The Wisdom of Katito, Part 2
AGE 4
July 18, 2013
Guy at the restaurant: Are you going to be a musician when you grow up?
KT: No, I just wanna be a normal people when I grow up.
July 18, 2013
On the trail Tuesday, with no context or preamble: I bet a forest fire would take out a mosquito.
August 30, 2013 ·
Katie is performing a medical procedure on one of her princess dolls, using the tiny blow dryer from her dollhouse bathroom set. She is very intense about it.
"I'm giving Jasmine some very special soap medicine. It hurts way more than a LOBSTER! But it's the ONLY WAY!"
Dean Lehmkuhler: "On a scale from 0 to LOBSTER, how bad is your pain?"
September 16, 2013 ·
You know it is a wet September in Wyoming when there are shore birds in the yard! We spotted this flock of snipe (the real kind, not the kind you send kids out to hunt) in the yard Sunday morning. I saw four; Katie saw "about a hundred." And she thought they were kingfishers, which resulted in some fun explorations in the bird field guide.
September 20, 2013
The pearl gouramis in the fish tank are named Sparkle, Glory, and Helios. The angelfish is named Arthur.
October 4, 2013 · Lander ·
Katie: "Know why I call Misha [our very large, extremely hairy german shepherd] a little pup?"
Dad: "Why?"
Katie: "Cause she's smaller than a elephant."
Hard to argue with that.
November 1, 2013 · Lander ·
Katie has taken to setting a doll crib on its side, with her toy laptop on top. A doll goes in, complete with little stickers on its chest, for a heart scan while she types on her toy computer. She calls it her "picture taker."
It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry, sometimes…
When I told her she should be a doctor when she grows up, she replied, "No...I'm gonna be a mom."
January 1, 2014 ·
Katie: Want to hear a joke from the swimming pool?
Dad: Sure.
Katie: How did the swimming suit cross the road and get to the other side? HA HA HA!
Dad: How?
Katie: Heh heh...Prob'ly it rode on a person or something.
January 17, 2014 ·
Katie, looking at the Walmart feeder goldfish tank: "There are too many fish in that tank. If those were kids, they wouldn't even be able to WALK!"
February 3, 2014 ·
Katie (while escorting Ariel the Little Mermaid to a doll bathtub): "She needs to get her game on! She's going to run like crazy all the way to the pool!" Well, at least one of us benefited discussing the Superbowl yesterday.
March 13, 2014 ·
Katie's take-away message, while being read "The Little Mermaid" picture book: "You should never ask a witch for help."
March 13, 2014 · Lander ·
(We get in the car last night, and "I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC and the Sunshine band is playing on the radio)
Katie: "I can't understand what they're singing."
KC and the Sunshine Band: "I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ..."
Katie: "I think maybe they're singing in a different language."
April 2, 2014 ·
Dad: *incoherent grumbling*
Katie: What's wrong, dad?
Dad: The chainsaw is broken.
Katie: Why?
Dad: I don't know.
Katie: Maybe it got hit by lightning.
As a working theory, that's better than anything I've been able to come up with.
April 10, 2014 ·
Mr. Gradyn gave Katie a horny toad. She named it "Horny, and made the following observation: "Gradyn Ellsworth must be some sort of desert explorer scientist." She is reading "Horny" her sea turtle book because she figures he has never seen one.
April 18, 2014 ·
"Know what the *best* thing is for crying? Some books on a rainy night."
April 25, 2014 ·
Katie, whispering conspiratorially: "Know what I noticed, Dad? Mommy gets a lot more worrieder to me than you do."
Whatever, kid. Go play in the pond, or something.
May 29, 2014 ·
Looking at the field guide.
Dad: "That is called a Rock Chuck. Mommy calls it a Marmot. You can call it whichever you want."
Katie: "I call it Julie."
June 13, 2014 ·
The cicadas are out in force and the hills are alive with the sound of buzzing.
K: Cicadas are smaller than rattlesnakes, right? So they're different.
Mom: Yes. Rattlesnakes are also poisonous and have fangs.
K: Of course. That's how we'll tell them apart!
June 16, 2014 ·
In Denver. Springhill Inn and Suites. This hotel was a gift from a very generous friend, and a good bit nicer than we are used to. When we first walked into the room, Katie was asking if we would have our own bathroom. Having confirmed that this was indeed the case, she said, "Perfect. Now I can use the potty."
I guess this is an indication of the calibre of hotels we usually stay in.
June 21, 2014 ·
Katie, watching the pelicans fight over scraps from a charter fishing boat: "They are overjoyed with their fish treats!"
June 22, 2014 ·
Dad: Sure, I think I'll grab this little crab and see if it will pinch. AAAAAAAIIIIGGHHH!!!!
