Julia Talks School, Madeleine Talks Life

Throughout the day today, Julia decided to tell me about some of the topics she's learning about in school.  She began by recounting her lesson on ants to me this morning as she ate her breakfast.

JULIA: Mama, did you know that in KASE we're learning about ANTS and we learned that the ants have different parts of their BODY? 
ME: How cool!
JULIA: Yeah, and we learned that one part of the body is called the ADDOMEN, and...and...and...
ME: And another one is called the thorax?

Had I known what an error I was about to make, I would have kept my big mouth shut.

JULIA: (clearly disappointed) Mama, I wanted to tell you that!  Because - it's like LORAX! 
ME: Oh, I'm sorry!  I didn't mean to ruin it for you!  So, yeah, you're right, it's just like Lorax, except instead of beginning with an "l"-
JULIA: (clearly not willing to let me spoil another of the facts she intended to tell me) T-H-O-R-A-X!!
ME: Great job, honey!  You're so smart!

I think I got myself back in her good graces after giving her that bit of praise.

Later in the afternoon, while we walked home from school, Julia showed me the Model Magic Earth she had made, with a toothpick sticking out of the top and a piece of paper affixed to the toothpick.

ME: (pointing at the paper) Is that a flag?
JULIA: It's a SHIP.  We learned about Christopher Columbus today!
ME: Oh, I see!  And did you learn why Christopher Columbus decided to sail around the world?
JULIA: Uh...to...make a bunch of clothes and see if he could SELL them?

Yes.  That is EXACTLY why Christopher Columbus sailed around the world.

Meanwhile, Madeleine was full of sharply observant commentary about life in general today.  Sitting down at the table and donning a pair of purple sunglasses, she announced joyfully, "Mommy, I look so HANDSOME!"

Oh, yeah.  Handsome is MOST definitely the first word that comes to mind to describe this image.

The chocolate cupcake pictured above was actually interrupted and finished later, as after hearing the sound of Ethan's train approaching in the distance, I asked the girls if they wanted to go walk to meet him. 

"Yay!  We're going on a VACATION to meet Daddy at the TRAIN!" Madeleine hollered exuberantly as she stumbled drunkenly down the sidewalk, attempting her graceful staggered-leg hop-jump over every crack and puddle on the sidewalk.  "And all the KIDS can come on our VACATION to meet Daddy at the TRAIN too!" she exclaimed, full of generous good-will towards the invisible kids surrounding us, happy to invite them along on our adventure.  The boisterous floundering only increased once we had met up with Daddy, culminating in a full-out face plant on the sidewalk just in front of our house, as Madeleine attempted to run with wild abandon up to the house.  No lingering maladies, however; Madeleine brushed herself off, stood up, and announced proudly, "Wow, I was running SO FAST to our house that I just WIPED OUT!"

Ethan and I have surely passed on all of our grace and dexterity to our two children.