“Mama can you tell to papa that I standed on this step, deep deep in the swimming pool?”
“Mama can you tell to papa that I ate all the carrots and tomatoes in the bowl?”
“Mama can you tell to papa that I can jump like a football player, high up in the sky?”
“Mama can you tell to papa that I sit like a big girl in the chair?”
——–
“I’m sad to travel ‘out papa.”
“I like to travel with papa.” (Pouting)
He’s meeting us in NY guys. It’s going to be lots of fun.
“Yay!!!”
Early one morning a couple of weeks ago.
Leila: Where’s papa?
Me: He’s on a plane, going to Houston, in America.
Rahul: Like the pilgrims?
Me: Yah, to America like the pilgrims. But he’s on a plane, not a boat, so he’ll be there by tomorrow.
Leila: Can you be papa?
Me: What do you mean can I be papa?
Leila: Papa talks French. You talk French.
Me: Woah. Oh. Tu veux que je parle en Francais avec vous?
They both look up at me, eyes gleaming. And smile.
Rahul: Papa talks Francais.
Me: D’accord, on peut parler en Francais.
Leila: Papa. Papa, I want to go to Etats Unis.
Me: On va aller aux Etats Unis bientot cherie. T’en fait pas…..
(Ten minutes of French later)
Me: Ok guys, come on, let’s go downstairs for breakfast.
Leila: Nooooo, you are papaaaa…you talk French.
Me: Ah, oui. J’ai oublie.
Rahul: No talk Francais mama. Talk Anglais. Waaaa. You are mama now.
This morning Maher noticed something dangling off a roof right next to our bedroom.
A snake had shed it’s skin last night.
The kids were intrigued. Until they looked at it closely, they thought it was plastic.
And then…it wound up in the play-doh.
Leila just waking up: Mama. In my dream I had up slippers (high heels). And they were lighting up every time I walk.
How time till I can have real up slippers?
Waaaa Waaaaa, I want up slippers.
Me: Well, don’t you complain about your neck hurting, and your legs hurting?
She nods.
Me: High heels would only make it worse. (We go through the high heels discussion many times a week.)
Rahul wakes up.
Leila: In Rahul’s dream he had a ball.
Rahul: No I didn’t have a ball.
Leila: Yes he had a ball.
Me: You mean in your dream Leila, Rahul had a ball?
Leila: In my dream I had up slippers and Rahul had a ball.
This morning -
Leila waking up: In my dream
I was eating a cake. And then I see’d teta (grandma in Arabic) maked a chocolate cake. With insects on it.
Me: Oh really, was it yummy?
Rahul: I like chocolate.
Leila: Nooo, it wasn’t yummy.
Related: Cinderella Shoe Trend: DSW, Louboutin Take on Princess Heels
“Can I have a up slippers and a dress like this little girl?”
Me: Today is Saturday. Do you have school today?
L & R : NO!!!
Me: Hey, Anna goes to a hip hop dance class on Saturdays. I think it’s a lot of fun. Do you guys want to go with her today?
Leila: I already know hip hop. It’s on one foot. But I only like to spin.
Me: Oh yeah, you hop. Well sometimes you dance on one foot and sometimes on both. So let’s go!
Leila: But how time until flip flop? I want to go with Anna.
Me: After lunch.
Rahul: Hip hop is a dessert.
Me: Oh yeah? What does it taste like?
Rahul holding a pretend pan over the stove: It’s a pancake.
Me: Oh yeah, you flip it huh?
He lights up.
What Hip Hop Taught Me by Jenna Marbles
To explain where stories come from, we helped Leila and Rahul make their own mini-books. I transcribed their stories.
Natasha Visits Dr. Leila
by Leila
Doctor Leila goes for a walk.She goes to the nurse’s house.
The nurse goes to Dr. Leila’s house.
They do a blood test for Natasha.
They check Natasha’s heart. (L and R both demand I draw a heart on this page!)
They heard dook dook, dook dook, dook dook.
Then they checked her lungs.
Dr. Leila and the nurse sent Natasha home.
Natasha became better.
THE END
The Dragon and the Princess
by Rahul
Once upon a time there was a princess who was stuck in the dragons cave.
And one dragon said, “Who is here?
The dragons blow fire at her.
She called the prince. He faught the dragons with his sword.
The dragons threw fire on the prince as well.
The dragons left the cave.
THE END
Wonderland
by Rahul
Once upon a time there was a dragon and a princess.
The dragon blew fire on the prince and princess.
Then suddenly, the nice fairy appears and fights with the dragon.
And the dragon flew away.
THE END
Nemo the Shark
by Rahul
Nemo the shark bites everyone. But he is scared of the dragon.
One day Nemo met the dragon in his house! (R: Mama put an excamashun mark)
The dragon blew fire on Nemo. It hurt a lot. (R: draw a dragon here. Blowing fire. – I managed a dragon brontosaurus dog with whiskers blowing a sock.)
THE END
Leila this morning: When I become bigger, I want to be a builder.
Leila this evening: When I become bigger, I will be a doctor. I’ll do blood tests and IV’s.
Me: Ok. When you are older you can go to a doctor school then.
Rahul: I don’t want to be a nurse now.
Me: What do you want to be then Rahul?
Rahul: I want to be a dragon. I want to go to dragon school.
Me: Ok, then you can go to dragon school.
Yummy pancakes and finger painting in the most beautiful place in the world!
Both IV lines are just off. Down to oral meds- morale in the room is up!
