 ·
I just taught Katie to say, "I repeat myself incessantly!" She is now repeating this fun new phrase, well, incessantly.
March 31, 2012 ·
Last night, Katie was in her pretend kitchen making me "yummy apple slices and banana corn beef." This morning, she thinks the fish want some ice cream. I am so grateful that God designed small children so that they are too short to actually do these things...
Clarification: The fish are sick, and she will make 'em better with ice cream. So.
April 11, 2012 ·
Any time the toddler is trying something and asks, "Is this a good idea?"...you pretty much already know the answer.
April 15, 2012 ·
Was just out walking with Katie in the pea-size hail. She called the hail stones "Snow drops." Makes sense to me. Katie was trying to pick one up and eat it, but she's so pokey they kept melting. She'd finally get around to bringing her fingers up to her mouth, then say, "HEY! It's GONE!"
April 18, 2012 ·
Katie, while contemplating a beans-and-peppers dish, was singing,
"Peace and Joy,
and happiness,
be-ean bean bean
Some day..."
April 21, 2012 ·
As I was helping her get ready for bed, my sweet daughter asked me, with a completely straight face, "Daddy, what does 'peace and quiet' mean?"
Good question, sweetheart...
May 4, 2012 ·
Katie just informed me that grizzly bears are not good to eat. Good to know.
May 6, 2012 ·
Katie is lying in bed singing her own version of "All Creatures of our God and King" at the top of her lungs. Never a dull moment...I love her!
May 15, 2012 ·
We have a couple mallards hanging out on the pond. Tonight, Sarah and I were talking about eating mangos, and Katie, the great toddler linguist, noticed the similarity and starting talking about eating mallards. I asked her how she would accomplish this. "We will get scuba dice and go under the pond. Then we can get the mallards and eat them. They will be so yummy."
May 16, 2012 ·
The duck's name is Kersook.
May 20, 2012 ·
Mom: "We're going to a graduation party, because your big buddies are growing up today!"
Katie: "... Will there be cake???"
May 26, 2012 ·
Katie, getting ready to go out and play in the rain: "I'm tough. I don't need pants."
June 3, 2012 ·
Katie just informed me that I "will never get stale." Can I have that in writing, please?
She also said she wants to live in Lander close to us when she grows up. She's quite upset that her "big buddies" (the youth group) are growing up and moving, so she was quite concerned that people move away.
June 4, 2012 ·
Katie just used the word "wedgie." Correctly. This makes me happy.
June 10, 2012 ·
Me: "What book do you want to read, Katie?"
Katie, with the Amelia Bedelia book: "Let's read Medilia...Nemelia...this one!"
July 4, 2012 ·
"Daddy, I think you look very pretty *without* a dress."
July 8, 2012 ·
Katie: "I have a new tri-apple-on to do. It has ballet, biking, running, and swimming."
July 8, 2012 ·
Katie, triumphantly holding aloft her straw: "The Straw says, 'I AM A STRAW!' "
It is hard to argue with such logic.
AGE 3
July 12, 2012 ·
Katie, enthusiastically whacking the porch with a stick: "This is a thrail stick."
Dad: "A frail stick?"
Katie: "No, a Thrail stick. And when an animal comes in the house, you thrail 'em with it. TH-RAIL! That is what Spanish men say to bad animals."
It just gets weirder and weirder…
July 20, 2012 ·
Katie's balloon is named Cornelius. I thought you'd want to know.
August 7, 2012 ·
Katie: "Nimrod [the small cat] dashed into my bed, faster than a slug!!!"
And you know, she's right! Unlike some cats around here…
August 8, 2012 ·
Dad: "I have to go into town and get a hair cut."
Katie: "Why? Is your hair all saggy and not looking very good?"
Well, yes, I suppose that is the problem.
August 9, 2012 ·
"The straw says, 'Yay! I'm in the apple juice!' "
August 13, 2012 ·
Katie, talking about a big buck deer we saw: "I think that deer is a mommy deer. And I think now she is laying down. And I think she was laying eggs for her babies. And I think the daddy deer hatched out of the BIG egg."
