Update on Natalie's instrument tryouts...

She came home Friday very excited to tell me that she will very likely be playing the French Horn in band next year!
Jeremy and I were hoping she'd choose something a little more portable and less expensive to rent, but we're happy she's excited about learning a new instrument!

My Musical Kids

So Natalie's been gearing up to take band next year and she has a instrument-tryout session with the band teachers in a couple weeks to figure out what instrument she would like to play. We've talked about the various instruments available and what she's interested in: horns, flute, trombone, clarinet etc.
Apparently Dani has been listening more closely to these conversations than I realized because the other day she runs into the kitchen and tells me excitedly, "Mom, I can play the trombone!!!"
"Really?!" I reply, "Where did you learn to play the trombone?"
"In the living room!"
Hmm, guess I set myself up for that one!

Adventures of the Tooth Fairy

So, guess what!? Emma lost another tooth on Tuesday! We knew it was loose but we didn't want a repeat of tooth number one, so we were just biding our time. Anyway, she came home from school sporting a new hole in her mouth and a tooth-shaped tooth holder from the school nurse's office. She was smiling so big and she was so happy cause she managed to get this one out on her own and there was no drama and no PAIN!!! We were all very happy for her (and relieved that we weren't going to have another loose-tooth meltdown!)

Anyway, Tuesday night she went to bed and got up about an hour later. She came downstairs with a red face and tears in her eyes. I asked what was wrong and she broke down saying she wanted to leave a note for the tooth fairy but she couldn't spell "Please". My first thought was - Oh Yeah!!! I almost forgot the tooth fairy needed to come tonight - whew, glad Emma reminded me... to, umm "leave the door unlocked!" Then I told Emma to calm down and I would help her write the note.

She got a new piece of paper and a pen and I spelled out Please for her. She wrote it out and then asked how to spell "dollar" so I spelled that out for her. But then she broke down again because she'd messed up with her pen and she couldn't erase it. I tried to tell her to just scribble it out and keep going, but she wasn't having that. So I offered to write the note for her. Here's what she dictated to me:

"Please give me 100 dollars..."

I about choked when I heard "100 dollars"! How much cash did she think the tooth fairy kept on her?! I delicately tried to explain that there might be a chance the tooth fairy didn't give out that much money for a tooth. She had this look in her eyes like "Well, one can always hope!" So I let that conversation drop thinking I'd, um, let "the tooth fairy" get creative with that one later.

Then Emma proceeds to dictate the rest of the note:

"...and..."

AND!!! THERE'S AN AND!!!?

"...and a comic book."

:Wow," I think, "this kid's got a lot of Moxie!" (bonus points using Ryanne's company name, hee, hee!!!)

So now I tried my best to explain that the tooth fairy isn't quite like Santa or the Easter Bunny. She typically only brings money, not toys, because she's so small and it's hard to carry toys. Once again I got that "One can always hope" look.

So she trotted off to bed with her note and I gave a look to Grandma Joyce (yes, she's here visiting for Nat's birthday tomorrow) that basically said "hmm, that tooth fairy's got her work cut out for her!"

So I believe I heard the tooth fairy land in Emma's room about 2am that night. She was a little late because she had to stop and write the following note attached to a scanned image of a 100 bill:

"Dear Emma,

Wow 100 dollars? That's a lot of money! You deserve it, but my boss, the Fairy Queen, says I can only give out copies of 100 dollar bills. So I hope you like it!

The Queen says $100 is just too much money for me to carry on my route. I could get robbed by dark Nipsies or Imps (Natalie could tell you about those trickies!)" Sidenote: Natalie has been reading the Fablehaven series. If you liked Harry Potter, you'll enjoy Fablehaven just as much.

Continuing the note: "I'm sorry I couldn't leave you a comic book either, but I don't usually carry anything but dollars to leave. Here is a dollar for your tooth and a dollar for a comic book.

Also, I talked to your mom about this and she said I could give you 30 points for your DS." (Emma is saving chores points for a Nintendo DS.) "She said you didn't need any help for this tooth to come out - and pulled it out without any tears!!! AWESOME!!!

See ya when the next tooth comes out,

Flossie"

The list is getting longer and longer...

The Dani-isms are coming on a daily basis. Unfortunately, as funny as they are, I can't seem to remember a lot of them. But here are the ones from the last few weeks that have lodged themselves in my feeble brain...

I think Dani has this thing about bananas and tomatoes. Many of her latest ones have dealt with one or the other:
"Dad, you're driving me tomatoes!!"

"Look, I can do the tomato splits!" And then she plops awkwardly down on the floor with her legs contorted into something like half-splits.

Today, a Sister stopped me in the hallway after church to comment on how cute Dani was today in Primary. She told me that the leader in Sharing Time had been talking about how the Holy Ghost can give us a warm feeling in our tummies (guess that easier for them to understand than chest). The leader then asked the kids if they felt the warm feeling in their tummies and Dani pipes up: "All I can feel are bananas in my tummy!!"

Comments on Easter:
Dani days before Easter: "I LOVE Easter!!! I can't wait for the rotten egg hunt!!!"

During Easter Morning: "Dad, the Easter Bunny is still at the North Pole!"

And finally: "Are we going to have an Easter Bunny Hump?!" (umm, I think she meant huNT.)

Completely Random Thoughts By Danika Jolie Bryson:

"I love shopping at the shoe store. I like to buy roaches and sandals!!!"

For some reason known only to the inner-working of Dani's mind, Dani has taken to calling us the following:
Dad: Daddy-O
Mom: Mamma Mia
Natalie: Natalie Splat
Emma: Emma-Lemma Ding-Dong Head

And for the grand finale: "Dad, I love to eat noodles with squirrel!"

I'm raising a 3-year-old TEENAGER!!!

Okay, so arguments with Dani have become a daily occurance at our home. They range from turning on the bathroom light to choosing an outfit for the day. Can't remember exactly what fight we were having when this line came up, but it definitely made my mind do a double-take:

"You're ruining my life!!!!" Danika Bryson, age 3 (yes, three! Where did she hear that one?!)