loves

i love that ani's new favorite book is huggy kissy. even better, she's getting those *smack sound* kisses down, when she's in the mood to give them. i also love that ani pronounces Elmo "melmo." i love that nissa knows how to bread something for frying. she was pretending to be a cat and making some pretend fried fish and narrated herself through dipping the fish in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, then into the pan. i'm so proud of my little sous-chef. i love that both girls will take up any opportunity to go in the yard barefoot and dig holes in the dirt. nissa loves finding earthworms, ani just seems to love being dirty. i love that ani's favorite aspect of her bedtime routine is brushing her teeth. i can bribe her to get into the bathroom with the promise of brushing teeth. i love (and hate) that nissa was offended by her cousin's singing. it is a delicate learning moment when you have to accept she is allowed to have her own opinion, but emphasize the importance of being tactful and polite. "stop singing" "it's horrible" is not the route to go. i love that i can distract ani by sending her on a quest for some doll. i also love that she understands how to put things back; she may not always want to, but she knows what i'm talking about and can do it when she feels like it. i love that nissa can take something very modern and electronic, like the princess palace pets app on ipad, and transform it into an afternoon of pretend play without any gadgets at all. i love that i can make a meal where both girls "help" and we can all be proud. i'm relieved that i'm learning to do so without any serious injuries to any of us. we recently made pizza as a group effort, and enchilada sauce. yum and yum.