Gracie-isms!

10-10-09
I was having a conversation with Gracie and telling her that she has so many talents and that she could do and be anything that she wants to when she grows up. She asked me, "Like what?" So I mentioned a few things to her.

Out of no where she told me, "I could never be Woman vs. Food."

(There is a show on TV called "Man vs. Food." where this guy travels all around the country taking on crazy food challenges. He'll eat enormous amounts of different kinds of food.)

Cracked me up! It was so random! :)

11-21-09
Gracie: "Well, you know what they say...the more you listen, the more you memorize."

11-23-09
Gracie got invited to her good friends birthday party and when I told her she said, "My friend is turning seven (dramatic pause), where did the years go?!" (note: She was dead serious!)

12-12-09
Gracie has to give the talk tomorrow in primary. She gets really nervous and embarrassed to talk in front of a lot of people so I've been telling her (as she has practiced her talk) that she is doing a great job and that I think she will do wonderful tomorrow. I have tried to be really upbeat and encouraging and even told her I think she will make a great speaker. Honestly though she does an amazing job and she reads unbelievably well. Her talk is pretty lengthy for a 6 year old and she breezes right through it. (I'm so proud of her!!)

So this is what she says to me after all of my encouragement and reassurance that she has no reason to be nervous..."I want to knock their socks off! I think they are going to blow away! They are going to be thinking wow, this girl is only 6 and she can read that much!"

How's that for confidence?! You go girl!

As she is giving her talk I'll be standing next to her holding a felt board and my part is to hand her the appropriate piece at the right time for her to stick on the board. As we were practicing I started spacing out a bit and she'd have to pause for me and wait for my delayed reaction to hand her a piece. So she said to me, "Mom, you are going to have to really pay attention when I am giving my talk." Haha! Oh my goodness, I totally felt like the child. Let's just say Gracie and I have a lot of moments when I feel like the child and she the adult. Yikes! She is just growing up so fast.

For example:
12-10-09
It had been a really long day for me. Chase was really cranky all day and wouldn't nap at all. Parker was on his usual kick of pure boredom and incapability to actually play on his own. So come dinner time I was spent. This was not a night for an elaborate dinner so needless to say we had hot dogs, green beans, and apples. Well this is how dinner went:

Gracie in a whiny voice: "I don't like hot dogs. You know I don't like hot dogs."
Me: (knowing that she doesn't like hot dogs because she thinks they are all made from pigs and doesn't like to eat anything pig because pigs are cute...as she puts it) I go and grab the hot dog package and say, "Look Gracie, read it."
Gracie reads the package: "Turkey dogs."
Me: "See Gracie they are not pig, they are turkey."
Gracie: "I still don't like hot dogs."

Parker in a whiny voice: "I don't want apples and beans, I don't want apples and beans."

After a few minutes of both of them whining and repeating themselves over and over AND OVER, I grab their plates (here is where I am so not proud of myself and admittedly lost it for a moment) and from a distance I chuck them into the sink. Mind you, not all of the food actually made it into the sink. A bit on the floor, a bit on the wall, and a bit clear across the counter. I know, you might be thinking, why in the world did you just share that to people outside of your home. Well, I'm not too proud to say that I'm not perfect and that I do have my crazy moments. :)

My point...
The next day Gracie told me, "Mom, you really shouldn't throw a fit like that because then you just have to pick up your mess."


12-8-09
I got an email from Gracie's 1st grade teacher and this is what it said,

"Hello Mandi and Phil,

I would like to refer Gracie to our "Tiger Reserve" program, it is a program developed for highly-abled and gifted students within our school district. Gracie is working well above grade level in my classroom and I feel Gracie is a good candidate for this program. With your permission, I would like to have her tested to see if she qualifies."

WOW! Gracie is such an amazing little girl and we are thrilled at the progress she is making. She loves to read! She has such a good memory and comprehension of things. Her teacher told me that she is the one in her class that the kids go to for help when they don't understand how to do something because Gracie not only listens good in class, but she is able to read directions and tell the other kids. She also said that Gracie is like the little mother figure. Not only that, but she really understands right from wrong and tries hard to make good choices that she knows will make Heavenly Father, Jesus, and her parents proud. This little girl is so special to us...she brings tears (happy tears) to my eyes!