Mom and Katie: *Hysterical laughter*
AGE 5
July 23, 2014 ·
Looking at Wind River Peak.
Dad: See that big mountain with the snow on it? I want to climb that with you someday when you're bigger.
Katie: (dubiously) That sort of looks like a hanging-on challenge!
July 29, 2014 ·
Dad and Mom are having a heart-felt discussion about the importance and fragility of marriage. Katie, listening in from the back seat, chimes in with this bit of wisdom:
"But you know, the great thing about mice is that they will clean up your garbage."
We now return to our regularly scheduled conversation.
July 29, 2014
"You know, the thing I really like about air is that it isn't solid." Me, too, kid, me too.
August 29, 2014 ·
Dear God,
Thank you for our silly, picky cats, and thank you for our crazy punk puppy who chases them and bites them but we love her anyway, and thank you for our wonderful trip to Florida, and thank you for my pet okapi. Amen.
August 29, 2014 · Lander ·
Our cartoon protagonist is walking her pet ladybug, which mysteriously starts feeling under the weather. The vet comes and discovers that the bug is not sick, but is about to lay eggs. The next scene shows our hero walking not one, but ten ladybugs. All is well.
Katie: "Yep, guess she shoulda got her lady bug fixed."
August 29, 2014 ·
Dad: "Katie, how many times have I told you not to scream like that in the house?!"
Katie, deep in thought: "I just can't really remember that number."
Next up: Work on the concept of "rhetorical questions."
September 19, 2014 ·
Katie, singing at the top of her lungs on her swing set, blissfully unaware that anyone is listening:
I can swing by myself!
I can swing by myself!
And I...can choose to be...happy
Or unhappy!
But I should always choose...
to be brave!
October 3, 2014
Watching a nature video.
David Attenborough: This is the trail...of the BIGGEST of the big cats, the Tiger...and the biggest of the tigers, the Siberian tiger: Surely the most formidable predator of all.
Katie: Then why is he tracking it?!
November 3, 2014 ·
Katie: "We are having a lot of trouble getting anywhere on time. We might wanna buy a race car."
November 8, 2014 ·
KT: "Mom, may I have zero pieces of candy, please?"
Mom: "Ummmm...OK. Why do you want zero pieces of candy?"
KT: "I just thought it would be easier to eat."
November 14, 2014 ·
It was -25F a couple mornings ago at Casa Wilson. Katie got up, opened the living room curtain, and said, "Ice, Ice, Baby!" Then she went back to bed.
November 29, 2014 ·
Taking off out of Denver on Grandpa’s flight simulator.
Dad: Should we fly up into the mountains?
Katie: Yes! So I can go hiking.
Dad: How are you going to get out of the plane?
KT: Well, we'll have to bring a big ladder.
December 19, 2014 ·
Katie, explaining to Lucky Dog how to make the world a better place: "If you love someone, and they love someone, and they love someone, everyone will be happy. And puppies can love by licking, 'cause that's kissing for dogs."
December 19, 2014 ·
Katie has a piece of cardboard that she uses as a chalkboard when she teaches Doll School. The other day, she was explaining the day's lessons to me:
"This is a picture of a greyhound chasing a mouse. And I put an X through it because they shouldn't eat mice because they are allergic. And this one is a man feeding a fish to an alligator. I put an X through that one because it isn't safe to do that."
December 31, 2014 ·
Last night, Katie was scared of the dark, sleeping in Grammie and Grampa's basement.
Dad: What are you scared of?
Katie: The blanket on that chair looks like a giant camel head in the dark.
Dad: Well, at least camels aren't particularly dangerous.
Katie: Yeah, and it would be strange to see one around here. Especially in this weather. Camels kinda like hot places.
And thus did logic consign the Boogie Camel back into the abyss whence it came.
January 16, 2015 ·
Katie: "It's frustrating trying to see Santa, or the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny. They're all nocturnal."
Poor kid, growing up with a science teacher and a nature enthusiast for parents…
January 30, 2015 ·
On the way home from church Wednesday night.
Dad: Why didn't you come when I called you?
Katie: Me, Danika, and Addie were hunting Booogers.
Dad: What is a Boooger?
Katie: It is a gloppy old troll with spikes. Danika found one in a box. She let it out and I stomped on it.
Dad: Well, that's good. We don't want any Booogers running lose in the church building.
Katie: Yeah. We found another one under some blankets, and we used our weapons [a pencil and a clothes pin] to fight it. Danika and I TOOK THEM OUT!
February 13, 2015 ·
"Dad, you know what? Peacocks' feathers can be up to SIX METERS LONG!...How long is that, anyway?"
Morning at the Wilsons'...
February 20, 2015 ·
Katie and mom are getting out of the car at the library. Someone is smoking on the sidewalk. Katie can't see them, but she can smell the smoke. So she says, quite loudly, "SMELLS LIKE SOMEBODY'S BURNING GARBAGE OUT THERE!"
