Keata loves a good PBJ — she calls them “Peanut Buddy Sandwiches.” When she was a little younger, she called it a “Peanut Buddy See-otch,” which is still what we call them. So, as her pronunciation improves, ours gets worse…

Yesterday around dinner time, she wanted to listen to her Veggie Tales CD (which we have listened to, conservatively, a cajillion times in the past 2 weeks). “Want to listen to VEGgie Tales?” she asked. Karianne told her, “You can listen to Veggie Tales after dinner, if you finish eating your food.”

She thought about this for a second, then said, “I want a peanut buddy sandwich!” I guess she reasoned that in order to get Veggie Tales, she had to eat something, and she wasn’t too excited about the steak I was cooking. Nice try, kid!

Tonight, Kaeta asked me what my computer’s background image was. “That’s a sea anemone,” I told her. “Want to see an-nuh-wa one?” (that’s how she says “another”)

So I did something I’ve gotten in the habit of doing with her — I got on Google image search and searched for “sea anemone” so I could show her some different anemones. I have used this to show her all kinds of random things she’s wanted to see. One time I showed her a picture of a horse, and immediately she said, “Want to see a blue one?” Well, you can google for “blue horse” and click “Images,” and suddenly you’re a 2-year-old’s hero.

She was fascinated and entertained by these for several minutes:

In the midst of looking at those, I decided to teach Kaeta how to use the touchpad on the laptop to move the mouse pointer. She caught on to the concept pretty easily, although she kept forgetting that you can’t click on something by touching the screen. Maybe by the time she’s in junior high touchscreens will be standard. Anyway, it was a good father/daughter nerd moment teaching her some basic computer skills.

Then, to practice her skills, I opened up MS Paint and let her draw. She wasn’t good enough to really do much yet (although she mostly made that E shape on the left herself, with a little help). But she told me what to draw and I did it for her — the bottom right is supposed to be Nathan coming out of a box (Nathan is her cousin; she talks about him all the time).

I’ve been meaning to post this one for a while.  During church a month or so ago, we were waiting for our turn to take communion, and Kaeta was sitting in my lap.  I pointed at the people kneeling at the altar, and I asked, “Kaeta, what are those people doing?”

She thought about it, then said, “Those ladies are eating picks!”

As in guitar picks.  So then I had to explain to her that the communion wafers are not guitar picks.  What in the world must she think we’re doing, going to church to eat picks every week?!

Kaeta: (pointing out the window at the sky) I got to fly in that sky today!

Daddy: You did?  What did you see up there?

K: Birds.  I got birds on my head!

D: What color?

K: Green and blue and red and green and blue.  And red!  Dofe-tee is a bird.

D: What?

Mommy: (translating) Dorothy.

D: Oh, Dorothy is a bird?

K:  Yeah, Dorothy is a bird.  She’s a bird.  Birds are she.

D: (laughing) She’s a bird, birds are she?  You sound like a pantheist.

K: I like big girl panties!

Ever since the car accident, Kaeta has asked me several times a day, “Is the white car brokened?” It seems like she was more attached to that car than we were! She only rode in it a couple of times. Anyway, a typical conversation goes like this:

Mommy and Daddy: [trying to have a conversation]

Kaeta: Is the white car brokened?

M&D: [ignoring]

K: [getting progressively louder] Is the white car brokened? Is the white car brokened?? Daddy, is the white car brokened??!

D: Yes, the white car is brokened.

K: Where is the white car?

D: Where is it?

K: At a junkyawd.

There are a few variations, but I basically have this conversation 6 or 7 times a day. This morning, I’m working from home, and Kaeta came up to me and said, very sweetly:

“Daddy, I want to ask you a question.”

She’s never said that before! I don’t know where she picked that up, but I was very interested to hear what she so earnestly wanted to ask me. I said, “Yes, Kaeta?” So she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and said,

“Is the white car brokened?”

I’m working from home today, and Kaeta likes to come in and talk to me.  We just had this conversation:

K: Where’s Jonah?

D: He’s in his crib.  He’s resting, so we need to leave him alone to rest.

K: Can I bother him?

Typical :-)  At least she’s asking permission!