Fire in the bedroom? Things come true? "It's like this..."! LOL

So Thursday nights my lovely bride is does ENDOW which is this absolutely amazing catholic/educational women's group-study thing. Yes. Check it out. When words are blue and underlined... that means they "link". ;-)

Which leaves me to SUPER-DADDY-DUTY each Thurs Night. Tonight? After soccer? Oh there was some chaos, which I will elaborate on, but all girls ASLEEP by 2030 hrs. Yeah. It's like that. I rock.

Chaos moment? Went like this:

L: [from bed, standing up, crossing her arms nervously across her chest and SCREAMING at the top of her lungs with a bright red face and tears SHOOTING across the room] "AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

A: [running across the house and room with CB (Claire Bear) in Ray-Rice-arm-tuck-style], "HEY! WHAT'S WRONG! WHOA WHOA WHOA GIRL! Calm down" [embraces the hysterical L]

L: "Molly said 'Fire' and she said it a lot! And," [sniffles extensively, hugs again], "Well, it's like this Dad..." [sniffles hugs], mumbles into my shoulder

A: "What baby? I couldn't hear you"

L: "Things come true and fire comes up from the ground"

I knew I shouldnt have showed her that magnifier trick... And, she's said a couple times tonight "Well, it's like this..." which is a phrase she stole right out of her momma's playbook :-)

Love my Laura, Love my little-Laura's and love I was able to convince my crazy girl she wasn't at risk of being on fire (took a while).

Now... of to pay some supplier invoices until Laura Schmara gets home. :-)

Signing off, Loverboy.

I-DONT-KNOW and LOOK IT UP

On our walk yesterday to the playground... (on which I got lost, walked miles in the wrong direction up & down multiple hills in 110 degrees, pushing the double stroller. sigh). Needless to say, I now know the shortcut/right roads to get to/from the playground more expediently. Live and learn. Cute playground! Well hidden! Some tennis courts too! Anyways... here's how MOST of the way-too-long-and-hot walk went:


A: Wow. Look at those beautiful trees. They have pink and purple flowers on them! They are so beautiful. I bet that your mom would like those. I wondered what they're called.


Lu: Ha. I don't know. Ha. I learned THAT word from Mommy.


A: What word?


Lu: I-dont-know


A: Mommy taught you the word I-dont-know?


Lu: Yes. She says it all the time. It's not a bad word daddy. She says it like, "Lucy, I don't know". So, yes. It's an okay word to say daddy.


Mo: I KNOW! I KNOW! MWAHAHAHAHAHA (evil laughter)


Lu: Molly, you do NOT know. Only Mommys and Daddys know.


A: It smells good but I still don't know what kind of tree that is...


Lu: You can look it up.


THAT ONE had me laughing hard enough to slow down my strides and gather myself :-) Every day Lucy sounds more and more like Laura and it's just the cutest thing in the entire world.

Once upon a hot TX evening there was a dead lizard.

Don't worry. I said it was dead.

So... last night, I went looking on our patio for geckos and lizards. Why? Because they're fun. So, I found one laying on the bricks on the windowsill. It looked so cute that I called my dad out to look at it. Once he was out there (Laura was inside mid-MAJOR-kitchen renovations, more on that later), I tried to poke it to make it run away.

It didn't run. Boo. SOOOOO... Dad got this idea. "Hey" he said. "Let's scare Laura!" He then coerced me into picking up the dead reptile and bringing it in the house. He forcibly pushed me into the bathroom and with that deacony-you-shall-do-as-I-command look in his eye, instructed me to put the dead little reptile next to her toothbrush.


I, commonly known to blog readers as "sugar lips" and "loverboy" was so distraught that I couldn't bring myself to forewarn my lovely bride. Needless to say, this ended with some strong punches, threats, yelling and... Laura buying another dining room set (!?)

I love that girl.

Gracias? Chinese?

"Gracias. That means 'Hello' in Chinese."


"Molly said 'Hola'! That means she said 'Thank you' in Chinese!" 

Just two quotes from Lucy before noon today... It's gonna be one for the record books here @ the Cooke house!

oh the joys...

I could seriously listen to her talk all day. Even if you just say "uh huh" or "Oh? Is that right?" she will go on and on and on and on and on. She invited the girl at Cabelas home for dinner. She told her we were having pizza and chocolate milk! I'm sure the aisle clerk in the fishing section was flattered but she declined. I may regret encouraging Lucy to be more outgoing and less shy around grown-ups!!

Driving back from Cabelas...

Lu: "We seed a lot of houses today"

A: "I heard! Mommy said you were a big, nice girl all day! Did you like the houses? Do you want to buy a house?"
Lu: "Daddy, You cannot BUY a HOUSE daddy. They're too big!"

A: "Oh, okay. What do you look for in a house?"

Lu: "Welllll, you look for Molly. And you need beds. The white house did not have beds. We can NOT BUY a HOUSE without BEDS!"

A: "Hmm... You're right. Molly... and beds. What else do we need in a house?"

Lu: "It needs drawers. Lots and lots of drawers. And the lights need to be on."

A few miles later and hundred million words out of her mouth later,

A: "Don't pick your nose your finger will get stuck."

Lu: "I was getting the cookie out of it"

She withdrew her stubby little finger and had remenants of chocolate cookie on her finger. I cannot argue with that one... A few more miles (and millions of phrases) later,

A: "Don't stick your finger up your nose, it'll get stuck"

L: "No it won't. They're small and the hole is very big enough. See?"

I witness the classy demonstration in the rear view mirror. In her defense, she's right. She has small fingers :-)

A: "Well, you're right.", I admit sheepishly, "But it's really really gross and yucky. Moreover, Mommy and Daddy ask you not to do it."