She doesn't even know how right she is…
March 27, 2015 ·
KT, looking at the aquarium:
"I long for a snorkel."
April 18, 2015 ·
I just finished building my very first from-scratch birdhouse. It is ugly.
Dad: Wow, this is one UGLY birdhouse!
Katie: I don't think it's that ugly, dad.
Dad: I do not have the gift of birdhouse building.
Katie: Well, you have the gift of guacamole!
[An aside: At risk of being immodest, I do in fact make killer guacamole]
Dad: I suppose so.
Katie: And guacamole is healthier than birdhouses!
Dad: How do you figure?
Katie: Well, you can't eat birdhouses!
May 16, 2015 ·
The neighbors are shooting off some pretty impressive fireworks. I go to check on Katie and make sure she isn't scared. She is out of bed, with the lamp on.
Dad: What are you doing out of bed, Katie?
Katie: Well, I heard the fireworks, so I got up to look out the window and make sure everything was OK. Then, I was breathing on the window and writing with my finger to practice my math problems.
Well, make the most of the time, I always say…
June 7, 2015 ·
Katie is impressed with the fiddler in the cowboy band. "Wow, he's good... I bet he could totally play 'Mississippi Stop Stop.' "
June 7, 2015 ·
Driving in Utah, at sunset. Sarah is navigating.
Sarah: Head West on center street.
Me: Katie, do you know how I know how this way is West?
KT: Well, yeah.
Me: How?
KT: 'Cause if you went the other way, it would be something else.
Me: Well, there's that...but also, see how we're going toward the sun? The sun always goes down in the West. So if you take the road toward the sunset, that's West.
KT: Yeah. Plus, West is gonna look more Cowboy-like.
June 18, 2015 ·
KT: "I think Stup watched too much TV when he was a kitten. Or maybe drank a lot of alcohol."
June 27, 2015 ·
"Daddy, when we talk to God, do we have to pray, or can we just use normal talk?"
Hmm...might need to re-think how we're doing some things!
January 23 ·
Tonight Katie was looking at the Lander Journal. She put it back on the table and announced, “The news is too depressing to read. Except Mrs.Masson because she got an award."
(Mrs. Masson is Katie's music teacher, who had just passed her National Boards)
January 26 ·
Katie set the table and lit a candle and made us a menu to order from tonight. She seems to have a bias against Thai food....
April 17 at 7:04 AM ·
I have been reading Lord of the Rings to Katie and Sarah reads her Harry Potter. Katie said she had a dream where Harry was fighting orcs and Ron was attacked by Gollum. Sarah told her if Darth Vader and Captain Picard show up, we will officially need a nerdy fiction break.
July 18, 2013
Guy at the restaurant: Are you going to be a musician when you grow up?
KT: No, I just wanna be a normal people when I grow up.
July 18, 2013
On the trail Tuesday, with no context or preamble: I bet a forest fire would take out a mosquito.
August 30, 2013 ·
Katie is performing a medical procedure on one of her princess dolls, using the tiny blow dryer from her dollhouse bathroom set. She is very intense about it.
"I'm giving Jasmine some very special soap medicine. It hurts way more than a LOBSTER! But it's the ONLY WAY!"
Dean Lehmkuhler: "On a scale from 0 to LOBSTER, how bad is your pain?"
September 16, 2013 ·
You know it is a wet September in Wyoming when there are shore birds in the yard! We spotted this flock of snipe (the real kind, not the kind you send kids out to hunt) in the yard Sunday morning. I saw four; Katie saw "about a hundred." And she thought they were kingfishers, which resulted in some fun explorations in the bird field guide.
September 20, 2013
The pearl gouramis in the fish tank are named Sparkle, Glory, and Helios. The angelfish is named Arthur.
October 4, 2013 · Lander ·
Katie: "Know why I call Misha [our very large, extremely hairy german shepherd] a little pup?"
Dad: "Why?"
Katie: "Cause she's smaller than a elephant."
Hard to argue with that.
November 1, 2013 · Lander ·
Katie has taken to setting a doll crib on its side, with her toy laptop on top. A doll goes in, complete with little stickers on its chest, for a heart scan while she types on her toy computer. She calls it her "picture taker."
It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry, sometimes…
When I told her she should be a doctor when she grows up, she replied, "No...I'm gonna be a mom."
January 1, 2014 ·
Katie: Want to hear a joke from the swimming pool?
Dad: Sure.
Katie: How did the swimming suit cross the road and get to the other side? HA HA HA!
Dad: How?
Katie: Heh heh...Prob'ly it rode on a person or something.
