The Racoon

This is the story as Helena told it to me just a few minutes ago...

"Once there was a yittle racoon. He was hungry."
Me - What did he eat?
"Rice and beans. And then he went in the woods and a deer come to see him.
Oh wow, and then what happened?
"A big bear come to see him and scared him away. And a yittle fawn came to see him to see if he ok. The racoon crying. Fawn come to see if he ok.
Well, was he ok?
He fine and then he eat rice and beans.
Racoon wash his hands like this (demonstrating a washing motion).
Then racoon cracked the needles out (nuts??) He cracked the needles out of the crust. (??? not sure about that one!) After he cracked the needles out of the crust he was happy.
Racoon pet the deer and he wan away.

Wonder where she gets that imagination!!

My Helena

Helena has the most endearing way of saying "my mommy" or "my daddy".

"Look what I made my mommy" or "I want a cracker my daddy". She says it so sweetly it just melts your heart.

Today after several hours of cleaning, packing and vacuuming, I told her "Come see the closet mommy packed all up." She came over and peeked in. "Gooooood!" she exclaimed. "You packed it all up mommy!" I thought she would simply be interested in seeing how everything was all in boxes to go to the "new" house, but it was quite a case of role reversals where I felt like the child with the parent exclaiming over a job well done. So funny!!

"My" Helena is quite a sweetie pie!

She Ate my Nose!!

Recently I introduced Helena to the "got your nose" game wherein the parent pretends to grab the nose and puts their thumb between their first two fingers to show the child the "nose" that the parent grabbed off.

Helena usually responds. "Put it back" and then "Do it again". After several times of this she simply told me "You're crazy!!"

Then yesterday she grabbed my nose. "Put it back!" I insisted, just like she does. She looked at me, opened up her mouth wide and stuck her two little fingers in to deposit my "nose" and then closed her mouth and looked at me again - all with a very straight face. Daddy and I laughed so hard!!

The Nest

Helena is very into "nests" lately. Any small place she can curl up in is her nest. Usually it's with someone's arm around her or in the crook of their bent leg or something. Sometimes it's all cozy with pillows and blankets. Even the toys get "nests" made for them at times.

Yesterday morning, Helena curled up in bed with me to cuddle. "This my nest" she said delightedly. Then "I a baby bird" and patting my face "and you the mommy bird".

So cute!

When I was a little girl...

Helena to mommy.... "When I was a yittle girl, I used to help mommy with laundry".

Helena-isms

"Mommy, you are wearing your blue-mers". = bluejeans

"Look, there's a sea-bird" = seagull

"Heyna have cadle-crap" = cradle cap

And here is my favorite... when making bread: "That's cauliflower" = wheat flour

Help! I can't be serious!!

After a rough morning of getting into every bit of imaginable mischief I was sitting having a talk with Helena about obeying. She was listening intently when all of a sudden she interrupted me to announce "You have a big boogy in your nose!" My serious bubble errupted into laughter. I just couldn't help myself.

Off to take care of said offensive object...

Edited to add: the little turkey - not a thing there!

Naptime Comedy

Helena was pretty wound up last week at naptime.

Me: "Helena, you need to stop wiggling and hold still and go night night".
Helena: "Heyna not going to go night night".
Me, getting down to eye level with her and about as stern as I get "Helena, you *are* going to lie down and you *are* going to go night night".
Helena, giggling before I am even done speaking "Mommy, don't be so silly!!"

It was all I could do to keep from busting into laughter!!

For those curious ones among you, I simply told her that I was not being silly; I was very serious. And she did end up taking a nice long nap.