Shake your booty or Go to your room!

Katie was over for dinner and after dinner Sam pointed at the CD player in the kitchen Fernando got me for Christmas and said some version of one of the words he can say, "Dance." I know, very masculine word for him to say. But he loves dancing.
We turned on something with a beat and Katie and I and Miranda and Sammy were gettin' down in the kitchen. Miranda kept pulling a sassy face and saying, "Shake your poo poo, Shake your poo poo!"
She's been saying poo and poop and versions of the same a little too much for our liking lately. So, I calmly said, "Miranda, say something else, like Shake your booty. That's better. Don't say 'Poo Poo.'"
I'm not sure WHY I thought "shake your booty" was better than "shake your poo poo." I guess I thought it would be an easy transition from poo poo to booty, but I think booty is probably actually worse so I'd better clean up after that one. Anyway, she didn't say anything for a while and we kept boogying.
After a few minutes of dancing, she was really getting into it and having a lot of fun, so she said, "Shake your poo poo!" I repeated, seriously, that she needed to say "Shake your booty" instead. Well, she waited about 6.4 seconds and then started saying, "Shake your poo poo," over and over again. And I just LOVE it when my child deliberately disobeys me, so I was a bit upset.
I stopped dancing (the music was still playing and Sam and Katie still dancing), leaned down to her level and said, in my most serious, you-better-believe-I-mean-it mom voice, "'SHAKE YOUR BOOTY'" OR GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
I waited, stonefaced and still, for her to make the choice to disobey one more time so I could take care of that kind of 2-year-old rebelliousness by a prompt trip to time out, but Miranda just started dancing again, so I thought the problem was over and started dancing again.
Then I heard Katie laughing. I looked over, and said, "What?"
She was laughing hard now, bent over, and looked up and said, "Shake your booty or go to your room?" and raised her eyebrows. I thought of how it sounded. A new Seminario mandate: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY OR GO TO YOUR ROOM. We take dancing very seriously in this family. I started laughing too, so hard. Katie and I laughed over that for 10 more minues, which made for some flimsy dancing. I don't know what it is about siblings that can make you just weak with laughing. So now Katie will look at me at random and say, "Shake your booty, or go to your room." I hope Miranda learned her lesson.

Golifa

We used to laugh so hard because Miranda called Goliath "Golifa." I suppose it doesn't seem that funny when it's written out, but when kids say words wrong in a certain way it is just so cute that its funny, you know what I mean.
Well, Daddy did a magnet lesson this week for family home evening on the side of the fridge. Rosie gave him a set of David and Goliath magnets. He set up the armies on King Saul's side and on the bad guys side. I probably should know who the bad guys are. Sorry. Well, the good guys were blue and the bad guys red, I know that!
He built up the story really well, and was gathering intensity as he narrated toward the moment when he would introduce who the bad guys selected to fight for their team: GOLIATH.
Daddy said, "They picked their strongest guy, and his name was GOLIATH!" and took the forbidding Goliath magnet out and placed it on the fridge. "Or some people call him Golifa."
Miranda said, "Well I call him big ugly fat guy."
So, the lesson I got from family home evening is that we're doing really well at teaching our children to avoid calling names or labeling people. Sorry Golifa.

a hopeful farewell to winter

I don't dislike winter one bit. I even get excited when its about to arrive. But I'm really okay with it being over this time. I think it might be. I think it will be good for the kids and I to get out and run on grass. Can't wait. Here is a look back at a fun winter adventure we had, sledding. I miss my in-laws when I see these. I am in a constant state of missing them. Hello in-laws out there in cyberspace! We love and miss you!

those crazy Seminarios

Pre-post contemplation: How many times in my life am I going to be acutely aware of my insufficient parenting abilities?

Moving on to lighter, happier thoughts (the kind I should contemplate more often and deeply than that last one).


