And when it was time to go Dorothy slowly made her way to me, drawing this swirling line all the way

We had 10 minutes at the beach after dropping off the ND girls at camp. It was so hot that 10 minutes was enough for me.

...jammies with a sunhat

Jammies...

Fish faces at the aquarium (with our friend Maisie)

The Sunday Funnies

Dorothy complained that Allen at school "always wants his lunch to be the best.  He doesn't like my lunches."  "What in your lunch does Allen not like?" I asked.  Dorothy answered, "He always says 'Uhhh, yogurt?!  Uhhh, a spoon?!'"

Dorothy likes to sing new words to familiar tunes, and then explain, "That was based on...", as in "That was based on Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Dorothy picked up a summery lotion with a beachy pink flamingo graphic.  She asked, "What is this?"  "Lotion," I answered.  "Is it supposed to smell like flamingoes?" she asked.

Dorothy was wearing two stickers; one said "I love Unicorns" and the other said "Believe".  At the same time, I was listening to my own music and paying half-attention to her.  Dorothy asked me, "What does this say?" and I, thinking she was asking about lyrics, answered honestly, "Live fast.  Die young.  Bad girls do it well."  "Oh," she said.  I looked up and she pointed to her second sticker and asked, "And what does this other one say?"

Dorothy spent the full hour at the pool jumping off the side into the water, climbing out, and jumping back in.  On the way home, I complimented her.  She responded, "Dad said I'm not supposed to jump off the side of the pool until I can swim without my floaties."  I asked, "Oh?  Then why did you do it?"  She answered, "Well, the first time I did it, I was in a hurry to get to the mermaid toy, and I forgot that I wasn't on the steps.  Then you said, 'Good job, Dorothy!' and I thought 'Hmmmm...'."

I'm not a pool person, but I'm getting a routine at our neighborhood pool and it's getting easier each day.  On the first day, I had to take Dorothy to the pool bathroom, and upon entering I even uttered, "This is a nightmare."  A few days later we needed to visit the pool bathroom again.  Upon entering this time, Dorothy asked, "Mama, are you still having your nightmare?"

I showed Dorothy a picture of Rosie the Riveter; unfortunately for feminists everywhere, she said, "I've seen that picture before on boxes of washing detergent."

Bathing Beauty (we've joined our neighborhood pool)

Last day at Montessori Academy!

Performance snippet:
https://youtu.be/5Lrk0SAVask

Dolphin pose:
https://youtu.be/Hf-E1ZqRxCo

#DanceMom

And did I mention that her costume included a teddy bear wearing an identical costume?

Dorothy's friend Willa was also in the show!

I assume everyone enjoys these as much as Sarah?

Where's Dorothy?

Wave from the stage

The Sunday Funnies

Dorothy hasn't napped in many years.  She doesn't nap when she's sick; she doesn't fall asleep in the car; she quit napping around the time she started walking.
This week was an exception.  She had a cold and napped for around two hours in the early evening two days in a row.
She could not wrap her mind around it:  Why are we eating dinner?  What do you mean I already watched a movie today?  How is it close to bedtime?  You mean yesterday when I went to school.

I told Dorothy that she was older than four-and-a-half; she is now four-and-two-thirds.  "What do you mean?" she asked.  I said, "Just a minute.  I'll show you."  I started to walk across the room, intending to grab a few building blocks.  Dorothy asked, "Are you going to ask Google?"

Rehearsal day

Dorothy's school for next year sent her a welcome package. They are the Chargers.

Dorothy joked this was "climbing tree pose"

Dorothy demonstrates yoga poses she learned at school

According to Dorothy:

Shark pose.

The way Rye does tree pose.  Dolphin pose.  Plank pose.

Tree pose.  Mountain pose.  Fish pose.

Dancer pose.  Shark pose (again).  Rock pose.

Girls' Day

We went to the mall today and enjoyed the carousel and cookies.  We were shopping for a sun hat but Dorothy had me take pictures of things we didn't buy.

Ice cream from the weekend

The Sunday Funnies

Dorothy mentioned a tiny toy that she is missing.  It has been missing a long time.  I said, "Maybe I'll find it one day when I'm cleaning the house, when you're 12 years old."  "Why did you say when I'm 12 years old?" she asked.  "I was just trying to be funny, and think of a time far in the future," I said. Dorothy added, "If you are cleaning one day when I am a grown-up and you find it, will you call me on your phone?"  [I think I teared-up.]

"When we get home we're going to skip your bath and go straight to bed," I said.  "It's way past your bedtime."
"What time is it?" Dorothy asked.
"It's after nine o'clock," I answered.
"Is it ten o'clock?" Dorothy asked.

As we entered the grocery store I told Dorothy that she could have "anything that she wants".  I didn't realize that she wanted all the little toys that are hanging on the shelves in front of the groceries.

We like to eat the popsicles that come in plastic sleeves.  Usually I cut one in half and split it between Dorothy and me, or between Dorothy and Willa.
Dorothy mentioned that they eat popsicles at school.  "Is it the same kind of popsicle as ours?" I asked.  "No," Dorothy answered.  "They're much longer."

Dorothy pointed out a cartoon figure with only four fingers.  I said, "It's hard to draw five fingers, so lots of cartoons have only four fingers.  Like Mickey Mouse!"  "Which finger is he missing?" she asked.

Dorothy told me that her friend was going to have a little brother.  I asked, "Oh, his mom is pregnant?"  Dorothy answered, "Not yet."

Morning in downtown Savannah

We wore our matching shirts for the Mother's Day celebration at school

Mother's Day Funny

Dorothy answered a questionnaire at school.
I LOVE MY MOM BECAUSE...
SHE IS 39 YEARS OLD.
SHE LOVES TO play with me.
HER FAVORITE FOOD IS lettuce and pasta.
SHE LOVES TO TRAVEL TO Valdosta.
HER FAVORITE MOVIE IS Enchanted.
HER FAVORITE SPORT IS running.
HER FAVORITE HOBBY IS loving me.
LOVE, Dorothy

Dorothy likes this picture of herself

Busy working

Friends

I told Dorothy she could lick the beater but I assumed she would detach it

The Sunday Funnies

Brian asked Dorothy our address, and she knew it right away.  He asked if she knows our phone number; I interjected that she does not.  Dorothy countered that she did know the phone number, and then spouted out the 10 numbers of my cell phone correctly.  I asked, "Are they teaching you your phone number at school?"  Dorothy said no.  I asked where she learned it.  "I hear you tell it to people when you are talking on your  phone," she said.


Dorothy was sitting on my lap and I was reading her a book.
"Do you want to go get a Kleenex?" I asked.
"No."
"Do you want to ask your dad to bring you a Kleenex?"
"No."
"Well what do you plan to do with that booger?" I inquired.
"Play with it until it's all gone," Dorothy confessed.

"Tickle me," Dorothy said, "but don't tickle my belly or the palms of my feet."

I pointed out to Dorothy that the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in Honey I Shrunk the Kids and the Cheerios in Matilda are advertisements.  "When you see them in the movie, you might think, 'Yum, I would like to buy some of those.'"  A few days later we were watching a restaurant scene in a movie.  Dorothy pointed out, "This movie has an advertisement for pie."

We have little handles on our phones called "Pop Sockets".  It took me a while to understand what Dorothy was talking about when she referenced the "Sock Puppets" on our phones.

Dinner with friends

Cartoons and breakfast

Flashback: At the children's museum in Chicago

When the Easter Bunny gives you lipstick...