Biking Success!

Woot-woot!:









It's a good thing they're doing so well on their own, because Coach Daddy threw his back out big time and has had to retire for awhile. 


Meanwhile, we are still working on our eating and table manners skills.  In the past five minutes I have had the following conversations with Madeleine:

#1
ME: Madeleine.  You need to STOP fooling around with your water or I take your cup away.
MADELEINE: (looking up at me, wide-eyed, with water dribbling all down her face and chin.)  But Mama.  I wasn't fooling around.
ME: Yes you were.  It's not play-time with your water.
MADELEINE: But I was trying to make it VIBRATE!


#2
ME: Madeleine.  Get your hands out of your water.  You don't ever dip your hands in your drink.
MADELEINE: (innocently) But WHY?
ME: (sternly) Why do you think?
MADELEINE: I don't know!
JULIA: Uh, because you'll get a COLD?

These kids are geniuses.


#3
ME: Madeleine!  STOP squishing your green beans.  Just EAT them.
JULIA: Mama?  What does SWISHING your GREEN BEANS mean?
ME: Squishing.  Madeleine thinks it's play-time instead of eating time over here.
MADELEINE: No it's not.
ME: Madeleine, do you think it's play-time right now?
MADELEINE: (sweetly) Noooo.
ME: Then why are you playing with your food?
MADELEINE: (solemnly) I was just trying to TELLEX them.
ME: What??
MADELEINE: TELLEX them.
ME: What on earth does that mean?
MADELEINE: It means, like, you put your FORK on your food and then you TAP your finger on the table.


Oh, me, oh, my.
At least she learned how to ride her bike though.  Progress in one area, regression in another...