Daddy, Through the Eyes of a Four Year Old

The Father’s Day Interview

Poppy, age 4. June 2015.

What is your daddy's full name?

Bryan, I don't know the other. That's a pretty short name.

How old is your daddy?

I don't know how old is my daddy.

What would you guess?

What if I’m wrong?

It’s OK if you’re wrong.

umm…24?

What does your daddy do for a job?

Uhh, spray the yard, take out the weeds, mow the yard…

But what does he do when he goes to work?

He works! I don't know what he does. He just does stuff on his computer.

What kind of things does your daddy know how to do?

Put in the chandelier that I swung on. He knows how to dig a deep hole and it's hard to dig it because it has clay and bricks.

What is the nicest thing that your daddy does for you?

Gives me kisses and hugs.

Who do you think daddy loves the most?

Me!

What about Mama?

No, I think he loves me and Cetty the most.

What about God?
Oh yeah, he loves God and Jesus the most.

How do you know that your daddy loves you?

Cuz God made him to love me.

What is something that your daddy has taught you?

The gospel. The gospel, the gospel!

What is your favorite thing to do with your daddy?

Play games. 

What is the best food that your daddy makes?

Mac and cheese. 

What is something funny that daddy says?

"Uh oh, the kissing machine is here!" hehe. That's so funny.

What is something funny that daddy does?

Hug me and kiss me and put me upside down.

What is your favorite place to go with your daddy?

Camille's is my favorite place cuz I like the banana wrap and chips there.

What do you do that makes daddy happy?

Say nice things to him like "I love you."

If your daddy was an animal which one do you think he would be?

There's one that is like daddy working really fast. The flamingo! Hehehe, that's just one that I would like to be.

But is there one that's more like daddy and less like you?

Oh yeah, a hippo.

Why is a hippo like daddy?

Because he takes his time.

If your daddy was a color, what color do you think he would be?

I bet he wouldn't be pink! Hehe. I bet he would be blue or red because I think those are colors that boys like. Or black or brown.

If daddy could have one day to do anything he wanted what do you think he would do?

Go out with me somewhere special like the mall.

What is one thing that you would like to say to daddy on Father's Day?

What's a very nice thing to say? Like, I love you? What about if we give him a gift?

What gift would you give daddy?

I don't know…all I can think of is something to wake him up. Like an alarm clock. 

Can you think of any other questions for daddy?

How about what kind of flowers could we grow together? I know one kind. Poppies!

Is your daddy the best daddy in the world?

No, I think some daddies in other countries might be better.

But is he the best daddy in the world for you?

Yeah! He's the best daddy for me!

That Girl

I'm still in love. Lucette is two years old now and so stinking cute I can hardly stand it. She hasn't grown much over the last year (look at those itty bitty legs), but she has plenty of personality to make up for her size.

  Some things I want to remember about Cetty…

She's fierce and fearless, except she's terrified of bugs. She can spot them a mile away with her superpower vision and will yell out something like "Oh, an ant! It's moving!" She also refuses to set foot on boats. 

***

Speaking of things she yells out, this child can talk! I love it, and I need to write down more of her quotes. This morning I was trying to do Poppy's hair and, as usual, Poppy was freaking out. Over the noise of Poppy I heard Cetty shout from the bottom of the stairs, "No, don't pull Poppy's hair in a pony tail! OK? It's OK, Poppy." She can be very sweet and empathetic.

***

She still loves her blankets and her thumb. She has worn down the tags on her favorite blankets and has a callous on the side of her right thumb. They may be habits we'll have to break one day but for now I think it makes her all the more snuggly. 

***

She likes to sing. And she's fairly decent for a two year old. She can do "Jesus Loves Me," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "This Little Light of Mine," multiple verses of "Amazing Grace" (family favorite), "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "ABC's"...The other night at about 11:30pm I heard her belting out the song "Where is Thumbkin" from her crib. Yeah, our kids don't sleep much. 

***

She started self potty training a few weeks ago. Seriously, I walked by the bathroom and she was sitting on my toilet peeing. She climbs up onto the seat like a crazy little monkey. I'm skeptical that it will last and I'm not consistent enough to really stick to it either at this point, so who knows what will end up happening. 

***

And on the subject of pee…about six months ago she started taking off her clothes and peeing all over in her crib when she was supposed to be napping. We tried buying certain pajamas and she wormed out of them all. We tried safety pinning her tops to her bottoms which ended up a major safety hazard when she got the pins open (she's very resourceful). Finally we started putting her in an infant sleep sack that she still somehow fits into. It's hilarious. She looks like the littlest Who from Dr. Suess when she's waddling around. And if I forget to put it on her at bedtime she'll tell me, "I need my seep sack." Hopefully she won't end up with some weird complex.