January 17, 2014 ·
Katie, looking at the Walmart feeder goldfish tank: "There are too many fish in that tank. If those were kids, they wouldn't even be able to WALK!"
February 3, 2014 ·
Katie (while escorting Ariel the Little Mermaid to a doll bathtub): "She needs to get her game on! She's going to run like crazy all the way to the pool!" Well, at least one of us benefited discussing the Superbowl yesterday.
March 13, 2014 ·
Katie's take-away message, while being read "The Little Mermaid" picture book: "You should never ask a witch for help."
March 13, 2014 · Lander ·
(We get in the car last night, and "I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC and the Sunshine band is playing on the radio)
Katie: "I can't understand what they're singing."
KC and the Sunshine Band: "I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ...
I'm your boogie man aha ..."
Katie: "I think maybe they're singing in a different language."
April 2, 2014 ·
Dad: *incoherent grumbling*
Katie: What's wrong, dad?
Dad: The chainsaw is broken.
Katie: Why?
Dad: I don't know.
Katie: Maybe it got hit by lightning.
As a working theory, that's better than anything I've been able to come up with.
April 10, 2014 ·
Mr. Gradyn gave Katie a horny toad. She named it "Horny, and made the following observation: "Gradyn Ellsworth must be some sort of desert explorer scientist." She is reading "Horny" her sea turtle book because she figures he has never seen one.
April 18, 2014 ·
"Know what the *best* thing is for crying? Some books on a rainy night."
April 25, 2014 ·
Katie, whispering conspiratorially: "Know what I noticed, Dad? Mommy gets a lot more worrieder to me than you do."
Whatever, kid. Go play in the pond, or something.
May 29, 2014 ·
Looking at the field guide.
Dad: "That is called a Rock Chuck. Mommy calls it a Marmot. You can call it whichever you want."
Katie: "I call it Julie."
June 13, 2014 ·
The cicadas are out in force and the hills are alive with the sound of buzzing.
K: Cicadas are smaller than rattlesnakes, right? So they're different.
Mom: Yes. Rattlesnakes are also poisonous and have fangs.
K: Of course. That's how we'll tell them apart!
June 16, 2014 ·
In Denver. Springhill Inn and Suites. This hotel was a gift from a very generous friend, and a good bit nicer than we are used to. When we first walked into the room, Katie was asking if we would have our own bathroom. Having confirmed that this was indeed the case, she said, "Perfect. Now I can use the potty."
I guess this is an indication of the calibre of hotels we usually stay in.
June 21, 2014 ·
Katie, watching the pelicans fight over scraps from a charter fishing boat: "They are overjoyed with their fish treats!"
June 22, 2014 ·
Dad: Sure, I think I'll grab this little crab and see if it will pinch. AAAAAAAIIIIGGHHH!!!!
Mom and Katie: *Hysterical laughter*
AGE 5
July 23, 2014 ·
Looking at Wind River Peak.
Dad: See that big mountain with the snow on it? I want to climb that with you someday when you're bigger.
Katie: (dubiously) That sort of looks like a hanging-on challenge!
July 29, 2014 ·
Dad and Mom are having a heart-felt discussion about the importance and fragility of marriage. Katie, listening in from the back seat, chimes in with this bit of wisdom:
"But you know, the great thing about mice is that they will clean up your garbage."
We now return to our regularly scheduled conversation.
July 29, 2014
"You know, the thing I really like about air is that it isn't solid." Me, too, kid, me too.
August 29, 2014 ·
Dear God,
Thank you for our silly, picky cats, and thank you for our crazy punk puppy who chases them and bites them but we love her anyway, and thank you for our wonderful trip to Florida, and thank you for my pet okapi. Amen.
August 29, 2014 · Lander ·
Our cartoon protagonist is walking her pet ladybug, which mysteriously starts feeling under the weather. The vet comes and discovers that the bug is not sick, but is about to lay eggs. The next scene shows our hero walking not one, but ten ladybugs. All is well.
Katie: "Yep, guess she shoulda got her lady bug fixed."
August 29, 2014 ·
Dad: "Katie, how many times have I told you not to scream like that in the house?!"
Katie, deep in thought: "I just can't really remember that number."
Next up: Work on the concept of "rhetorical questions."
September 19, 2014 ·
Katie, singing at the top of her lungs on her swing set, blissfully unaware that anyone is listening:
I can swing by myself!
I can swing by myself!
And I...can choose to be...happy
Or unhappy!
But I should always choose...
to be brave!
October 3, 2014
Watching a nature video.
David Attenborough: This is the trail...of the BIGGEST of the big cats, the Tiger...and the biggest of the tigers, the Siberian tiger: Surely the most formidable predator of all.
Katie: Then why is he tracking it?!
November 3, 2014 ·
Katie: "We are having a lot of trouble getting anywhere on time. We might wanna buy a race car."
