cute Kate

The other night she picked up the phone. . .
K: Hello neighborhood. Where are you? Mom, talk to neighborhood?
Mom: Um, it's kind of hard to talk to a whole neighborhood. But, ok.

We call Josh everyday after naps to inquire when he might be returning home. Kate has caught on swiftly that HE is in charge of dinner these days.

K: Hi, Daddy!
D: Hi, Kate! How are you?
K: I'm fine. I want hamberhers!
D: You want hamburgers? What about pork chops?
K: Hamberhers, daddy!
D: Well, ask mom if she wants hamburgers.
K: Mom, want hamberhers?
M: NO, yuck, that doesn't sound good to me.
K: I ask her. Mom say no.

Her other fav thing to request is sgetti.

Papa taught her a joke about laughing animals.

M: What does the laughing sheep say, Kate?
K: Baa-haa.
M: What does the laughing horse say?
K: Neigh-hay
M: (Things she's clever & asks a new question) What does the laughing owl say?
K: I don't know dat.

The most hilarious thing is that she actually thinks this is funny. She'll probably be the only grandchild to get her Papa's jokes (he's an infamous punner).

She is also trying on the "terrible two's" on for size a bit early by being contradictory when the mood strikes.
Mom (this morning at breakfast): You're too distracted, Kate. You need to eat.
Kate: I NOT dis-tact (fumbles over new word but is convinced that whatever it is, she is NOT it)-ed.

Of course, most hilarious is when she is contradictory about positive qualities.
Mom: You're so cute.
Kate: I NOT so cute.
Mom: Well, not any more!

Mom: You're my daughter.
Kate: I NOT my daughter.
Mom (happy that this one doesn't have to be a fight): You're right!

Due to my "condition," I spend a lot of time on the chouch. Kate likes to cuddle with me and watch. She's pretty willing to watch whatever I'm watching (news, Dancing with the Stars, some show on PBS). The other night we watched a Nature show about animals in the Alps. We had a lot of fun identifying the animals we knew (cows, birds, dogs), but she had a hard time learning "deer." At first, when she heard them call the baby red deer a "calf" she assumed they must be cows. Then, she settled that they looked like giraffes because the baby calf (star of the show) was all spotty. Several times she mentioned that the calf was "too toot" (too cute) or "adorable." Typed words fail to communicate how adorable it is when Kate actually says it.

We watched a little bit of Dancing with the Stars the other night & she is very into dancing. If Josh is around she'll get him to dance with her -- very sweet. But, the other night it was just she and I, so she figured that we could dance in the chouch. We were lying side by side & she asked me to hold her hand. Then she started kicking her legs back & forth, and ta-tarn, we were dancing!

Sorry, no pictures. Maybe someone will take a few at the Fall Festival next weekend and you'll get to see her in her adorable bunny costume.

Oh, a few comments about the other cute one growing these days. The baby is now the size of a small strawberry and has FINGERPRINTS! How amazing!