Cap’n Hook & Mr. Pee

So it is a well-known fact that if you are involved in imaginary play at our house, it is likely to include some characters or elements from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  We often have alligators lurking around the backyard and Cap’n Hook and Mr. Pee routinely make an appearance in any mayhem that occurs.  Jess is learning more words and phrases and she’s still working out the hard double consonant sounds.  So Mr. Smee is Mr. Pee, smooch is poonch.  Snake is Sank (we also have quite a few of those around here). 

Another of my favorite things is hearing her say L.  I will miss the day when “yaugh” turns to laugh, when Auntie Yis, turns to Auntie Lis, when I don’t hear “We are yocked!”  (that’s what she says when we’re stuck) or I yuv you mama.”  Or more recently, “tell dem ’bout the luv sack mom!” (the one she got for her birthday, inspired by her teenage cousins in AZ)

We’ve been playing babies a lot lately too.  She will assign me the role of ma’am.  “Mom, you be a ma’am and I’ll be a girl with a baby.”  Or “Mom, you be a ma’am who takes the money and I’ll bring my purse.”  Then if I get a little confused about my role and try to take care of a baby or give her back coins, she will remind me “No mom, you’re the ma’am.”  I’m trying to wrap my brain around what “Ma’am” represents in her head.  Her language development continues to intrigue me.

The other day something happened and she said “Mom, are you danged about it?”  Haha.  I’ve been trying to say bummer more than dang.  It’s pretty great to hear her say “Bummer!” too.  If we’re distributing something (everything from game pieces to snacks for the neighbors) she might say “Mom, I want to be the giver out.”

“Mom, you are my best.”  Unless it’s last weekend when we were all in the car and she announced that Daddy was her favorite.  Then, thoughtfully, she said “Mom, is that ok with you if I change?”  “Sure J, Daddy is a really great guy, I love him too.”

The other day I was trying to make something so I invited Jess into the kitchen with me and offered to let her create something too.  I realized I’m always inviting her into the kitchen to help me with what I want to make and I rarely let her flex her creative muscles in baking.  She said she wanted to make doughnuts so I gave her some donut-ish ingredients and for the most part I let her measure and put in what she thought best.  This is what we ended up with.  The texture and color were beautiful, she said the taste was “good” but the rest of us thought that maybe 3 teaspoons of sugar weren’t enough to combat the 5 tablespoons of salt…