November 8, 2014 ·
KT: "Mom, may I have zero pieces of candy, please?"
Mom: "Ummmm...OK. Why do you want zero pieces of candy?"
KT: "I just thought it would be easier to eat."
November 14, 2014 ·
It was -25F a couple mornings ago at Casa Wilson. Katie got up, opened the living room curtain, and said, "Ice, Ice, Baby!" Then she went back to bed.
November 29, 2014 ·
Taking off out of Denver on Grandpa’s flight simulator.
Dad: Should we fly up into the mountains?
Katie: Yes! So I can go hiking.
Dad: How are you going to get out of the plane?
KT: Well, we'll have to bring a big ladder.
December 19, 2014 ·
Katie, explaining to Lucky Dog how to make the world a better place: "If you love someone, and they love someone, and they love someone, everyone will be happy. And puppies can love by licking, 'cause that's kissing for dogs."
December 19, 2014 ·
Katie has a piece of cardboard that she uses as a chalkboard when she teaches Doll School. The other day, she was explaining the day's lessons to me:
"This is a picture of a greyhound chasing a mouse. And I put an X through it because they shouldn't eat mice because they are allergic. And this one is a man feeding a fish to an alligator. I put an X through that one because it isn't safe to do that."
December 31, 2014 ·
Last night, Katie was scared of the dark, sleeping in Grammie and Grampa's basement.
Dad: What are you scared of?
Katie: The blanket on that chair looks like a giant camel head in the dark.
Dad: Well, at least camels aren't particularly dangerous.
Katie: Yeah, and it would be strange to see one around here. Especially in this weather. Camels kinda like hot places.
And thus did logic consign the Boogie Camel back into the abyss whence it came.
January 16, 2015 ·
Katie: "It's frustrating trying to see Santa, or the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny. They're all nocturnal."
Poor kid, growing up with a science teacher and a nature enthusiast for parents…
January 30, 2015 ·
On the way home from church Wednesday night.
Dad: Why didn't you come when I called you?
Katie: Me, Danika, and Addie were hunting Booogers.
Dad: What is a Boooger?
Katie: It is a gloppy old troll with spikes. Danika found one in a box. She let it out and I stomped on it.
Dad: Well, that's good. We don't want any Booogers running lose in the church building.
Katie: Yeah. We found another one under some blankets, and we used our weapons [a pencil and a clothes pin] to fight it. Danika and I TOOK THEM OUT!
February 13, 2015 ·
"Dad, you know what? Peacocks' feathers can be up to SIX METERS LONG!...How long is that, anyway?"
Morning at the Wilsons'...
February 20, 2015 ·
Katie and mom are getting out of the car at the library. Someone is smoking on the sidewalk. Katie can't see them, but she can smell the smoke. So she says, quite loudly, "SMELLS LIKE SOMEBODY'S BURNING GARBAGE OUT THERE!"
She doesn't even know how right she is…
March 27, 2015 ·
KT, looking at the aquarium:
"I long for a snorkel."
April 18, 2015 ·
I just finished building my very first from-scratch birdhouse. It is ugly.
Dad: Wow, this is one UGLY birdhouse!
Katie: I don't think it's that ugly, dad.
Dad: I do not have the gift of birdhouse building.
Katie: Well, you have the gift of guacamole!
[An aside: At risk of being immodest, I do in fact make killer guacamole]
Dad: I suppose so.
Katie: And guacamole is healthier than birdhouses!
Dad: How do you figure?
Katie: Well, you can't eat birdhouses!
May 16, 2015 ·
The neighbors are shooting off some pretty impressive fireworks. I go to check on Katie and make sure she isn't scared. She is out of bed, with the lamp on.
Dad: What are you doing out of bed, Katie?
Katie: Well, I heard the fireworks, so I got up to look out the window and make sure everything was OK. Then, I was breathing on the window and writing with my finger to practice my math problems.
Well, make the most of the time, I always say…
June 7, 2015 ·
Katie is impressed with the fiddler in the cowboy band. "Wow, he's good... I bet he could totally play 'Mississippi Stop Stop.' "
June 7, 2015 ·
Driving in Utah, at sunset. Sarah is navigating.
Sarah: Head West on center street.
Me: Katie, do you know how I know how this way is West?
KT: Well, yeah.
Me: How?
KT: 'Cause if you went the other way, it would be something else.
Me: Well, there's that...but also, see how we're going toward the sun? The sun always goes down in the West. So if you take the road toward the sunset, that's West.
KT: Yeah. Plus, West is gonna look more Cowboy-like.
June 18, 2015 ·
KT: "I think Stup watched too much TV when he was a kitten. Or maybe drank a lot of alcohol."
June 27, 2015 ·
"Daddy, when we talk to God, do we have to pray, or can we just use normal talk?"