Sammy learned to open and close his little fingers for popcorn popping last week at Church. I was helping out with nursery, and he'd walk up and get in the personal space of the little girls and boys, and the girls whined a bit but the boys would just shove him. And then he'd fall back a bit and come right back for more. Atta boy Sam. Another funny thing last week for Sam was that Xiao Yu said, "Do you want to come over here, Sammy?" And stopped what he was doing, turned and looked at Xiao Yu and said, clearly, "No." He doesn't say no so we all had a good laugh. I suppose he might be able to say no...I often think that babies can say a whole lot of things they don't say just because, why? They can usually get what they need and want without using words. I wish I could learn that skill: not crying to get my way, but not saying something just because I have the ability.


Miranda, upon being taken back toward the chapel after a potty break during Sacrament meeting: "I don't want to go back into that horrible place!"


Fernando stopped me on the way up the stairs the other day and said to me, in all seriousness, "Instead of thinking of me as your husband maybe you should just think of me as a king, and all you have to think about is making sure I'm taken care of." Okay, so when I turned around, he had a sort of half-smile on his face, but I still think he doesn't think it's such a bad idea to live our lives that way. I told him, "I'm busy taking care of your subjects."
I love my husband.


I'm actually extremely normal. I don't know how those other three got that way.

THIS is an emergency

For Christmas, Daddy bought Miranda a 9-1-1 book. It has real phone buttons on it, and leads Miranda through several scenarios when it would be appropriate to dial 911. If she does so successfully, the book begins to make sounds like "911, This is an emergency!" followed by sirens that are realistic enough to make Sammy cry and cower in my arms.
Of course, Daddy got this book so that Miranda would be able to save her own and/or the rest of our lives by dialing 911. Surely you've seen toddlers do such things on those TV programs that recount amazing real-life situations. The book gives specific information to Miranda, telling her that she should first look for a grown-up to help, and if no grown up is available to help her, she needs to call 911. It also makes clear that dialing 911 is NOT for fun, and should only be done in real emergencies.

We called Mami Rosie (Fernando's mom) the other night so Miranda could tell her some VERY exciting news. "I went in the big girl potty ALL DAY!" Rosie was so happy. She told Miranda, "I'm so proud of you! I will send you some more big girl panties in the mail!" I said, "Tell Rosie what you do if you feel yourself needing to go peep."
Miranda: "I tell Mommy, 'I feel some peep, I need go to the big girl potty!' and if there are no grown-ups around, I call 9-1-1!"

Sam's style

Sam's got style. He's developed several signature dance moves over the last few months, including the Sammy Slide (I'll try to post a video sometime), and check him out in sunglasses. Unlike Miranda who did NOT like things on her head, Sam loves hiding in blankets, wearing wigs, walking around with the hamper over his head, and sporting sunglasses. Appropriate credit is given to the Seminario genes for such coolness. Oh, and he's also very patriotic.

Happy Birthday Xiao Yu

We had lots of fun for Xiao Yu's birthday last week. She is the greatest sister-in-law anyone could ever ask for. We spent most of the day cruising around town for cookable octopus. We ended up settling for calamari. She makes me laugh so hard all the time, and she is also so considerate and selfless. Whenever you get a gift from Xiao Yu, you know it comes straight from her heart. We all tried to make her birthday far away from home AND during Chinese New Year a memorable one.

The other day she made me laugh so hard. Since Katie is the single one left of our siblings, we all like to get into her business and give our opinions on her social life. I know she secretly loves it. Hah. We were having one such moment, talking about how to let a person know you do not "like" them in the nicest and kindest possible way. Fernando finally asked Xiao Yu, "Haven't you ever had someone like you that you didn't like, and you had to say, 'Sorry, I don't like you.'?"
Xiao Yu looked baffled and said, "I never said, 'Sorry.' I just said, "Get away from me."
I laughed so hard. I told her that I am having all of my children call their Auntie Xiao Yu whenever they have relationship problems.