Sometimes you just don't know where to start...
August 23, 2012 ·
Katie, looking very seriously at a picture of Saturn in an astronomy book:
"Do planets live in space? I think they look like...like big space oranges."
A few pages later, looking at a diagram of the planets lined up, I point to earth and tell her that is where we live. She points at Jupiter. "Is that where Cody is?"
A few pages still later, she suddenly turns to me and says, "Dad, this stuff wears me out."
August 28, 2012 ·
Earlier this evening, I heard Katie petting Nimrod and calling him "Precious." One Kitten to Rule Them All…
August 31, 2012 ·
Dad: "Good night, little girl."
Girl: "Good night, big man."
September 16, 2012 ·
Katie, dressing up her doll: This princess is more perfect than I thought she could be!
Daddy: But you know, it isn't a dress that really makes you beautiful.
Katie: What makes you beautiful?
Daddy: Your heart. How nice you are to people.
Katie: Yeah, and you know what? Jewelry can make you beautiful, too!
Well, we'll keep trying.
October 14, 2012 ·
Katie: "Obama is a funny sounding name." Stay tuned for opinions on "Mitt."
October 14, 2012 ·
While riding her bike yesterday, Katie observed that riding her bike was "harder than watching Tv." Guess she is an American.
October 26, 2012 ·
Katie: "Actually, some ballerinas hate dancing."
Complex critters, those ballerinas.
October 27, 2012 ·
Katie: What does 'apply' mean?
Mom: It usually means to put something on.
Katie: I need to apply my PJs.
November 12, 2012 ·
I love my daughter. We were listening to some Enya while playing tonight. During bath time, she asked for her boats. While pushing them around, she started singing, "Sail away, sail away, sail away..."
Then there was the part where she requested the Guacamole Song...
November 15, 2012
Katie: Daddy, do you have to do to work?
Daddy: Yes, I to.
Katie: Why?
D: Because if I don't go to work, there is no money.
K: (thinking hard) Wellllll...Sometimes people shearch around the house and find lots of money that way.
D: I like how you're thinking, but that money still comes from work.
K: Wellllll...(thinking very hard) Sometimes people find money in a piggy bank! THAT could solve our problem!
I was tempted to go into a quick lesson on economics, but decided to just savor the cuteness.
November 18, 2012 ·
Katie: Brrrrr!
Dad: Yep, that breeze is pretty chilly, isn't it?
Katie: Yeah, I think there's gotta be some sort of cold thing goin' on!
November 30, 2012 ·
Katie, looking at the "The Universe" book: Space is quite beautiful.
Dad: It can be.
Katie: It is dangerous, too.
Dad: Yes.
Katie: You have to be careful, because I don't want to get whacked in outer space!
December 2, 2012 ·
Katie and Mommy are decorating a gingerbread house. Mommy has just reminded Katie (again) that if she eats this candy, there will be nothing left to decorate the house. Katie says, sadly and earnestly, "Well, it's a problem, mommy. They're just so tasty."
December 7, 2012 ·
Did some sword-fighting with my wife and daughter tonight, using empty wrapping paper tubes as weapons. Much hollering, giggling, and goofy-mean faces. And Katie, my alliterative daughter, yelling "This is a funny family fight!"
Ah, it's these peaceful, heart-warming moments at home that make the holidays special…
December 13, 2012 ·
News from the home front: Katie jumped (was lowered, according to mom) off the low dive today in swim class. "I just dived right in there!!!"
December 29, 2012 ·
Katie wanted to give thanks for dinner--cereal with blueberries--so I told her to go ahead. She warned me that it would be a very short prayer, and I said that was OK. She folded her hands and said, "God, thank you for donuts. Amen."
January 8, 2013
Tonight, Katie was telling stories about when she "Used to be a grown up." Apparently, she was quite a polar explorer, back in the day, since she regaled me with stories of going to Antarctica to see penguins, and also to the North Pole. And here we pick up the conversation:
Dad: What did you eat at the North Pole?