Hmm...might need to re-think how we're doing some things!
AGE 6
My little naturalist writing down observations about nature (and rocking Mom's sunglasses) during a swamp walk.
August 8, 2015 ·
Watching the freshwater shrimp in the aquarium.
KT: Look, dad! They've eaten almost all the algae off that branch!
Dad: Yep. If we got about five or ten more, they'd take care of all of it.
KT: What will they do when they run out of algae?
Dad: Then they can eat the fish food pellets.
KT: Oh, yeah...but if that algae ever springs back up, Boom! It's goin' down!
August 21, 2015 ·
Katie is humming "Home on the Range" as she eats her oatmeal. Things are going to be OK.
August 28, 2015 ·
I showed a water-bomber video to Katie, and she said, "I bet those guys got lots of badges for that!
September 25, 2015 ·
Katie was impressed by my long-distance lob of a pear core into a dumpster when we were walking the other day. "If you could get that close to a deer, you could hold a bullet in your hand and throw it at the deer to kill it."
Dad: "Well, bullets usually work better when you shoot them out of a gun."
KT: "I think you could throw it hard enough to break his backspine."
Her confidence in my arm is inspiring.
October 9, 2015 ·
I took Katie into the jewelry store this afternoon to check out the sparklies while we were waiting for mom to hit town.
Dad: Wow, look at all these diamonds!
KT, in a reverent whisper: Yeah...they must have their own mine!
October 23, 2015 ·
Warning: This is really disgusting. But pretty funny. And fairly typical of how things work here at Casa Wilson.
Sarah and I have been wanting to try our hand at making brain-tanned buckskin, so we saved the hide and the head off this year's deer.
The hide went in the freezer, but what with PT conferences and all, I didn't get around to removing the brain from the deceased critter's head until today. It was, to put it mildly, spoiled. I'm not grossed out easily, but when I cut open the skull, the smell about did me in.
I came inside, coughing and trying not to wretch, to find that my sweet daughter had fixed me lunch. Baloney sandwiches. With extra mayo. Yum.
November 7, 2015 ·
Hiking in the mountains today.
Katie, pointing at a random pine tree: "Is a grizzly bear THAT big?"
Mom and Dad, in unison: "No."
Katie: "WHEW!"
November 10, 2015 ·
Katie's book: "Cobras live in a wide variety of habitats. They can even live in large cities."
Katie: "I'm glad our city isn't large."
December 17, 2015 ·
As many of you know, we are adding on to our house. As we were leaving for school, Katie asked, "What is the cement on the bottom for?"
I explained that the concrete is a foundation: A great big chuck of man-made rock that goes way underground. The house is attached to that big chunk of rock with very strong steel called rebar. Because the house is attached to such a big rock, the house doesn't fall down, even in a really big storm.
Seizing the opportunity for a bit of spiritual training, I asked her if she could think of any stories of Jesus that were like that. She immediately started singing, "The wise man built his house upon the rock..."
Carried away in the ecstasy of connecting spiritually with my sweet daughter, I joined her in singing the whole song together (very enthusiastically). When it was finished, I asked her, "So, what is the point of that story?"
She replied, "Don't build your house by the ocean!"
We'll keep trying…
December 24, 2015 ·
Katie, on the annual Christmas Eve lights cruise: "Wow, look at that pretty Activity scene!"
January 10, 2016
January 10, 2016
January 29, 2016 · Lander ·
A little survey Katie and I did together. Dad asking the questions; Katie answering.
1. What is something I always say to you?
Silly stuff.
2. What makes me happy?
Lucky [dog--she was being sarcastic. Much giggling]
3. What makes me sad?
When mom is sad.
4. How do I make you laugh?
All the day!
5. What was I like as a child?
Silly.
6. How old am I?
I don't know that.
7. How tall am I?
Not 10.
8. What is my favorite thing to do?
Be silly.
9. What do I do when you're not around?
Work.
10. What am I really good at?
Being silly.
11. What am I not very good at?
Dog trainer?
12. What do I do for a job?
Music class.
13. What is my favorite food?
Toast.
14. What do you enjoy doing with me?
Playing Inky Pinky.
January 30, 2016 ·
It is amazing how fast kids transition from fantasy to reality and back. Katie's three Barbies are all hugging, and she has just told me a long, convoluted story about their lives and family relationships.
Dad: Wow, they are a huggy family.
KT: Yeah, they're sisters. And they haven't seen each other for a really long time!
Dad: How come?
KT: Barbie was in my closet, Skipper was in the church bag, and Chelsea was out in the car…
January 31, 2016 ·
Sunday morning, and Dennis Oman is speaking about how quickly time passes.
Dennis: "Yesterday, Shawna was four years old, and now she's forty-three!"
