Momlissa: "Our Daughter Is Bob Dole."

Six!

On Saturday we celebrated Cici's 6th birthday with a small party here at the house. It was extra special because Grandma and Grandpa K were here for the weekend, and I think Cecilia was pleased with her celebration. She had an awesome cake (with a swimming pool in it!), a brand-new bike, and lots of people here who love her very much. On her actual birthday (Thursday) we're taking her to an amusement park for the first time, so the fun just goes on and on.

(Side note: Grandma 2 always gives cash -- one dollar for every year you're celebrating. When Cici opened her card from Grandma 2 she saw the money and said, "Ruby! Three for me and three for you!" Is that a great kid or what?)

A Not So Tricky Question.

[Dadam is reading riddles out of Highlights magazine - a frequent occurrence, although it usually takes place in doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms.]

Dadam: Okay, Cice, here's a good one. "You're a bus driver driving down the street. There are twenty people on the bus. At the first stop, four people get on and two people get off. At the second stop, five people get on a three people get off. Now, what color are the bus driver's eyes?"

Cici [without hesitation]: Brown.

Dadam: What? Why?

Cici [as if she's never heard anything simpler in her life]: Because I'm the bus driver.

Momlissa [from the kitchen]: She did not just get that right.

"Please Don't Tell Me You Just Said That."

[Cici, Dadam and Ruby are having dinner.]

Cici: Why do grownup teeth feel cold more than baby teeth?

Dadam: I wasn't aware they did.

Cici: Mine do - when I eat ice cream or something else cold, it feels really cold on my new teeth, but not on my old teeth.

Dadam: Well, maybe it feels so cold on your new teeth because they're so new.

Cici [as if this is the stupidest thing she's ever heard]: Please don't tell me you just said that.

The S Word and the C Word.

[The family is out having dinner at a restaurant. The girls are coloring their kids' menus, and Ruby spills the cup holding the crayons.]

Ruby: Shit.

Cici: Mom! Ruby said a bad word!

Momlissa: What was it?

Cici: It was the S Word.

Dadam: Ruby, what did you say?

Ruby: I said 'shit.'

Dadam: Ruby, we don't say that word.

Ruby: But I spilled my colors.

Dadam: Ruby, we don't say that word.

Ruby: Oh. [to Cici:] But I can say 'crap,' right?

Cici: Yeah, 'crap' is just the C Word.

A New Member of the Family

This morning Ruby revealed to me that she has a brother named Jeffy. We don't know much about this child except that he lives with Cholaidia (not with us) and, as Cici helpfully informed me, "It's Jeffy with a Y."

I guess we're just trying to keep up with the Jolie-Pitts.

May That Be The Worst Thing You Ever Have To Worry About, Kiddo.

[Cici finds a stress ball.]

CICI: What's this?

DADAM: It's a stress ball.

CICI: What's it for?

DADAM: Well, for relieving stress.

CICI: What's stress?

DADAM: Well, stress is a feeling you get when you're too busy, or worried about something, or frustrated, and it makes you feel bad. People say if you squeeze a ball like that really hard, like, as hard as you can, you'll feel better.

CICI: Oh.

[A few minutes pass.]

CICI: Dad, I'm worried that I won't win when we play Sorry tomorrow night, and I'm squeezing the ball but I don't feel any better!