Lu: Chuckling condescendingly, "Daaaadddddddddy," giggles some more, "it's a process."

I kid you not. I heard that phrase. Where'd THAT one come from? She continued...

Lu: "See? You stick it in and you pull it out quick-i-ly (how she's said "quickly" for the last ~5 months, still SUPER cute) and then you wipe it on your legs and you repeat the process."

I heard "it's a process" and "repeat the process" in the same night and in appropriate context! Granted, I'd be more proud if she wasn't explaining picking her nose, but hey, it's a new phrase so I'll celebrate it!!! Sigh, but that will be enough new phrases for this year. She can stop now and I'd be okay! Where'd my little girl go??? :-/ I feel like knowing the word "process" makes her ready for college! :-/  
 Love Dad. 

so stinking cute....

Josiah was here a few weeks back (along with Mom, Lisa and etc...). Lucy LATCHED on to a couple key phrases of Josiah's. One was a "joke" that went something like "how do you make a tissue dance? Put a little boogie in it!"

I woke up this morning and Lucy's eyes were WIDE open and her little button nose was about 1/2 inch from mine. In fact, it may've been her breathe that awoke me, but that's not the point of the story... She was WIDE-EYED and grinning from ear to ear happier than a pig in poo. She said in an ADORABLY cute little whisper, yet ridiculously excited (mind you its like 530AM), "Guess what Daddy? How do you make a tissue dance? Put a little booger in its nose. Hehehehehe..."

Ugh. THESE are the mornings that are the hardest to get out the door to work!

love, dad.

Be Still My Heart... Tonight was the night.

I type this blog with a tear of joy streaming down my left cheek. Tonight friends, family and world o' blog, my 3 year old Anna Lucille Cooke conquered my world. She caught, on her adorable Disney Princess fishing pole (which was a bday gift from our awesome neighbors) a catfish at the Marine Creek Lake. For historical purposes here are the following facts:

Date/Time: 5/23/2010  7:37 PM

Location:    Marine Creek Reservoir
Locale:       Eastern shore, about 200 ft south of the trees on the waters edge
Bait:            Live worm (Canadian Nightcrawler)
Gear:          Fishing rod, see details above.
Tackle:        Hook (size 8, tiny, old school, not barbed).
Mood:         A very chatty patience yet absolutely determined
Witness:      Andrew Cooke
Prize:          Channel Catfish
Length:       Approx 5"
Action:        Catch & Release or as Lucy says... "Putting him back so he can go swim with his Mommy"

For the mystery and enchantment on her face; THIS is why I have fished my entire life and have just began a life long fishing journey with my 1st daughter... I hope you all enjoy the following pictures as much as I enjoyed being with her on this monumental occasion!!!

Picking out the right tackle!

 

Worm & Hook. Old School. Good choice girl! Daddy is proud!

 

One-handed casting! All on her own and all night long!

(picture cute but very misleading... Daddy helped a LOT with casting tonight)

 

A must-have in every fisherman's tackle box... Patience:

Another handy talent? Being able to talk to the fish!  

 Picture below went something like this: "Fiiiiiishieeeeees Come eat my worms I will forgive you for eating my worms I just want to see you tonight I saw your friends at the zoo and I want to see you please bite my worm there is a hook so be careful but I will forgive you for eating my worm and Daddy and I are going to be SOOOOO happy to see you eat my worm and if you are a little one you can go with Molly and if you are big one you can go with me! Spin, Spin, Pull, Pull. Worm dances in the water hurry fishy the sun is going to sleep........................."

  

Fishing? Who needs fish? Let's sing & dance... 

The bobber wasn't working out to well (although she "loved the pretty orange" color) so we switched to a weight instead. I taught her the "spin spin pull pull" technique. This technique "makes the worms dance" in the water! She loved it and sang (loudly) "Spin Spin Pull Pull Dance Dance Dance" for about an hour and a half.

 

It was a race against the clock and the beautiful sunset when suddenly....

BANG!! The prizes! 

Her prize: the joy of the first catch! That little fight she felt on the other end of the line! The  OH MY GOODNESS she shouted when she knew what was going on (which took a solid minute or two between dancing and singing)! My prize?... The mystery, enchantment and sense of accomplishment/celebration on her face:

Look at that adorable nervous left hand perched back tugging at her shirt. She had no idea what to do with that catfish wiggling all around! Afterall, he needed to quickly "go back to swim with his Mommy"!

cuddlin'

This morning while cuddlin' (realllly cute when Lucy says it) I started tickling Lucy and she said "Get your hands off me!" with a grumpy, furrowed brow. It's hard to catch that grumpy face with our camera but I'll see what I can do in the near future... it's just too cute.

Laura was in stitches laughing.

get out stinky people :-)

Laura: "Come on Lucy. We need to take a shower so we can go to the zoo?"

Lucy: "Why?"

Laura: "Because they don't let stinky people in to the zoo. They say 'Get out stinky people! Get out of our zoo!'"

Lucy: "Get out stinky people."

Laura: "That's right. So let's get in the shower so we can go to the zoo."

She is going to be so confused someday :-)

love, dad.

Tonight's conversation...

"Dora and Boots are in the rain! Daddy! Daddy! They're in the rain!"

"Well sweetheart, are they having fun like you & I do in the rain or do they need an umbrella?"

"They don't an umbrella; No. They do not need an UMMBRREEELLLLAAA. They sing "Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Come Again Come Again Rain Rain Go Away Come Come Again Rain Go Come Again Rain Rain Go Away........... [10 minutes passes as she dances in circles cutely grinning and singing].... and then they're HAPPY! Not scared. They're not scared! They're happy!"

Rhianna would not be happy that Lucy, Dora & Boots did not heed her advise and **enter terrible music** stand under an um-brella-brella-brella hey hey hey hey! **