Katie, in a stage-whisper: "WHAT?!"
[Dennis continues speaking]
Katie: "Oh, I get it--today must be her birthday."
February 7, 2016 ·
Katie's take on the halftime show: Hey, that lady isn't wearing any pants!
February 28, 2016 ·
Katie has been reading a book on Ancient Greece (I know--she's a nerd like her dad).
Katie: "I want to go there and see the statue of Nick and the scared olive tree."
Dad: ~puzzled dumb look~
Katie: "You know, Nick? The goddess of victory?"
Ohhh, OK. Nike. And that would be the *sacred* olive tree. Hey, not too bad for a kindergartener.
I then told her that Greece was still a country, and that it is very beautiful, and that I used to have a pen-pal there when I was a kid. She immediately asked, in complete seriousness, "Was it ancient then?" I'll give her an answer after I let her out of time-out.
March 3, 2016 ·
Katie, on the complexities of co-ed kindergarten social interactions: "Actually, I seriously think boys AND girls drool."
March 4, 2016 · Lander ·
Katie: "I'm trying to learn how to steer my jellyfish." It just gets weirder and weirder…
March 12, 2016 ·
Katie: What are you cooking? Bacon and eggs?
Dad: Breakfast burritos. That's what mom wanted, and today is her birthday, so she gets what she wants!
Katie: Mom is so kind, she should just get what she wants everyday.
April 1, 2016 ·
KT: four wheel drive is just to use in emergencies. [whispered] But sometimes we just use it to play.
Ah, I have taught her well.
April 2, 2016 ·
Katie: I wish I had freckles. I don't have very many. But I will.
Mom: How do you know you will get them? Because I have some?
Katie: No. Because the first graders are selling freckle juice!
Oh dear.
April 2, 2016 ·
Katie: I wish I had freckles. I don't have very many. But I will.
Mom: How do you know you will get them? Because I have some?
Katie: No. Because the first graders are selling freckle juice!
Oh dear.
May 5, 2016
May 23, 2016 ·
Watching Riverdance for the first time with Katie.
Katie: Is the blue stage the river?
Dad: I think the lady dancer symbolizes the river.
Katie: Hm...That's a right bouncy river!
June 5, 2016 ·
Katie, getting ready for church: Do we have pot-lick today?
June 14, 2016 ·
Watching Star Trek (the original) with Katie. The landing party beams down. KT: "There's a bunch of them wearing red shirts. How do we know which one's going to die?"
Also, whenever they visit a planet with a pretty girl, and one of the male crewmen give her a second look, she says, "Aw, no, they're gonna kiss, aren't they?"
AGE 7
July 16, 2016 ·
Driving down the Montana side of Bear Tooth Pass a couple days ago. I've seen some mountain roads before, but this thing takes the prize for crazy. There was one place I could have spit and hit the bottom of the canyon, 1000 feet or so below. Anyway, Sarah is driving, and doing a great job, concentrating hard, a bit stressed.
Katie: "It will all be worth it when we get to the bottom, Mom. Unless we go off the cliff." *maniacal laughter*
October 20, 2016 · Lander ·
Cutting up venison. Katie wants to hear the story of how I killed the deer, so I'm telling her about it. I point out that I didn't hit it perfectly, and had to take a second shot, and I am bothered by that.
She wants to know why it matters, so, hoping that she will be my hunting buddy some day, I talk a bit about the importance of shot placement. "When you hunt an animal, you want it to die quickly. You don't want it to suffer."
Katie thinks this over a bit, then says, "If I was a deer, I think I'd rather just suffer."
December 5, 2016 ·
Last night, Katie met a friend of hers at Safeway. They spontaneously started singing "Old Brass Wagon" at full voice. Complete with the dance, right there in the middle of the grocery store.
My work here is done.
December 8, 2016 ·
Katie, talking to Grandpa Wilson: "I need to ask you, what do you want for Christmas? I am in contact with Santa."
December 13, 2016 ·
We are introducing Katie to the original Star Wars. Luke and Vader have completed an agonizing, heart-breaking fight. The Emperor is frying Luke, who cries out for help. A conflicted, tormented Vader, in a poignant sacrifice, picks up the Emperor and chucks him down the reactor shaft, an action which kills him. He collapses, helpless, next to his only son, who takes him in his arms.
Katie, speaking for Luke: "OK, cool. Thanks, dad."
December 19, 2016 ·
This morning, I was in typical overwhelmed, brain-is-mush Monday morning mode. At one point, I asked, "Ah! Where is my brain?" At that moment, Katie walked into the room singing, "SomeWHEEERE over the rainbow..."
January 10, 2017 ·
Katie's lego monkey is named "Screensaver." I thought you'd want to know.