KT: Mostly polar bear meat.
Dad: Do polar bears taste like chicken?
KT (scandalized) : No!!
Mom: What do they taste like?
KT: Muffins.
Let us hope this is not true, and if it is, let us hope it does not become common knowledge. Polar bears are in enough trouble as it is...
January 14, 2013 ·
My three-year-old just spent a half hour watching, with rapt attention, a youtube video of Masur/New York playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. We were halfway through the fourth movement before she lost interest. It's in her blood, I guess. Observations from my budding music critic:
"There are some fiddles!"
"This is powerful music!" (She might have been quoting me, there, so I don't know if that counts)
"This is a really good band!"
"That director sure is hairy!" (NOT quoting me on that one, though she was quite correct)
"Where do the string basses live?"
And best of all: "I want to join an orchestra like that one."
January 16, 2013 ·
"Remember when Mr Phil was being a bad example to LaRhea's cat?"
January 30, 2013 ·
Listening to some quiet music (George Winston) on Pandora.
Katie: This sounds like some sad music.
Dad: No, it isn't sad, just calm and peaceful.
Katie: Well, maybe if we play this for Lucy Dog it will help her calm down.
If only it were that easy…
February 9, 2013 ·
Katie marches into my room, wearing a grimace and a pair of wrap around sunglasses (upside down and crooked) and asks earnestly, "Do I look scary, dad?"
February 16, 2013 ·
"Colds are really boring...and sad...and it makes me sad to have a cold, cause...it kinda hurts my body." --Katito
February 17, 2013 ·
Naming the new dog.
Katie: I like "Ursa."
Dad: Are you still going to like it five minutes from now?
Katie (completely serious): Six minutes.
I guess that's about as good as you can expect…
February 24, 2013 ·
I love the way Katie says "cobbler." It has three syllables: Cobbuhler.
February 24, 2013 ·
Katie: "Doncha think being a princess is more fun than *not* being a princess?"
Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.
March 1, 2013 ·
The fire siren just went off, provoking Katito to share fantasies about being a slurry bomber pilot. I have mixed feeling about this idea…
March 2, 2013 ·
Katie, singing:
"A goldfish went swimming, swimming swimming
A goldfish went swimming
Then she met a shark and it swallowed her."
March 2, 2013 ·
Katie is playing a song on the piano. It is called, "Dictionaries to the Film."
March 6, 2013 ·
"Jesus is the boss of death."
March 10, 2013 ·
"My brain doesn't feel fancy."
March 14, 2013 ·
"Know what, dad? You always catch flies if ya waste more vinegar!"
March 17, 2013 ·
"Pretty much everything is fun. Except kidnapping."
March 28, 2013 ·
"Does 'I don't see why not' mean 'yes'?"
April 22, 2013 ·
"Below the sky is people; below people is dirt, and below the dirt is the ditch." Crumble before my daughter's irrefutable logic.
April 28, 2013 ·
Riding home from church.
Katie: I'm hot.
Dad: Don't talk in a whiny voice.
Katie: I'm hot, please.
May 25, 2013 ·
"Flip flops are like rafts for your feet."
May 29, 2013 · Lander ·
Well, we finished planting the garden. But, as Katie just pointed out, "We didn't plant shells or pigment." *shrug*
May 31, 2013 ·
Last night, instead of a bed time book, Katie asked me to tell her the story of Paul and Silas in jail. I did. There followed a long, very detailed, mostly one-sided discussion of what the jailer might have fed them for that midnight snack. Top candidates were peanut butter and jelly, guacamole, salad with celery, and bananas. Maybe it's time we start giving our daughter a bed time snack, hmmmm?
June 7, 2013 ·
"My imagination is a purple Christmas tree that glows in the darkness."
July 1, 2013 ·
Katie: How long ago were YOU three, daddy?
Daddy: Oh, about thirty-nine years ago.
Katie: Wow... ... ... How long ago did the dinosaurs live?
*****
Tune in next time for part two...
What a joy it was to read all these! Can't wait for Part Two! :-)
ReplyDelete- Joe N.