January 22, 2017 ·
This morning, I was looking at old pictures and videos, a tear on my cheek, working myself into a sad funk appropriate for the day. In comes my daughter, oblivious to all this, chattering happily (and endlessly) about some funny plot twist in her latest Nancy Clancy book.
I resisted for a while, but my sadness was no match for incessant Katie chatter, and before long I was wiping off my eyes and giggling along with her.
Thank God for goofy little kids. Sometimes this grieving gig ain't all it's cracked up to be.
January 23, 2017 · Lander ·
"I think Hillary should have won. This election came down to hair. And let's face it, Hillary has nicer hair." --My politically astute seven-year-old, being completely serious.
February 21, 2017 · Lander ·
Katie, appearing at our bedroom door in the middle of the night:
"Pardon me for not having any pants on, but I just lost my tooth."
We just roll with it.
April 14, 2017 ·
While examining Katie's globe last night, we found an island (in French Polynesia) called "Puka Puka." This makes us happy.
May 28, 2017 · Lander ·
Tonight I said something about "the meat of the story." Katie was puzzled, so we explained that it meant the substance, the important parts, or the meaning of the story.
Katie paused thoughtfully, then asked, "Is there the vegetables of a story?"
June 26, 2017 ·
Katie, watching the herd of mulie bucks in the yard: "Wow, they are beautiful. Soon, they will be tender and delicious."
My girl.
AGE 8
First fish on a fly rod!
November 21, 2017 · Lander ·
Katie was up late singing last night. When asked about it, she said, "I felt like there were monsters in my room. But when I was singing, it felt like little warriors were charging out of my mouth and fighting the monsters."
December 24, 2017 ·
My fridge magnet poem ("Cool cowboys don't consume crack") lead to a discussion about the harmfulness of drugs. This grows into a discussion about things that are bad for us in excess. Mom mentions several: Sugar, caffeine, bacon. Mom makes the point that all of these things feel good at first, but often lead to a let-down that leaves you feeling even worse than before.
Katie, thoughtfully: "Bacon doesn't lead to a let-down. Except when you realize there's no more bacon."
Nailed it.
January 5, 2018 ·
So, tonight Katie asked Sarah, "How come things far away look smaller than they really are?"
She’s got me there.
April 2, 2018 ·
My daughter is in her room, absentmindedly singing the 4/4 Massed Band snare drum rhythm, with gibberish words.
June 7, 2018 ·
Just watched "the Man From Snowy River" with Katie for the first time. As the credits are rolling, Katie says, "No! I want more! That's a terrible place to end the story!"
Dad: What? He got the horses; he and Jess are going to get married, and he'll have some gold to start up his ranch. What more do you want?
Katie: Yeah, but, but...
Mom: You want to see Jessica in a pretty white dress, don't you?
Katie: Well, YEAH!!
June 9, 2018 ·
My daughter is cleaning her room, mindlessly humming "The Imperial March" in her sweet little voice.
AGE 9
January 12 ·
Katie named the bristlenose plecostomus "Brissleplacky."
January 23 ·
Tonight Katie was looking at the Lander Journal. She put it back on the table and announced, “The news is too depressing to read. Except Mrs.Masson because she got an award."
(Mrs. Masson is Katie's music teacher, who had just passed her National Boards)
January 26 ·
Katie set the table and lit a candle and made us a menu to order from tonight. She seems to have a bias against Thai food....
February 2 ·
Katie: Rabbits are SO cute!
Dad: Yes! Unfortunately for them, they are also delicious.
Katie: See? Multipurpose animals.
March 6 ·
I was playing the song "Sail On" by the Imperials this morning. Katie kept randomly shouting, "Lawn!"
When I asked her why, she said, "I'm doing what the song says. 'Say Lawn.' "
April 17 at 7:04 AM ·
I have been reading Lord of the Rings to Katie and Sarah reads her Harry Potter. Katie said she had a dream where Harry was fighting orcs and Ron was attacked by Gollum. Sarah told her if Darth Vader and Captain Picard show up, we will officially need a nerdy fiction break.
April 20 at 7:52 AM ·
Meadowlarks, robins, and my little girl. I am surrounded by beautiful songs.
April 24 at 7:26 AM ·
Dad: I want to stay home and read Lord of the Rings with you today.
Katie: Sorry, dad, no can do!
*******
I don't write Katie's sayings down as often these days, partly because her speaking has gotten a bit less odd as she's gotten older, and partly because her sense of humor has developed to the point where she seldom says serious things that are completely hilarious. But her oddly insightful mind and imagination continue to work overtime. I'm sure there will be more. Stay tuned!
Thank you for posting Part Two! My absolute favorite, "Bacon doesn't lead to a let-down. Except when you realize there's no more bacon." LOL! True That!!! Will there be a Part Three? I hope so! - Joe Nicholson
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